Upcoming dates:

Read-a-thon………..keep track of minutes read

Project due dates this week

By FRIDAY (can be turned in earlier)

·     Sci Fair: Hypothesis, materials

·     Inventions: Drawings (sloppy copy)

Reading

5^th graders:

Unit 4: Forces of Nature

6^th graders:  WWII novels

Language

Skills: analogies, superlatives (good, better, best)

Writing—Cause and effect format

Spelling—U 22

Math

5^th graders: Writing story problems with fractions, dividing fractions

6^th graders: Finding similar geometric shapes  using ratios

5^th grade Social Studies

Ch 8: Facing Slavery

Science— Color and light

I will be available in FEBRUARY on 2 different dates to help students with any aspect of their projects: compiling/analyzing data, generating graphs, organizing science fair display boards, etc. These dates are: SAT, Feb 23rd from 10 –noon and SUN, Feb 24^th from 1-3. I will be at school. The students can knock on the windows or call me ahead of time.

LWR  Kids need to start studying (practicing writing the definitions) on Monday! The quizzes have not been spectacular.

Focus: prim, prin, proto   

Meaning: first, basic

The quizzes will be a combination of the words AND their definitions, rather than prefix, root, and suffix definitions.

Words	Definition
1.   principle (n)	a basic truth
2.  prima dona (n)	most important female opera singer
3.  protocol (n)	rules governing government ceremonies
4.  primer (n)	first book, elementary reading book
5.  primeval (adj)	belonging to the first years
6.  prince (n)	first-born son of a king
7.  primogenitor (n)	first ancestor
8. principality (n)	territory belonging to a son of a king
9.  protagonist (n)	the first,most important character in a book or play
10.               primary (n)	the first, most important, basic

5^th grade spelling words

Unit 22 Suffixes: -ful, -ly –ness, -less, -ment

Dictation Sentences:

1.   Did Mac speak calmly or nervously?

2.   The songs made the play delightful.

3.   Don’t fear that harmless snake.

watchful, countless, forgetful, effortless, plentiful, lately, steadily, noisily, settlement, closeness, government, agreement, cloudiness, tardiness, forgiveness, enjoyment, appointment

Challenge Words:

suspenseful, merciless, seriousness, contentment, suspiciously

6^th grade spelling words

Unit 22 Plurals

Dictation Sentences:

1.   She ate both halves of the pear.

2.   Artists are working in their studios.

3.   We ate fish, spinach, and potatoes.

solos, cliffs, pianos, sheriffs, cellos, ratios, stereos, echoes, heroes, volcanoes, tomatoes, leaves, scarves, calves, wolves, yourselves, bookshelves

Challenge Words:

vetoes, mosquitoes, avacadoes, wharves, sopranos

Real-World Vocabulary   Probability

mathematical, outcome, likely, estimate, predication, proportion, inequality, occurrence

Calvin and Hobbies cartoon from http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/political-economy-of-calvin-and-hobbes-1.html

Upcoming dates:

Read-a-thon begins (envelope went home Friday)

Thurs, Jan 24^th ……..AUCTION!

Friday, January 25^th…………….……Spirit Day!

Project due dates this week

By FRIDAY (can be turned in earlier)

·     Sci Fair: Prob/question AND Background information due (sloppy copy)

·     Inventions: Ideas due (sloppy copy)

iPods, MP3 players, Nooks, and Kindles: I made a general decision that any electronic devices can only be used for reading purposes and only during reading times. Playing games or listening to music will not be allowed. IF an “electronic day” is decided upon, it will be announced on the blog and would only be for 1 hour of the day.

If you child is bringing a phone to school, it needs to be kept in their backpack on vibrate or silent. Thank you for your help with this.

Reading

5^th graders:

Unit 4: Forces of Nature

6^th graders:  WWII novels

Language

Skills: analogies

Writing—Cause and effect format

Spelling—U 21

Math

5^th graders: subtracting mixed numbers, multiplying fractions (cross canceling), dividing fractions

6^th graders: scaling, scale factors

5^th grade Social Studies

Ch 7: Comparing the Colonies—In-class project. This chapter will take a little longer.

Science—By FRIDAY (can be turned in earlier)

·               Sci Fair: Prob/question AND Background information due (sloppy copy)

·     Inventions: Ideas due (sloppy copy)

5^th grade students will be presenting their science fair display boards to the first grade classes they gathered data on this week.  J 6^th graders will be presenting their DNA PowerPoints to the 5^th graders.

I will be available in FEBRUARY on 2 different dates to help students with any aspect of their projects: compiling/analyzing data, generating graphs, organizing science fair display boards, etc. These dates are: SAT, Feb 16 from 10 –noon and SUN, Feb 17^th from 1-3. I will be at school. The students can knock on the windows or call me ahead of time.

We will do a small unit on DNA before we launch into light, lasers, and holography.

LWR

Focus: ject, jet

The worksheets the students will be getting will be of a different format. EXCEPT for this week, quizzes will still be on Th.

The quizzes will be a combination of the words AND their definitions, rather than prefix, root, and suffix definitions.

Five of the questions will be a matching format. For the remaining five words, the students will provide the definition.  The words will be provided for them.

Words	Definition
1.   Injection (n)	The throwing of medicine into the flesh by a needle
2.  eject	To throw out
3.  jettison (v)	To throw goods overboard to lighten
4.  subject (v)	To throw under another’s power
5.  dejection (n)	A feeling of being thrown down in spirit
6.  trajectory (n)	The curved path of an object thrown into space
7.  reject (n)	An object thrown out because it is defective
8. projection (n)	A long-range plan thrown out for analysis and discussion
9.  interjection (n)	A word thrown into a sentence or conversation
10.               projectile (n)	An object thrown into the air with great force

5^th grade spelling words

Unit 21 Changing the final “y” to “I”

Dictation Sentences:

1.   Which monster mask is the scariest?

2.   Your duties include weeding the garden.

3.   Ken’s bad manners horrified his friends.

denied, ferries, terrified, abilities, trophies, enemies, victories, memories, strategies, earlier, loveliest, sunnier, dirtier, cozier, iciest, greediest, drowsier

Challenge Words:

unified, dictionaries, boundaries, satisfied, tragedies

6^th grade spelling words

Unit 21 “sh” sound

Dictation Sentences:

1.   Do you know which direction is east?

2.   Air is crucial for human survival.

3.   I have a suspicion that he is a thief.

shallow, selfish, astonish, bashful, establish, section, position, attention, emotion, situation, musician,  official, delicious, ancient, pressure, admission, permission

Challenge Words:

diminish, beneficial, efficient, potential, compassion

Real-World Vocabulary   The Rock Cycle

cleavage, crust, formation, igneous, granite, sedimentary, mantle, metamorphic

Calvin and Hobbies cartoon from http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/