5B Activities for the Week of 12/16/2013

Here we are!  The week before Winter Break!

Here are the reminders for this week.  

1.  If you haven't returned the movie/hot chocolate permission form, please return it at your earliest convenience.  We will be watching a movie and sipping hot chocolate on Friday.  The students have also been told that they can wear pajamas, bring in a stuffed animal and a pillow if they so choose to do so.  The celebration will take place Friday morning.

2.  The Winter Party will take place on Friday afternoon.  I'm confident that the party planners have some fun things planned for us.

3.  Winter Break is from 12/21/13 to 1/5/14.  School resumes on Monday, January 6th, 2014.  Enjoy your time off!

Here's what's going on in the curricular areas this week: 

Word Study/Spelling:  There will be NO Word Study this week!  We have a lot going on later in the week, and I feel that we will not have the opportunity to cover all the lessons that are needed for the students to be successful.  Enjoy the week off of studying!  :-)

Math Accel:  We are moving along in Unit 3.  The students took a quiz last week on ratios and algebraic equations.  This week we will continue discussing ratios and unit rates.  We will also be fitting in some problem solving.  The Unit 3 test will occur after we return from Winter Break.

ELA (English Language Arts):  Courage continues to be our topic for this quarter.  We are approaching about halfway in our Wonder read-aloud book.  We are making the finishing touches on our Courage books.  They are looking great!  They will be due on Wednesday.  If your child still has a lot of work to do on their Courage books, I would recommend that they take them home to work on them.  Science, SS and Language Arts are all overlapping a bit at this time.  For part of our ELA time, we will be working on a Reading A-Z book entitled, Seeds of the Revolution, where we will focus on vocabulary, cause and effect and inquiry/discussion circles.

Social Studies:  We continue to work towards the Revolutionary War.  Through our tic-tac-toe activities we have learned a lot about the events leading up to the war such as the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre and Paul Revere's famous ride.  The tic-tac-toe projects were amazing!  The last one, #3, was due this past Friday, and I am currently in the process of grading them.  Several students challenged themselves by completing more than the required 3 activities.  I am so proud of them for this!

Science:  Science is back!  Last week, the students learned some vocabulary on Atomic Structure.  We watched a Study Jam video.  (The video link is on my blog under homework.)  It would be a good idea for your child to rewatch the video as we will be having a quiz on these key vocabulary words on Wednesday.  We will be using our electronic devices this week to go to Today's Meet to review for the test.  This week we will be spending a good amount of time in the computer lab or cluster doing research on atoms.  We will be creating our own elements research journals.

That's it for now.  Have a great week!

As always, please contact me with any questions.

~Mrs. Bennick

5B Activities for the Week of December 9th, 2013

Hello Parents and Students:

Here are the reminders for this week:

Our field trip to Sci-Tech will take place this Friday, December 13th.  We will need to leave school as soon as possible, so please arrive by 8:55 if possible.  When all of the bus riders arrive, we will be leaving.  Also, please have your child bring a SACK LUNCH.  We will not be returning to school until after our scheduled lunch time, therefore, hot lunch will not be available.

Here's what's going on in the curricular areas this week:

Word Study/Spelling:  We will continue with suffixes this week in Lesson 13.  The words have been posted to the blog.  The students will need to be able to spell each word, know their meanings, be able to identify the suffix in each word and separate the words into syllables.  The test will be on Friday.

Math Accel:  Last week we discussed variables and learned the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable.  Students were also introduced to algebraic equations.  This week we will continue our study of algebraic equations and then move onto ratios and equivalent ratios.  Expect an exit slip and/or quiz later in the week.

English Language Arts (ELA):  We are moving along in our current read-aloud book, Wonder.  It is getting very good now.  The students are really enjoying it.  Our theme continues to be Courage and we discussed how Auggie has shown courage throughout his short life.  This week we will discuss one of Nelson Mandela's quotes about courage and create our own courage quotes.  We will also be incorporating social studies into our ELA time by completing our last tic-tac-toe activity which will be due this Friday.  Most of the students have finished about half of their own Courage books which are coming along nicely.

Social Studies:  The last of the tic-tac-toe activities are due this Friday, the 13th.  This week we will be working in inquiry circles as we work our way closer to the Revolutionary War.  We will also be focusing on key vocabulary this week.

Science:  For the next few weeks, science and social studies will overlap.  About mid-week the students will be introduced to atomic structure vocabulary and will be starting their elements research journals.  Some key vocabulary words that we will be working on include element, atom, proton, neutron, electron, compound, mass and molecule.

That's it for now.  Have a great week.  As always, please contact me with any questions.

~Mrs. Bennick

5B Activities for the Week of December 2, 2013

Hello 5B Parents and Students!

Here are the reminders for this week.

1.  Gates testing will occur on Wednesday, December 4th.  This is an assessment to check reading comprehension and vocabulary.

2.  Culver's Night is this Thursday evening.  I will be there from 5:00-6:00pm.  Hope to see you!

Spelling/Word Study:  This week we are on Lesson 12, suffixes.  The words have been posted to the blog.  The students will need to know how to spell the words, know their meanings and how to diagram some of them.  The test will be on Friday.

Math Accel:  We just finished up Unit 2 and had a couple of days to work on problem solving before Thanksgiving break.  Monday we will begin Unit 3 which will focus on variables, both independent and dependent and algebraic expressions.

English Language Arts (ELA):  We will continue our empathy/bully lessons this week.  Our topic will continue to be using manners and showing common courtesies.  Our read-aloud book continues to be, Wonder.  We created a t-chart of ordinary and extraordinary courage.  We will be reading the book, Courage, by Bernard Waber this week.  The students will then begin writing their own books about courage.  Our TFK this week will focus on the life of Abraham Lincoln.  We will be doing some close reads of passages in the TFK.  We will also be comparing characters from history to the main character in the book, Wonder, Auggie.

Social Studies:  We will continue with our second tic-tac-toe project this week.  We will be spending some time in the computer lab to work on it.  The second activity will be due this Friday.  Also, we will soon be integrating some science back into our curriculum by the end of the week.  I will be teaching both SS and Science moving forward and our topic in science will be electricity and magnetism.

That's it for now.  Please email me with any questions or concerns.  Have a great week, everyone!

~Mrs. Bennick

11/24/2013

Just a reminder that there is no school this week on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday due to Thanksgiving Break.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

5B Activities for the Week of November 18th, 2013

Hello Parents and Students!

Here are the reminders for this week: 

We recently filled our marble jar for the second time this year!  Our celebration will be this Wednesday, November 20th.  Students will be allowed to listen to music or play games on their electronic devices.  Also, if your child is interested in making a craft, they can bring in materials to do that or use materials in the class.  Gum chewing will be allowed so please send your child to school with a pack of gum!  :-)

I can't believe I'm writing this, but we only have seven school days until Thanksgiving Break!  We have a full week of school this week and we only have school on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

It was so nice meeting with all of you at Parent-Teacher Conferences these past two weeks.  I enjoyed it and I hope that you did as well.

Here's what's going on in the curricular areas this week and next:

Spelling/Word Study:  This week our focus will be on prefixes.  We will discuss how prefixes change the meanings of words.  The test will be on Friday.  There will be no word study/spelling test next week as it is only a two day week.  The spelling words have been posted to the blog. The students need to know how to spell each word and also what the words mean.  They will also be responsible for diagramming some of the words.

English Language Arts (ELA):  We've been very busy during ELA time these past few weeks.  First, we finished the first edition of the Bennick Biz newspaper and have begun sharing it!  The kids did a great job with it.  We'll be starting our second edition soon.  Our new read-aloud book is entitled, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio.  This is an incredible story of a boy with a facial deformity who inspires us all with his courage.  Our theme this quarter is courage.  We will continue to write our memoirs this week. They are coming along nicely.  We finished our Harris Burdick stories this past week and as I was reading them this weekend realized just how hard all the kids have been working.  They are great! I was very impressed!  Also, three groups presented their Writer's Workshop skits/plays this past week.  They were awesome!  Looking forward to watching the rest of them this week.  Our next TFK will focus on how young people can help out in their communities by participating in community service.  I will be starting my fifth round of individual reading conferences this week.  I enjoy listening to all the kids read to me one-on-one.  This time is very beneficial! Also...we will continue with our Citizenship lessons which are focusing on showing empathy, using manners, common courtesies and bullying.

Math Accel:  Students received their Unit 2 study guide this past Friday.  The Unit 2 test will be on Thursday.  The students should be reviewing their notes as well as working on their study guides.  Study guides will be due on Thursday.  Also, we will continue to work on our architectural project this week. The kids are really into designing floor plans for their homes!  I initially asked them to design one floor of a house but most of the kids want to design/create blue prints for an entire house...which, of course, are all turning into mansions!  They are really challenging themselves with this assignment!

Social Studies:  This week in SS we will be discussing various activities that the students can complete in relation to colonial times.  I will introduce them to this Tic Tac Toe activity tomorrow.  They will need to choose at least three activities from the activity, but are free to challenge themselves by completing more if they so choose.

That's it for now.  Please contact me with any questions or concerns.  Have a great Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Bennick

Hello Parents and Students!

Here are the reminders for the upcoming week:

1.  There is NO SCHOOL tomorrow, Monday, November 11th.  It is Veteran's Day.

2.  For those students who qualified for the 800 Minute Book Club this month (they know who they are), please return your permission form on Tuesday so that you can eat the treat!  The celebration will take place on Tuesday. Thank you to those who have already returned the form.

3.  Thank you to all of the parents who attended Parent-Teacher Conferences last Thursday evening and Friday.  It was a pleasure meeting with all of you.  The next conference date is this Wednesday from 4:30-8:00.  I look forward to meeting the rest of you.

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

Word Study/Spelling:  It's going to be a challenging week in Word Study.  There are 15 words this week because we have a lot to review.  We will be reviewing all four types of syllables that have been introduced so far.  The students will be responsible for learning how to spell these words and also how to diagram all of them.  Remember, it's a short week.  The test will be on Friday, but we are losing Monday so the students will need to work hard and pace themselves in order to be successful.

English Language Arts:  We will continue to work on our memoirs this week.  We discussed that a memoir is just a small part or snippet of a person's life such as a special memory or time.  Most students have decided on their topic and have begun their writing.  We have one story left in our current read-aloud book.  We will begin reading the book, Wonder, this week.  We will also continue to discuss ordinary types of courage vs. extraordinary types of courage.  Writer's Workshop projects are ongoing. Most students have finished their second project.  The third project is to write a play or skit within your group and then present it.  Some groups have started on this project already and other groups will be starting this week.  We will be using Google Docs with this assignment as it makes it very convenient to work with your group members because editing and revising can take place, by each member, at the same time from their computer.  You have to love technology!!

Math Accel:  On Tuesday, some students will need additional time to finish their circle/pie graphs that they have been creating electronically.  We will then begin investigating area and perimeter.  After area and perimeter, we will take a few days to review and do some problem-solving.  The Unit 2 test will be late next week.

Social Studies:  This past week, we watched some very informative videos on each region of the colonies.  We learned that there are three regions which include the New England, the Middle and the Southern Colonies.  We took a lot of notes from these videos.  The students should be studying these notes because there will be a test coming up next Friday which covers the material from these videos.  I am also in the process of making a study guide to give to the students on Tuesday to better help them prepare for the test.  I have also created a tic-tac-toe of activities that pertain to colonial times.  The students will receive this tic-tac-toe sheet of activities on Tuesday.  They will need to complete at least three of the activities from the sheet.  However, as an additional challenge, the students may complete additional activities.

Enjoy the day off tomorrow.

See you on Tuesday!

Mrs. Bennick :-)

5B Activities for the Week of 11/4/13

Hello Parents and Students...

Here are the reminders for the upcoming week:

1.  Picture retakes are November 5th.
2.  Parent-Teacher Conferences take place this week on Thursday evening from 4:30-8:00pm and on Friday from 8:00-3:00pm.  Please come at your scheduled time because the schedule is very tight.  Thank you.
3.  There is no school for students this Friday due to Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Here's what's going on in the curricular areas this week:

Word Study/Spelling:  We will remain on Lesson 8 this week focusing on homophones only.  We will not be learning a new type of syllable.  The students will need to know how to spell each word and also know each word's meaning. The test will be on THURSDAY this week.

Math Accel:  We only have a couple of lessons remaining in Unit 2.  On Monday, we will be finishing up our step graphs and then moving onto percent circles also known as pie graphs.  Then, we will be working on area and perimeter.  We will most likely finish up unit 2 late this week or early next week.

English Language Arts (ELA):  We had a great time telling campfire stories last week!  We also finished writing our Harris Burdick stories...based on a picture from his book and we are currently in the process of typing them.  Memoirs have been introduced and we will begin writing those this week.  We only have a couple of stories left in our current read-aloud book and our next read-aloud book will be Wonder by R.J. Polacio.  This is a very inspirational story about a boy who has extraordinary courage.  We will be making a t-chart of ordinary types of courage and extraordinary types of courage during our writing time.  We will also continue to silent read and I will continue with reading conferences.  Hopefully, we can get to our TFK this week as well.

Social Studies:  This week we will be focusing on vocabulary that goes along with life in the English colonies.  Last week, we worked in our inquiry circles and brainstormed some questions that we had about colonial life.  We then researched the answers to these questions and shared them.  This week, we will continue to discuss the 13 colonies and the regions these colonies were located in and what each region was known for.

Have a great week, everyone!  Please email me with questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Mrs. Bennick :-)

5B Activities for the Week of 10/28/13

Hello Parents and Students!

Here are the reminders for this week:

1.  We will be sharing "campfire" stories in 5B this Wednesday.  Please have your child bring an extra snack to school to eat during this time.

2.  The Fall Festival/Halloween Parade will take place this Thursday, October 31st.  The parade begins at 2:00 and will be outdoor weather permitting.  In the case of inclement weather, the parade will be canceled.  The parties will begin at 2:30 and end at 3:15.  For more information about this event, please read the Halloween letter under "news" on my Edline page.

3.  Report cards will go online this Friday, November 1st, for parents to view.

4.  Picture retakes will take place on Tuesday, November 5th.  All students who are new to Watts that started after the original picture day will have their photo taken.  If you would like your child to have their photo retaken, please call the office to let them know.

Here's what's going on in the curricular areas this week:

Word Study/Spelling:  We are on Lesson 8 this week.  We will be learning a new syllable type which will be the Consonant -le (C-le).  These are words that end in (-le).  The words have been posted to the blog.  The test will be on Friday.

Math Accel:  Early in the week, we will continue to work on line plots.  Then, we will be moving onto step graphs.  We have about 2-3 lessons left in Unit 2.

English Language Arts (ELA):  This week, we will continue our read-aloud book, On The Day I Died.  We will also be reviewing some poems that we did not get to last week.  One is an Emily Dickinson poem entitled, Because I could Not Stop for Death and the other is Ghost House by Robert Frost.  We will be analyzing these poems by doing various activities with them.  We finished writing and illustrating our six word memoirs last week and this week we will be writing a full blown memoir of a special time/event in our life.  We will continue with individual reading conferences and we will all get to share some spooky stories at our campfire activity this Wednesday.  If we have time, we will be reading a TFK about bats.  Our newspaper (The Bennick Biz) is up and running and we are hoping to put out our first edition very soon.  Also, we got to spend some time with our Kindergarten Buddies last Friday, which is always a good time.  :-)  I will post some pictures on Edline of buddies as soon as I get a chance.

Science:  Science ended last Friday.  However, we will be finishing up some cloud research on Monday.  We completed a couple of experiments last week along with our cloud research.  A study guide will be sent home Monday and the weather test will be Friday.

Social Studies:  Social studies will begin again this week.  Some of the questions that we will be answering include...Why did settlers come to America?  How did location and resources shape the colonial economy?  What was the Triangular Trade Route?  Which European nations claimed territory in North America by the mid 1700s?

The weeks are flying by!  If you have any questions or concerns, please email me.

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bennick :-)

5B Activities for the Week of 10/21/13

Hello Parents and Students,

Here are a few reminders for this week.  First, Stem Night is on 10/21 from 6:00-8:00pm.

Also, if you haven't returned the Parent-Teacher Conference form, please return it at your earliest convenience.  Thank you.

Here's what's going on in the curricular areas this week:

Word Study/Spelling:  This week we will be focusing on the soft sounds of "C" and "G".  You will hear these sounds in words such as cycle and gigantic.  The words have been posted to the blog.  The test will be on Friday.  We will not be learning a new syllable type this week.

Math Accel:  We are moving right along in Unit 2.  This week, we will be focusing on Box Plots and Line Graphs.  As usual, the students will be completing exit slips and/or a short quiz to go along with these lessons.

English Language Arts (ELA):  This week in ELA we will be working on a few different things.  First,  in our spare time :-), we will be signing up and creating the 1st Edition of the Bennick Biz Newspaper. The students are very excited about this!  For current events, we will be completing a TFK and we have started reading our second read-aloud book entitled, On The Day I Died.  The kids are really getting into it!  We will also be doing a couple of close reads on two or three poems.  The poems that we will be analyzing are The Haunted Chamber by H.W. Longfellow, Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson and possibly Ghost House by Robert Frost.  We will also be using just a bit of our ELA time to squeeze in more science as we are very quickly approaching the end of the first quarter....time is flying!

Science:  We completed our Layers of the Atmosphere project last Friday and we will be taking a quiz on it on Tuesday.  The students should have brought home their study guide on Friday to look at/study over the weekend.  This week we will be learning about and making a Barometer, doing at least two experiments about air and water and then researching clouds.  Busy, busy, busy!!!

That's it for now.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Bennick :-)

5B Activities for the Week of 10/14/13

Hello Parents & Students:

Columbus Day is tomorrow, Monday, October 14th.  There is no school.  Also, due to Teacher Institute Day on Wednesday, school will be dismissed at 12:15pm.  Remember, that's a late start Wednesday!

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

Word Study/Spelling:  Since this is a short week, we will be reviewing the three types of syllables that we have learned so far.  These three types include the Closed Syllable (CL), the Vowel Consonant, silent "e" (VC-e) and the Open Syllable (OP).  The spelling words have been posted to the blog.  The test will be on Friday.  The students should be able to label all three types of syllables at this point.

Math Accel:  We are currently working in Unit 2 which focuses on various types of graphs.  We have studied statistical questions, dot plot graphs, bar graphs and stem and leaf plots.  This week we will begin with histograms.  Also, the extra credit bar graph assignment is due by this Wednesday if you haven't already turned it in and would like to.

English Language Arts (ELA):  We finished our first read-aloud book, Because of Mr. Terupt, and have now begun our second read-aloud, On The Day I Died.  This is a book of short scary stories which is perfect for October!  We will be finishing up the TFK that we started last week and taking a quiz on it early in the week.  Also, we will be reading a story from our anthology entitled, Satchmo's Blues which discusses the life of Louis Armstrong.  We will be doing various activities to go along with this story such as discussing New Orleans, LA, the different culture, Jazz music, character traits and dreams becoming a reality.  We will be fitting in some silent reading time and writing in our Reading Response Journals.  We have some computer lab time this week to continue working on our Writer's Workshop projects.

Science:  We finished discussing/making weather tools.  There will be a short quiz on weather tools later in the week or early next week.  Currently, we are working on a Layers of the Atmosphere project.  When that is completed, we will move onto cloud research.

Enjoy the remainder of the long weekend!  See you Tuesday.

~Mrs. Bennick :-)

5B Activities for the Week of 10/7/13

Hello Parents & Students!

Here's what's going on in 5B this week! 

First, I uploaded our Scientific Method experiment videos to Edline this morning.  You can access them by going to my Edline page and on the left side you will see a folder entitled, Scientific Method experiment videos.  Click on that and all four of them are in that folder.  I also put a slide show of pictures I've been taking in class.  There are some with our Kindergarten buddies and various other ones.  For some reason, some of the pictures are sideways or upside-down.  I have no idea why.  I will try to turn them around when I get a chance.

Our first marble celebration was a success!  The kids all enjoyed playing games on the computers and/or their electronic devices and chewing gum all day was very enjoyable!  :-)

As of last Wednesday, I am now officially BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) trained!! The students began bringing in their devices and we had our first BYOT lesson.  We enjoyed going to TodaysMeet to review for our upcoming Scientific Method quiz.

This week we have Interim Assessments on Thursday and Friday.  There are two math tests and two reading tests.

Spelling/Word Study:  This week we will continue working on the Open Syllable type.  The words are posted on the blog.  Our test will be on Friday.

Math Accel:  We completed our first test this past week and have now begun Unit 2.  So far, we have discussed, written and shared statistical questions.  We will be moving on to dot plots and bar graphs this week.

ELA (English Language Arts):  We started our first Writer's Workshop projects last week and will continue to work on them this week.  We have just about finished our first read-aloud book, Because of Mr. Terupt, and will be starting a new one this week.  It is entitled, On The Day I Died and it's a book of short scary stories....always a favorite in 5th grade!  We read and discussed the book, The Lotus Seed last week and worked on developing our vocabulary with new words from that story.  This week, we will be comparing the main character from that book with the main character from the story, Sees Behind Trees.  We will be completing a venn diagram.  If we can get through all of that, which I doubt, we will begin working on memoirs.

Science:  We have been studying the Scientific Method and we will have a quiz on the steps of the SM on Monday.  We have also watch a couple of short weather videos and discussed weather instruments.  We will begin making an anemometer this week in groups and then will continue on with weather tools such as the barometer, thermometer and wind vane.

That's it for now.  Please email me with any questions you may have.

Have a great week!

~Mrs. Bennick :-)

5B Activities for the Week of 9/30/13

Hello Parents and Students! 

Just a couple of reminders for this week.  First, Track and Field Day is this Monday from 2:00-3:20.  Go 5B!!  

Picture Day is Tuesday, October 1st.  The forms went home last Thursday.  Please return them by Tuesday if you are ordering pictures. 

Curricular Activities:

Spelling/Word Study:  This week we will begin studying our third syllable type which is the Open Syllable.  We will focus on the Open Syllable for two weeks.  This week, words will have a "Y" at the end.  The words are posted on the blog under "Spelling/Word Study."  As I mentioned at Curriculum Night, I will attach the word study parent resources in my email to all of you today.  

Math Accel:  Moving right along!  We finished our last Unit 1 lesson this past Thursday and Friday, Scientific Notation. Students should have their Unit 1 Study Guide completed by Monday for review.  The Unit 1 test will be on Wednesday.  We will begin Unit 2 on Tuesday.  Statistics and Probability will be our focus in Unit 2....one of my favorites to teach!

English Language Arts (ELA):  We have finally almost finished our Where I'm From poems.  It took a great deal longer than I had anticipated.  Most of us have finished writing them and we are currently typing them.  Soon, they will be printed!  :-)  We did cover the vocabulary for last week's reading story from our anthology, Sees Behind Trees, but we did not have the opportunity to read it or listen to the audiotape of it yet.  We will be doing this at the beginning of the week.  The students should expect a test on this story midweek.  Then, at the end of the week, we will be introduced to a new picture book to study, The Lotus Seed.  We will be studying this book for at least one week. Our read-aloud book continues to be, Because of Mr. Terupt and we're at the sad part now.  Our Cool Tool this week is, How To Cool Off and reading conferences will begin again! 

Science:  This will be our first week of science!  To start the unit, we will be studying the Scientific Method and will be doing an experiment later this week.  We will then be discussing various types of weather. 

That is all for now.  Please email me with any questions or concerns.  Enjoy this beautiful weekend!

Mrs. Bennick

5B Activities for the Week of September 23rd, 2013

Hello Parents and Students:

I hope that you are all out enjoying this beautiful weekend!  There is CoGat testing this week for all 2nd and 5th grade students.  Our days for testing will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for one hour each day.  We will be taking three 10-minute tests per day with breaks in between.

I graded many papers this weekend!  Please check your child's take-home folder tomorrow to retrieve these.  Last week was a very productive week!

Here's what's going on in the curricular areas this week:

Spelling/Word Study:  This week our focus will be on the VC-e type of syllable.  This is Vowel Consonant and helping "e" words such as globe.  We will use the same format as last week's test in which the students will be required to learn how to spell ten of these words and then diagram five of them. The ten words will be posted on my blog and the students will each receive a copy of these words tomorrow. Most everyone did very well on last week's spelling/word study test.  It was a success!  Therefore, I will be keeping this same format.

English Language Arts (ELA):  We will be finishing up our Where I'm From poems and will be typing them in the computer lab mid-week.  We will also be learning new vocabulary from a story in our reading anthology entitled, Sees Behind Trees.  We will be doing a couple of vocabulary activities with this story and then meeting in our inquiry circles to brainstorm questions relating to this story that will help us to better understand it.  We will be taking a test on this story on Friday.  Even though we will be reading and listening to the story on audiotape during class, I would highly recommend that all students take their reading books home to reread the story a few more times.  We will also be introducing the "COOL TOOL" lessons this week which target bullying and respectful behavior.
Our read-aloud book continues to be, Because of Mr. Terupt and we will be meeting our Kindergarten Buddies for the first time this Friday!  That is always so much fun!!!

Math Accel:  We are continuing on in Unit 1 this week.  Most students performed well on the exit slip that they completed last Friday.  This week, we will continue to learn about exponents and will move on to divisors and division of whole numbers.

Social Studies:  We will be having a test on Friday on the material that we have covered in social studies on explorers and exploration.  We will be creating our own study guides on Tuesday so that the students will have time to study at home for a few nights.  I will also allow the students time to study during class either in partners or groups for better understanding.  This week we will also be finishing up the explorer timelines that we have been working on.

Science:  We will be starting science next Monday, September 30th.  Our first topic will be weather which will include studying and making weather tools and layers of the atmosphere.

That's it for now.  Please email me with any questions or concerns.  Have a great week!

~Mrs. Bennick :-)

5B Activities for the Week of 9/16/13

Hello Parents and Students!

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

First of all, Curriculum Night has been moved to this Wednesday evening from 6:30-8:00pm.  Hope you can all make it.  Remember, this evening is for parents only.

Spelling:  Since we had two heat days last week, I was not able to get through all of lesson one in spelling/word study.  Therefore, we will continue lesson one this week.  The spelling test will be on Friday and I will let the students know what they need to study so that there is no confusion.

Math Accel:  We are moving along in Unit 1.  We will be finishing up our menu project tomorrow and then we will begin multiplying by powers of 10 on Tuesday and exponents later in the week.  Expect an exit slip or quiz later in the week so that I can assess progress.  I will let the students know what to expect.

English Language Arts:  First, our family tree projects are due tomorrow.  We will begin presenting them as part of our listening/speaking component in ELA.  We will continue to delve into the poem by George Ella Lyon entitled, Where I'm From.  The students were briefly introduced to this poem last week, but it will become our main focus this week during ELA.  We will also begin to write our own Where I'm From poems but before we do that, I will need to teach a couple of mini lessons as to what to include in it.  Also, we will continue to read our Time For Kids magazines with our main focus being on close reading, finding important details in text and building background knowledge.  We will be completing a K-W-L chart and discussing what a theme is.  Our read-aloud book continues to be, Because of Mr. Terupt, which is getting very good now.  We've also been sneaking in a little grammar at www.freerice.com.  The students have really been enjoying this.

Social Studies:  We will continue to discuss explorers and exploration and this week we will dig a little deeper into a particular explorer of our choice.  Each student will choose an explorer that we've discussed, or will be discussing, and will begin researching their explorer in the computer lab.  We will then be creating our own timelines about our explorer.

That's it for now.  See you all Wednesday evening.

Have a good week!

Mrs. Bennick :-)

No school tomorrow, September 10th, in unairconditioned buildings!

Parents:

May Watts' Staff was just notified that there will be no school tomorrow, September 10th, for schools in the district that are not air conditioned.  This includes May Watts. 

Any homework that was assigned today will be due Wednesday, which is late start.

Have a nice evening.

Mrs. Bennick

5B News for the Week of September 9, 2013

Hello Parents and Students!

Just a reminder that Curriculum Night is this Wednesday evening at 6:30.  A detailed letter which includes the evening's schedule has been uploaded on my Edline page under "News".   Hope to see you all there!

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

Spelling/Word Study:  We will begin our first spelling lesson this week which will focus on closed syllables.  In class, we will be discussing what a closed syllable is and how to identify closed syllables in words and diagram them.  There will be a test on Friday and I will let the students know tomorrow what they need to study.  More information about this new word study/spelling program will be introduced at curriculum night.

Math Accel:  We are moving right along in math!  We are about midway through the first unit and will be having our first quiz tomorrow.  (Monday)  This week, we will be reviewing multiplication of decimals which will include exponents and powers of 10.  Also, the students will be creating their own menus in class.  This will be about a week-long project.

English Language Arts:  We will be continuing on in our Identity theme.  This week, we will be reading the poem by George Ella Lyon entitled, Where I'm From.  The students will be creating their own Where I'm From poem and will also be asked to create their own family tree at home.  I will send more information home this week about this project.  I also created my own family tree which the students can refer to as a model when creating their own.  We will share our family trees early next week.  We are still reading the book, Because of Mr. Terupt and individual reading conferences started last week.  I've had the opportunity to conference with about six or seven students so far.  I plan to conference with about five to six students per day.

Social Studies:  We will continue to discuss explorers.  Our topics for this week will include Africa's Trading Empires and European Explorers.  Most of us finished our Think Quests, but there are still a few who need to finish up.  I did reserve some computers in the LMC cluster for tomorrow for those students who still need to finish.

It's going to be a busy week!  See you all Wednesday evening.

Mrs. Bennick

Chorus Permission Form and ELL Parent Night Info.

Hello Parents:

Information regarding the ELL Parent Night has been uploaded onto my Edline page under "News."  If you have a student who is currently receiving ELL services or who will be entering the ELL Program, please check Edline for more information.

Also, for those students who would like to join chorus, I uploaded the chorus permission form onto my Edline page also under "News". 

Mrs. Bennick

Here's what's going on in 5B this week! September 4-6

Hello Parents and Students!

 Just a reminder that there is no school tomorrow, Monday, due to it being Labor Day. Also, there is no school for students on Tuesday, due to Building Articulation Day. See you on Wednesday...remember it's late start!

 Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

 I needed to change some of my lesson plans last week due to the heat. We were scheduled to use the computer lab a few times to work on some lessons, but were unable to because the computer lab was being used as a cooling station for the students who are in upstairs' classrooms. Therefore, we stayed in our room and worked on other things. Therefore, some lessons that were planned for last week will be taught this week. Hopefully, the weather will cool down and schedules will be back to normal.

Spelling/Word Study: I will be introducing this brand new program to the students this week. The students will be taking some notes in their composition notebooks about this program, but will not have anything to study yet. Next week, since we will have five full days of school, the students will be assigned their first spelling/word study lesson. I will explain this program in more detail at Curriculum Night on September 11th. I will also have a handout for you that evening that will answer Frequently Asked Questions about this new program.

Math Accel: We are moving right along in math. We had some fun reviewing addition, subtraction and multiplication of decimals this past week playing Jeopardy. The students are diligently taking notes and previewing and reviewing videos. Several of the students stated that they felt Math Acceleration seems easy, but I assured them that it does get more difficult as time goes on. We are in our review stage right now. This week, we will continue on in Unit 1 working with decimals. We will be creating our own grocery lists and we may get to the menu activity, but that will most likely be next week.

English Language Arts (ELA): This week our focus will be Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Last week the country celebrated the 50th anniversary of his famous speech, I Have A Dream. We will be reading an excerpt from this famous speech (close read) and the students will be responsible for analyzing it and answering questions about it. I will build background knowledge by reading a couple of MLK books and possibly watching a couple of short video clips about MLK. As usual, we will continue our read-aloud book, Because of Mr. Terupt. The students are really into this book and many of them can relate to the characters. We completed our character analysis. Since we were able to check out books from the LMC last week, the students should all have a current personal reading book that they are reading. We will continue to have silent reading in class and I will begin pulling the students aside individually soon for private reading conferences with me. We are starting to establish a routine in class now.

Social Studies: Since we could not work on our Think Quest last week because of the unavailability of the computer lab, we will try to get to it this week. I did reserve the lab for a couple of sessions this week. However, since we started a chapter in our social studies book, we will finish that first before moving on to the Think Quest.

Also, I have asked the students to keep any papers that we complete in their binders in the correct subject area so that they have them to refer to or study from later on. Currently, there are no scheduled quizzes or tests because we have not covered enough material yet. Stay tuned! That's it for now! Enjoy the remainder of the weekend!

 Mrs. Bennick :-)

Curriculum Night is coming!

Parents: May Watts' Curriculum Night is on September 11th from 6:30-8:00pm. Please visit my edline page under "News" to view the curriculum night letter. Thank you, Mrs. Bennick

Here's what's going on in 5B this week! August 26-30

Hello Parents and Students!

Looking forward to our first full week of school!

Important events this week include the Annual Ice Cream Social at May Watts.  It's this Tuesday evening from 6:30-8:00pm.  Hope to see you all there!

Also, the Band/Orchestra Parent Informational Meeting is this Thursday, August 29th, at 7:00pm in the auditorium at Metea Valley HS.

Here's what's going on in the classroom:

Spelling/Word Study:  Spelling will begin next week.  We have a brand new program this year which will be totally different from what we've had in the past.  Students will be required to analyze or break down the words along with learning how to spell them.  I will be introducing this to the students next week and will overview it for the parents at Curriculum Night.

Math Accel:  Math begins this Tuesday.  We will begin the year with The Number System which will include reading and writing large numbers, place value, etc.  I created my own math website over the summer and will have the students refer to it to watch videos and use some of the resources on it for reinforcement.

English Language Arts:  This is our reading, writing, listening and speaking time.  Our current read aloud in class is the book, Because of Mr. Terupt, which goes along with our Identity theme.  I have read the first 5 or 6 chapters up to this point and the students are analyzing the characters in their Reading Response Journals.  We will also be doing some close reads during this time to work on comprehension and presenting our Me In A Bag projects this Wednesday and Thursday.

Social Studies:  For those of you who are new to District 204, we rotate back and forth between Science and Social Studies.  We are starting the year with Social Studies and our topic will be Explorers.  The students will be working in groups to complete a ThinkQuest about the many  explorers of the 1400's through the 1600's.

Looking forward to a great week!

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Bennick :-)

Fabulous First Day of School for 5B!

Wow!  What a great day we had in 5B!  I enjoyed meeting all of your children.  Please note that the 5B specials' schedule has been posted on the blog.  (It's on the right side.)  Also, three important papers were sent home today.  Please check the "take home" section of your child's accordian binder.

In your free time, check out the cute photo of our "Getting to Know You Web" on Edline.

~Mrs. Bennick

Here's the link to the 5th Grade Farewell DVD if you'd like to watch it.

www.maywatts.fifthgradefarewell.shutterfly.com

Password:  mw2013

Hello Parents: 

Happy Memorial Day!

Many, many things going on in 5th grade these last 6.5 days of school!  Here we go!

First, the Fifth Grade Farewell is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, May 28th all afternoon. 

The Naperville Public Library will be coming to visit us on Thursday, May 30th at 1:00. Also on this day, we will be celebrating those students who read 40 books or more this school year as part of our Book Whisperer reading program. 

Here's what's going on in the curricular areas this week:

Spelling:  The last spelling test of the year will take place this Friday!  There are only ten words, however, they are commonly misspelled words, so please study!

Language Arts:  We will be reading our last TFK for the year this week and we will be reading a book from our anthology entitled, Name That American.  This story goes along with our current focus in social studies.  We are currently watching our documentaries and they are awesome!  I will be emailing you the link to your child's documentary sometime this week.  Also, many students have been working diligently on Writer's Workshop projects, which are coming along nicely. 

Math Accel:  We will test Unit 8 this week on Wednesday and will immediately begin Unit 9.  I want the students to have some exposure to the skills in Unit 9 before the end of the year.

Social Studies:  We will continue on in Chapter 12.  We are quickly approaching the Civil War. 

Science:  We are loving the microscope unit!  We have compared thread to hair and learned the parts of the microscope.  There will be a quiz on the parts of a microscope on Wednesday.  (Students have the study guide for this.)  Also, we will look at live specimens this week under the microscope.

That's it for now.  I can't believe we are at the end of the year already!  What a fast year it has been!

Please email me with any questions or concerns.

Mrs. Bennick :-)

5th Grade Farewell Rescheduled to Tuesday, May 28th

Parents:

The 5th Grade Farewell has been rescheduled to next Tuesday, May 28th.  The weather does not look good for tomorrow and some of the vendors were not available for Friday.  Therefore, the event will take place next Tuesday, the 28th.

Mrs. Bennick

5th Grade Farewell

Parents:

Due to the expected inclement weather for tomorrow, Tuesday, the 5th Grade Farewell has been moved to this Thursday, May 23rd.  If rain is expected on Thursday, it will be moved to the following Tuesday, May 28th.

Thank you,

Mrs. Bennick

5B Activities for the Week of 5/20/2013

Hello Parents and Students:

I hope that you are all enjoying this beautiful weather!

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

The Fifth Grade Farewell is scheduled for this Tuesday afternoon.  However, in the case of inclement weather, it will be on Thursday. 

Spelling:  We are on Unit 31 this week which will just consist of ten commonly misspelled words.  Everyone will do the same list.  We will do the same thing next week.

Language Arts:  Most of us have finished up our incredible documentaries!  I have uploaded all the ones that have been completed to YouTube.  However, you cannot access them due to my settings being "private."  I will send you the link to your child's documentary soon.  Stay tuned!  Also, we will continue to work on our memoirs.  They are coming along nicely.  Some students have finished both projects and are currently working on another Writer's Workshop project of their choice.  This week, we will be finishing up some social studies during LA time, because there's a lot of information to still cover. 

Math Accel:  We are about midway through Unit 8.  We will be testing it early next week.  Since a lot of Unit 8 is review (Unit Rates, Ratios and Proportions) we will not have a study guide.  However, I will let the students know exactly what will be covered on the test.  Immediately following the Unit 8 test, we will dive into Unit 9, which is our last unit!

Science:  This week we will begin using the microscopes.  This is always a fun way to end the school year.  Most of the students enjoy learning about the microscope and viewing the various specimens. 

Social Studies:  We will continue to work our way to the Civil War.  We finished up Chapter 11 and we will take the Chapter 11 "Twiz" on Wednesday.  The students have the study guide.  It will be on the Chapter 11 vocabulary and the study guide is the crossword puzzle. 

That's it for now!  Please email me with any questions or concerns. 

Enjoy the day!

Mrs. Bennick :-)

5B Activities for the Week of May 13, 2013

Hello Parents and Students:

Just a reminder that tomorrow is a School Improvement Planning day, therefore, there is no school for students. Enjoy the day off!

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

Spelling: We are on list #30 this week. The pretest will be on Tuesday and the test will be on Friday. This is the last official spelling list of the school year, however, I will be making shortened lists for the next couple of weeks that will relate to the curriculum.

Language Arts:  We have a lot going on in language arts currently. First, we should be finishing up our documentaries this week and I have started uploading them to You Tube. Stay tuned for more information regarding this. So far, the documentaries look incredible! Next, we will continue to work on our memoirs. We discussed what a memoir is and many of the students have chosen a special event or time in their life to write about. We have just about finished up our read aloud book and I am going to try to squeeze in one more before this school year is over! We will be reading a story from our anthology about Lewis and Clark since they are part of our social studies focus currently.

Math Accel:  We completed our Unit 6 test and have started working in Unit 8 which focuses on unit rates and ratios. Since some of Unit 8 is review, it shouldn't take us too long to get through it. Then, we will begin the last unit of the year. Remember, Unit 7 and 10 were both moved to different grade levels.

Social Studies:  We are discussing the Westward Movement, Lewis and Clark and the Louisiana Purchase. We have been making a sketch of the Louisiana Territory and labeling all of the states that were acquired during this profitable purchase from France.

Science:  We will be returning to science next week and will be working with microscopes.

Have a great week everyone!!!

Mrs. Bennick :-)

5B Activities for the Week of 5/6/2013

Hello Parents and Students:

Just a reminder that there is a field trip to Hill Middle School THIS Monday.  There are still a couple of students who have not returned their permission forms.  Please do so Monday morning. 

Also, this Monday is the May Watt's Volunteer Luncheon from 2:00-3:30.  We hope to see all of the volunteers there.

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

Spelling:  We are on spelling list #29 this week.  The list has been posted to the blog, but it will appear under this post.  For some reason, it did not want to post in its normal position.  Don't you just love technology?  :-) 
The pretest will be on Monday morning and the test will be on Friday.

Math Accel:  Students were given the Unit 6 study guide last week.  The test will be on Tuesday.  We will review the study guide just prior to the test.  We will then begin Unit 8 on Wednesday.  (Units 7 and 10 were moved to different grade levels, so we only have Units 8 and 9 remaining. )

Language Arts:  We will continue to work on our documentaries and photo stories this week.  We will also be starting memoirs.  I will read a cute story entitled, Memoirs of a Goldfish, to introduce memoirs to the students.  We will then choose a snippet from our lives to begin writing our own memoirs.  We are just about finished with our current read aloud book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.  We will then decide as a class which book will be our next read aloud.

Social Studies:  Social Studies will be our focus for the next two weeks.  We just started discussing the vocabulary for chapter 11 and are working our way to the Civil War.

That's it for now.  Please email me with any questions.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Mrs. Bennick :-)

Spelling List #29 Week of 5/6/2013

1. industry 1. numerous
2. buffalo 2. exhaustion
3. exciting 3. customary
4. terrible 4. hamburger
5. electric 5. persistent
6. dangerous 6. reunion
7. exercise 7. toboggan
8. horizon 8. editor
9. favorite 9. computer
10. library 10. practical
11. substitute 11. beverage
12. typical 12. spaghetti
13. dinosaur 13. poetry
14. curious 14. syllable
15. average 15. frequency
16. period 16. Leeuwenhoek
17. amazement 17. errands
18. bicycle 18. pawnshop
19. conference 19. international
20. family 20. obnoxious

5th Grade Farewell Permission Forms/Photos due!

Parents:

Please remember to send in the permission forms for both the 5th Grade Farewell and the upcoming field trip to Hill MS...which is this coming Monday. 

Also, please send in a baby photo of your child at your earliest convenience.

Thank you!

Mrs. Bennick

5B Activities for the Week of 4/29/13

Hello Parents & Students:

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

We will finish up our Interim Assessments tomorrow (Monday).  On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, we will have CBM testing.  Whole group testing will occur on Tuesday and individual CBM testing will be on Thursday. 

The Volunteer Luncheon has been rescheduled for next Monday, May 6th, from 2:00-3:30.  Hope all of you wonderful volunteers will be able to attend.

Spelling:  We are on Unit 28 this week.  The pretest will be on Monday and the test will be on Friday. 

Language Arts:  Currently, our big project is the documentaries that we are working on.  All of the students have chosen a person to research who was a "first" at doing something.  We are writing down information, sorting through pictures and organizing it all into a Power Point.  We will then narrate the story of the person that we are researching.  We will continue to work on this project for at least the next week or so.  Also, we will continue to work on our TFKs for current events and continue to read and discuss books about moving forward.

Math Accel.:  We have been spending a good amount of time on our checkbook project which focuses on positive and negative integers, financial planning, needs and wants, and a variety of other topics.  This week, we will finish up Unit 6 and continue to work on the checkbook project.  When it gets closer to the end of the week, I will be letting the students know when to expect the Unit 6 test and how to best prepare for it. 

Science:  We will finish up our current topic in science by midweek.  We will complete our four types of galaxies project and will be learning about constellations immediately following that.  Then, we will be moving back into social studies.

Social Studies:  We will pick up where we left off after the Revolutionary War and move along until we get to the Civil War.  Some topics for discussion will include the Trail of Tears, Westward Movement, and Slavery.

That's it for now.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Mrs. Bennick :-)

“What Really Happens

at Middle School?”

In-coming 6^th Grade

Parent Night

Please join the Hill administrative team for a parent night to discuss your child’s success next year.

When: Tuesday April 30^th 7:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m.

Where: Hill Middle School, Commons

 What to bring: Questions about middle school

 Any questions about the meeting, please contact Michelle Stoehrmann, 630-428-6200

 

Galaxy Quiz/Additional Practice

http://quizlet.com/22425470/galaxy-vocabulary-flash-cards/

5th Grade Farewell Info.

Hello Parents & Students:

Information about the upcoming 5th Grade Farewell Celebration was sent home today via backpack mail and also via email.  Please read those letters at your earliest convenience.  Thank you!

Hello Parents and Students:

Due to last week being a short week, the spelling words will stay the same for the upcoming week.  There will be no pretest on Monday because the students already know which list they are on.  The test will be on Friday. 

Also, we will be working on much of the same curricular activities this upcoming week, since we didn't have time to finish it last week.

However, Interim Assessments begin this week.  For 5B, they will take place on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and the following Monday.  The testing lasts for about one hour per day and will cover English Language Arts and Math. 

We have a field trip this Friday, April 26th.  We will be going to Waubonsie Valley High School's Planetarium. 
We will be eating lunch upon our arrival back at school around Noon.  If you have not already done so, please return your child's permission form for this trip.  Thank you.

Also, please return your child's report card envelope if you haven't already done so. 

Since we are doing much of the same curricular activities as last week, I decided not to update each subject for this upcoming week.  If you have any questions, please email me. 

Have a great week!

Mrs. Bennick  :-)

Direct Link to Quizlet practice quiz

http://quizlet.com/22035729/science-astronomy-vocabulary-flash-cards/

5B Activities for the Week of April 15, 2013

Hello Parents and Students:

Just a reminder that the Volunteer Luncheon is THIS Thursday, April 18th from 2:00-3:30.  Hope all of you wonderful volunteers can join us. Also, please remember to return the signed report card envelope at your earliest convenience.

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

Spelling:  We are on Unit 27 this week!  Just three more spelling tests remain after this week! 
The pretest will be on Monday and the test will be on Friday, as usual.

Math Accel:  Monday, we will be working on a project which will involve keeping/balancing a checking account register.  This goes along with our focus on adding and subtracting positive and negative integers.  Also, moving forward, we will continue to work on absolute value, the properties of number systems, order of operations and number sentences. 

Language Arts:  In reading, we will begin to work on our Moving Forward theme and we will be reading/interpreting a book entitled, We Are America.  Also, we will be finishing up our picture book mash-up projects.  We will also continue to work on activities related to current events in our TFK magazines.  In writing, we will begin working on a persuasive writing piece pertaining to our moving forward theme. 

Science:  We have been studying the layers of the sun and last Friday we began creating our own clay models of the layers.  We will finish these on Monday.  They look awesome!  Then, we will be moving onto constellations and creating our own constellations.

That's it for now.  Please email me with any questions.

Thank you!

Mrs. Bennick :-)

5B Activities for the Week of April 8th, 2013

Hello Parents and Students:

Lots of reminders this week so here we go.....

First, please sign and return your child's report card envelope as soon as possible.  Report cards went home Friday via backpack mail. 

Next, There will be no school for kids this Tuesday, April 9th, due to a School Improvement Planning day.  Enjoy the day off! 

We have filled our marble jar again!  Our celebration will take place this Friday, April 12th.  Students can wear crazy clothes or their pajamas.  The students can have crazy hair and bring in gum to chew.  The students may also bring in an electronic device on this day.  If your child decides to bring in an electronic device, please sign and return the permission form that went home last Friday.  Thank you!

The Volunteer Luncheon will take place next Thursday, APRIL 18th, from 2:00-3:30.  We are thankful for our volunteers!  Please join us if you are available! 

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

Spelling:  We are on Unit 26 this week.  The pretest will be on Monday and the test will be on Friday.

Language Arts:  We have a new read-aloud book in class.  It is entitled, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. We are all enjoying it very much.  Thank you to Christopher and Annika for recommending it.  We will continue to work on current events with our Time For Kid's magazines.  This week, we are discussing the amount of toys children have in America versus other countries.  We will do some persuasive writing with this topic.  Also, we will continue to work on our picture book mash-up activity.  These are coming along nicely.  They are very creative.  Some students have already written their stories and are in the process of editing it.  Others are just beginning to organize their thoughts and ideas.  For those students who have been struggling with coming up with an idea to combine their books, I have suggested that they brainstorm ideas with a friend.  This is going well.

Math Accel.:  We reviewed multiplication of fractions and completed an exit slip on this skill.  Last Friday, we discussed division of fractions.  We will finish this lesson on Monday.  Moving forward, we will be focusing on addition and subtraction of negative numbers, multiplication and division of positive and negative numbers and absolute value.

Science:  Currently, we have been studying space.  The students have been introduced to many new vocabulary terms and have taken a good deal of notes from the space videos that we have viewed.  Thank you to all of the students who have brought in visuals and books for us to look at that are related to space.  These materials are very helpful.  We have been learning about the layers of the sun and we will be creating a visual of the layers of the sun and also a clay model this week. 

That's it for now.  Please email me with any questions or concerns.

Thank you!

Mrs. Bennick  :-)

5B Activities for the Week of 4/1/2013

Hello Parents and Students, 

WELCOME BACK!  I hope that you all enjoyed your Spring Break.  I sure did.  Monday begins the start of the 4th Quarter of school.  Let's stay strong this last quarter. 

Just a reminder that report cards go home this Friday, April 5th.  Please check your child's backpack.

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

Spelling:  We are on Unit 25 this week.  The pretest will be on Monday and the test with be on Friday. 

Language Arts:  During language arts this week, we will be finishing up some things that we didn't quite finish up before break (Digestive System brochures) and we will be starting some new activities.  This week, we will begin working on picture book mash-ups.  Basically, this is a creative writing activity in which the students choose two pictures books to read and decide how they want to combine the two books to create a new story.  This activity is always a lot of fun for the students.  I will allow them some time to choose their picture books, discuss various ideas with their peers and begin organizing their thoughts.  We will also continue our 40 book requirement.  Many students have surpassed this goal (WOW!) and others are moving along at their own pace, which is fine.  As usual, I will continue reading conferences with each student and we will continue to have our silent reading time. 

Math Accel:  We will be starting Unit 6 this week.  As a review, we will be working on multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers.  This should be review for most students unless they were moved into math accel. just this year.  We will then continue on with division of fractions and mixed numbers and then addition and subtraction of positive and negative numbers.  We will be moving along fairly quickly now as this is the last quarter of school and I'd like to cover as much material as possible before the students move onto Hill next year.

Science:  It will take us about three to four days to finish up our Digestive System brochures this week.  We started this activity just before Spring Break, so we will need some additonal time to finish it up.  The students have learned a lot about the Digestive System.  The brochures are looking fabulous!
After we have finished that, we will begin discussing Space and the Solar System.  We will watch a couple of informative videos to introduce this topic and then begin working on vocabulary with visuals. 

It's going to be a busy quarter!  Enjoy the last day of break!  See you soon!

Mrs. Bennick  :-)

5B Activities for the Week of 3/18/2013

Hello Parents and Students!

Just five school days left until Spring Break!  I hope that you all have a wonderful; safe break and that you get to enjoy some family time.

This week during science, we will be doing some fun activities and experiments.  Please have your child cut out and bring in two food labels off of any foods that you have in your house.  We want to compare calories, proteins, carbohydrates, etc.  Please bring them in by Tuesday. 

Also, we will be participating in a science experiment in which the students will be eating a saltine cracker.  If you would prefer that your child not eat a saltine cracker, please email me.  Thank you.

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

Spelling:  We are currently on Unit 24 in spelling.  The pretest will be on Monday and the test on Friday.

Math Accel:  There will not be a formal Unit 5 math test.  Unit 5 is mainly review, so I am having the students complete parts of the test as exit slips.  We started this on Thursday.  We will finish the last part on Monday.  Also, the PA math test will occur this Tuesday, March 19th, in your child's Math Accel. classroom.  The test should take approximately one hour to complete.  This week, we will be doing some challenging problem solving, playing math fact games and visiting a new website entitled mangahigh for skill reinforcement.

Language Arts:  We just finished up our Courage books today in writing.  Next week, we will tie in some science during language arts time.  The students will be visiting an online chat room, Today's Meet, and share ideas as a class about what they have learned about Digestion so far.  Also, the students are creating a poster to describe the importance of good oral health.  There will be a quiz on oral health on Tuesday which will include the names of dental specialists and tooth vocabulary.  This information is written in the students' journals. We will also be conducting some online research about the various organs in the Digestive System and will discuss our findings.  If time, we will read a Time For Kids magazine and complete some grammar.

Science:  We are very busy in science now.  Our topic is the Digestive System.  We have watched a couple of short videos about this system and did a science experiment today in which we discussed the break down of food and whether or not teeth help to speed along the process of digestion.  Ask your child about the sugar cube experiment to answer that question.  This upcoming week we will do some research, complete another science experiment that proves whether or not the teeth and tongue work together to help the breakdown process and analyze food labels. 

Have a wonderful weekend.  If you have any questions or concerns, please email me.

Thank you!

Delissa Bennick

5B Activities for the Week of March 11, 2013

Hello Parents and Students:

Just a reminder that we do have a field trip on Tuesday, March 12th, to the Paramount Theater in Aurora.  We will be viewing a play about the Civil War.  There will be no hot lunch served this day as we will be returning to school after our normal lunch time.  Please send a sack lunch/drink with your child on this day. 

Also, since we will be going to a theater, please have your child dress in appropriate theater attire on this day. 

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

Spelling:  We are on Unit 23 this week.  The pretest will be on Monday and the test will be on Friday.

Language Arts:  Our main focus will be on science and social studies this week.  We will be transitioning out of social studies but we still have some topics that we need to discuss.  We will have a test on Wednesday that will be on the material that was covered in the video we watched entitled, America:  The Story of Us.  We made a study guide together in class which was sent home a couple of days ago.  Before we dive into our new science topic, Digestion, we will be discussing oral health such as teeth and gums, parts of the tooth, tooth and gum diseases and caring for your teeth.  We will be taking a quiz on this material early next week.  We will also continue to work in our TFKs and our topic is nutrition in schools.  The students will be creating their own food/diet journals in class.  In writing, we will continue to work on our courage books. 

Math Accel:  We will continue in Unit 5 this week.  We have discussed integers, rational and irrational numbers and coordinate graphing.  We will finish up coordinate geometry and move onto isometry transformations. 

Social Studies:  We will review Chapter 9, which goes along with the video we watched this past week, and the students will be tested on the information from the video on Wednesday. 

Science:  We are moving back into science this week and will begin with oral health.  We will then begin covering the process of digestion.

That is it for now.  Enjoy the weekend.  If you have any questions or concerns, please email me.

Thank you!
Delissa Bennick  :-)

Service Club Announcement

May Watts Service Club Announcement:

Our club’s first service project is called: “RACE to 1,000 MEALS”. We will be collecting money to help the organization Feed My Starving Children. The Service Club will be packing in May, but we would also like to help by raising enough money to cover the cost of 1,000 meals. Each meal costs 22 cents; which means one quarter donated per student would get us close to our goal!

This will be a grade level competition to see which grade level "donates the most meals". The fundraiser will start the first week in March and continue until spring break.

We appreciate your support. If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Beutler or Ms. Happy.

Self-Defense Night Information

The safety of our children is of great importance to all of us. We can do our best to keep them safe at home and school, but situations may arise that we cannot control. These incidents can happen anywhere, at any time, and with anyone. It is not just an issue in the big cities or always a “stranger danger” attack. Parents are often unsure of what to say to their young children and how much information they should provide to them.

Mrs. Andrews will provide an age appropriate, hands on self-defense workshop in which you may participate with your family. When parents are in attendance, they can hear and see firsthand what she plans to cover. Your child can practice these techniques on their parents or adult family members. Competence and confidence in self-defense techniques can relieve anxiety and is a good resource for your child. The majority of self-defense is avoidance of dangerous situations and good information. This will be Mrs. Andrews’ main focus. We will be practicing physical defenses, though, so please have your child wear comfortable clothing and safe gym shoes. Older siblings and all family members are encouraged to participate. The event will be held Monday, March 11, 2013, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for students in K-5. At 8:00 p.m., students from Grades 5 are welcome to stay for a 15- 30 minute internet and middle school situations safety presentation.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Andrews at terri_andrews@ispd.org or at 630 428-6709.

PA MATH TEST PRACTICE WEBSITES

Math Accel. Parents:

I was able to find a few websites that you might find beneficial when preparing your child for the upcoming PA math test.  The following are the links to them.  When you visit these websites, pay special attention to the areas that will be on the PA math test such as Algebra (7th & 8th grade), Mathematical Reasoning (word problems), Numerical Reasoning (number patterns) and Spatial Reasoning (folding/3 dimensional shapes). 

http://www.ezschool.com/EZSheets/Number_Sense/Whole_Numbers/Reasoning/index.html
http://www.ixl.com/promo?partner=google&phrase=Search%20-%20math%20practice&gclid=CKmHt8CSg64CFbMAQAod1l_E7Q
http://hotmath.com/games.html
http://www.softschools.com/math/games/
http://www.softschools.com/math/worksheets/
http://www.fibonicci.com/numeracy/number-sequences-test/
http://www.fibonicci.com/spatial-reasoning/test/
http://www.fibonicci.com/abstract-reasoning/test/

5B News for the Week of 3/4/13

Hello Parents and Students,

Here are a couple of reminders for this week:

First, if you haven't done so already, please return the permission form for our upcoming field trip to the Paramount Theater. 

Next, ISAT testing is this week.  Testing will occur on Tuesday through Thursday and will include both math and reading sections. 

Also, if your child is in my Math Accel. class, I have posted some websites for them to visit to help prepare them for the upcoming PA math test. 

Here's what's going on in 5B this week:

Spelling:  We are on Unit 22 this week...moving right along!  The pretest will be on Monday and the test will be on Friday.  The words have been posted.

Language Arts:  We will be participating in ISAT testing during this period of time most of the week.  However, we will continue to work on our own courage books, which were introduced last week.  This is a creative writing activity.  Also, we will be reading a poem about courage and working in groups to write our own poems of courage.  Verbs will continue to be our focus in grammar and we will also try to get to a TFK this week as well.  We have just about finished our current read aloud book, Wonder, and will be starting a new read aloud book in class this week.  Also, we have completed a few extended response writings in relation to this book.  We have had some great class discussions about this book...what a great story it is!

Math Accel:  All of the students did a fabulous job on the Unit 4 test! I am proud of their hard work and effort.  We are currently working in Unit 5 which focuses on Geometry.  We have discussed integers, rational and irrational numbers up to this point.  There will only be two days of math next week due to ISAT testing.

Social Studies:  We have been watching the video, America:  The Story of US during SS time and taking notes.  It is very interesting and it covers the material that we have discussed in SS up to this point and beyond.  We will continue our discussion of the Revolutionary War this week.

That's it for now.  Please contact me with any questions.  Have a great weekend!

Delissa Bennick