The Classroom Connection
Mrs. Jefferson & Mrs. Nesbit
DFES, Title 1 School
October 31, 2013
VIP Folders
- Fall Pictures
- Graded Papers
- Cafeteria Handout
- Scholastic Order Forms - Please make checks payable to "Scholastic." All orders and payments are due by Friday, November 15th.
***Report cards were sent home yesterday. Please return the signed report card cover. Also, the 5th Grade Tag of Honor Ceremony will be held on November 8th at 11:05. Thanks for your support!
Math & Science w/ Mrs. Nesbit
Math: We are continuing with our Essential question for Chapter 3: What strategies can I use to divide whole numbers?
There is still a concern with weakness in our multiplication tables. Again, I refer to the article from last week: Total Recall: Helping Our Students Memorize Multiplication Facts/Scholastic.com
Recall Tip 2: Rather than using traditional flashcards that teacher multiplication or division facts separately, use “fact families”, three-sided cards that have an entire fact family on the three corners of the triangle. They can “play” with their fact triangles by covering up one corner and then having a friend figure out the hidden number. This will help with the relationship between multiplication and division. We will be making our own set within the next few days or you can get your own set on the recommended site.
The Chapter 3 Math test will be administered on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Science: We began our study of Mixtures and Solutions this week. Mrs. Caley shared with us a cute idea using the Trail Mix items that you have been sending in over the last couple of weeks.
Our first official Investigation was “Separating Mixtures”. We made mixtures and solutions with different solid materials and water. The solids were gravel, kosher salt, and diatomaceous earth (which is the skeletal remains of aquatic organisms called diatoms). I loved that one. We then separated these using screens, filters, and evaporation. Look in your child Science Notebook. They did a great job.
Literacy & Social Studies w/ Mrs. Jefferson
Independent reading time is a wonderful time in our classroom! As the pictures below show, your children are partner reading, conferring or practicing a reading strategy with me, or simply reading a good book on their own. Having independent reading time at home is just as important as having it at school so I'm going to need your help! in an effort to ensure this is happening, starting this nine weeks, your child will be required to complete a reading log at home. All they need to do is fill in the log each time they read at home, and you have to sign it on Thursday to confirm they've read for 150 minutes for the week. If they return a completed log on Friday, they'll receive a reward such as extra recess, extra credit, or silver paws. I can't begin to explain how important it is for your child to have time to read at home. Please continue to join me in encouraging them to do so. Thank you in advance!
Read, Writing & Social Studies
Reading, writing, and social studies are truly being integrated in our classroom. Last week, we began to explore the industrial revolution by reading, researching, and writing about this fascinating time period in US History! Most of the pictures below show the students researching their topics. The final product will be a fabulous research report and/or book written by your child! if you're interested in the topic they've chosen to research, just ask them. I'm sure they'll have lots of new knowledge to share with you!
Affixes
Please use the link below to help your child prepare for tomorrow's affix assessment: