To My New Fifth Grade Class and A Supply List

Welcome! I am looking forward to having you in class!  I have heard many lovely things about each of you and am eager to get to know all of you better.  We will work hard, but I know that we will learn a lot and that we will become a supportive classroom community.

In order to prepare for fifth grade you will need to complete some summer reading.  I would like you to read at least TWO different books.  One of these books should be written by an author on the attached list; the other author can be your choice.  You will receive extra credit if you read more than two books.  Remember to choose a book that is “just right” for you - not too easy, not too hard.

You need to be an active reader, even in the summer. Since we will be continuing Reading Workshop in the fifth grade, I am asking you to identify characters, describe the setting, summarize each book you read, and make some connections - Text to Text, Text to Self, or Text to World.  Then draw a picture of your favorite scene from the book.   On the first day of school, you will need to turn in your completed Summer Reading Logs.  We will be using these in class.  

On the back of this letter is information about personal school supplies for next year AND a classroom wish list in case any of you would like to make donations.

If you have lost your copy of the Summer Reading Journal please go to my Helpful Documents to Download page. You will see the tab for my Helpful Documents page displayed at the top of this page.

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Grade 5 Suggested Student Supplies 2013 - 2014

The school will provide general classroom supplies such as pens, pencils, erasers, scissors, rulers, paper, glue, markers, and colored pencils.   You are welcome to bring in your own personal supplies if you wish.

Personal student supplies needed:

1 - 2½ “ binder with dividers

An assignment book

A  LOT of sticky notes for Reading Workshop

Pencil box or pouch

Flash drive

Earbuds

Optional locker organizer

Classroom Wish List

Duct tape

Sticky notes for Readers’ Workshop
Colored Flair felt tipped markers
Wausau Paper Astrobrights Colored Paper, 24lb, 8-1/2 x 11, 500 Sheets/Ream
Washi tape in any color or print

Bean Bag “chairs” for our Reading Nook

Skivinger Hunt - What Fun!

Today completes the school-wide Reading Challenge!  What fun it's been!  The students had many opportunities to hear book talks, see book trailers, read genres that were new to them, and otherwise revel in the splendors and joys of reading!

We did a wonderful mini-unit on Robert Frost's poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay.  We went outside on a beautiful spring day in early May and sketched the newly emerging foliage of trees and bushes as well as the blooms of the shad (service berry) trees.  Then we discussed change before our first reading of the poem.  The students had some very impressive insights as we explored the rich images the poem evokes.  Then we had an "Aha" moment a couple of weeks later when one student came across the same poem quoted in the book she was reading.

For the final day of the book challenge some of the staff members dressed up as book characters.  What fun!  Above is a picture of me with my friend Mrs. Gallagher.  Can you tell who we are?  She is dressed as Piper from the Percy Jackson series.  See her Camp Half Blood T-shirt?  I am dressed as Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series.  I find it interesting that several years ago students couldn't get enough of the Harry Potter books even though they become more difficult to read as you go through the series.  It was wonderful that students were stretching their reading muscles to learn new words and concepts because they were so motivated to read the books.  In recent years, student interest has been more focused on the Percy Jackson series of books, the Warriors series, and The Hunger Games.  But, again, all of these series of exciting and interesting books has caused students to push themselves and exercise those reading muscles.

So thank you to all of these authors, J.K. Rowling, Erin Hunter, Rick Riordan, and Suzanne Collins for sharing their gift of writing and adventure with the rest of us.  You have enriched our lives and taken us to places we would never have imagined.  And thank you to our wonderful librarian, Stacy Holbrook for providing us with this year's reading challenge, the Skivinger Hunt!

We love to read!!!!

Reading Challenge Skivenger Hunt

Time to drop everything and read! DEAR!

Drop
Everything
And
Read

Today we started the 2013 Reading Challenge, a "Skivinger Hunt"!  The challenge starts today, April 8 and runs until May 31.  Students are asked to do a number of different activities in order to earn points. Of course the main objective of the reading challenge is to get students motivated about reading but there are prizes for participation too!  The top three student winners will get a chance to go to breakfast with Mrs. Prescott and the top winning class will earn a special treat party later in the year.

We had several Reading Challenge Kickoff Events today.  We made duct tape bookmarks, stopped everything to read (DEAR) a couple times during the day, and went outside to the outdoor classroom this afternoon to read for awhile.

All students have a packet of activities, their point values, and ways to document that they have completed different activities.  Here are some details about ways students can earn points.As you can see, there are lots of opportunities to get involved with books and the printed page!

• Students can earn points for such activities as visiting a public library, reading an article from the Rutland Herald or the New York Times, visiting an author's website, recommending a book to a friend, asking adults about a favorite book, choosing to read instead of watching TV, reading to others, etc.
• Students also earn points for reading different genres such as fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, poetry, graphic novels, nonfiction, etc.
• Students can earn points for listening to an audio book  creating a soundtrack for a book, or making a book trailer video.
• Students can earn points for hosting or attending a book club, writing to an author, or creating a Google presentation about a favorite book.

Staff members are also competing in their own version of the Skivinger Hunt.  In fact, I am earning 10 points for promoting the student reading challenge on my blog right now!  Staff points will be added to the student points and count toward our classroom total.

There is a parent version of the Skivinger Hunt too!  So, be on the lookout for your fifth grader to bring home a handout with a list of activities you can participate in!  Your points will also be added to the student points and count toward out classroom total!

Greek Week! (and-a-half)

We've just completed a wonderful multi-grade interdisciplinary unit on ancient Greece.  We worked with the sixth grade to study the literature, language, mathematics, and culture of the ancient Greeks.  Students met daily to discuss and review Greek allusions that they began to notice as they became more aware of all the gifts the ancient Greeks have given us.

Students noticed that there is an Atlas moving company, both Goodyear Tires and FTD florists use the winged sandals of Hermes as a logo, Mobile gas uses Pegasus as a logo, Nike was the goddess of victory and close companion of Athena, an arachnid is so called after Arachne - the vainglorious girl who refused to give Athena her due, the Castleton Spartans are well named, the Titanic was not well named, and the Barre Montpelier Times Argus has lots of eyes so as to better see and report all the news!

We studied myths, legends, and fables.  We ate pomegranates.  We learned to recognize the letters of the Greek alphabet and can now sing the alphabet song in Greek.  ("I've got to have more cowbell!")  We studied many of the English words we use which have Greek roots.  We learned that "logo" is actually a Greek word.  We learned about Pythagoras and his famous Pythagorean Theorem.  Did you know that he was a vegetarian but he did not like beans or eat them?  He certainly was an amazing mathematician though!

We studied several of Aesop's fables and learned that many of the morals found in these fables have found their way into our everyday language.  One student went skiing over the weekend and recognized the moral of "The Fox and the Goat" on a warning sign along one of the trails which warned, "Look before you leap!"  We discovered a wonderful website - or app if you prefer - from the Library of Congress, Aesop's Fables Interactive Book.

We learned the difference between a myth and a legend and we studied several of the legendary heroes including Heracles and Theseus.  Did you know that although there are not too many female heroes, there is at least one, Atalanta?

Small groups of students closely studied specific myths and learned them well enough to re-enact their myths for their classmates at our felicitous finale, the Greek Feast and Drama Festival.

We would like to thank the many parents who came in to help serve and clean up or who cooked, sent in cheese, olives, beverages, and paper products.  You all are wonderful cooks and helped make our Greek Feast a glorious event.  Yummy!  Spanikopita!  Melopita!  Baklava!  Moussaka!  Keftedes!  Tzatziki!

Please visit our downstairs hallway which is now decorated with twenty-four life-sized Greek gods and goddesses.  They are quite a sight to behold!

Vocabulary Spelling City - How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways!

    

With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning let me tell you about Vocabulary Spelling City!  Why do I love this resource so much?  Take a look at the image  on the left.  This wonderful website offers engaging activities that help students master spelling and vocabulary.  My students love to practice their words by playing "Hang Mouse" on their computers at home, but they especially love to practice their spelling words with this activity on the Smart Board at school!  They also enjoy "Word -O-Rama" and "Letter Fall". While it's wonderful that my students can enjoy the online interaction I also like that I can print many different activities as handouts for student practice. 

During the week I generally assign a spelling practice activity each day for homework and these are all taken from Vocabulary Spelling City.  I have posted all my spelling lists on this site.  Students simply go online, select the list they are working with and select an activity to work on.  Students may complete crossword puzzles, unscramble words, practice alphabetization, or vocabulary. 

As a fifth grade teacher I want my students to practice cursive writing.  I know that soon they will develop their own distinctive styles of handwriting and I know that they will use keyboarding skills even more extensively as they grow older.  But, I feel that at this point it's important that they learn how to read and write cursive.  Then they can choose whether and when they wish to use it.  So, each week I always introduce the spelling words with a handwriting practice page from Vocabulary Spelling City.  Students can see the proper formation of letters and how they join.  They can trace each word before practicing it independently.  I think it makes a wonderful introduction to each week's lesson.  All I have to do is click on the list for the week and select  "handwriting worksheets".  This opens a dialogue box which lets me format the words to my specifications.  I choose cursive, but you may also select print or D'Nealian models, select the size, and whether or not you wish to display guide arrows to assist students.

Teaching spelling and vocabulary is so easy with this great resource!  I also love that students can take final or practice spelling and vocabulary tests right online.  Not only that but there are two tiers of use offered.  Many activities are free but there is a Premium Membership which allows automated student record keeping.  My students are thrilled when I tell them that for homework they need to go on the computer and practice their spelling.  I can later go to the Vocabulary Spelling City myself, log in and check out who has done the assignments and when they did them in addition to seeing their scores.

So, really, what's not to love about this site?

First Day of School

Wednesday, August 29, 2012 was our first day of school.  The first day of school is probably the best day of the school year!  There is nothing more wonderful than a spanking clean school and classroom, students who are well rested and eager to start the new year, and staff who are ready and waiting!  Energy is high and everyone is ready for the next challenge.

Many of you are familiar with Wordle, a fascinating way to create word clouds from text.  To make this image I simply pasted the address of this blog into the Wordle form and pressed "submit".  This image, then, represents all that has been written on our blog.  I was thrilled to see that the word "students" is right in the center, and that it is the largest word in the image.  After all, the students are the most important - they are the center of our universe.

This year in addition to teaching math to both fifth grade classes, I will teach social studies and language arts to my "traveling group" and Mrs. Ladabouche will teach science to both fifth grade classes.  Soon, more information about Reader's Workshop and Writer's Workshop will be sent home and posted on the blog.

We have ordered a homework planner for each student.  As soon as the planners arrive students will place the planner inside the front of their three ring binder and the planner will remain there for the entire school year.  At the end of each day we stop and take some time for students to enter homework assignments, information about special activities that may come up, and reminders about other items of importance.  We would like you to get into the habit of checking your child's planner each evening.  Something new for fifth graders this year is the Reader's Notebook which will go home with students and return with the student each morning along with the novel or chapter book the student is reading at the time. 

Please note that you can now access homework assignments from this blog.  If a student is absent or forgets to write down an assignment simply check the calendar on the sidebar to your right.  Clicking on the calendar will bring up details about each assignment and when it's due.  In the fifth grade students should expect to have reading homework each evening and parents are asked to initial their child's reading log located in the students' Reader's Notebook and which will travel back and forth from school to home each day.  Students will have math homework each night spending some time in practicing the skills that we have learned in class.  Finally, students will have spelling words to study each week.

Students should get into the habit of remembering to bring their instruments each Wednesday and Friday.  Fifth grade instrumental music lessons take place on Wednesday afternoons and Fifth Grade Band practice is held on Friday at 12:30 pm each week.

Supply List For 2012 - 2013 School Year

My front door.

The school year has ended, but we are already preparing for the new school year. Vacation is a time to rest and relax, but it is also a time to regroup and start developing new units for the next school year! So, although I will not be at school for a few weeks, I will still be busy preparing new and exciting units of study.

Supply lists for next year's fifth grade were handed out with report cards on the last day of school, but I am including a copy of the supply list for next year's NEW fifth grade students in this blog post in case your copy gets lost. Simply click on the following link to download as either a pdf file or as a Word file. 2012 - 2013 5W Supply List Now you can print out the supply list and take it with you!