Ms. Alley's 5th Grade: Newsletter 12.3.11

The kids are LOVING our new novel, A Christmas Carol. I'm sure that your child has been discussing this book with you at home this week. They absolutely loved watching the first Stave of the movie and finding parts that were in the book. It is amazing how similar they made this version of the movie!

Religion:

We will begin chapter 7 and also be completing advent activities.

St. Nicholas Day is on Tuesday. The kids will be getting their special treat on Tuesday morning.

Reading:

A Christmas Carol: The kids love the challenge of the 19^th century vocabulary and using their context clues to figure out the meaning. We have finished the first Stave, Marley's Ghost. Next week we will be reading Staves 2 and 3. If you have some spare time and want to read along with us (yeah I know, what’s spare time?) you can use the website that I use to listen along to the book, http://www.wiredforbooks.org/carol/

It will make for great book conversations at home!

We will be completing a Scholastic News issue.

I sent home your child’s reading comprehension test. Their score is at the top in blue and the class average is on the bottom in orange. Please examine your child’s score, as this test is very similar to what they see in the ITBS. They are to have you sign it, and then they are to correct it. Please remind them to NOT erase their original answers! They need to write in the corrected answer.

Math:

We will continue with chapter 5, Fractions, Decimals, and Percents. We will complete lessons 5.4-5.7.

Social Studies:

We will be writing our rough drafts. The typed final copy is due on Wednesday. The end is near!!!!! Yeah!

Science:

We will start our science unit over the classification of animals. We will study the system to classify all living things (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.)

The kids will also be assigned their final science project that will take place of a test. This assignment is to be completed at home. It is due on December 19^th. The requirements and rubric for their poster project is in your child's animal science packet. This week, the kids will pick their animals and will bring home the correct poster paper. Please make sure that your child is following the requirements for each section of the poster. The pictures that go in each section of the poster can be printed or drawn, it is up to them.

A GREAT time to work on this poster would be on Thursday the 8^th when the kids have a day off of school for the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Vocabulary:

The kids will be assigned unit 8.

FYI:

No school on Thursday for the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
I found my lost book!!!!
Smart Club celebration is on Friday.

Table Talk Questions:

Discuss Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. Ask if they remember the acronym that I use to remember this (Kids Prefer Cheese Over Fried Green Spinach.) Have them come up with their own acronym.
Ask if they can name the five KINGDOMS that ALL living things are classified into. Next, ask if they can name the five classes of vertebrate animals.
We will be reading about the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Present this week. Have them describe what they look like and their favorite part of Stave 2 and Stave 3.

Harvesters Study Trip: