TOMORROW IS A UNIFORM DAY - 5TH FRIDAY
TOMORROW IS ALSO THE BYU "CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD" FIELD TRIP. Several parents have volunteered to drive. Please be at the school at 8:30. We will load up by 8:45 and be on our way. The protocol is very different this year for the Marriot Center. Each school must enter all together. Please check where we will be parking before you leave. Also, it is first-come, first serve for seating. The performance starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 11 a.m. We will be back to school by 11:30.
TOMORROW IS OUR LANGUAGE ARTS TEST. Students may redo tests during lunches or recesses or after school.
Today we learned many more state capitals:
Helena, Montana
Boise, Idaho
Denver, Colorado
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Austin, Texas
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Little Rock, Arkansas
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mrs. Greer helped with reading groups. JOHNNY TREMAIN HOMEWORK WAS TO READ FROM 142-150.
OUR EXPOSITORY WRITING 3-POINT PARAGRAPH IS DUE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5TH. Expository writing is very structured. What follows is the description of the assignment:
Students will bring home tomorrow a yellow sheet of paper with their paragraph handwritten. They should check for spelling mistakes. Then they type the paragraph in the following manner:
My Favorite Foods (Or something similar)
by (Student Name)
(Indent the paragraph) The student types the complete paragraph, using correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar. When complete, the student prints out the paragraph and draws an appropriate illustration to match. The illustration should be inside a border and should be in color. It should fill the space appropriately. The entire assignment should not take longer than one hour, and can be spread out over the weekend or the next several days.
MATH HOMEWORK WAS TO COMPLETE THE EXERCISE ON DRAWING ANGLES. I was going to give the kids another sheet to work on, but forgot to do so. Sorry. You might want them to measure various angles that they find at home, using their protractors.
Science with the Fourth Graders was focused on magnetism. They wrote what they knew, what they wanted to know, and then experimented with magnets. It would be great if you could research them online.
In history, we learned about the battle of Saratoga. Student learned that Generals Howe, St. Leger, and Burgoyne strategized in their Master Plan to take control of the Hudson River. A method was had, whereby they would surprise the Americans at Albany by coming from the South, North, and West. However, General Howe decided by himself that it would be better to take Philadelphia first. That slowed him down and wore down his troops. The Americans stopped General St. Leger. The Americans fought General Burgoyne in Saratoga, just north of Albany, and the general had to surrender. 6,000 British soldiers surrendered. This battle convinced the French that the Americans could win a war against the greatest military power on earth. The French began to openly fund the American Revolution, and Spain and Holland entered the war on the side of the Americans.
Then we cheered on the students competing in the Geography Bee.
Tonight, the LS plays were well done. It has been another lonnnnnggg day!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
November 28th, 2012
PARENTS, WE HAVE BEEN INVITED TO BYU'S CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD ON FRIDAY. IF YOU CAN DRIVE, PLEASE CONTACT ME. WE NEED TO LEAVE MERIDIAN AND ARRIVE AT THE MARRIOT CENTER AS A SCHOOL. THEREFORE WE ARE ASKING PARENTS TO BE HERE AT 8:30 A.M.
This morning, Mrs. Greer came in to observe and orient herself with the children. She will serve as a Language Arts teacher for small group instruction in my class during the morning Language Arts block. We are so happy to have her on board.
Students located and labeled the following state capitals on their maps:
Juneau, Alaska
Honolulu, Hawaii
Sacramento, California
Salem, Oregon
Olympia, Washington,
Salt Lake City, Utah,
Carson City, Nevada
Phoenix, Arizona
PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD PRACTICE LOCATING AND MEMORIZING THESE CAPITALS ON A MAP. There are great resources online.
5th Graders tried their hand at completing definitions of this week's SAT words. PLEASE USE THESE WORDS IN SENTENCES FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THEM ON FRIDAY.
4th Graders should already have their root word packets complete. THERE IS A TEST ON THE ROOT WORDS ON FRIDAY.
Today we reviewed punctuation and capitalization rules in grammar, and added four more sentences to our 3-point paragraphs in expository writing. I am very pleased with the variety of adverbs and adjectives the students are using.
JOHNNY TREMAIN READING PAGE 131-140.
Math work was figuring out whether angles are greater than 90 or 180 degrees or less. This helps with estimating angles. HOMEWORK WAS 123/124. 6 students attended math club today.
Writer's Workshop continued with Final Draft Illustrations.
History reviewed the Trenton and Princeton battles. We decorated Nathan Hale's quote, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" and we also created a Christmas Card for the British at Trenton!
This morning, Mrs. Greer came in to observe and orient herself with the children. She will serve as a Language Arts teacher for small group instruction in my class during the morning Language Arts block. We are so happy to have her on board.
Students located and labeled the following state capitals on their maps:
Juneau, Alaska
Honolulu, Hawaii
Sacramento, California
Salem, Oregon
Olympia, Washington,
Salt Lake City, Utah,
Carson City, Nevada
Phoenix, Arizona
PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD PRACTICE LOCATING AND MEMORIZING THESE CAPITALS ON A MAP. There are great resources online.
5th Graders tried their hand at completing definitions of this week's SAT words. PLEASE USE THESE WORDS IN SENTENCES FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THEM ON FRIDAY.
4th Graders should already have their root word packets complete. THERE IS A TEST ON THE ROOT WORDS ON FRIDAY.
Today we reviewed punctuation and capitalization rules in grammar, and added four more sentences to our 3-point paragraphs in expository writing. I am very pleased with the variety of adverbs and adjectives the students are using.
JOHNNY TREMAIN READING PAGE 131-140.
Math work was figuring out whether angles are greater than 90 or 180 degrees or less. This helps with estimating angles. HOMEWORK WAS 123/124. 6 students attended math club today.
Writer's Workshop continued with Final Draft Illustrations.
History reviewed the Trenton and Princeton battles. We decorated Nathan Hale's quote, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" and we also created a Christmas Card for the British at Trenton!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
November 27th, 2012
This morning we again reviewed words. The 5th Grade words are:
- camaraderie
comfortable, easy friendship
-
canny
shrewd, thrifty -
large and spacious
-
surrender under agreed conditions
-
someone who has visions of the future, or clear insightTHERE WILL BE A TEST ON THESE WORDS ON FRIDAY. 4TH GRADERS WILL BE TESTED ON THEIR ROOT WORDS ON FRIDAY.In addition to spelling, we worked on capitalization rules. Students will be allowed to use their capitalization and punctuation guides in their Language Arts tests on Friday.We read Johnny Tremain. STUDENTS SHOULD COMPLETE THE WHOLE CHAPTER TONIGHT.In math, we reviewed protractor and angle terminology, and applied our own squares to determining whether or not an angle was right, obtuse, or acute. HOMEWORK WAS A LESSON TWO WORKSHEET SHOWING 90 DEGREE, 180 DEGREE, 270 DEGREE AND 360 DEGREE ANGLES. THEY ALSO NEED TO COMPLETE EXERCISE 1 IN THEIR WORKBOOKS. We also timed three sets of multiplication facts. We are starting a Multiplication Mastery Competition. Each set in under 30 seconds. HAVE STUDENTS PRACTICE THEIR MULTIPLICATION FACTS ONLINE OR ORALLY. Several more students attended Meridian Math Club today. If your child wants to come to math club, tell them to ask me! I am happy to help during lunch T/TH at 12:00 M/W, and after school when they make appointments. Remind them there are rewards for their efforts.Computer lab time was directed to researching Molly Pitcher and other women of the Revolution, and the advantages the British had against the American colonists. The British had: 50,000 Loyalists, Native American help, Black American help (they didn't want to fight for a nation that would keep them slaves), Canada's help, 100 times as many ships as America, money and supplies for soldiers, German mercenaries (professional soldiers paid to kill Americans). There are many resources on the internet for kids. Many are youtube videos. They might be interesting to research and watch as a family.4th Graders went to Art at 2:30 p.m. 5th Graders learned about magnetism. We wrote what we know, what we want to know, and what we were learning. Students then experimented with real magnets to find what attracts magnets and to learn the words 'attract' and 'repel'. They were all very much into their questions and experimenting.
Monday, November 26, 2012
November 26th, 2012
Sorry to post so late. Between meetings, food shopping, dinner, and Family Home Evening, this is the earliest I could get to the computer.
This morning we started with "Ask the Professor", after which the 5th Graders completed an SAT 5 word test and 4th Graders worked on Root Words. FRIDAY IS A TEST ON THE NEW 5 SAT WORDS FOR 5TH GRADERS AND THE ROOT WORD PACKET #2 FOR 4TH GRADERS. I WILL POST THE WORDS TOMORROW.
Our spelling activity is particularly fun this week. Students are first sorting, studying, then "signing" the words to each other. In grammar we reviewed Subject-verb tense again. Tomorrow we will receive a guide for capitalization and punctuation. Students will work on capitalization and then punctuation rules. STUDENTS WILL NEED TO BE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE RULES FOR THE LANGUAGE ARTS TEST ON FRIDAY.
In expository writing we are working on a simple 3-point paragraph. Don't worry, these are much easier than the essays! Our collective topic is favorite foods this week, mine being raw fish, pavlova, and chocolate! We are writing topic sentences and supporting sentences. When these are finished, students will write them in their neatest handwriting to post outside the room. We will then be writing one every week, leading into essay writing.
Johnny Tremain is much more exciting when we read it together. The vocabulary fits the times well, but is challenging without an adult. I have been pleasantly surprised at the connections the students are making to the history theme of The Revolutionary War. One of the best ways to bring history to life is through stories, and this one is a Newbery Award winner. TONIGHT'S HOMEWORK WAS TO READ JOHNNY TREMAIN TO THE END OF SECTION TWO (PAGE 114). We will continue reading aloud and discussing the text and vocabulary, relating reading strategies. It was fun having students take certain character roles today.
In math we received protractors and learned how to measure angles. This is very difficult for the children. We will work more on this tomorrow. We learned acute, 90 degree, and obtuse angles. Students estimated square angles and were introduced to measuring angles above and below the 90 degree mark. HOMEWORK IS LESSON 1 WORKSHEET, MEASURING ANGLES. Also, we started Meridian Math Club today. Students can earn privileges and rewards by attending Mondays and Wednesdays from 12-12:30 and Tuesday and Thursdays from 11:30-12:00. During Meridian Math Club I review any concepts that were missed on tests, review lessons of the day, review basic skills. Please encourage your child to attend. (Today I chose the students, just to see how it would go. Tomorrow it will be open club, for all who want to be there.)
For Writer's Workshop, students tried their hand at finishing their RDI's (Rough Draft Illustrations) for their character descriptions. They learned that the background must fit the description of the character. Students also worked on their other stories in their portfolios.
History's focus was Thomas Paine and his Common Sense pamphlet. Students worked together to create their own Common Sense pamphlets. They needed to include the four types of sentences (Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative, and Exclamatory), as well as pictures and personality.
One group was finished quickly enough to begin experimenting with magnets. They began a list on the board of objects that attract. Tomorrow morning the other students will add to the list.
Thanks for a great day!
This morning we started with "Ask the Professor", after which the 5th Graders completed an SAT 5 word test and 4th Graders worked on Root Words. FRIDAY IS A TEST ON THE NEW 5 SAT WORDS FOR 5TH GRADERS AND THE ROOT WORD PACKET #2 FOR 4TH GRADERS. I WILL POST THE WORDS TOMORROW.
Our spelling activity is particularly fun this week. Students are first sorting, studying, then "signing" the words to each other. In grammar we reviewed Subject-verb tense again. Tomorrow we will receive a guide for capitalization and punctuation. Students will work on capitalization and then punctuation rules. STUDENTS WILL NEED TO BE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE RULES FOR THE LANGUAGE ARTS TEST ON FRIDAY.
In expository writing we are working on a simple 3-point paragraph. Don't worry, these are much easier than the essays! Our collective topic is favorite foods this week, mine being raw fish, pavlova, and chocolate! We are writing topic sentences and supporting sentences. When these are finished, students will write them in their neatest handwriting to post outside the room. We will then be writing one every week, leading into essay writing.
Johnny Tremain is much more exciting when we read it together. The vocabulary fits the times well, but is challenging without an adult. I have been pleasantly surprised at the connections the students are making to the history theme of The Revolutionary War. One of the best ways to bring history to life is through stories, and this one is a Newbery Award winner. TONIGHT'S HOMEWORK WAS TO READ JOHNNY TREMAIN TO THE END OF SECTION TWO (PAGE 114). We will continue reading aloud and discussing the text and vocabulary, relating reading strategies. It was fun having students take certain character roles today.
In math we received protractors and learned how to measure angles. This is very difficult for the children. We will work more on this tomorrow. We learned acute, 90 degree, and obtuse angles. Students estimated square angles and were introduced to measuring angles above and below the 90 degree mark. HOMEWORK IS LESSON 1 WORKSHEET, MEASURING ANGLES. Also, we started Meridian Math Club today. Students can earn privileges and rewards by attending Mondays and Wednesdays from 12-12:30 and Tuesday and Thursdays from 11:30-12:00. During Meridian Math Club I review any concepts that were missed on tests, review lessons of the day, review basic skills. Please encourage your child to attend. (Today I chose the students, just to see how it would go. Tomorrow it will be open club, for all who want to be there.)
For Writer's Workshop, students tried their hand at finishing their RDI's (Rough Draft Illustrations) for their character descriptions. They learned that the background must fit the description of the character. Students also worked on their other stories in their portfolios.
History's focus was Thomas Paine and his Common Sense pamphlet. Students worked together to create their own Common Sense pamphlets. They needed to include the four types of sentences (Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative, and Exclamatory), as well as pictures and personality.
One group was finished quickly enough to begin experimenting with magnets. They began a list on the board of objects that attract. Tomorrow morning the other students will add to the list.
Thanks for a great day!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
November 20th, 2012
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! NO SCHOOL FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK.
This morning we read more of Johnny Tremain, did spelling tests, finished up Global Scholar testing, and spent time in the library filing and browsing books. Most students were well prepared to teach each other about their Johnny Tremain reading. Dice games, memory, quiz questions, puzzles, in short - lots of hands on applications to reading strategies, were used. Students took pride in presenting well and being prepared. STUDENTS SHOULD READ JOHNNY TREMAIN PARTS IV AND V BY MONDAY. They will need to pace their reading. It is about 40 text pages, so 6-7 text pages each day would complete the assignment. You, as a parent, may read to them. Some of the vocabulary may need to be explained. Students can write all over their copy, underline difficult words, write questions, draw thumbnail sketches, etc. This will help them remember what they read.
New SAT words also need to be learned this week for 5th Graders.I WOULD LIKE TO TEST THEM ON THESE WORDS NEXT MONDAY, 11/26. The words are:
benevolent: showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
bias: a partiality that prevents fair judgement
boisterous: lots of energy, as in a storm
brazen: sharp, strong and rude rebuke
brusque: quick, short brush-off
Fourth Graders are working on pages 10-14 of Big Words for Little Kids. These can be found at the following website: http://www.readinglesson.com/pdffiles/bwdemo.pdf. They have packets of these root words. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THEM ON FRIDAY, 11/30.
Today in Math we took a test. Some of the questions were very difficult, and students are learning to read the instructions before they attempt the problem. Math Club will be starting up next week. Kids can eat lunch and get math help, plus enjoy a smattering of after school activities. I will be recommending a few children to participate.
During computer time we researched The Battle of Bunker Hill. The students discovered what a musket, cannon, embankments, foxholes, etc. really were. Some students found videos of reenactments and tributes to the militiamen.
At the end of the day, the 5th Graders enjoyed the K/1 class presentation while the 4th Graders attended their own Art class.
If you need any help with homework this weekend, feel free to call me on my cell at 801 691 9227.
This morning we read more of Johnny Tremain, did spelling tests, finished up Global Scholar testing, and spent time in the library filing and browsing books. Most students were well prepared to teach each other about their Johnny Tremain reading. Dice games, memory, quiz questions, puzzles, in short - lots of hands on applications to reading strategies, were used. Students took pride in presenting well and being prepared. STUDENTS SHOULD READ JOHNNY TREMAIN PARTS IV AND V BY MONDAY. They will need to pace their reading. It is about 40 text pages, so 6-7 text pages each day would complete the assignment. You, as a parent, may read to them. Some of the vocabulary may need to be explained. Students can write all over their copy, underline difficult words, write questions, draw thumbnail sketches, etc. This will help them remember what they read.
New SAT words also need to be learned this week for 5th Graders.I WOULD LIKE TO TEST THEM ON THESE WORDS NEXT MONDAY, 11/26. The words are:
benevolent: showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
bias: a partiality that prevents fair judgement
boisterous: lots of energy, as in a storm
brazen: sharp, strong and rude rebuke
brusque: quick, short brush-off
Fourth Graders are working on pages 10-14 of Big Words for Little Kids. These can be found at the following website: http://www.readinglesson.com/pdffiles/bwdemo.pdf. They have packets of these root words. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THEM ON FRIDAY, 11/30.
Today in Math we took a test. Some of the questions were very difficult, and students are learning to read the instructions before they attempt the problem. Math Club will be starting up next week. Kids can eat lunch and get math help, plus enjoy a smattering of after school activities. I will be recommending a few children to participate.
During computer time we researched The Battle of Bunker Hill. The students discovered what a musket, cannon, embankments, foxholes, etc. really were. Some students found videos of reenactments and tributes to the militiamen.
At the end of the day, the 5th Graders enjoyed the K/1 class presentation while the 4th Graders attended their own Art class.
If you need any help with homework this weekend, feel free to call me on my cell at 801 691 9227.
Monday, November 19, 2012
November 19th, 2012
REMEMBER, TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY OF THE WEEK FOR SCHOOL. HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
A NOTE: PLEASE LABEL ALL MERIDIAN HOODIES, AS MANY ARE BEING LEFT IN THE CLASSROOM AND COMMON AREAS.
This morning was the final rush to get most of our Global Scholar testing completed. There are only a few stragglers left to finish tomorrow.
The focus in grammar is CV, or Compound Verbs. When a subject noun does two or more things, we label the verbs CV. They are usually joined by a C, or conjunction. We also reviewed the spelling of some homonyms (its, it's; stationary, stationery; their, they're, there). We also learned new antonyms and synonyms. Students will go home with the vocabulary packets tomorrow.
Parents, please make sure your children are reading 30 minutes each day. The difference between a child who regularly reads 30 minutes each day and one who doesn't is an average of 6 points on the ACT College test. Read to them. Read with them. Have them take turns reading to you.
The Johnny Tremain Part III reading was to be finished by today. STUDENTS SHOULD COME TO SCHOOL PREPARED TO TEACH THEIR GROUP ABOUT THEIR READING STRATEGY. The students have had 6 days to read. I have also given them ample time in class.
Math Test 3 will be tomorrow. STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE THE REVIEW 3 DONE AND ANY UNFINISHED WORK FROM UNIT 3 COMPLETED. I will be collecting math books tomorrow to examine neatness, consistency, etc. over the long weekend. Next week we will begin our geometry unit.
During Writer's Workshop we worked on Rough Draft Illustrations for our character descriptions. THE FINAL COPY OF OUR ILLUSTRATIONS WILL BE DUE NOVEMBER 30TH. Many students are plugging along on their stories. Please tell them stories from your family histories, your childhood, and funny anecdotes. Describe interesting characters you meet. Make them come alive.
In history we recounted the Battle of Bunker Hill, and followed a dot-to-dot vocabulary and event fun sheet. The students were surprised to learn that the American colonists in Boston held the hill for so long without cannons or much ammunition. In addition to that, they were all disgusted that the battle was misnamed, as all the fighting happened on Breed's Hill. In a heated argument, they debated whether or not it could be labeled a 'victory' for the English, since "all they gained was dirt and over 1000 dead and wounded (1/2 of their troops who fought. We will look up the area tomorrow in the computer lab and compare geographical topography with the fighting methods.
A NOTE: PLEASE LABEL ALL MERIDIAN HOODIES, AS MANY ARE BEING LEFT IN THE CLASSROOM AND COMMON AREAS.
This morning was the final rush to get most of our Global Scholar testing completed. There are only a few stragglers left to finish tomorrow.
The focus in grammar is CV, or Compound Verbs. When a subject noun does two or more things, we label the verbs CV. They are usually joined by a C, or conjunction. We also reviewed the spelling of some homonyms (its, it's; stationary, stationery; their, they're, there). We also learned new antonyms and synonyms. Students will go home with the vocabulary packets tomorrow.
Parents, please make sure your children are reading 30 minutes each day. The difference between a child who regularly reads 30 minutes each day and one who doesn't is an average of 6 points on the ACT College test. Read to them. Read with them. Have them take turns reading to you.
The Johnny Tremain Part III reading was to be finished by today. STUDENTS SHOULD COME TO SCHOOL PREPARED TO TEACH THEIR GROUP ABOUT THEIR READING STRATEGY. The students have had 6 days to read. I have also given them ample time in class.
Math Test 3 will be tomorrow. STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE THE REVIEW 3 DONE AND ANY UNFINISHED WORK FROM UNIT 3 COMPLETED. I will be collecting math books tomorrow to examine neatness, consistency, etc. over the long weekend. Next week we will begin our geometry unit.
During Writer's Workshop we worked on Rough Draft Illustrations for our character descriptions. THE FINAL COPY OF OUR ILLUSTRATIONS WILL BE DUE NOVEMBER 30TH. Many students are plugging along on their stories. Please tell them stories from your family histories, your childhood, and funny anecdotes. Describe interesting characters you meet. Make them come alive.
In history we recounted the Battle of Bunker Hill, and followed a dot-to-dot vocabulary and event fun sheet. The students were surprised to learn that the American colonists in Boston held the hill for so long without cannons or much ammunition. In addition to that, they were all disgusted that the battle was misnamed, as all the fighting happened on Breed's Hill. In a heated argument, they debated whether or not it could be labeled a 'victory' for the English, since "all they gained was dirt and over 1000 dead and wounded (1/2 of their troops who fought. We will look up the area tomorrow in the computer lab and compare geographical topography with the fighting methods.
Friday, November 16, 2012
November 16th, 2012
NO SCHOOL NEXT WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, AND FRIDAY. WE WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE THANKSGIVING BREAK.
What a week!!! We were busy and learning, running every minute! Kudos to the kids for working so hard.
This morning we started with Vocabulary, Root Word, and Grammar tests. Students handed in spelling activities. One group went with Miss Sherman for spelling. I REMINDED THE CHILDREN THAT JOHNNY TREMAIN PART III IS SUPPOSED TO BE READ BEFORE MONDAY. Monday we will be working on presentations to be presented Tuesday to reading club groups.
We have started memorizing the state capitals. There are great online resources for students to study these. If you google "state capital games online", a slew of fun resources will appear. WE WILL HAVE OUR FIRST TEST ON THE STATE CAPITALS ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH.
In Math I introduced students to the idea that cancellation eliminates a lot of work. I'm not sure they are convinced, however, as they insisted that bar models were lots easier and you could just see the answer. Some called cancellation a "long-cut"! I gave out an extra credit sheet for students to practice cancelling on. Please be sure they pair up numerators with denominators to cancel. Some students have the idea that two numerators or two denominators can cancel each other out. This is definitely NOT the case! Exercise 19 we did in class. It was a bit challenging. HOMEWORK IS THE FIRST THREE PAGES OF THE CHAPTER REVIEW. MONDAY WE WILL ALSO REVIEW FRACTIONS. TUESDAY WILL BE THE CHAPTER TEST.
Today in Cultural Roundtable students learned about Austria. Food, castles, celebrities, clothing, etc. They even received an Austrian treat.
We discussed paradigms and principles in the Covey 7 Habit lesson today. Some were quick to point out that King George certainly had a different paradigm on fairness than the early colonists.
We turned the lights out for history after the kids had situated themselves in a comfortable place in the room. Dividing a paper into six sections, they first listened to various accounts of the beginning of the Revolutionary War in the dark as I read by flashlight. In the account intervals, students illustrated for two minutes what they had just heard. Many wrote and drew accounts as comic strips. A few wrote as if they were newspaper journalists. All listened, digested the information, and were spellbound as Paul Revere and Billy Dawes and Dr. Prescott set off to warn the people in Lexington and Concord. They were quite satisfied with the difficult march home that the British Redcoats had, and they were very happy that the colonists did not suffer great losses. Review this with your children.
Minicourses were successful today. I will be at school tomorrow morning to complete grading.
NOTE: A FEW CHILDREN HAVE NOT BEEN FEELING WELL. PLEASE BE SURE YOUR CHILD GETS ADEQUATE SLEEP AND EATS A GOOD BREAKFAST.
What a week!!! We were busy and learning, running every minute! Kudos to the kids for working so hard.
This morning we started with Vocabulary, Root Word, and Grammar tests. Students handed in spelling activities. One group went with Miss Sherman for spelling. I REMINDED THE CHILDREN THAT JOHNNY TREMAIN PART III IS SUPPOSED TO BE READ BEFORE MONDAY. Monday we will be working on presentations to be presented Tuesday to reading club groups.
We have started memorizing the state capitals. There are great online resources for students to study these. If you google "state capital games online", a slew of fun resources will appear. WE WILL HAVE OUR FIRST TEST ON THE STATE CAPITALS ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH.
In Math I introduced students to the idea that cancellation eliminates a lot of work. I'm not sure they are convinced, however, as they insisted that bar models were lots easier and you could just see the answer. Some called cancellation a "long-cut"! I gave out an extra credit sheet for students to practice cancelling on. Please be sure they pair up numerators with denominators to cancel. Some students have the idea that two numerators or two denominators can cancel each other out. This is definitely NOT the case! Exercise 19 we did in class. It was a bit challenging. HOMEWORK IS THE FIRST THREE PAGES OF THE CHAPTER REVIEW. MONDAY WE WILL ALSO REVIEW FRACTIONS. TUESDAY WILL BE THE CHAPTER TEST.
Today in Cultural Roundtable students learned about Austria. Food, castles, celebrities, clothing, etc. They even received an Austrian treat.
We discussed paradigms and principles in the Covey 7 Habit lesson today. Some were quick to point out that King George certainly had a different paradigm on fairness than the early colonists.
We turned the lights out for history after the kids had situated themselves in a comfortable place in the room. Dividing a paper into six sections, they first listened to various accounts of the beginning of the Revolutionary War in the dark as I read by flashlight. In the account intervals, students illustrated for two minutes what they had just heard. Many wrote and drew accounts as comic strips. A few wrote as if they were newspaper journalists. All listened, digested the information, and were spellbound as Paul Revere and Billy Dawes and Dr. Prescott set off to warn the people in Lexington and Concord. They were quite satisfied with the difficult march home that the British Redcoats had, and they were very happy that the colonists did not suffer great losses. Review this with your children.
Minicourses were successful today. I will be at school tomorrow morning to complete grading.
NOTE: A FEW CHILDREN HAVE NOT BEEN FEELING WELL. PLEASE BE SURE YOUR CHILD GETS ADEQUATE SLEEP AND EATS A GOOD BREAKFAST.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
November 15th, 2012
TOMORROW IS SPIRIT DAY (JEANS AND A MERIDIAN T-SHIRT - You can buy Meridian T-shirts from Mrs. Templeman or Mrs. Warnick in the office.)
Several rounds of singing woke us up this morning. Students reviewed SAT words and root words, worked on spelling activities. SPELLING ACTIVITY DUE TOMORROW IS 10 WORDS GLUED FROM THE NEWSPAPER THAT FOLLOW YOUR SPELLING SORT RULES + 1 NEW WORD THAT FITS THE RULE. DECORATE WITH A THEME.
We learned Rules 1 and 2 for subject-verb tense in Grammar. Rule 1: Singular Subject Nouns generally have verbs that end in "s" or "es". Rule 2: Plural Subject Nouns, Compound Subject Nouns, and the Subject Pronoun "You" use verbs that are plain (no "s" or "es").
In addition to Miss Sherman helping with specific spelling needs, Miss Brooke came in today to read with a group. The rest of the students continued to read Johnny Tremain, in anticipation for teaching their peers on Tuesday. JOHNNY TREMAIN PART III SHOULD BE FINISHED BY MONDAY. Students will be preparing for Tuesday's presentations on Monday. Yes, parents can read aloud to their child.
There are three ways for reading to be effective, with many variations on the methods. First, a parent can read to the child. This is so effective when it is part of an evening routine. Parents can engage the child through open-ended questions...What if? I wonder? How would you have responded?...etc. Second, a parent can read with the child. This is particularly good for keeping children on track. Parents and children can choral read (read at the same time), shadow read (child reads out loud just barely behind the parent), or take turns reading paragraphs, pages, etc. This is most effective in a cozy setting, such as a lazy boy, the couch, etc. And third, the child can read to the parent. This is effective when a parent is looking for that "just right book". If you want to know if the book is at an appropriate reading level, draw a quick grid 10x10 (100 squares total), and draw a slash inside every box for each word the child reads. If a child makes a mistake, note quickly what it is, and continue with the slashes. If a child corrects a mistake by himself, just write SC, for Self-Correct. This does not count as a mistake. At the end of the 100 words, count the mistakes. If your child missed more than 8 words, the book is generally too frustrating for accurate comprehension. If he or she missed 4-8 words, it is a good book to read with the child, to explain the vocabulary. If they missed 0-4 words, the book is at their independent level, and they can easily read the text and pull the context of new vocabulary words from the text.
In addition, children are striving for fluency... 4th Graders 120-140 words per minute and 5th Grade 140-160 words per minute. Yes, we are working hard!
TOMORROW IS THE LANGUAGE ARTS TEST. 4TH GRADERS WILL BE TESTED ON ROOT WORDS, AND 5TH GRADERS ON SAT WORDS, AS WELL.
Math was story problems. Students used beans, sequins, blocks, etc, and divided them into equal groups. 88 sequins became 8 groups of 11; 24 blocks became 4 groups of 6, etc. We compared the algorithmic method to the bar model. Students formed opinions of which was easier. We did Exercise 17 in class. HOMEWORK IS EXERCISE 18. Please check their homework for neatness. I didn't give the class the point for homework because students didn't write the answers into a sentence and lots of the work was sloppy. We committed to be tidier in our homework. The class was so well on task throughout the whole class period, that everyone got to choose from the prize bag.
Today our class was split for Art. From now on the 4th Graders will have Art Tuesdays at 2:30. The 5th Graders will continue with Art Thursdays at 1:30. It was fun to visit with the 4th Graders. We reviewed the root words, brainstormed Type III projects, and worked more on Global Scholar testing.
For History, we learned that the thinking of America was changing because of the Intolerable Acts. We learned that people stopped considering themselves Virginians, New Yorkers, etc, but started thinking of themselves as a free nation, Americans. The students were touched that other colonies helped the Bostonians after the Tea Party. Flour, sugar, sheep, even Fast and Prayer days...were all given to Boston. These colonies knew that if the king could treat Boston like this, he could do the same to them. They began to unite and the Committees of Correspondence kept citizens abreast of all activities throughout New England. Students worked with a partner (not one they would normally choose) and produced a visual representation of one of the 10 chapters we have reviewed.
Minicourses were introduced for the rest of the year. Students can choose from criminology, holiday poetry, crafts, ballroom dance, cooking gifts, historic changes of Bethlehem, symbolism, etc.
Several rounds of singing woke us up this morning. Students reviewed SAT words and root words, worked on spelling activities. SPELLING ACTIVITY DUE TOMORROW IS 10 WORDS GLUED FROM THE NEWSPAPER THAT FOLLOW YOUR SPELLING SORT RULES + 1 NEW WORD THAT FITS THE RULE. DECORATE WITH A THEME.
We learned Rules 1 and 2 for subject-verb tense in Grammar. Rule 1: Singular Subject Nouns generally have verbs that end in "s" or "es". Rule 2: Plural Subject Nouns, Compound Subject Nouns, and the Subject Pronoun "You" use verbs that are plain (no "s" or "es").
In addition to Miss Sherman helping with specific spelling needs, Miss Brooke came in today to read with a group. The rest of the students continued to read Johnny Tremain, in anticipation for teaching their peers on Tuesday. JOHNNY TREMAIN PART III SHOULD BE FINISHED BY MONDAY. Students will be preparing for Tuesday's presentations on Monday. Yes, parents can read aloud to their child.
There are three ways for reading to be effective, with many variations on the methods. First, a parent can read to the child. This is so effective when it is part of an evening routine. Parents can engage the child through open-ended questions...What if? I wonder? How would you have responded?...etc. Second, a parent can read with the child. This is particularly good for keeping children on track. Parents and children can choral read (read at the same time), shadow read (child reads out loud just barely behind the parent), or take turns reading paragraphs, pages, etc. This is most effective in a cozy setting, such as a lazy boy, the couch, etc. And third, the child can read to the parent. This is effective when a parent is looking for that "just right book". If you want to know if the book is at an appropriate reading level, draw a quick grid 10x10 (100 squares total), and draw a slash inside every box for each word the child reads. If a child makes a mistake, note quickly what it is, and continue with the slashes. If a child corrects a mistake by himself, just write SC, for Self-Correct. This does not count as a mistake. At the end of the 100 words, count the mistakes. If your child missed more than 8 words, the book is generally too frustrating for accurate comprehension. If he or she missed 4-8 words, it is a good book to read with the child, to explain the vocabulary. If they missed 0-4 words, the book is at their independent level, and they can easily read the text and pull the context of new vocabulary words from the text.
In addition, children are striving for fluency... 4th Graders 120-140 words per minute and 5th Grade 140-160 words per minute. Yes, we are working hard!
TOMORROW IS THE LANGUAGE ARTS TEST. 4TH GRADERS WILL BE TESTED ON ROOT WORDS, AND 5TH GRADERS ON SAT WORDS, AS WELL.
Math was story problems. Students used beans, sequins, blocks, etc, and divided them into equal groups. 88 sequins became 8 groups of 11; 24 blocks became 4 groups of 6, etc. We compared the algorithmic method to the bar model. Students formed opinions of which was easier. We did Exercise 17 in class. HOMEWORK IS EXERCISE 18. Please check their homework for neatness. I didn't give the class the point for homework because students didn't write the answers into a sentence and lots of the work was sloppy. We committed to be tidier in our homework. The class was so well on task throughout the whole class period, that everyone got to choose from the prize bag.
Today our class was split for Art. From now on the 4th Graders will have Art Tuesdays at 2:30. The 5th Graders will continue with Art Thursdays at 1:30. It was fun to visit with the 4th Graders. We reviewed the root words, brainstormed Type III projects, and worked more on Global Scholar testing.
For History, we learned that the thinking of America was changing because of the Intolerable Acts. We learned that people stopped considering themselves Virginians, New Yorkers, etc, but started thinking of themselves as a free nation, Americans. The students were touched that other colonies helped the Bostonians after the Tea Party. Flour, sugar, sheep, even Fast and Prayer days...were all given to Boston. These colonies knew that if the king could treat Boston like this, he could do the same to them. They began to unite and the Committees of Correspondence kept citizens abreast of all activities throughout New England. Students worked with a partner (not one they would normally choose) and produced a visual representation of one of the 10 chapters we have reviewed.
Minicourses were introduced for the rest of the year. Students can choose from criminology, holiday poetry, crafts, ballroom dance, cooking gifts, historic changes of Bethlehem, symbolism, etc.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
November 14th, 2012
This morning we sang a couple of rounds to start the day. Next we reviewed our 5th Grade words and 4th Grade Root Words. TESTS ON BOTH ON FRIDAY.
Grammar, spelling and reading was next. In grammar we reviewed homonyms (to, too, two, etc.). We also identified synonyms and antonyms. Several students are nearing completion in their spelling activity. Students are welcome to take spelling lists home to study, but most prefer to work on it with a friend. All students are making progress on their word sorts (and having fun with it). 10 CUT OUT SPELLING WORDS ARE DUE ON FRIDAY, except the students who go to Mrs. Sherman for spelling and language in the mornings.
Johnny Tremain Part III reading must be complete by Monday. This is about 20 pages of reading, so please HAVE YOUR CHILD READ EACH DAY. They will get time to read in class Thursday and Friday, but must have the selection complete by Monday to be able to prepare their mini-lesson/activity to present to their group. Presentations are Tuesday.
Math HOMEWORK IS EXERCISE 16. Please don't teach your child to cancel while multiplying fractions yet. I want them to have a bit more experience with division of improper fractions before learning cancellation. Please review 3/8 of 24; 7/9 of 81; and so forth as much as possible.
Most children are nearing the completion of Global Scholar testing. We should be completely done by Thanksgiving Break next week. Yeah!
The students are totally engaged in History. Today we learned about the Boston Tea Party. The kids were incensed at the Intolerable Acts. Ask them about what the king did after the tea was dumped. Hopefully they remember that thousands of troops were quartered by the Americans, the port of Boston was blockaded, many other goods were taxed, etc. HOMEWORK IS TO COMPLETE THE COLOR PAGE, IF NOT ALREADY FINISHED.
Many parents attended the Singapore Parent Workshop today. Hope you learned something new!
Grammar, spelling and reading was next. In grammar we reviewed homonyms (to, too, two, etc.). We also identified synonyms and antonyms. Several students are nearing completion in their spelling activity. Students are welcome to take spelling lists home to study, but most prefer to work on it with a friend. All students are making progress on their word sorts (and having fun with it). 10 CUT OUT SPELLING WORDS ARE DUE ON FRIDAY, except the students who go to Mrs. Sherman for spelling and language in the mornings.
Johnny Tremain Part III reading must be complete by Monday. This is about 20 pages of reading, so please HAVE YOUR CHILD READ EACH DAY. They will get time to read in class Thursday and Friday, but must have the selection complete by Monday to be able to prepare their mini-lesson/activity to present to their group. Presentations are Tuesday.
Math HOMEWORK IS EXERCISE 16. Please don't teach your child to cancel while multiplying fractions yet. I want them to have a bit more experience with division of improper fractions before learning cancellation. Please review 3/8 of 24; 7/9 of 81; and so forth as much as possible.
Most children are nearing the completion of Global Scholar testing. We should be completely done by Thanksgiving Break next week. Yeah!
The students are totally engaged in History. Today we learned about the Boston Tea Party. The kids were incensed at the Intolerable Acts. Ask them about what the king did after the tea was dumped. Hopefully they remember that thousands of troops were quartered by the Americans, the port of Boston was blockaded, many other goods were taxed, etc. HOMEWORK IS TO COMPLETE THE COLOR PAGE, IF NOT ALREADY FINISHED.
Many parents attended the Singapore Parent Workshop today. Hope you learned something new!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
November 13, 2012
Thank you so much to those parents who drove today. The play, "Androcles and the Lion" was very well done. We particularly enjoyed the sound effects.
This morning 5th Graders attacked new SAT words (asylum, arid, aesthetic, amiable, and another one!). 4th Graders continued their Root Word packets. Spelling and Ben Franklin quotes, then off to the play.
This afternoon we did Global Scholar testing for 50 minutes. Two computers gave us grief, but many students completed tests. These tests are being compared to the national norm. We teachers use them to drive curriculum so children are being challenged.
After a brief recess, we learned about the storm before the calm of what was to become the Boston Tea Party. We learned that Samuel Adams and a lot more American philosophers were communicating effectively to help the American colonists grasp the new idea of independence. The king was "in his counting house", so to say. He thought everything was quiet and happy at home in America. Parliament decided that Americans were quiet, so they must have submitted to the idea of England governing them from afar. We used the analogy of children and parents. It was time for the children to leave home and become independent. FOR HOMEWORK STUDENTS SHOULD SHOW THE QUOTE BY SAM ADAMS TO PARENTS AND/OR NEIGHBORS AND WRITE THE ANSWERS ON THE BACK OF THE PICTURE. Tomorrow we will share the responses and students will turn the quotes into puzzles. We are putting the pieces of the American Revolution together.
THERE WAS NO MATH TODAY BECAUSE OF THE PLAY...SO NO MATH HOMEWORK. SORRY!!!
This morning 5th Graders attacked new SAT words (asylum, arid, aesthetic, amiable, and another one!). 4th Graders continued their Root Word packets. Spelling and Ben Franklin quotes, then off to the play.
This afternoon we did Global Scholar testing for 50 minutes. Two computers gave us grief, but many students completed tests. These tests are being compared to the national norm. We teachers use them to drive curriculum so children are being challenged.
After a brief recess, we learned about the storm before the calm of what was to become the Boston Tea Party. We learned that Samuel Adams and a lot more American philosophers were communicating effectively to help the American colonists grasp the new idea of independence. The king was "in his counting house", so to say. He thought everything was quiet and happy at home in America. Parliament decided that Americans were quiet, so they must have submitted to the idea of England governing them from afar. We used the analogy of children and parents. It was time for the children to leave home and become independent. FOR HOMEWORK STUDENTS SHOULD SHOW THE QUOTE BY SAM ADAMS TO PARENTS AND/OR NEIGHBORS AND WRITE THE ANSWERS ON THE BACK OF THE PICTURE. Tomorrow we will share the responses and students will turn the quotes into puzzles. We are putting the pieces of the American Revolution together.
THERE WAS NO MATH TODAY BECAUSE OF THE PLAY...SO NO MATH HOMEWORK. SORRY!!!
Monday, November 12, 2012
November 12, 2012 - Veteran's Day
FIELDTRIP TO NOORDA THEATER AT UVU TOMORROW. LEAVING SCHOOL @ 9 A.M. IF YOU WANT TO DRIVE OR ATTEND, CALL ME AT 801 373-8793 TONIGHT.
Sorry, but I had a meeting this afternoon and family life caught up with me! So I'm publishing now. Hope it isn't too late.
Started this morning making mini-posters of Benjamin Franklin's quotes. These are being hung to the left of our door. Thanks, Iver! We reviewed the new spelling system and labeled two sentences for grammar.
JOHNNY TREMAIN STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE THEIR MATERIAL READY TO PRESENT TO THEIR READING GROUPS TOMORROW. (Those not in the Tremain group are in another group: Katherine, Eric, Gavin, and William).
Because I attended the funeral of a good friend, I had a substitute teacher come in for the math hour. MATH HOMEWORK IS COMPLETING THE PACKET GIVEN TODAY. STUDENTS HAVE TWO DAYS TO COMPLETE IT. REMEMBER, EXERCISE 14 WAS FRIDAY'S HOMEWORK.
We worked more on our character descriptions. We added movement. Tomorrow we will be editing them as a group. Then we will illustrate them.
In History we read about the new taxes England imposed and the Boston Massacre. HOMEWORK IS TO FINISH THE LETTER ABOUT THE BOSTON MASSACRE. THE LETTER SHOULD TEACH THE READER ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE MASSACRE, FROM AN AMERICAN COLONIST POINT OF VIEW OR BRITISH SOLDIER POINT OF VIEW.
Sorry, but I had a meeting this afternoon and family life caught up with me! So I'm publishing now. Hope it isn't too late.
Started this morning making mini-posters of Benjamin Franklin's quotes. These are being hung to the left of our door. Thanks, Iver! We reviewed the new spelling system and labeled two sentences for grammar.
JOHNNY TREMAIN STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE THEIR MATERIAL READY TO PRESENT TO THEIR READING GROUPS TOMORROW. (Those not in the Tremain group are in another group: Katherine, Eric, Gavin, and William).
Because I attended the funeral of a good friend, I had a substitute teacher come in for the math hour. MATH HOMEWORK IS COMPLETING THE PACKET GIVEN TODAY. STUDENTS HAVE TWO DAYS TO COMPLETE IT. REMEMBER, EXERCISE 14 WAS FRIDAY'S HOMEWORK.
We worked more on our character descriptions. We added movement. Tomorrow we will be editing them as a group. Then we will illustrate them.
In History we read about the new taxes England imposed and the Boston Massacre. HOMEWORK IS TO FINISH THE LETTER ABOUT THE BOSTON MASSACRE. THE LETTER SHOULD TEACH THE READER ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE MASSACRE, FROM AN AMERICAN COLONIST POINT OF VIEW OR BRITISH SOLDIER POINT OF VIEW.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
November 9th, 2012
TUESDAY MORNING IS A FIELD TRIP TO THE UVU NOORDA THEATER TO WATCH THE PLAY, ANDROCLES AND THE LION. IF YOU WISH TO DRIVE AND ATTEND, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT keriwahl@yahoo.com.
Be on the lookout for a class list.
Friday was a steady stream of learning.
We began with a Language Arts test, and an opportunity for any other make-up tests. Students watched a movie about Benjamin Franklin and compared our times with his. We reviewed some of his accomplishments (first public library, fire station, philosophy club, rocking chair, etc., etc.).
Next, students divided into independent, buddy, or group reading. One group is reading Johnny Tremain and the other is reading from the readinga-z.com Level P books. Students should complete the Johnny Tremain reading by Monday, so they can prepare to teach their concept. Mini-lessons will be shared on Tuesday morning.
Math was more practice with fractions of a set. Students learned that a story problem with a fraction and the word "of" means multiply. Example. Susie had 64 keychains. She lost 3/8 of them. How many keychains did she have left? To bar model, students draw a bar and label the whole bar "64". They divide the bar into 8 boxes, because that is the denominator. Students then write the quotient of 64 divided by 8 in each box (In this case, "8"). Students then reread the problem and label 3 boxes together with a bracket. They see that 3/8 of 64 is 24. The students then reread the problem and what the question is. Because the question is "How many did she have left?" we draw a bracket under the rest of the boxes. Students automatically see that the answer will be 5 x 8= 40. They write the answer: Susie has 40 keychains left. We worked very hard with these types of problems. Anything you can do at home to show fractions of a set would be great!
After lunch, we drove to the Crandall Printing Museum at 275 E Center Street in Provo and had a hands-on lesson in printing history. We saw how the Gutenburg press worked, visited Ben Franklin's print shop, and learned about how the Declaration of Independence was printed. We also got to see the first Deseret News printer and visit the Grandin print shop. However, I think the students' favorite part was the hidden entrance to Mr. Crandall's private apartment! He was so generous and gracious.
Mini-courses were lots of fun. In mine, Chemistry, we created a diet coke and mentos geyser, discussing molecular bonding. We also made lava lamps with colored water and oil, showing that not all liquids are the same. We wrote with invisible ink to use acidic properties and finally made Hokey Pokey, New Zealand's version of honeycomb candy. The recipe is: 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of dark corn syrup (light works, too), 1 tablespoon of lemon or vinegar. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir. Microwave for another 8-10 minutes on high. Quickly mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda into the hot mixture. Stir like crazy. Pour quickly onto greased wax paper. Let cool. Break into pieces. (This is particularly good if you dip the pieces into melted chocolate...!!!)
I will be at school on Saturday catching up with grading and planning.
Have a great weekend.
Be on the lookout for a class list.
Friday was a steady stream of learning.
We began with a Language Arts test, and an opportunity for any other make-up tests. Students watched a movie about Benjamin Franklin and compared our times with his. We reviewed some of his accomplishments (first public library, fire station, philosophy club, rocking chair, etc., etc.).
Next, students divided into independent, buddy, or group reading. One group is reading Johnny Tremain and the other is reading from the readinga-z.com Level P books. Students should complete the Johnny Tremain reading by Monday, so they can prepare to teach their concept. Mini-lessons will be shared on Tuesday morning.
Math was more practice with fractions of a set. Students learned that a story problem with a fraction and the word "of" means multiply. Example. Susie had 64 keychains. She lost 3/8 of them. How many keychains did she have left? To bar model, students draw a bar and label the whole bar "64". They divide the bar into 8 boxes, because that is the denominator. Students then write the quotient of 64 divided by 8 in each box (In this case, "8"). Students then reread the problem and label 3 boxes together with a bracket. They see that 3/8 of 64 is 24. The students then reread the problem and what the question is. Because the question is "How many did she have left?" we draw a bracket under the rest of the boxes. Students automatically see that the answer will be 5 x 8= 40. They write the answer: Susie has 40 keychains left. We worked very hard with these types of problems. Anything you can do at home to show fractions of a set would be great!
After lunch, we drove to the Crandall Printing Museum at 275 E Center Street in Provo and had a hands-on lesson in printing history. We saw how the Gutenburg press worked, visited Ben Franklin's print shop, and learned about how the Declaration of Independence was printed. We also got to see the first Deseret News printer and visit the Grandin print shop. However, I think the students' favorite part was the hidden entrance to Mr. Crandall's private apartment! He was so generous and gracious.
Mini-courses were lots of fun. In mine, Chemistry, we created a diet coke and mentos geyser, discussing molecular bonding. We also made lava lamps with colored water and oil, showing that not all liquids are the same. We wrote with invisible ink to use acidic properties and finally made Hokey Pokey, New Zealand's version of honeycomb candy. The recipe is: 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of dark corn syrup (light works, too), 1 tablespoon of lemon or vinegar. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir. Microwave for another 8-10 minutes on high. Quickly mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda into the hot mixture. Stir like crazy. Pour quickly onto greased wax paper. Let cool. Break into pieces. (This is particularly good if you dip the pieces into melted chocolate...!!!)
I will be at school on Saturday catching up with grading and planning.
Have a great weekend.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
November 8th, 2012
TOMORROW IS WOW DAY. That means wear your favorite clothes. Usually jeans and a favorite shirt or sweatshirt.
TOMORROW IS ALSO OUR VISIT TO THE CRANDALL PRINT MUSEUM IN PROVO. WE LEAVE AT 11:45 AND RETURN TO SCHOOL BY 1:40.
This morning we sped read level V excerpts. Global Scholar testing, spelling, vocabulary and phonics review. TOMORROW IS THE LANGUAGE ARTS TEST (Grammar and Reading) and for 5th Graders the SAT word definitions.
Students who wish to take the 50 States Test or redo Root Word tests will also have that opportunity tomorrow morning.
Students received Johnny Tremain Part II today. Each student has a specific job for his or her group. Students are reading together. They are making specific notes. Monday they will create a lesson to share with their group on Tuesday morning. HOMEWORK IS READING JOHNNY TREMAIN OR ANOTHER BOOK FOR 30 MINUTES EACH DAY.
Math's topic was Fractions of a Set. Example. Johnny has 20 marbles. How much is 1/4 of 20. This was surprisingly difficult for my group, the main challenge being to switch denominators and give the answer as a whole number. Another example. There are 10 children. 2/5 of them are girls. How many are boys? Please try these problems and others from the home environment with your child. HOMEWORK WAS EXERCISE 12 AND 13 (MOSTLY DONE IN CLASS) AND A SPECIAL HOMEWORK SHEET FROM OUR EXTRA PRACTICE BOOK).
During afternoon recess Mrs. Penrod instigated a soccer game between her class and ours. The students were so excited. The greatest part was the complimenting that happened after the game. The 4th and 5th Grade boys were vocal in their admiration for the 2nd and 3rd Grader efforts. Of course, it helped that Mrs. Penrod inadvertently made a goal for our side!
History was the Stamp Act Law. Mrs. Warnick helped me simulate the colonist experience for our class. Reactions ranged from stunned to angry to disbelief. I received distressing mail (in the form of angry notes), threats and complaints. The next step was open rebellion. I was surprised, yet pleased, that our students reacted exactly the same way the American colonists did! "Taxation without representation" took on real meaning for them. They had to "work" and "pay stamp tax" for the privilege to sit on school chairs, write with school pencils, and use school paper. Counterfeit stamps appeared, stamp stealing began... You get the picture! HOMEWORK WAS CHAPTER 7 QUICK QUESTION SHEET. It is important that students file these sheets in their Revolutionary War packets for our final test.
Students then used the stamps they had crafted yesterday to make a collage of letters.
It was a good day!
TOMORROW IS ALSO OUR VISIT TO THE CRANDALL PRINT MUSEUM IN PROVO. WE LEAVE AT 11:45 AND RETURN TO SCHOOL BY 1:40.
This morning we sped read level V excerpts. Global Scholar testing, spelling, vocabulary and phonics review. TOMORROW IS THE LANGUAGE ARTS TEST (Grammar and Reading) and for 5th Graders the SAT word definitions.
Students who wish to take the 50 States Test or redo Root Word tests will also have that opportunity tomorrow morning.
Students received Johnny Tremain Part II today. Each student has a specific job for his or her group. Students are reading together. They are making specific notes. Monday they will create a lesson to share with their group on Tuesday morning. HOMEWORK IS READING JOHNNY TREMAIN OR ANOTHER BOOK FOR 30 MINUTES EACH DAY.
Math's topic was Fractions of a Set. Example. Johnny has 20 marbles. How much is 1/4 of 20. This was surprisingly difficult for my group, the main challenge being to switch denominators and give the answer as a whole number. Another example. There are 10 children. 2/5 of them are girls. How many are boys? Please try these problems and others from the home environment with your child. HOMEWORK WAS EXERCISE 12 AND 13 (MOSTLY DONE IN CLASS) AND A SPECIAL HOMEWORK SHEET FROM OUR EXTRA PRACTICE BOOK).
During afternoon recess Mrs. Penrod instigated a soccer game between her class and ours. The students were so excited. The greatest part was the complimenting that happened after the game. The 4th and 5th Grade boys were vocal in their admiration for the 2nd and 3rd Grader efforts. Of course, it helped that Mrs. Penrod inadvertently made a goal for our side!
History was the Stamp Act Law. Mrs. Warnick helped me simulate the colonist experience for our class. Reactions ranged from stunned to angry to disbelief. I received distressing mail (in the form of angry notes), threats and complaints. The next step was open rebellion. I was surprised, yet pleased, that our students reacted exactly the same way the American colonists did! "Taxation without representation" took on real meaning for them. They had to "work" and "pay stamp tax" for the privilege to sit on school chairs, write with school pencils, and use school paper. Counterfeit stamps appeared, stamp stealing began... You get the picture! HOMEWORK WAS CHAPTER 7 QUICK QUESTION SHEET. It is important that students file these sheets in their Revolutionary War packets for our final test.
Students then used the stamps they had crafted yesterday to make a collage of letters.
It was a good day!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
November 7th, 2012
This morning found us speed reading Level S for one minute sprints. Students will be graphing their success on Friday.
5th Graders need to memorize the following vocabulary words and their definitions:
abate: become less in amount or intensity
abdicate: give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
abberation: a state or condition markedly different from the norm
abstain: choose not to consume
adversity: a state of misfortune or affliction
THE ABOVE WORDS WILL BE TESTED ON FRIDAY MORNING. STUDENTS HAVE HAD SINCE MONDAY TO MEMORIZE THEM.
4th Graders continue to work on their Root Word packets. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THESE WORDS NEXT FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH.
Spelling and Testing worked well today. Students should be finishing off their spelling word stories. Requirements are 15 words, must make sense, and a title, picture and their name.THESE SPELLING STORIES ARE ALSO DUE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH.
Reading groups were formed today. Students' names were drawn to be visualizor, predictor, sequencer, fix-upper, questioner, and vocabularist for each group. Students were given reading Part II of Johnny Tremain and teaching each other the above concepts for the selection. THE READING (PAGES 25-42) NEEDS TO BE FINISHED BY MONDAY MORNING. Students will review and prepare visual aides on Monday to help them teach the concepts on Tuesday.
Math focused on dividing odd numbers. We reviewed division steps. 1. Divide 2. Multiply 3. Subtract 4. Compare 5. Bring Down 6 Write the remainder as a fraction. A new concept was drawing the improper fraction as a picture. It took a while, but really clicked. HOMEWORK IS UNIT 3:CHAPTER 4:TEST A. We did Exercise 11 in class. It would be helpful if your child were to create equal groups of items in the kitchen or bathroom, laundry, etc. We will be working with fractions of a set beginning tomorrow, e.g., 1/3 of 15 = 5.
If your child doesn't have a library card, please visit the library this weekend. And, it really helps kids out if you read to them each night. (My dad used to read aloud to us over the breakfast table, and we didn't want to leave for school in the morning. We wanted to see what was going to happen next!) Ask your child what he is really interested in, and get the librarian to help select an appropriate book. Or, get a list of the classics and read aloud to your child. Stop and explain and discuss things once in a while. Let your child form his or her own opinion about the plot, character development, problem solving, etc. HAVE YOUR CHILD BRING A BOOK TO SCHOOL THAT THEY WANT TO READ DURING S.I.R. TIME MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS.
Writer's Workshop continued at top-rate today. Students described hair and clothing in their short character descriptions. We will be describing movement next, then speech. These snippets are fun to read. A few students will be bringing their books home to complete illustrations.
History was totally hands-on today. We learned about type for printing presses. Iver was most helpful. He explained the steel tips of the type and the backwards lettering. He will bring in a sample tomorrow. The students got to create their own potato letter, backwards and raised. Tomorrow we will create messages using paint and butcher paper. FOR HOMEWORK STUDENTS SHOULD READ THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE "QUARREL" SHEET. STUDY IT HARD!!! We will play Around the World tomorow and each participant will get a prize!
Thanks. It was a good day.
5th Graders need to memorize the following vocabulary words and their definitions:
abate: become less in amount or intensity
abdicate: give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
abberation: a state or condition markedly different from the norm
abstain: choose not to consume
adversity: a state of misfortune or affliction
THE ABOVE WORDS WILL BE TESTED ON FRIDAY MORNING. STUDENTS HAVE HAD SINCE MONDAY TO MEMORIZE THEM.
4th Graders continue to work on their Root Word packets. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THESE WORDS NEXT FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH.
Spelling and Testing worked well today. Students should be finishing off their spelling word stories. Requirements are 15 words, must make sense, and a title, picture and their name.THESE SPELLING STORIES ARE ALSO DUE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH.
Reading groups were formed today. Students' names were drawn to be visualizor, predictor, sequencer, fix-upper, questioner, and vocabularist for each group. Students were given reading Part II of Johnny Tremain and teaching each other the above concepts for the selection. THE READING (PAGES 25-42) NEEDS TO BE FINISHED BY MONDAY MORNING. Students will review and prepare visual aides on Monday to help them teach the concepts on Tuesday.
Math focused on dividing odd numbers. We reviewed division steps. 1. Divide 2. Multiply 3. Subtract 4. Compare 5. Bring Down 6 Write the remainder as a fraction. A new concept was drawing the improper fraction as a picture. It took a while, but really clicked. HOMEWORK IS UNIT 3:CHAPTER 4:TEST A. We did Exercise 11 in class. It would be helpful if your child were to create equal groups of items in the kitchen or bathroom, laundry, etc. We will be working with fractions of a set beginning tomorrow, e.g., 1/3 of 15 = 5.
If your child doesn't have a library card, please visit the library this weekend. And, it really helps kids out if you read to them each night. (My dad used to read aloud to us over the breakfast table, and we didn't want to leave for school in the morning. We wanted to see what was going to happen next!) Ask your child what he is really interested in, and get the librarian to help select an appropriate book. Or, get a list of the classics and read aloud to your child. Stop and explain and discuss things once in a while. Let your child form his or her own opinion about the plot, character development, problem solving, etc. HAVE YOUR CHILD BRING A BOOK TO SCHOOL THAT THEY WANT TO READ DURING S.I.R. TIME MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS.
Writer's Workshop continued at top-rate today. Students described hair and clothing in their short character descriptions. We will be describing movement next, then speech. These snippets are fun to read. A few students will be bringing their books home to complete illustrations.
History was totally hands-on today. We learned about type for printing presses. Iver was most helpful. He explained the steel tips of the type and the backwards lettering. He will bring in a sample tomorrow. The students got to create their own potato letter, backwards and raised. Tomorrow we will create messages using paint and butcher paper. FOR HOMEWORK STUDENTS SHOULD READ THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE "QUARREL" SHEET. STUDY IT HARD!!! We will play Around the World tomorow and each participant will get a prize!
Thanks. It was a good day.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
November 6, 2012
WOULD ANYONE BE AVAILABLE TO DRIVE TO THE CRANDALL MUSEUM THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH, AT 11:40 A.M.? WE WILL RETURN BY 1:40 P.M.
Today we started off timing Level P reading. Students need to practice reading quickly out loud for sprints of one minute. If they breathe at the periods and pause at the commas, speed increases and comprehension is not compromised.
4th Graders worked on Root Word packet 4-8. 5th Graders memorized SAT words. 10 students were tested on Global Scholar this morning, and the whole class continued in the testing for a further 30 minutes this afternoon. 5TH GRADERS WILL BE TESTED ON WORDS THIS FRIDAY.
In Grammar we reviewed CSN (Compound Subject Nouns) and C (Conjunctions). We finished labeling sentences, making sure imperative sentences had the understood subject pronoun. Students also reviewed Possessive Pronoun Adjectives and Possessive Noun Adjectives. (If this sounds like Double-Dutch to you, ask your kids!) LANGUAGE ARTS TEST ON GRAMMAR THIS FRIDAY.
Johnny Tremain Part One we completed today in read-aloud. Tomorrow students will bring home a reading packet to work on in literature circles. I am impressed with how well they understand and listen. Is there a family crest or heirloom in your family? Tell your child the story behind it.
Math was improper and proper fractions. We played a Go, Fish! game with corresponding fractions and mixed numbers. HOMEWORK WAS EXERCISE 10.
Good computer time use would be to google "math fact online games" or "us state name games online". 50 STATES RE-TEST ON FRIDAY FOR THOSE NOT IN THE STATES CLUB - 90%+ (Students may retake this again next week, too. We are going to learn the state capitals next week.)
In history we read about the French-Indian War. Tomorrow we will re-enact it. Students took home crossword puzzles, but the printer wasn't cooperating for the chapter reading. We will review the details tomorrow and file them in our Revolutionary War folders. Tomorrow we begin our printing press mini-unit by crafting our own stamps. We will learn what means of communication were used in the pre-revolutionary times. This should also help students become better acquainted with the life Johnny Tremain chooses and tie in with the Friday field trip well.
Today we started off timing Level P reading. Students need to practice reading quickly out loud for sprints of one minute. If they breathe at the periods and pause at the commas, speed increases and comprehension is not compromised.
4th Graders worked on Root Word packet 4-8. 5th Graders memorized SAT words. 10 students were tested on Global Scholar this morning, and the whole class continued in the testing for a further 30 minutes this afternoon. 5TH GRADERS WILL BE TESTED ON WORDS THIS FRIDAY.
In Grammar we reviewed CSN (Compound Subject Nouns) and C (Conjunctions). We finished labeling sentences, making sure imperative sentences had the understood subject pronoun. Students also reviewed Possessive Pronoun Adjectives and Possessive Noun Adjectives. (If this sounds like Double-Dutch to you, ask your kids!) LANGUAGE ARTS TEST ON GRAMMAR THIS FRIDAY.
Johnny Tremain Part One we completed today in read-aloud. Tomorrow students will bring home a reading packet to work on in literature circles. I am impressed with how well they understand and listen. Is there a family crest or heirloom in your family? Tell your child the story behind it.
Math was improper and proper fractions. We played a Go, Fish! game with corresponding fractions and mixed numbers. HOMEWORK WAS EXERCISE 10.
Good computer time use would be to google "math fact online games" or "us state name games online". 50 STATES RE-TEST ON FRIDAY FOR THOSE NOT IN THE STATES CLUB - 90%+ (Students may retake this again next week, too. We are going to learn the state capitals next week.)
In history we read about the French-Indian War. Tomorrow we will re-enact it. Students took home crossword puzzles, but the printer wasn't cooperating for the chapter reading. We will review the details tomorrow and file them in our Revolutionary War folders. Tomorrow we begin our printing press mini-unit by crafting our own stamps. We will learn what means of communication were used in the pre-revolutionary times. This should also help students become better acquainted with the life Johnny Tremain chooses and tie in with the Friday field trip well.
Welcome
Welcome to Meridian School! I'll be posting the homework and announcements here. I hope this helps with communication.
Mrs. Keri Wahl
keriwahl@yahoo.com
(801)373-8793
Mrs. Keri Wahl
keriwahl@yahoo.com
(801)373-8793
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