Welcome back from what I hope was a wonderful Thanksgiving break. I hope we all feel rejuvenated.
Bella S. has organized a community service project to donate jackets to the Salvation Army. She is collecting used jackets or sweaters of all sizes. The jacket drive will continue until December 13th. She is even offering a pizza party to the class who donates the most jackets. Please check through your closets and see if you have a jacket to two that you no longer need, but can keep someone else warm.
During our literature block this week we will be reading an excerpt from Stealing Home and working on the skill of comparing and contrasting information. I am reading aloud The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements and we are reading Shiloh as a class. We have so many great books we want to read. Our persuasive writing prompt for the week is "Should children be forced to volunteer?"
Our geometry unit will continue with angles, symmetry, finding area, lines and intersections. The kids will be building a geometry flipchart to assist us in remembering the vocabulary and key concepts.
We distributed the Arizona books last week and will focus on our great state for the next 12 weeks or so. Our next field trip to the U. of A. and the Arizona Historical Society should enhance our knowledge of Arizona.
Our class will also begin The Changing Earth science unit. Our first investigations are about erosion and wind, usually slow changes to the Earth's surface. Later we will study floods, changes man made, earth quakes and volcanoes. This unit is eye opening to how many changes really occur to the Earth's surface.
May we all have a pleasant and productive week!
Take care,
Mrs. Figueroa
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Homework week November 28, 2011
Monday - spelling 47 & 48, math 44 & 45, and reading log
Tuesday - vocabulary 52 & 53, math 49, and reading log
Wednesday - analogies, math 53 & 54 and reading log
Thursday - study spelling, math 57 and reading log
Tuesday - vocabulary 52 & 53, math 49, and reading log
Wednesday - analogies, math 53 & 54 and reading log
Thursday - study spelling, math 57 and reading log
Spelling words: Stealing Home
1. shelves
2. sheep
3. teeth
4. elves
5. mice
6. calves
7. spacecraft
8. jeans
9. feet
10. women
11. men
12. geese
13. salmon
14. series
15. scissors
16. halves
17. oxen
18. crises
19. knives
20. thieves
Bonus words
tutor
glumly
impose
pastimes
irritably
disposition
bicker
grudge
2. sheep
3. teeth
4. elves
5. mice
6. calves
7. spacecraft
8. jeans
9. feet
10. women
11. men
12. geese
13. salmon
14. series
15. scissors
16. halves
17. oxen
18. crises
19. knives
20. thieves
Bonus words
tutor
glumly
impose
pastimes
irritably
disposition
bicker
grudge
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Teacher's note November 21, 2011
This time of year we tend to be thankful for the good things in our lives. One of the great blessings in my life is working at Soleng Tom Elementary where there is a very positive learning environment. Thank you to the parents who are so supportive and to the kids who are excited to learn. All of us working together sure makes teaching and learning way more enjoyable!
I am sure you are aware that the Thanksgiving Vacation is Thursday and Friday. Enjoy the days with your loved ones. We will not have spelling and vocabulary words this week. We will continue the curriculum and work hard on Monday thru Wednesday. Anyone who knows they will be absent can ask me for the work they will be missing.
Our class will start reading Shiloh, a Newberry Award winning book, this week. As we read through the book we will be discussing the most important events of the chapter, narrative elements, and writing an outline.
Our geometry lesson for the week include sorting and classifying quadrilaterals and identifying angles that are 90, 60, 45, or 30 degrees. The kids should become very comfortable with acute, right and obtuse angles.
We are going to wrap up our Structures of Life science unit by completing our science trifold and learning by vertebrates and invertebrates.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
I am sure you are aware that the Thanksgiving Vacation is Thursday and Friday. Enjoy the days with your loved ones. We will not have spelling and vocabulary words this week. We will continue the curriculum and work hard on Monday thru Wednesday. Anyone who knows they will be absent can ask me for the work they will be missing.
Our class will start reading Shiloh, a Newberry Award winning book, this week. As we read through the book we will be discussing the most important events of the chapter, narrative elements, and writing an outline.
Our geometry lesson for the week include sorting and classifying quadrilaterals and identifying angles that are 90, 60, 45, or 30 degrees. The kids should become very comfortable with acute, right and obtuse angles.
We are going to wrap up our Structures of Life science unit by completing our science trifold and learning by vertebrates and invertebrates.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Homework week of November 21, 2011
Monday - idioms 91 & 92, math 33 & 34 and reading log
Tuesday - Arizona crossword, math 35 & 36 and reading log
Wednesday - Have a very enjoyable Thanksgiving vacation!
Tuesday - Arizona crossword, math 35 & 36 and reading log
Wednesday - Have a very enjoyable Thanksgiving vacation!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Teacher's note November 14, 2011
I certainly hope your Veteran's Day weekend was very enjoyable.
Please notice the permission slip for our field trip to the U. of A. and the Arizona Historical Society in Monday's Dragon Folder. The field trip is scheduled for December 9. I would appreciate your prompt response returning the paperwork and the two dollar entrance fee to the museum. I believe the kids will love seeing the U. of A. campus, touring the museum and having a picnic!
I was a bit disappointed last week when 9 of our All Stars did not hand in their reading log on time. Please encourage your son or daughter to hand in a signed reading log on Tuesday morning. They can even hand it in a day early if they wish.
We just have a few more days with the crayfish in our room. Our Structures of Life science unit is to be returned on Wednesday. We will concentrate on completing the unit then preparing for The Changing Earth unit.
In language arts we should finish the novel The City of Ember this week. Right now we are at the climax and anxiously awaiting to see what will happen at the end of the book. An excerpt from Sarah Plain and Tall will be the selection we will read from our anthology while we work on the skill of drawing conclusions.
The last few days we have been working on measurement activities during math. The kids have been practicing linear measurement in the metric and customary systems. Then we did perimeter measuring activities. The kids would benefit from practicing measuring items around the house. Monday we will measure out 100 feet and then we will switch to two dimensional geometry. This section is fun as we study different polygons, angles and classifying them.
May we all have pleasant learning experiences this week.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Please notice the permission slip for our field trip to the U. of A. and the Arizona Historical Society in Monday's Dragon Folder. The field trip is scheduled for December 9. I would appreciate your prompt response returning the paperwork and the two dollar entrance fee to the museum. I believe the kids will love seeing the U. of A. campus, touring the museum and having a picnic!
I was a bit disappointed last week when 9 of our All Stars did not hand in their reading log on time. Please encourage your son or daughter to hand in a signed reading log on Tuesday morning. They can even hand it in a day early if they wish.
We just have a few more days with the crayfish in our room. Our Structures of Life science unit is to be returned on Wednesday. We will concentrate on completing the unit then preparing for The Changing Earth unit.
In language arts we should finish the novel The City of Ember this week. Right now we are at the climax and anxiously awaiting to see what will happen at the end of the book. An excerpt from Sarah Plain and Tall will be the selection we will read from our anthology while we work on the skill of drawing conclusions.
The last few days we have been working on measurement activities during math. The kids have been practicing linear measurement in the metric and customary systems. Then we did perimeter measuring activities. The kids would benefit from practicing measuring items around the house. Monday we will measure out 100 feet and then we will switch to two dimensional geometry. This section is fun as we study different polygons, angles and classifying them.
May we all have pleasant learning experiences this week.
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Homework week of November 14, 2011
Monday - spelling 44 & 46, math 13 & 14, and reading log
Tuesday - vocabulary 46 & 47, math 17, and reading log
Wednesday - graphic aids 48 & 49, math 20 & 21 and reading log
Thursday - study spelling words, math 25 - 28 and reading log
Tuesday - vocabulary 46 & 47, math 17, and reading log
Wednesday - graphic aids 48 & 49, math 20 & 21 and reading log
Thursday - study spelling words, math 25 - 28 and reading log
Spelling List: Sarah Plain and Tall
1. boiled
2. annoyed
3. choices
4. poison
5. employer
6. joining
7. spoiled
8. voices
9. destroyed
10. pointing
11. avoided
12. enjoying
13. employee
14. voyage
15. appointed
16. poisonous
17. foil
18. loyal
19. noisy
20. disappointed
Bonus words
alarmed
windbreak
conch
paddock
rustle
2. annoyed
3. choices
4. poison
5. employer
6. joining
7. spoiled
8. voices
9. destroyed
10. pointing
11. avoided
12. enjoying
13. employee
14. voyage
15. appointed
16. poisonous
17. foil
18. loyal
19. noisy
20. disappointed
Bonus words
alarmed
windbreak
conch
paddock
rustle
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Teacher's note November 7, 2011
We had a lot to be pleased about last week! The fiction book reports were excellent! We had three new ideas that I had never seen before and they captured our attention. The kids had so much to share in their oral reports that many of the students are still waiting for their opportunity to present. Our students also did very well on the unit three multiplication and division test. Many of the students wanted to take their test home on Friday to show their family. The rest of the students will have their math test in Monday's Dragon Folder for you to see. I love to see the students feel pleased because they know they did a great job on a book report or math test. Friday many kids were feeling pretty good about themselves.
Monday afternoon will be GATE testing for those students who have written permission to take the test. This test determines who will qualify for GATE services next year. If a 4th grader is already in GATE they do not have to test again for 5th grade.
You probably already know this Friday, November 11th is Veteran's Day. We will not have school. I hope you have an enjoyable three day weekend.
Thursday we have our second art lesson from Tucson Museum of Art. It is very likely that we will enjoy doing the art project. I love to see what the students create!
As we read a nonfiction selection titled How to Babysit an Orangutan we will be working on our summarizing skills. We will practice trying to determine important verse interesting information. I noticed the need to determine important verses interesting details in the fiction book reports. Also we will write a persuasive paragraph about whether or not schools should require uniforms. That writing prompt should get the kids excited!
Monday we start our geometry and measurement math unit. Our first section is measurement. Please give your son or daughter opportunities to measure length at home using both the standard and metric measuring system. We will improve our ability to estimate length.
Have a terrific week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Monday afternoon will be GATE testing for those students who have written permission to take the test. This test determines who will qualify for GATE services next year. If a 4th grader is already in GATE they do not have to test again for 5th grade.
You probably already know this Friday, November 11th is Veteran's Day. We will not have school. I hope you have an enjoyable three day weekend.
Thursday we have our second art lesson from Tucson Museum of Art. It is very likely that we will enjoy doing the art project. I love to see what the students create!
As we read a nonfiction selection titled How to Babysit an Orangutan we will be working on our summarizing skills. We will practice trying to determine important verse interesting information. I noticed the need to determine important verses interesting details in the fiction book reports. Also we will write a persuasive paragraph about whether or not schools should require uniforms. That writing prompt should get the kids excited!
Monday we start our geometry and measurement math unit. Our first section is measurement. Please give your son or daughter opportunities to measure length at home using both the standard and metric measuring system. We will improve our ability to estimate length.
Have a terrific week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Figueroa
Homework week of November 7, 2011
Monday - spelling 39 & 41, math 3 & 4, and reading log
Tuesday - vocabulary 42 & 43, math 5 & 6, and reading log
Wednesday - graphs 66 & 68, math 11 & 12 and reading log
Thursday - Have an enjoyable three day weekend!
Tuesday - vocabulary 42 & 43, math 5 & 6, and reading log
Wednesday - graphs 66 & 68, math 11 & 12 and reading log
Thursday - Have an enjoyable three day weekend!
Spelling List : How to Babysit an Orangutan
1. ground
2. frown
3. downtown
4. bounced
5. council
6. about
7. scout
8. counter
9. background
10. amount
11. bound
12. shower
13. mountain
14. county
15. thousand
16. allowance
17. counselor
18. discount
19. countless
20. rebound
Bonus words
displeasure
jealous
endangered
smuggled
facial
coordination
2. frown
3. downtown
4. bounced
5. council
6. about
7. scout
8. counter
9. background
10. amount
11. bound
12. shower
13. mountain
14. county
15. thousand
16. allowance
17. counselor
18. discount
19. countless
20. rebound
Bonus words
displeasure
jealous
endangered
smuggled
facial
coordination
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