This is the final stretch of the first semester.  We will begin Unit three of our Treasures textbook. I have seen such growth in the students during our Communication Arts classes and have watched them learn how to think through stories by making inferences and connections to the story.  This helps tremendously with comprehension.   Please encourage your child to read, whether it is a book, magazine, or other forms of written text.  The more students see words, the more their vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency will grow.  

Students will also be writing their memory book throughout the rest of the year.  In the journals, we have started the rough drafts for a few of the chapters.  You will find that they have written 10 questions to ask a relative during the holidays.  It is best if they ask these questions of a grandparent or a great grandparent.  The idea is to find someone that is a distance from their age.  This way, they will learn new things about the life of fifth graders many years ago.  They may interview parents, neighbors, friends, aunts or uncles, but no siblings. Many students have begun their interview and the stories they have shared with me are priceless.  Please remind them to do this during the holidays.  We will be typing these up so we can put them in their book at the end of the year.  If your child would like to start typing, please have them do it in google docs.

I sure hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.  Students were amazingly attentive today in class and I was really enjoying it. 

We do not have any major projects to do in Communication Arts this week.  It is business-as-usual.  Please check out the page at the top for class activities if your child is missing school.  They could get caught up and back on track, even with missing a day.

We have begun our memory book that we will finish up at the end of the year.  Students have rough drafts in their journals.  The current assignment is that they are to interview an older adult.  Instructions have been given to interview a grandparent or great grandparent, if at all possible.  They have known about this before Thanksgiving break, so they should do this now  through the winter break while they are more likely to see them.  It will only take a few minutes.  I also told them that the older ones would be much more interesting and they would really enjoy helping out.  Students should not interview a sibling or anyone that is close to their age. In the journal, they wrote 10 questions.  These should not be "yes" or "no" questions, but open-ended. It is not due immediately, but would be best to do this now and get it out of the way.

Check out the classwork and homework page at the top right corner of this blog, if you would like to see daily class activities.  This is the information that is placed in the planner each day, in case you cannot read what your child wrote.

This week we will be doing the lessons in one week.  We will not extend activities of the packet longer than a week. 

We began writing the booklet we will be creating at the end of the year.  Please make sure your child's journal is back in the binder before they leave the house.  Students will be working on this from time to time throughout the rest of the year.  The booklet will be created as we have a few moments here and there.  Final creations are very interesting and fun to look over. Next week, we will be taking time to write more on the booklet in their journal.

Students did a great job while I was away and have been busy-as-usual.  They were given another packet on Monday that the 5B Communication Arts teacher made up. On Tuesday, each class went through the packet and marked the days we were doing the pages. 

• Students will be working on this packet for bell work on Tuesday and Wednesday.  
• Packet will be turned in on Thursday of this week. 
• Grammar pages will be completed in class on Wednesday.  Students are not to work on grammar from home.

Students will have a sub for the remainder of the week.  I have to make a quick trip to WV due to a death in the family. 

The packet will be in a different order this week.  We did the grammar on Monday so that students will have that knowledge before the quiz on Friday.  The substitute teachers will do the stories and 2 pages in the packet.  Students are not to do the page with the graphic organizer and the last page of  the packet.  The rest may be completed as homework.

1. For Communication Arts, the blog page labeled Classroom Activities at the top will have the same information that is in the planner each day.
2. In this part of the blog, I will have more details of the activities that we do in class if I feel there may need to be more clarification.

This week we are doing the grammar pages (proper nouns) in class on Monday.  Tuesday will be planned around idioms, and Wednesday we will concentrate on compound words.  If you can help reinforce these during the week, that would be wonderful. One easy way you can help is to point some out, during normal conversation, to your child. They would be surprised how much we use them. All of these are in the packet (study guide) to help you in case you do  not remember these.

We listened to segments of an interview from the author of the book Shiloh last week and students learned about the writing process she uses.  some of the books she wrote are in our library, and I introduced some to the students.  These include selections for both boys and girls.  These  books would be great for your child to check out.

NEW QUARTER - NEW BEGINNING

It is  a new quarter and students can begin with a fresh start.  Now, all students should have the routines down, expectations understood, and they know what to do to be successful in the 5th grade at PHIS.


Please help your child out by checking on their work.  It really does make a big difference when parents show that they care about their grades.  These students are amazing and we want to see them work to the best of their abilities.  One way is by keeping you informed on their progress.  It is very easy in this day and age and there are many resources there to help you.  I know it can be daunting from time to time, because you have so much information, but try to pick and choose what works for you. Let me help you out:

1. Parent Portal

• This may be your only place for information.  There is a lot on there.  You can access homework/class work from there.

 If you are someone that needs more detail than this...the blog is there for your help.
2.  Blog
     Question: Do you need to read the blog each week?
     Answer: Only if you need to. 

• The main page of our team blog has links on it to access RenLearn (AR and AM), book finder, lunch menu, etc., for your convenience.
• There are other links that can help your child be successful.  
• Each class blog is updated each week to help you understand certain projects we are doing, and/or other class activities.  
• We put the same information from the homework on the web (Parent Portal) in the blog, just more details. 

3.  We send out weekly emails to remind you of things in a quick, short note.  These are mainly quick reminders of activities for the week.

Hope this helps you understand why there is so much out there.  You do not need to read everything every week, but it is there in case you have some questions.  Informed parents are amazing tools to help children be successful, but we do not want you to be bogged down by too much information.

If you cannot read your child's planner, look at the page at the top of this blog.  This information is in the planner with a little abbreviation.  If you would like a little more detail, but much of the same information, keep reading.  We try to put information in many places to help you out and to make sure you are informed.  You do not need to look in all places, but would like for you to use what works best for you.
 
Parent Portal - grades and homework/class work in one place
Blogs - More detailed information
.
 Details of the Week for Communication Arts:

Monday we will be doing our second quarter common assessment in class.  We will also be doing our short story and vocabulary.  This week, vocabulary will be different than we have done in the past.  It is included in the packet on the first page.

Tuesday is Guidance, so there will be no class work for the day.  If students have extra time, they may work on the dog story we began on Friday or on their spelling, in the packet.

Wednesday will be the main story and the small booklet we create that includes the skills of inferences, idioms, context clues, and similes.

Thursday, students will finish any pages in the packet that we have started to this point, and also finish up the booklet for bell work. Class time will be concentrated on Grammar.

Friday - NO SCHOOL

Week of Oct. 8 - 12
Students will be STAR testing on Monday.  We will be able to see their growth from the first of the year.  This test is very helpful for students and teachers to see areas they might need improvement and also areas they have improved since the beginning of the year.

Monday is also the last day to turn in the brochure for full credit.  I told them Friday, but gave them an extra day in case something happened.  These are really great and I can't wait to display their hard work.  It was quite a success, even with the computer glitches we ran into.  The project was extended for much longer than what I would have liked, but students were given plenty of opportunities, even with Mrs. Bornaman's absence.  Her sub was great and students were able to work on this in class, actually much longer than was planned previously.  There was a lot of computer class time given to this.  

Tuesday is Grammar day and the packet will be complete by Tuesday.  Also with this section, students created a green foldable for their vocabulary.  On the back should be sentences that were started on Monday.  Vacabulary words are always on the quiz we take over the section. 

Even though we do not do spelling tests, as an individual test, they are always on the quiz.  The last 3 questions on the quiz have approximately 12 words in them.  The students choose the word that is misspelled in each question.  Students should review the spelling and vocabulary for each section (packet) studied.  Questions that are frequently missed on the quizzes, are spelling words.

Student should also review the grammar in the packet.  The grammar is rarely graded in the packet.  If it is, I will grade one or two of the question in the packet.  I always tell them which ones to do their absolute best on, and whether I will be grading any of the questions.  This is after modeling, and guided practice in the packet.  Please do not complete grammar or practice pages in the packet.  Those pages are just for practice but are included in the packet so that students will know the skills that will be tested and areas they can study for the test.  Each skill that is tested is included in the packet each time. 

The Tree Brochure is due on Friday, Oct. 5th.  Monday in class is the last time to turn it in without a late grade applied.  Students were instructed of this on Wednesday, Oct. 3.  Students have had plenty of opportunities to print and work on the brochure in computer class during this time.  Mrs. Bornaman has printed them this week, if the students did not do it already.  I have also expressed on many occasions that students may come in early or stay late on most days to work on it.  If your child has turned it in, I have written it in their planner (in green pen at the bottom of the planner) for the past couple weeks.  Please check out their planner if you have any concerns of your child turning them in. I have not accepted any of them if they did not have their planner with them.  This way we know for sure who has turned it in.

One big thing I have learned when working with a technology assignment... always have a soft due date, because many things can happen to change the dates.  Mrs. Bornaman was working with the 5th grade to make this happen smoothly, and she has not been able to be a work all of last week, and was not there today either.  Her substitute teachers have done a wonderful job keeping students on track, but there have not been times to work outside of class.  Normally, we would have computer club and more availability before and after school.  For this reason, we are going to try for Friday to have this project completed.  Students are working in computer class this week, so they should be finished by Friday. 

We have moved on this week and are doing a section on "Space," so trees are not a big part of the space stories we are reading about. On Monday, we will start printing the brochures to be graded.

Parents - I truly appreciate all of the work you have done for your child on this project.  They have done a great job and I am really impressed with the effort they have put into it.  We wanted to use Publisher so students would get used to one of the aspects of Word.

This week, as we do the section on Space, we will not be taking two weeks to complete it.  Instead, we will only be doing a 6 day week.  Our quiz will be next Tuesday, Oct. 2.

On Wednesday, during our class, we will be going to the book fair in the library.  If students would like to buy anything they can do it at this time.

September 17-21
Mrs. Williamson is working on a 3 fold brochure this week. Your child researched on Monday, and we will start creating it on Wed. and Thursday.  If they can research at home, that would be great.  Most students used their time wisely on Monday and found a lot of information for their brochure.   We also had the encyclopedias and a few magazines in the classroom.  Each student did not get the entire class time on the computer, but they did have 20 minutes at least. During the rest of the time, they should have looked through the encyclopedias or magazines.

At this point, we should be finished with the brochures by Thursday.  Since they have to work on the brochure at school it should basically be completed on Thursday in class.  If it is not finished, they can come in early on Friday or stay after to work on it.  Just let me know.  Monday should be the last day to turn it in. Students may also come into Mrs. Williamson's class at the end of the day, during SOS, and work on their project if it is necessary.

We will have our section quiz on Friday and packets will be turned in on that day. 

Please see the previous post to find the scoring guide if your child has misplaced theirs. On the previous post, you will find other information about the brochure that might answer some of your questions.

Highlights of Week 9/10-14

Monday (9/10) - New PKT, Vocab Strategy
Tuesday (9/11) - Spelling assigned
Wednesday (9/12) - Start Grammar
Thursday (9/13) - Finish Grammar, Scoring Guide for Brochure handed out
Friday (9/14) - 1/2 day, Check Vocab. and Spelling, Centers

Students will be creating a brochure about trees.  We discussed this brochure on Monday and they were asked to think of a tree they would like to do research on and create a 3 fold brochure.  The brochure will be discussed in Computer class and we will work on the computers next week during CA. Please help your child find a tree they would like to study.  It can be any tree that grows anywhere, and of any size.  This will be fun, and I can't wait to learn new information about trees. Students teach me new facts each year.  Please look for their scoring guide on Thursday.  I will also post it on the blog in case they lose it.

The (soft) due date, at this point, is Sept. 24.  The reason for this date is because we have to make sure all plans go as planned.  Monday - Library researching, Wed. - Computer lab creating the brochure, and Thursday - finishing brochure in computer lab.  Students can research from home by searching in their search engine for their tree.  They have been told to not use Wikipedia or ask.com, but to use .org, .edu. or .gov sites only.  Scan the site for information, because it is nonfiction and should be easy to look through heading to find the information they need.   They should fill in the information on the back of the scoring guide.  Instruction has been given to them to use bullet points and to not write in complete sentences on the rough draft form. I will be looking for their rough draft information on Monday and Tuesday as they do their work.

Scoring Guide was given out on Thursday, September 13.

Name_____________________________________________________ HR_________________

Rough Draft Scoring Guide for Tree Brochure

Students will create a brochure about a tree that was chosen in class.  They are to research the internet and/or an encyclopedia. Brochure rough drafts will be scored on content.  Final score is based on the writing process, pictures, vocabulary and spelling words from this unit.  

Expectation	3 points Plenty of information	2 points Lacking information	1 point Needs a lot of work
How do you identify the tree?
What kind of leaf does it have? ___shape,__ size, __color, etc. __use descriptive words
Where does it grow? __part of the world?    __type of forest?
How tall does tree get? Compared to what (man, building, monument)?
What does the bark look like? color, texture, etc.
What is tree used for or purpose (furniture, building, etc)?
Used: __encyclopedia,  __internet, __books, __mag.
Total	/21

Final Brochure Scoring Guide

Category	4 points	3 points	2 points	1 point
6 Trait - Idea & Content Writing clearly states what student means to say.	Focused and to the point Clear Wording	Fairly well focused Few words don’t make sense	Topic is not clearly presented	Does not have a clear focus
6 Trait - Organization __Beginning(front): introduction to tree __Middle (inside): interesting & relevant info. __Conclusion (back flaps): wrap up of info. or overall importance of tree (like a summary)	Clear beginning, middle, and strong conclusion Organized with headings	Includes beginning, middle and conclusion Headings are not clear	Brochure wanders and does not have a clear sense of structure.	Does not have a structure
6 Trait - Voice – Encourage reader to respond to the topic and demonstrate energy in writing	Voice is natural with a good mix of facts & interesting words	Sounds more like research, or uses too many facts	Voice is unnatural, or mostly facts, no energy or enthusiasm for topic	Sounds like an encyclopedia entry - boring
Vocabulary __includes 2 vocab. words from this unit __vocab words are underlined with 1 line __synonyms, or context clues for vocab. are circled	All expectations met	3 expectations met	2 expectations met	__1 expectation met __0 did not include
Spelling Words __2 spelling words are included __words are underlined with 2 lines	All expectations met	2 words and not underlined	1 word included and underlined	__1 word not underlined __0 Did not include
3 Pictures __3 pictures __pictures should be appropriate for the tree you chose __pictures vary (not all pict. of full tree)	3 pictures nice effort & go with topic	__2 pictures, or __3 w/ little effort __2 pictures are not on topic  or __ 2 full tree pict.	__2 pictures with little effort, or __Pictures do not match topic __pict. all same	__1 picture __0 Did not include
Total	/24

Vocab. Words:      :1.____________________________                    Spelling Words:    1.___________________________

                                2. ____________________________                                                    2. ___________________________

Use this side when gathering information on the tree you chose to make a brochure.
The tree you chose is the ___________________________________________________
Decide which section of the brochure you would like to create a drawing for your final copy.

How do you identify the tree?




What kind of leaf does it have? (shape, size, color, lobed, serrated, etc.)





In what part of the world, or climate, does the tree grow?    

What type of forest? (Deciduous, Coniferous, Rain Forest) and why does it grow there?





How tall does it get? Compared to what? (make a comparison to an adult male, buildings, other trees, etc. This would be a great place for a picture)




What does the bark look like? (color, texture, thickness, etc.)





What is tree used for, or purpose? Example: building material, furniture, decorations, supplies fruit, etc.

Did you use:  ____ Internet, ____Encyclopedia, ____Magazine, ____ Books