Mrs. Blankenship's News You Can Use
February 29, 2016
Curriculum Focus
Reading- Next week, the students will be reviewing the terms associated with poetry. A DG is planned for Friday. The students will also be finalizing their Great Depression poem. It is an in class project and will be completed Thursday. Students may bring items (except loose glitter) to decorate the final product. A Front Row reading assignment will also be given next week.
Writing- The students will be analyzing speeches to identify key points to support a speaker’s message. A DG on this skill is planned for Wednesday. A Front Row assignment will be given next week. I am very proud of the majority of the students who wrote multiple paragraphs for the “Fast Food” piece! I will be using their work in our individual writing conference time.
Word Study- A DG covering context clues will be given Monday. A review of the assignment took place in class today (Friday). Careful attention should be given to details. I emphasized to the students to read carefully and eliminate obvious incorrect answer choices.
Message about Front Row: The reading part of this program requires students to carefully choose multiple answers with some questions. Please remind your child to be diligent and pay attention to the question. If a student neglects to select all of the correct answers, the question is marked incorrect. With the writing section, I have explained to the students that they are to write their answer and save it as a Word document in case they run into a submission error. If they do, they are to turn in a hard copy of their answer. Technology is terrific, but sometimes even the best programs have glitches. It is the student’s responsibility to have the document saved in case there is an issue.
Math- In math next week, we will continue to work on measurement conversions in the metric and customary systems. Students will learn how to convert metric measurements by multiplying and dividing the measurements by powers of ten. In the customary system, they will learn the measurement equivalents to help them compute the conversion. There will be a daily grade the week of the 7th. That daily grade will be followed by a cumulative geometry unit test.
Science- In science, we are wrapping up our study of chemical and physical changes. We completed a lab activity on the 26th that counted as a test grade and will have a daily grade on March 1st covering the material we've learned. The students have plenty of resources in their notebook to study. A study guide will be handed out after the daily grade that will cover our cumulative unit on physical sciences. The test is the week of March 7th.
Social Studies- In social studies, we've learned about major turning points in WWII. We will wrap up the end of the war on Monday and then discuss the Holocaust. The students will have a daily grade on March 2nd covering major battles and maps. This was originally scheduled for the past week, but I did not feel they were ready for it. Students will be able to use the atlas to answer the questions. Studying terms on Quizlet is suggested as well. A study guide for the chapter eight test will be handed out next week. The test will be scheduled for the week of the 7th.
Congratulations to our own Julie H for her showing at the Gwinnett County Science Fair! If you would like to view her work, the Fair will open today at 4:00 at the Infinite Energy Center (formally Gwinnett Arena).
Congratulations to Noah, Lily, and McKenna for having their artwork selected for Tapestry! Their work will be on display for the Opening Night: Wed., March 2nd, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m and again March 2 – 8 at the GCPS Instructional Support Center (ISC) - 437 Old Peachtree Road
Jackson Jam Basket!
Lego Girl Power/UGA Baskets
Teacher team: Blankenship/Shaw
Parents,
It’s our fifth grader’s last Jackson Jam. Help us show PRIDE in our school and make it the best Jackson Jam yet. We are asking students to donate items related to our team’s basket theme/our grade level basket theme. Please make sure you send in items that are NEW in package. You don’t have to tell us what you spent (sales are GREAT), but try and tell us the “retail value” of your item on a post it. The PTA puts typed lists with values on each silent auction basket up for bid.
Some ideas of what to send are: There are some GREAT Lego kits for girls out there now! The Lego store in Sugarloaf Mills offers a box to create your own figures. A Lego Store gift card or Lego storage container could even be sent in.
For our grade level basket challenge: Tervis cups, lanyards, camp chair, apparel, or jewelry. Seriously, anything with the logo will do.
Anything that you feel would fit in with our themes would be great. Be Creative! You do NOT have to bring two items in just because there are two challenges. Any and all items are appreciated! All items are due before MARCH 11 (FRIDAY). If you have any questions, please contact your room rep. Thank you all for your support!!
Melissa Stevens: ambyr210@gmail.com