Current Event Extra Credit

Due: 1-10-14

There will not be another SS unit before the end of the 9 weeks. So, if you need a boost, take this opportunity.

Students will be researching current events for Social Studies class for extra credit of 10 points on their lowest grade. Limit of only 3 current events per student.  Students are responsible for finding an appropriate article from a newspaper, magazine or printed from the internet. The article must be handed in with the summary and reflection and must be less than one month old. Failure to complete all parts of the assignment will result in loss of points.

Must Include:

·       Title of Article

·       Date Published

·       Author

·       Student Name

·       Summary ***

·       Reflection***

***What to include in the summary:  Main Ideas.  I should be able to know what the article is about without reading the actual article.  It is very important that the summary is written in your own words The summary needs to be a full paragraph (1/2 page).

***What to include in the reflection:  How you feel about the topic.  How you liked the article.  Your opinion of what you think should be done.

a.   Why did you choose the article?

b.  Was the article interesting to you?

c.   How did the article make you feel? Does what you read make you angry? sad? happy? annoyed? scared?

d.   Did you change your opinion after reading the article?

e.   What would you do to change the situation?

The reflection should be a full paragraph (1/2 page).

Total- 1 Page double spaced typed 12 font or 1 full page on notebook paper.

A BIG Thanks to all the students and parents for a great field trip yesterday. 

A BIG Thanks to all the students who gave me gifts today, they were all wonderful

A BIG Thanks to all the parents who volunteered for the party today and brought items. 

You guys are awesome and I truly hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

NO SCHOOL MONDAY!

Parents,

Administration has informed us that school will be closed on Monday, December 16 due to repairs that are being made on water lines on campus.  In order for repairs to be made, the water must be turned off. 

School will resume on Tuesday, December 17.  We leave for our field trip that morning at 8:30AM.  If you are driving, please try to arrive at school by 8:15AM, so we will have time to get students settled into their assigned groups. 

Remember also, that student will need to bring their lunches on the field trip with them. 

See you Tuesday!

Mrs. Tyson, Mrs. Fail and Mr. Knight

Progress Reports!

Progress reports were given out on Friday. Please sign and return to school on Monday.

I have graded all the tests and emailed the grade to students. 5A- had a paper test and was passed back to students.

Field Trip- Tuesday

Party- Wednesday

Early Release- Wednesday

Quiz tomorrow on Southern States

Flashcards and States Projects due Wednesday

Test Friday on the Gold Rush.

This week we will be completing an in class project on the California Gold Rush. Most students completed lots of work today and I will give them until Wednesday. Students should not need to work on this project at home.

HOMEROOM- Please bring the Letter of Intent forms back to school ASAP. Thanks.

Counting down the days till....

I know a bunch of parents got cute gifts for Christmas today. The Booster Bazaar was great and I know you will like your gifts.

Today I had to go into my secret stash and get Clorox wipes. I am so thankful for all the donations thus far on my list but we are in major need of wipes and Kleenex boxes. :-)

Thanks so much and have a great weekend.

Homework

Homework tonight is an industrial revolutions sheet on paper. Along with reading and answering the questions, I have asked students to write an acrostic poem using the letters INDUSTRIAL. The poem needs to be related to the topic of the industrial revolution.

Booster Bazaar tomorrow, please bring money if you want to buy presents.

I have graded the Lewis and Clark classwork from yesterday for 5A and 5B (working on 5C now). Please open the document in Google Drive and view the comment for a grade.

Have a great night!

Mrs. Fail

Homerooms were given Letters of Intent for re-enrollment next year. They need to be completed and returned to school by January 24.

We completed a Lewis and Clark worksheet on Google Drive. Some students did not complete this in class and will need to finish for homework.

Flashcards and the next set of States Projects are due 12-11-13.

Booster Bazaar is this Friday and Saturday!!!

Welcome Back

Below are the next set of states students need to know for the quiz next Tuesday. 12/10/13.



Today we learned about the Louisiana Purchase and will be talking about the Westward Expansion until Christmas break.

Flashcards are due 12-11-13

Test 12-13-13

Field Trip- 12-17-13
 $5.00 due ASAP.

Party- 12-18-13

There will be NO SCHOOL Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Today we made roller coasters online which relate to Force and Motion. Some students have to complete the assignment for homework. I will have to say I do not want to ride on some of the roller coaster the students designed. I would be scared to death!

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Grades have been emailed to students from the test today. The email is from "Noreply" located in their student email.

We are planning to have a Christmas Brunch on 12/18/13 at 9:30 in the morning until 11:45 when students leave. Please sign up for items or to volunteer if you can.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B044DABAF2BA46-christmas

I am also in need of supplies and have updated my Signup Genius.
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B044DABAF2BA46-mrs

Thanks so much! Have a great weekend.

Mrs. Fail

Test tomorrow on Force and Motion

Grades from the classwork/homework from Tuesday night have been graded and posted on a comment on the document. You will need to open the document in Google Drive.

The internet was down at school today and now is the first chance I have been near a computer. Sorry for the late post. Tonight some students may need to finish their lab we did in class. Students loved learning Newton's 3rd Law of Motion by making a balloon rocket!
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Click here

Extra Credit!
Video: 

http://www.space.com/23667-air-force-launches-record-29-satellites-on-one-rocket-video.html

Website with video on it:

http://www.space.com/23627-rocket-launch-visible-east-coast-tuesday.html

As most if you may know a rocket was launched Tuesday night by NASA that contained 29 small satellites. The video is above for you to watch and some students actually saw it in the sky! For Extra Credit (5 points on test) please answer the following questions. 

1 point- How did this launch show Newton's First Law of Motion?

1 point- How did this launch show Newton's Second Law of Motion?

1 point- How did this launch show Newton's Third Law of Motion?

1 point- List the balanced forces acting on the rocket. 

1 point- List the unbalanced forces acting on the rocket. 

Total 5 points

Please turn in on Friday before the test. 

Weekly Update:
Flashcards are due Wednesday.
Test on Friday (Force and Motion)
I am asking for the Dec. 11 State Project rough draft by Friday.
Tomorrow there will be a graded classwork assignment that may need to be completed for homework if students do not finish in class.

Other than that, we are just coasting until Thanksgiving!

Student's EOG Scores were sent home today with students. Please view them with your child.

I have noticed that students have been very active, playful, and talkative this week. If you could please talk to you child about remaining calm I would appreciate it. I know the holidays are soon and we are all excited, but there is still work to be done.

Thanks!

Happy Friday,

Mrs. Fail

Homework tonight is a Graph's and Review sheet online or paper copy for those who needed it. Please use the notes and graphs sheet we did today in class to help.

Thanks!

Mrs. Fail

Welcome back to school!

This week we are learning Force and Motion.

Flashcards are due 11/20/13

There will most likely be a homework assignment on Thursday of this week.  Please use your notes and PowerPoint that was emailed to you for help.

Thanks!

Test tomorrow!

Some students are still missing their flashcards. I did deduct points if the definitions were wrong, even if the student used the auto answer on quizlet which was not the same definition from class. Many words have more than one definitions and students need to be studying the correct information.

Friday, we will have our 1st EOG review day for science.

All states quizzes have been graded and emailed to the students. The email should be from "noreply" and the subject is "Record of grades...Midwest Quiz" If the student did not get an email, then they must have not entered in the correct email address. I fixed as many spelling mistakes as I saw, Please check behind me. :-)

Thanks,

Mrs. Fail

Review: Great Videos for students to watch.

May have to click on the YouTube symbol which will direct you to the link in order to view. 

Three Branches

How a Bill becomes a Law

Checks and Balances

Declaration of Independence

George Washington

Report Cards were sent home today! Please sign and return ASAP.

Weekly Update:

1. Students need to revise their homework packet from last week. In order to get some points back they need to highlight where they found each answer in the text. If the answer cannot be found, then explain their reasoning. Many scores were not acceptable; I'm not sure if it was because of Halloween, but I am offering a one day opportunity to get more points.

2. Flashcards due Wednesday

3. Test on Revolutionary War and Government Thursday.

4. Awards Day Friday at 10:00am

Study Government Links

http://www.myschoolhouse.com/courses/O/1/129.asp

http://texaslre.org/branches_game/branches_game.html

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/usa_game/government/index.htm

Well this week was fun and exciting with Halloween and our party today. I want to thank all the students for their nice gifts and sweet cards.

Report Cards will go home on Monday.

Midwest section of States quiz on Monday.

State project for certain students are due Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Love,
Mrs. Fail

Weekly Update:

1. Surveys will go home tomorrow and it is very important that we get them back as soon as possible.

2. Midwest State Projects are due Nov. 4

3. Flashcards due Nov. 6

4. Homework pack due Friday- Students were given a Revolutionary War homework packet to complete and turn in by Friday. I know Halloween is on Thursday, so I would advise students to finish it early and turn it in before Friday.

5. Midwest States quiz on Monday.

6. Teacher's Birthday Party Friday- during lunch on Friday, we will be celebrating Mrs. Tyson, Mr. Knight and Mrs. Fail's birthdays. Students need to bring their own drinks.

The students looked great today in all their Halloween attire.

I have graded the quizzes in my first two class and have emailed the grades. Hopefully, I will be able to grade 5A's quiz by this afternoon. Please check the email from "noreply" subject: "Record of grades" for their scores.

Have a great 3 day weekend! Please take this time to work on your state project.

Quiz Tomorrow on the Water Cycle

Pictures went home today with the students.

Tomorrow is early release at 11:45. Students will be allowed to eat a snack about 10:00.

NO SCHOOL MONDAY!!!! :-)

Our last homework grade for the 9 weeks is tonight's water cycle homework!!!!! Please use the notes to help you.

The Quiz Friday will be on the next 9 weeks since tomorrow is our last day of the quarter.

Extra Credit SS Current Events are due tomorrow

Reminder that the 2nd set of the States Projects are due Nov. 4. I have seen some rough drafts already and they are looking good.

If students want to wear their Halloween costume Friday, it will cost $1.00

Reminder that Friday is early release at 11:45 and Monday is a Teacher Workday.

Who wants extra points?

Extra Credit on Quiz: 

Track your water usage for 2 days and get +5 points on Friday's Quiz

IMPORTANT

It has come to our attention that there is a “tagging” game going on between students in the 5^th grade. I am notifying the parents to inform you that if it is seen, your child will be sent to the office. Please talk to your child about keeping their hands and feet to themselves.

Thanks,

Mrs. Fail

Today we started the Water Cycle for one week. There will be a quiz on Friday (very short about 10-15 questions).

Please visit the Water Cycle Symbaloo for fun practice.

Tonight: Students need to complete the summary on what they learned from their notes and begin learning the steps of the water cycle. Now, when I say learn, I do not mean memorizing the steps. I told students today they can memorize evaporation, condensation, precipitation runoff...and go over and over again but that's not learning. Students need to know what is happening to the water in each step.

Evaporation is when the sun heats up water in rivers or lakes or the ocean and turns it into vapor or steam. The water vapor or steam leaves the river, lake or ocean and goes into the air.

Water vapor in the air gets cold and changes back into liquid, forming clouds. This is called condensation.

Precipitation occurs when so much water has condensed that the air cannot hold it anymore.  The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet or snow.

Runoff: When water falls back to earth as precipitation, it may fall back in the oceans, lakes or rivers or it may end up on land.  When it ends up on land, it will either soak into the earth and become part of the “ground water” that plants and animals use to drink or it may run over the soil and collect in the oceans, lakes or rivers where the cycle starts

all over again.

Transpiration is a new term which simply put means the evaporation of water from the plant leaves. 

For everyone who was here to take the test today, they have been graded and emailed to students. The email is from "noreply" and the subject is "record of grades..."

We have had a fun week, especially the day we made weather tools! Next week we will learn the Water Cycle and have a short quiz on Friday. Remember that Friday is an early release day. The end of the 9 weeks is on Thursday. This is also the day current event extra credit is due.

Have a great weekend.

Flashcards are due tomorrow. Again, there are only 29 words and the links on the blog will help you with definitions.

Here is the list:

1.   Temperature

2.   Barometer

3.   Jet Stream

4.   Air Pressure

5.   High Pressure

6.   Low Pressure

7.   Anemometer

8.   Rain Gauge

9.   Humidity

10.                     Thermometer

11.                     Cirrus Cloud

12.                     Stratus Cloud

13.                     Cumulus Cloud

14.                     Cumulonimbus Cloud

15.                     Weather

16.                     Climate

17.                     Atmosphere

18.                     Meteorologist

19.                     Prevailing Winds

20.                     Front

21.                     Warm Front

22.                     Cold Front

23.                     Stationary Front

24.                     El Nino

25.                     La Nina

26.                     Sea Breeze

27.                     Land Breeze

28.                     Air Mass

29.                     Coriolis Effect 

We have been filling out weather data using wral.com for the past few days during class. I will be grading the weather book. If students were absent or are missing a day, please fill out the missing information. I understand you cannot go back to old days, but just use tonight's weather if you need it.

Thanks!

Happy Monday.

Tonight's homework is a paper copy of a weather worksheet. Please use notes and any other resources to help you.

Mrs. Fail

Test Next Friday!!! Flashcards due Wednesday. I will grade the homework this weekend, some are already graded. To view the grade just open back up the document and check the comments.

Have a Grrrreat weekend!

Love, Mrs. Fail







Below is a review of what we did in class today.

Video from class: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1-Khi9i3UU

Important things you need to know on your notes:

- Clouds consist of billions of tiny Water droplets or Ice Crystals

- Cirrus clouds are made up of tiny ice crystals. They appear before a cold font. We we know that cold fronts have thunderstorms. So, if you see these clouds, beware that a thunderstorm is near. 

- Cumulus clouds are the white and puffy clouds you see on sunny days. 

- Cumulonimbus clouds are the big thunder clouds. 

- Stratus clouds are low level and thick like a blanket over the sky. You see those on rainy days. (like this week)

- Fog is low stratus clouds on the ground. 

Hurricanes gain their energy from WARM water. Therefore, they form near the equator and follow the warm Gulf stream. As it follows the gulf stream, it gains power from the warm water. Look at the picture, the hurricane is gaining power or energy from the warm water. 

Climate- is the average weather over a long period of time. 

El Nino- Is a change in the climate for about a year. What happens is the water in the Pacific Ocean gets usually warm, and disrupts the jet stream. 

La Nina- is opposite, the water is cold. 

Below are the videos we did not watch but are helpful.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1-Khi9i3UU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Ewqm0YHUI#t=200

After reviewing lesson plans. We will not be doing another topic of Social Studies before the end of the grading period. Therefore, if you are unhappy with your grade, please complete the extra credit.

Thanks!

Current Event Extra Credit

Due: 10-24-13

(Last day of the 9 weeks)

Students will be researching current events for Social Studies class for extra credit of 10 points on their lowest grade. Limit of only 3 current events per student.  Students are responsible for finding an appropriate article from a newspaper, magazine or printed from the internet. The article must be handed in with the summary and reflection and must be less than one month old.

Must Include:

·       Title of Article

·       Date Published

·       Author

·       Student Name

·       Summary

·       Reflection

What to include in the summary:  Main Ideas.  I should be able to know what the article is about without reading the actual article.  It is very important that the summary is written in your own words.

What to include in the reflection:  How you feel about the topic.  How you liked the article.  Your opinion of what you think should be done.

a.   Why did you choose the article?

b.  Was the article interesting to you?

c.   How did the article make you feel? Does what you read make you angry? sad? happy? annoyed? scared?

d.   Did you change your opinion after reading the article?

e.   What would you do to change the situation?

Homework:

Students have a Weather homework assignment. It is titled "Weather Homework" in the email, or students who needed a paper copy were given one. Please follow all instructions carefully if students do the homework on the computer.

Please note, if students spend 15-20 minutes on their homework then I do not expect them to work on their flashcards.

Weather Flashcards are due 10/16/13

Weather Test: 10/18/13

On that note of flashcards- there are only 29 flashcards assigned for Weather. My blog link has over 50! So, you can use my blog "Weather Vocabulary" link to help you but if your child does over 50, then they are not following directions and we will not learn all those words. Please do not waste your time. No, I will not give extra credit for students not following directions. Sorry.

Rain, Rain, go away....

Tonight please work on flashcards so students can study weather.

5C- please begin learning the layers of the atmosphere in order!

Parents- please quiz your child on Part 1 of the notes.

Here is the link for Part 1 PowerPoint:   Link PowerPoint

Today was a perfect day to start learning about weather. The humidity was 95% this morning! Wow. We will be learning about weather for the next two weeks. The test is planned for Oct. 18. Flashcards are due on Oct. 16. The students were emailed the list of words for complete flashcards on quizlet.com or on paper notecards. The email was subjected "Weather Vocab." On the left side of my blog, I have terms students can use to help them complete the flashcards.

I will say that Ecosystems was the longest science topic of the year and now Weather is probably going to be the most difficult to understand. Usually since students cannot see what is going on in the atmosphere it is hard for them to relate things such as air masses, fronts, and jet streams. The reason why I am teaching these topics first, is so we can review all year.

Tonight students are asked to complete a summary of what they learned on Part 1 of the notes. We will review and complete Part 1 of the notes with correct answers tomorrow.

Mrs. Fail

SS Test tomorrow.

Please study notes and flashcards.


We now have a conference sign up for 5th grade. On the right side there is a link "Conference Sign Up." If you would like to schedule a conference, please sign up here.

Thanks.

Lab Supplies needed.

In about 2 weeks we will be doing a lab in science on weather. I have requested an update for the Signup Genius for the following items.

5C-
50 Balloons
50 Medium Rubber Bands
3 Rolls of Tape
50 Straws

5B/5A
300 Dixie Cups
100 Straws
50 Thumb Tacks

Please sign up if you are able to help.

Thanks!!!!

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B044DABAF2BA46-mrs

Quiz Grades

I have graded the states quiz from today. I am so proud of some students and disappointed in others. There was no middle ground, grades were very high, or very low. I fear that some students could not recover from this if I keep the grades. Therefore, ANYONE can retake the quiz tomorrow morning before school states to try and get a better score. Please check the student emails to view grades.

Some students STILL have not turned in flashcards and late points will be deducted until they are turned in.

Battle of the Books information was sent home today to my homeroom.

Leadership opportunity

I received a letter today for nominations to attend the People to People Leadership Ambassador Program. Please review the link to see if you are interested. If I recall from last year, I can nominate 10 students, so the 1st 10 that emails me will be nominated. Submissions for nominees are due Oct. 28.


http://www.peopletopeople.com/micro/cmpn5/index.html?gclid=CLKC9dTP9bkCFXRp7AodbnYAmw

What a great day! Students were dressed so nice for picture day.

Tonight, please study the NE region states for the quiz tomorrow. The quiz will be on the states only. Friday there will be a test on all SS notes and flashcards.

Some students are still missing a Pocahontas classwork assignment and/or an Explorers Research assignment. We spent two days on each in class last week and whatever was not finished was for homework. I have graded the assignments. To view go to GoogleDrive, students should have the document in their name folder. Just open the document and view the comments for the grade.

5C students- I will be finished tonight on grading.

Picture Day Monday!

Please study over the weekend. Monday flashcards are due. There will be a quiz on the Northern states on Tuesday. Wednesday, several students have their projects due on their state. Test FRIDAY.

Homework tonight and for the rest of the week:

1. Flashcards- please spend about 10 minutes each night completing flashcards or studying them.
2. Study the Northeastern states for our quiz on Tuesday. (10 minutes)

Picture Day Monday Sept. 30!!!

Homework this week is to complete flashcards on Quizlet.com or regular note cards. The flashcards are due Monday, one week from today. Students have been emailed a list of words and as soon as I get home at 4:15 I will scan the glossary of the Social Studies book for them. Other definitions not found in the book will be in the notes.

Today we learned that there were more explorers than just Columbus. We learned about Ponce De Leon and Henry Hudson!

Science Test Tomorrow

And flashcards are due.

Homework tonight is on the computer. There is an email titled: "Food Web Homework"
Paper copies were provided for those who needed it.

I found this, it is a cool link to study food chains.
Food Chains

We had a blast today in 5B and 5C with our outside lab. The homework is to finish flashcards (which students have been working on for 2 weeks) and study. There will be a homework assignment tomorrow (Wednesday). Then I am just requiring students to study until the test on Friday. Students will be getting a study guide in class on Thursday to help them review.

Homework tonight is a review sheet on Food Webs/ Food Chains. We talked about this all class period today. Students can use their notes or anything else I provided them to help. This will be for a grade.

Mrs. Fail

FREE BOOKS

We will be participating in the Sunny D book spree. Please click the link to find out more.

Free Books

Happy Friday! We have had a good week learning about Ecosystems.

Just for review,

Producers- ALL PLANTS

Consumers- Organisms that eat the plants or other animals

Decomposers- Breaks down dead organisms (bacteria, fungi, mushrooms)

There will be a test next Friday. I provide students with many things to help them review. However, all test questions will mainly come from the notes, powerpoint, and flashcards. All other activities in class, readings, homework, classwork, etc, is practice related to the notes/PowerPoint. For example, if students study the biomes foldable, the same information will be on their notes/PowerPoint. I have to teach to all learning styles, so what is a great study tool to one student, may not be for another. Here is my list of recommended study materials:

1. PowerPoint (from Movenote http://www.movenote.com/v/ewTHyEK3j583G  and http://www.movenote.com/v/LZj_JVcrJbq ) 

2. Green and Blue notes sheet that was filled out while watching the PowerPoint, so again the same information.

3. Flashcards on the vocabulary words that were taught in the PowerPoint. 

4. Biome Foldable- Related to biomes section of notes.

5. Worksheets- all worksheets relate to a topic from the notes

6. Blog "Ecosystems Symbaloo" link- games and extended information that review what we learned in notes.

7. Food Web/Food Chain examples- relates to topic in notes.

8. Chapters 5 and 6 in the Science Book (Emailed to them)- not all topics in the book are important. Mainly focus on the reading that relate to the notes.

9. I may send video links for students to watch that relate to a topic. Watching them will help students review. The video will relate to a topic from the notes/PowerPoint.

So, I am not saying students have to study all these things. I'm just providing these things for you. Studying notes, flashcards, and PowerPoint are the requirements.

The office made every teacher a Sign Up Genius for volunteers/ classroom needs. Here is the link and I will put in the left side of my blog.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B044DABAF2BA46-mrs

Just a reminder that we have a Science Ecosystems test next Friday.

Flashcards are due on the test day.

I have explained to students if they study 15 minutes at home, they should do fine on the test. The way I do things is teach the first week all the information, then review the second week for the test. We will not learn any new information at this point. Students have their blue and green notes, PowerPoint presentation, and flashcards that will help them study the most. I have emailed Chapters 5 and 6 to them from the book so they can read at home if needed.

Good Afternoon,
I have a few things I need to share with you today.

1. The attraction books went home today for the PTO fundraiser. I do not know much about it, but you can always email the PTO if you have questions. If I get information soon, I will share.

2. Just so everyone is clear: There is an in-school project that I am giving between Mrs. Jenkins, Mrs. Radford and I. The project relates to Biomes. Mrs. Jenkins will be grading the assignment according to the technology requirements. I will grade the project based on the scientific requirements. The project will be completed at school! Mrs. Radford will be assisting with research. Many students think there are 3 projects, but I assure you, they only have one. The due date has not been determined because it will take a while to research in their specials. Our overall goal is to help students understand the proper researching skills. I realize students have other things to do at home. Therefore, I do not think you should worry about it at this point. Again, this Project will be completed at school. Maybe once the due date is assigned they may need to finish at home.

3. I have emailed or handed back every student's homework assignment. Online submissions were email their grade, their answers, and correct answers. :-) I love it!

4. Homework- In 5B and 5C most students had about 10 minutes left on the notes. I would like for them to finish if they can because we review tomorrow.

5. I have condensed all the link on the side related to Ecosystems on the "Ecosystems Symbaloo" link. My goal is to make one for each topic so my blog is not so jumbled.

Thanks and let me know if you need me.

Parents: I have found a way to email the grades and answer key for those assignments created in Google Forms. Last night’s homework was a form I created and I have emailed students their grade with answer key. The email is from noreply and the subject says “Record of Grades.” Those students who turned in a paper copy, please give me some time to grade them. Thanks

I want to remind students and parents that on homework they can use anything I give them such as, notes, PowerPoints, shared documents, flashcards and so on. Some grades were very low. I will offer  an extra credit Scholastic News if you are interested please email me. 

There is no homework for my class tonight. However, flashcards are due next Friday. I have encouraged students to complete about 10 a night until they are finished. Students may use quizlet.com or paper note cards to complete. 

Our Ecosystems Test will be Friday, Sept. 20. 

The 5th grade teachers have noticed that many students need help with time management. My personal goal is to give students a graded homework assignment about 2 nights a week. Then flashcards and projects can be worked on between those days. Sometimes students have to finish what they started in class that day. Usually I have already given students 30+ minutes to work on it and they can finish homework if they like. (For example, the biome foldable) In class, all 5th grade teachers encourage students to work on any classes homework if the student finishes early. We will help students use their time wisely in order to manage everything.

I have provided a link to a workbook if parents want to keep this at home for their child. It is like a mini-book with lessons related to what we learn in school. Every topic in this workbook will be covered this year. Just thought I would share. It is a great study guide for tests and EOG.

http://www.triumphlearning.com/what-we-offer/science/end-of-grade-coach-gold-edition.html

I hope everyone had a restful weekend. Someone shared their germs with me and I have a cold! Oh well, life goes on.

Homework: Students were emailed an "Ecosystems Worksheet" to submit for a grade. Paper copies were provided for those who needed one. We also created a Biomes foldable in class today and some students did not finished. They need to complete this tonight so we can review it tomorrow.

On a side note, those students who have States projects due on October need to email or show me by Friday a rough draft or collection of data. I need to know students are working and not waiting until the last minute.

Thanks!!! :-)

Today we learned about the ecosystem. Students were emailed a link to view the presentation and fill out notes. I highly recommend students watch the presentation several times to review for the test in a few weeks. I have provided the link for you.

http://www.movenote.com/v/vGjvXtdnvW7

Tonight for homework students will need to fill out the Summary section on the notes explaining what they learned today.

NC give teachers a list of vocabulary words students are expected to know. For this unit there are around 45 words. I know it seems like a lot, but they have more than two weeks to complete them on Quizlet or flashcards. A list was emailed to students and shared on Google Drive. They are due on the test day (tentative date Sept. 20). If students just complete 10 cards a night, it will only take them 4.5 days to finish.
IMPORTANT- on the last set of flashcards, students were using long and challenging definitions copied from dictionary websites. The definitions need to be on 5th grade level and easy for students to understand. I have explained this to them in class. The PowerPoint presentations, notes, Science book at school, and the link "Ecosystem Vocabulary" on the left side of the blog are all great places for students to find appropriate definitions that are easy to understand.

If you are not aware, 5th grade does have a Science EOG at the end of the year. It is my job to prepare them and their job as students to learn. It will not be easy, but the results will be worth it. Thank you parents for your support!

Mrs. Fail

ECOSYSTEM LINKS

Students now that we have started Science I will be expecting you to review these links any time you have an extra minute. They are also located on the left hand side of my blog. These links will help you review for tests and the EOG!

• Sea and Land Breeze
• Online Book: Ecosystems
• Ecosystem Jeopardy
• Aquatic Biomes
• World Biomes
• Fun with Food Webs
• Analyzing the Ecosystem
• Game: Producer, Consumer, Decomposer
• Game: Herbivore, Carnivore, Omnivore
• Food Chain Game 1
• Food Web Game
• Nitrogen Cycle
• Biome Graph Match
• Biomes of the World
• Ecosystem Jeopardy
• Animal Needs
• Habitat Game

We have now completed our first Social Studies unit. Tomorrow we will start Science; the first topic this year will be on Ecosystems. Please make sure students have their headsets tomorrow because we will be listening to notes online.

Quiz Today- Students were given time to complete the quiz in class, then I allowed students to use their notes for 10 minutes. :-) I understand the start of a new year takes some getting used; I will not do this again. Lots of students were nervous about the first quiz. My reasons for open notes was to help students start the year off with a good grade. It will probably take me a few days to grade them and I will call students up to view their grade. Several students have not finished their flashcards on Quizlet or on paper note cards. I will not take anything after today because we are starting fresh tomorrow with Science.

There is no homework other than having headphones. I would suggest spending time working on the States Project. The first group's projects are due near the first of October, don't let it sneak up on you!

I hope everyone had a wonderful break.

There will be a short quiz tomorrow on Mayans, Aztecs, and Mapping Skills. I have shared all documents needed for students to study tonight in their GoogleDrive. There is also a yellow note sheet and flashcards for students to study.

Flashcards are due tomorrow. I have called students to my desk if they are missing any work thus far. Everything is due tomorrow or I will not take it. We will be moving on to Science and are finished with Social Studies until mid September.

Below are a list of vocabulary words for students to make flashcards on Quizlet OR handwritten flashcards. Students may use all their notes and/or dictionary.com to help them.

Email me if you have questions. :-)

Happy Friday everyone.

Please remember we do not have school on Monday.

Students were given their placements for 5A, 5B, and 5C today and are expected to make that change on Tuesday. Homerooms will remain the same, so students will come to homeroom in the mornings as normal.

Students technically do not have homework but flashcards are due Wednesday, along with a short Quiz.
Here is a list of the vocabulary words:

1.    empire

2.    migrate

3.    artifact

4.    civilization

5.    archaeologist

6.    topography

7.    hieroglyphics

8.    theocracy

9.    Tenochtitlan

10. Latitude

11. Longitude

12. Absolute Location

13. Relative Location

14. Natural Resources

15. Continental Divide

For fun, I found this link on Aztec life.
Click