Homework News

Hello!

Wednesday's Homework:
Math: Study for Thursday's math test
Language Arts: Spelling Story

Thursday's Homework:
Language Arts: Study for vocabulary quiz
Remember that signed reading logs and homework logs are due tomorrow.

See you at the Potluck tomorrow! If you not make it, have a very happy holiday and a healthy and safe New Years celebration. I can't wait to sleep this vacation. I am dreaming of my big, mushy bed already. Just one more day until I can sleep!!!!

Cheers,
Dvora

Tuesday's Homework

Greetings!

Homework:
Math: Division Practice (Test on Thursday!)
Language Arts: Antonyms and Synonyms (There are 8 total words for all students this week...)

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Vocabulary Words

Hello!

This week's vocabulary words work in pairs. The first word listed has a long vowel and the second word has a short vowel. The bolded vowel is the accented vowel in each word. There are eight words this week, instead of the normal six, and there will not be any bonus words this week.

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Vocabulary Words:

Long Vowels Short Vowels
athlete athletic
breathe breath
revise revision
type typical

Rain, rain go away!

Hello!

So the weather this week will be a little difficult. It is important to make sure that your student is dressed appropriately for the cold weather (this is a lesson I still need to learn.) Please make sure that your child comes dressed in a warm coat and wears closed-toed shoes. If it is not raining, the students will be sent to frolic on the blustery yard amongst the puddles....

Homework:

• Language Arts: Word Sort (Short vs. long vowels)
• Math: Division Practice
• Other: Prepare work for reading groups. Most groups will be meeting to discuss the reading on Thursday. Students need to complete their "jobs" outside of class if they are not able to finish their work during the allotted class time.

Announcements:

• There will be a unit math test on Thursday. The students will receive a study guide on Wednesday. Please help your child to review their study guide in preparation for the test. The test will include friendly parts division, open number sentences (problems with variables), division word problems, map skills, and prime factorization.
• We will be having a pot luck in the classroom on Friday. If you did not receive Anne Schonfield's (Rebecca's mom) email regarding what to bring, I will try to send a paper invitation out tomorrow.

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Thursday's Homework and IMPORTANT Announcements

Hello!

Homework:

Language Arts: Spelling Story
Math: Study Links, Page 85 (Long Division word problems)
Other:

• Please return any overdue library books to BAM before the December break.
• Vocabulary test tomorrow. Please help your student to study. Remember, students receive two points for every sentence; one point if they spell the word correctly and one point for using the word correctly in the sentence with appropriate context clues.
• Students will receive ten dollars each for returning their signed reading log and homework log every Friday. Please help them to remember their signed logs on Friday.
• Mr. Weis is coordinating the fifth grade student newspaper. He has issued a request for student submissions. I will give students extra credit (between $10 and $50) for their submissions. They may write a piece of fiction, a news article, a problem (to be responded to by a "Dear Abby" writer), an opinion piece, or answer the monthly question (Should kids have to wear uniforms at school?). Sorry about the late notice. Students can also email their submissions to me and I will forward them onto Mr. Weis.
• The yearbook committee will be meeting tomorrow during lunch. Students that are interested on working on the yearbook should plan to attend. I will be chairing the yearbook committee and helping them to coordinate this year's issue.
• Holiday Potluck. Next Friday, the fifth grade will be hosting a potluck in room 201. I will send out an invitation tomorrow. If you are interested in helping, please call or email me. During the potluck, I would like the students to share some of the poetry they have been working on over the past several weeks. We have been writing color poems, limericks, and diamantes. I plan to to have them work on one more style of poetry next week...

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Wednesday's Homework

Hello!

Homework:

Math: Study Links, Page 83 (Dividing with Decimals)
Language Arts: Mad Libs in preparation for writing Diamantes

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Tuesday's Homework

Dear Students,

Tonight, as always, you should be working on both your language arts and math homework assignments. Also, you may need to take some time to prepare for your literature circle discussion groups on Wednesday.

Homework:

Math: Study Links, page 81
Language Arts: Antonyms and Synonyms (Some words may be difficult to find appropriate antonyms and synonyms. Please just do your best and I understand if you can not find an appropriate answer here or there.)

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Monday's Homework and Vocabulary Words

Hello!

I am late yet again; I haven't been blogging faithfully in the past couple of weeks. I guess I should fine myself for my lack of diligence regarding this blog.

Homework:

Math: Practice Set 24
Language Arts: Matching Sounded and Silent Consonants

Vocabulary:

1. signature
2. designate
3. muscle
4. column
5. haste
6. bomb
7. solemnity
8. resignation
9. hymn

There are only three bonus words this week...

Thank you,
Miss Klein

Optional Math Project

Hello!

Some students choose to begin work on an optional math project that I distributed today. Each math unit, the students will be allowed to work on an optional project. I encouraged those students that are doing well in math to undertake the endeavor. For those students that continue to struggle, I would prefer that they devoted their attention to their homework.

The first project will be due on December 18th, 2008. This is not a required project and the students that choose to do the work will receive extra credit.

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Welcome Gabby!

Hello!

I would like to extend a hearty BAM welcome to our new student, Gabby! She comes to us from Livermore and I appreciate my class for doing their best to make her feel welcome!

Homework:

• Language Arts: Spelling Story and Study for Vocabulary Quiz
• Math: Finish worksheet that the students began in class today ("Friendly Parts" Division)
• Other: Return signed Math Test from last week

Tomorrow, we will finally return to regular Friday art lessons. We will continue our previous arts' education with a lesson on perspective.

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Wednesday's Blog (A Day Late)

Homework:

• Language Arts: Finish work for reading groups and be ready to discuss during class on Thursday
• Math: Study Links, Page 77

We have begun to review long division. Many students are struggling with long division and I suspect it is because they can not quickly recall their multiplication table. I will be sending home flashcards over break and I suggest that the students work their bottoms off! I don't want to have to give timed multiplication tests, but I will if this continues to be a problem.

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Book Clubs / Literature Circles

Hello!

Homework:

Language Arts: Antonyms and Synonyms
Math: Practice Set 23
Other: Begin work for Book Clubs / Literature Circles

Today the students were given books to be read as part of Book Clubs / Literature Circles. Please help your student to take good care of their book. Each group, decided how much reading they would do and when they would complete the reading by. Additionally, they were given worksheets to help with the discussions when they meet in groups. The groups and texts assigned are as follows:

Group A: Gavin, Rebecca, Shira, and Donovan
Group B: Loren, Lila, Chiharu, and Honey
Group C1: Tali, Zeb, Aerin, Jazmyn, and Marcell
Group C2: Zachary, Emily, Angel R., and Jaime
Group D: Dray, Jeanette, Harper, and Isabel
Group E: Sharif, Diamond, Angel P., and Kaya

Group A will be reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Group B will be reading Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
Group C will be reading The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Group D will be reading The Starving Time; Elizabeth's Jamestown Colony Diary by Patricia Hermes
Group E will be reading different books each week.

The books and the reading may be used to complete the Reading Logs each week.

Cheers,
Miss Klein

Verb Suffixes

Hello!

Here are this week's vocabulary words:

1. classify
2. straighten
3. beautify
4. analyze
5. lengthen
6. visualize
7. civilize
8. mistaken
9. apologize
10. diversity

(The words written in red are the bonus words. Any student that receives a perfect score on a vocabulary quiz is elligible to attempt the bonus words.)

Welcome Back!

Hello!

I hope everyone had a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. I got some rest and caught up on some household chores that I had been putting off. Thank you to those students that completed their work over vacation; students had a choice and I appreciate those students that made the choice to do their work. Students will receive ample payment for a job well done! (We began our new money system today.)

Homework:

Language Arts: Vivid Vocabulary
Math: Study Links, Page 75 (We began a unit on division today!)

Cheers,
Dvora