Friday, December 4, 2009

Sulima's Scoop - Week of December 7

Weekly Reminders:
*Lesson 14 spelling pretest on Monday.
*All gifts for our Holiday Service Project are due Tuesday.
*Field trip to Drury Lane on Tuesday. Please dress nice.
*Home Run Inn pizza lunch on Tuesday (for those who ordered). Please bring a drink.
*Unit 2 - Nouns- English test on Wednesday.
*Chapter 4 math test on Thursday.
*Lesson 14 spelling test on Friday.
*Open-book chapter 2, lesson 3 science quiz on Friday.
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Plan Ahead:
*Chapter 6 social studies test on Monday, December 14.
*Chapter 2 science test on Wednesday, December 16.
*Bowling field trip on Thursday, December 17.
*Tivoli field trip on Friday, December 18.
*Winter Break - December 21 - January 1. Return to school on January 4.
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Parent Teacher Conferences:
I would like to thank you all for making our first round of parent teacher conferences so successful. I will be meeting with each child throughout the week to discuss their 2nd trimester goals. Your child will bring home a copy of the goals which you can keep at home. Please remind your child often to focus on reaching these goals.
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Homeroom Happenings:
Science - We will move on to chapter 2, lesson 3. This lesson focuses on the life cycle of animals. We will finish chapter 2 this week. The children will take the test on Wednesday, December 16.
Items to review for the test:
*Class notes
*Key vocabulary:trait, heredity, gene, photosynthesis, life cycle, direct development, and metamorphosis
*How are traits inherited? How are traits developed? Nature vs. Nurture.
*What are the stages in the life cycle of a plant? How do plants reproduce?
What are the stages in the life cycle of an animal? How do some animals grow and develop?
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Social Studies - The children will complete their southeast farmer projects. They brought home their rough drafts, please take time before Tuesday to help them edit their writing. We will be writing our final drafts on Tuesday. This project is worth 25 points (grading checklist is in your child's S.S. pocket), but the children can earn 2 bonus points for adding addition information or fun facts that are not listed on the grading checklist. We will finish chapter 6 by looking at other resources found in the southeast. The children will fill out a "how to study" sheet on Wednesday. The chapter 6 test will be on Monday, December 14.
Items to review for test:
*Key vocabulary - barrier islands, Outer Coastal Plain, wetlands, Inner Coastal Plain, Piedmont, fall line, key. hurricane, hurricane season, endangered species, extinct, pulp, and fossil fuel.
*Indentify and describe major landforms in the Southeast.
*Explain how barrier islands were formed.
*Compare and contrast landform elevations in the Southeast. (Use diagram done in class.)
*Describe the climate of the Southeast.
*Describe how hurricanes form and the effects of hurricanes.
*Explain the function of lighthouses.
*Describe the importance of protecting endangered species.
*Identify ways in which resources of the Southeast are used.
*Identify a renewable and a nonrenewable resource found in the Southeast.
*Explain why coal is an important resource in the Southeast.
*Describe a place you could visit in the Southeast. Why would you go there and what would you see and/or do? (Magic Kingdom and all related parks are closed!) Ideas: Everglades National Park, Key West, Myrtle Beach or any other place you may know of.
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Spelling - Lesson 14 will practice "au" words. Please have your child practice their words in cursive.
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W.O.W. Words - Our W.O.W. words for the week are: banter, indulge, revel, relish, and excursion.
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English - We have now finished unit 2 - nouns. The children filled out a "how to study" sheet on Thursday. Our test will be on Wednesday. Please help your child review for this test. The lessons on singular and plural possessives seems to be difficult for many children. We will review in class on Monday.
Here are some Internet games to help your child review:
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Reading - We will finish our study of "A Christmas Carol" this week. The children will sequence important events from the story. We will also read our readers' theater again on Monday. The children will be graded on accuracy, volume, rate, expression, and fluency. I was very impressed by our practice reading on Thursday. On Tuesday, we will see the play at Drury Lane, and on Wednesday we will be watching Mickey's Christmas Carol. The children will be doing a triple Venn diagram comparing the book to the play to the movie. We will begin a short novel at the end of the week. It is a favorite of mine - Sarah, Plain and Tall.
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Accelerated Math Menu:
Monday: Multiplying by 3-digits.
Tuesday: Math at 1:30-2:15. Fill out "how to study" sheet. Review what will be on the test.
Wednesday: Math at 1:30-2:15. Review for test.
Thursday: Chapter 4 test. Don't forget to bring in your "how to study" sheet.
Friday: We will begin our next chapter on Division.