November 30, 2011

• Buddy Readers
• Math - Finding an Average: Lesson 50 Test tomorrow
• Science - Mrs. Bate
• Journal - Yellow
• Spelling - speed sort
• Music - Silent Night in sign language
• Writing - Persuasive Essay: Favorite Time of the Year
• Reading - I read with The Tiger Rising group. The other students completed a comprehension and penmanship exercise - then read silently.
• English - Regular and Irregular Verbs: pg 118 (1-24)
• Social Studies - Students were given time to work on their Greivance assignment.  It is due Friday.
• P.E. - Mrs. Lyman

Please bring your recorder to school tomorrow if you haven't already.
November reading calendars are due tomorrow.

November 29, 2011

• Math - Solving Two-Step Word Problems: Lesson 49
• Science - Investigation 2 and part of Investigation
• Journal - Orange journals are due today.
• Spelling - Sort the words and write them in your spelling notebook along with the rule or pattern for your sort.
• Writing - Cats vs. Dogs persuasive essay.  Add the e's (explanations, experiences, evidence, etc) to acheive a score of 18 or better.
• Reading - One group read Homer P Figg with me. The other students did Daily Warm-Up 10 "I Wish" Syndrome and finished or started penmanship.
• English - Contractions with Not: pg 116 (1-35)
• Social Studies - Declaration of Independence Grievances.  The Declaration of Independence lists 25 grievances the colonists had with King George.  Each student was assigned a grievance to rewrite in easier - to - understand language and to draw a picture illustrating that complaint.  Students will have time to work on the assignment tomorrow as well.
• Art

November 28, 2011

• Buddy Readers with first graders
• Library - Book Exchange
• Math - Reading and Writing Wholes Numbers in Expanded Notation: Lesson 48
• Science
• Journals - Red journals are due today
• Spelling - Cut out new spelling sort
• Writing - Persuasive essay - Would you rather have a pet cat or dog?
• Reading - The group reading the Jacket read with me.  The other students practiced cursive writing of n, m, and x, then read Daily Warm-Up #9, and silent read.
• English - Agreement with Be and Have: pg 114 (1-22)
• Social Studies - We continued our discussion and class notes regarding the Declaration of Independence.
• P.E.

Welcome back to school. I hope you enjoyed your break, and are ready to get to work again.

November 22, 2011

Colonial Day
Students made bread, butter, bricks, candles, and practiced some weaving.  It was a fun day.
A huge THANK YOU to all the parents who volunteered time and/or supplies.  We teachers definitely could not have done it without you.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving break!

November 21, 2011

• Buddy Readers
• Library - Exchange Books
• Math - Simplifying Mixed Measures, such as 5ft 3in = 63 in : Lesson 47
• Science - Pre-test
• Journal - Red journals are due today
• Writing - Students are working to get three essays with a score of 18 or more.
• Reading - Reading Comprehension and Handwriting exercise
• English - Subject-Verb Agreement: pg 112 (1-22)
• Social Studies - We began discussing the Declaration of Independence
• P.E. with Mrs. Lyman

Tomorrow is Colonial Day!

Remember, no school November 23, 24, and 25.

November 18, 2011

• Storytelling Kick-Off Assembly
• Math - Stories About Fractions of a Group: Lesson 46
• Journal - Blue Journals are due today.
• Spelling - Test
• Writing - As a whole class we wrote a persuasive essay for a shopping center in our neighborhood rather than a housing development. We got a rather good score on the computer writing program.
• Reading - Penmanship and Comprehension exercises
• English - Future Tense Verbs: pg 108 (1-36)
• Social Studies - Explore opinions for and against independence from Britain: Students were expected to follow the notes written in class.
• P.E. with Mrs. Lyman

Colonial Day is Tuesday, November 22.  If you are available to volunteer that day, but have not been contacted please let me know.
Have a great weekend!

November 17, 2011

• Math - Test 8
• Library lesson with Mrs. Coffman
• Music - We learned ASL for "Silent Night"
• Journal - Green journals are due today.
• Spelling - speed sort
• make up work or reward time

Tomorrow morning is the kick-off assembly for the storytelling festival.
Tuesday, November 22, is Colonial Day.

November 16, 2011

• Math - Classifying Quadrilaterals: Lesson 45 (Test Tomorrow)
• Science with Mrs. Bate
• Journal - Yellow journals are due today.
• Spelling - sort words and write them in your spelling notebook
• Writing - Improve the essays on "a new pet," "surprise party," and "award for school."
• Reading - Penmanship and reading comprehension exercises
• English - Past Tense Verbs: pg 106 (1-30)
• Social Studies - We took class notes on the Boston Tea Party
• P.E. with Mrs. Lyman

I'm sorry I didn't blog yesterday.  I wasn't feeling well and visited my doctor yesterday afternoon.  Yesterday's math assignment was lesson 44, and yesterday's English assignment was page 104 (1-25). Please let me know if you have any questions.

November 14, 2011

• Field trip to the Aquarium
• Computer with Mrs. Croft

November 11, 2011

• Short assembly for Veteran's Day
• Math - Writing Quotients as Mixed Numbers part 2 & Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers, Fractions, and Mixed Numbers: Lesson 43
• Science with Mrs. Bate
• Journal - Blue journals are due today
• Spelling - Spelling Test
• English - Linking Verbs: pg 102 (1-21) This was a tricky assignment for most students.
• We discussed behavior expectations for Monday's field trip.
• Reading - Handwriting and Reading Comprehension Exercise
• Social Studies - We read a chapter from Ten True Tales: War Heroes, Voices From Iraq

Have a great weekend!  Remember the field trip on Monday.

November 10, 2011

• Math - Short Division & Divisibility by 3, 6, and 9: Lesson 42
• Library lesson with Mrs. Coffman
• Journal - green journals are due today
• Spelling pre-test - Test will be tomorrow.
• English - We corrected yesterday's English assignment.  No new assignment today.

For about 30 minutes before lunch students were given an opportunity to complete any assignments they were missing, or (if everything was turned in) they had some free time in the computer lab. 

November 9, 2011

• Math - Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Common Denominators: Lesson 41
• Science with Mrs. Bate (notes on atoms, I think)
• Journal - yellow journals are due today
• Spelling - speed sort
• Writing - Persuasive writing: After finishing the prompt on donating to charities students went back to their essay on getting a pet and explained each of their reasons.  They did great!
• Reading - Reading comprehension and handwriting exercises
• English - Main Verbs and Helping Verbs: pg 100-101 (1-20)
• Social Studies - Stamp Act: finished up the notes on that topic and began reading a story about the Boston Tea Party.
• P.E. with Mrs. Lyman

November 8, 2011

• Math - Measuring Angles: Investigation 4 (Most students finished the assignment in class).
• Science - Mrs. Bate
• Journals - Orange journals are due today.
• Spelling - Write the sorted spelling words in your word study notebook, and the rule or pattern you see from those words (green list, please define your words)
• Writing - Ideas for Persuasive Essay (Charity)
• Reading - Handwriting and Reading Comprehension exercises
• English - Direct Objects: pg 98 (1-28)
• Social Studies - Stamp Act: Class notes and discussion
• Art

November 7, 2011

• Math - We had a test today.
• Science - My class rotated to their new science teacher.  The students told me they weren't given an assignment today.
• Dodgeball - for the battleship reward
• Library - exchange books
• Journal - Red journals are due today
• Spelling - new spelling lists were handed out today.
• Reading - reading comprehension exercise and penmanship exercise, then silent reading.
• English - I handed back the English tests from Unit 2.  It was difficult for a lot of students.  To improve their score for the test students can either 1. retake the test, or 2. correct the problems missed on the test & write a small description of what they missed for each problem missed (for instance, "this word should have been plural not possessive, I didn't need to use an apostrophe") or 3. correct the problems missed on the test & write a summary of what was learned in each lesson of unit 2. Today's English assignment was on action verbs: pg 96-97 (1-26)
• Social Studies - We reviewed important facts from the French and Indian War, then began a study of the Stamp Act.
• P.E.

Thank you for volunteering for colonial days.  I have already received some knives and some flour. Thank you, thank you!

November 4, 2011

• Math - Pictures of Mixed Numbers & Writing Quotients as Mixed Numbers part 1: Lesson 40
• Science - This was the last day of geology for this group of students.  They will begin attending a science class from Mrs. Bate starting Monday morning at 9:55 a.m.  Today we did a review and they handed in their notebooks so I can get all of their grading done.
• Journals - Blue journals are due today.
• Spelling - Test
• English - Test on Unit 2- Nouns
• Reading - One reading group began the book The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg while the other groups did a reading comprehension and penmanship assignment.
• Social Studies - We watched portions of a DVD with information on the French and Indian War.

Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow at the walk-a-thon reward party. Have a great weekend!

November 3, 2011

• Math - Comparing Fractions by Drawing Pictures: Lesson 39
• Library lesson
• Journal - Green journals are due today.
• Spelling - blind sort
• English - Review of Unit 2.  Test will be tomorrow.
• Battleship - The students were able to sink all of the ships in one game. Yeah!

November 2, 2011

• Math - Fractions and Mixed Numbers on a Numbe Line: Lesson 38
• Band Assembly - The eighth grade band performed a few numbers today.  They sounded great.
• Science - The Great Rift Valley of Africa: What is unique about the great rift valley?  Draw and label the great rift valley as shown on the map on page B108. Label the 3 tectonic plates and the Afar Triangle.
• Journal - Yellow journals are due today.
• Writing - Persuasive essays on Utah Write: Today's topic was about convincing people that our school should get an award.
• Reading - One reading group began reading The Tiger Rising, while the other students worked on penmanship and practiced their reading comprehension.
• English - Review of Unit 2.  We will need a second day of review before the test.  The test will be given either Friday or Monday.
• Social Studies - The French and Indian War: Students were asked to participate in the discussion, read, and copy class notes as we studied the French and Indian War.
• P.E.

November 1, 2011

• Math - Drawing Pictures of Fractions: Lesson 37
• Science - Mount Pinatubo: Notes on predicting volcanoes - more of the volcano dvd.
• Journals - orange journals due today
• Spelling - independent sort: Write the sort and rules or patterns in your word study notebook.  Hunt for more words that fit those patterns.
• Writing - Persuasive paper: Should we have a surprise party inside or out?
• Reading - One group is reading The Jacket while other students work on penmanship and have reading comprehension practice.
• English - Plural Possessive Nouns: Worksheet 6 (we will review unit 2 for a couple more days then have the test either Friday or Monday)
• Social Studies - Benchmark 2: Write the second benchmark in your notes.  Look up and read about the French and Indian War.
• Art

Remember the big party on Saturday.  Students are bringing home participation waivers today.