9-4-2010

Hope this post finds everyone enjoying a great, cool, 3 day weekend! The kids are slowly but surely getting into the new and somewhat scary :) routines of being a 5th graders! I keep telling them they'll get it- I promise! Changing classrooms and having all of their things in their lockers have taken the most getting used to. I am happy to say we are definitely on the right track and I am really enjoying getting to know this enthusiastic group of kids!

Reading: Read 15 minutes and respond to reading response journal #4. This should be writing down questions that enter their heads while they are reading. This is an important comprehension strategy. I have told them that not all questions have answers, so don't worry if you never find an answer.

Writing: Take the planning chart that they made and turn it into a 1-2 paragraph newspaper article in their writers notebooks. This is our first attempt at writing something like this, so they just need to do their best and we'll refine it before we type them up next week.

Spelling: Write the new spelling words in planners so that the kids have them with them wherever they have their planners. The new words will be on the Wiki by Sunday.

Vocab: Test 1 has been completed and they brought it home. Have a discussion with them on how they did. If they didn't do as well as they would have liked, what can they do differently to improve next week.

Homework: Please help the kids to remember to finish their homework at night. It is necessary for having a successful year!