Monday's Homework (A Day Late!)

Last night's homework:

Language Arts: Anytonyms and Synonyms with last weeks vocabulary words.
Math: Practice Set 22

We will be having a Unit 3 math assessment today, as well as a test on last week's vocabulary words. Those students that were absent on November 25th will need to make up the missed assessment following Thanksgiving break.

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Falling Behind!

Hello!

I guess I have fallen behind this week with blogging... Sorry about that!

Wednesday's Homework:

Language Arts: Finish Maniac Magee Illustrator Page
Math: Study Links, Page 67

Thursday's Homework:

Language Arts: Spelling Story
Math: Practice Sheet 21

Good news! I applied for a BPEF Grant to help fund teaching art in the classroom and I got it! I was given enough money to buy each student a canvas. We will be working on still life art all year and our study will culminate in the students painting an acrylic still life on canvas. Very exciting stuff!

Bummed Out!

Hello! I received very few completed poetry assignments today. I try to post the homework on my blog daily, check to make sure the students have recorded their homework on their homework logs, and give ample reminders. What else should I do? I am perplexed! Every student that completely finished their assignment was rewarded with four BAM Bucks (that includes reading the poem aloud.) Those students that did not complete their work lost their recesses for the entire week. In fifth grade, how much hand holding should I have to do? Please feel free to send me your thoughts and comments.

Homework:

Language Arts: Vivid Vocabulary Words (make a list of additional words that share the common prefixes -er, -or, -ian, and -ist)
Math: Practice Sheet 20 (This assignment has two sides; please make sure that your child completes both sides.)

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Vocabulary Words

Hello!

I forgot to list the vocabulary words for the week in my last post. This week's words are:

1. guardian
2. finalist
3. specialist
4. decorator
5. believer
6. Australian
7. civilian
8. Asian
9. admirer
10. creator

I have invited three more students to attempt the bonus words (which I do not thoroughly review in class.) Any student that receives a perfect score on their vocabulary test is invited to attempt all ten words.

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Weather

Hello!

Last time I checked, I thought it was November. Doesn't that mean that the weather should be cooling down, not warming up. I am very sensitive to changes in temperature and weather; my allergies have been going nuts and I continue to get headaches. When will Mother Nature make up her mind?

By the way, the Cal. Women's Basketball game on Friday was a ton of fun. I am happy with how the students behaved and I might even consider taking them on additional field trips.... Here is one of the pictures I took during the game:

Homework:

Language Arts: Finish Poetry Assignment

• Assignment 1: Poetry Interview (Interview and notes due on Tuesday)
• Assignment 2: Poetry Memoir (Students should turn in all steps of the writing process. A note of clarification: This is a memoir about an "experience" with poetry. The students are not being asked to write a poem, but a memoir.)
• Assignment 3: Poetry Sharing (Practice makes perfect! Students should be prepared to share their poems with their classmates on Tuesday. They will be graded on their performance.)

Math: Study Links, Page 65

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Poetry Unit

Hello!

Students should finish at least one part of the introduction to poetry unit this evening. I will be checking on their progress tomorrow morning.

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Field Trip on Friday!

Hello!

I am so excited for our field trip on Friday. We will be walking to a women's basketball game at the University of California, Berkeley at noon on Friday. We will have lunch on campus and then catch the first half of the game before returning to school in time for dismissal at 3:20 PM. Thank you to Cantey Meigs, Sarah Williams, and Mesha Shavers for volunteering to chaperon our field trip.

Homework:

LA: Start poetry unit, due Tuesday, November 18, 2008. This unit consists of three parts: an interview, a poetry memoir, and an oral reading of a poem. I will check in with the students on Friday morning in order to assess their progress. It is important that the students now leave this assignment to the last minute, as many did with their social studies presentations. In the future, I will be assigning interim check-ins in order to help students pace their work out over several days.
Math: Study Links, Lesson 3.7
Other: Study for the math and vocabulary quizzes on Thursday, November 13, 2008. Students took home their vocabulary cards and their math notebooks to help them study.
Permission slips due tomorrow!

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Taking a Break

Greetings!

I thought I would try to get the blog done early this afternoon. I have a break between parent conferences and so I am going to quickly blog this evening's homework.

Homework:

Language Arts: Spelling story with comparative (words that compare two people or objects) and superlative (words that compare three or more people or objects) words. Comparative and superlative words are easy to identify by their suffixes. Comparative words end with the suffix -er and superlative words end with the suffix -est.
Math: Study Links, page 61

There will be a vocabulary quiz and a brief math quiz tomorrow.

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Exhausted

Greetings!

I am sorry my posts have come so late in the evening, but between a School Governance Council meeting, speaking at the PTA meeting, and parent conferences, I have been stretched a little thin. To be honest, I am exhausted and it is only Wednesday. I can't wait to catch up on rest over the four day weekend!

Homework:

Math: Practice Set 14

Language Arts: Antonyms and Synonyms

Please remind your child to raise their hand when they have a question or would like to talk. Several students are having trouble remembering this rule...

Cheers,

Miss Klein

Election Day!

Hello and Happy Election Day!

I just got home from parent-teacher conferences and performing my civic duty by voting! Yeah! I am crossing my fingers, for what, I can't say exactly. Let me just say that I am hopeful that there will be a positive change in the American Government.

Homework:

Math: Study Links, Page 59 and Practice Sheet 17

Language Arts: Vivid Vocabulary

Other: Reciprocal teaching worksheet with Bonnie and Clyde

Cheers,

Miss Klein

Parent Conference

Happy Monday!

Tomorrow Parent-Teacher conferences begin. Please try to be on time and feel free to call my cell phone or the school if you are running late or don't think you can make it. The weather makes things especially difficult. Can't wait to sit down with y'all and talk...

Homework will not change because of the shortened day schedule (just so you know.) Luckily the schedule does not cut into our academic day very much, it just encroaches upon Music and Dance.

Homework:

Language Arts: Reciprocal Teaching worksheet on Bonnie and Clyde due on Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Math: Study Links page 58
Other: Study for Vocabulary Quiz from last week (words are listed in a previous post)

Vivid Vocabulary:

This weeks words all have comparative suffixes. The suffix -er is commonly used when comparing two objects. When comparing more than two objects, use the suffix -est. And of course, we change a y to an i when we add an -er or -est.

1. quietest
2. crummiest
3. stranger
4. fanciest
5. kindest
6. earlier

Bonus words:

1. murkier
2. emptier
3. shiniest
4. trickiest

Cheers,
Miss Klein

I will try to post Halloween pictures sometime this week. Please check back often.