Homework - 1/29/2007

• Spelling - PB 214-216
• Science - Read Chapter 2, Lesson 1
• Math - Study for Chapter 13 test

Homework - 1/25/2007

No homework assigned tonight. The students do have a take-home, open book reading test which they were given yesterday, and which is due on Monday.

They had three tests today: vocabulary, science, and history. We reviewed part of last night's math homework and wrote poems with Mrs. Sibbett, so it was definitely a full day.

Have a great three day weekend!

Homework - 1/24/2007

• Math - 219: 5-16 (odd); 221: 1-14 (even); 224: 16-23 (all) and 24-51 (divisible by 3); 229: 8-19 (even)
• Science - Study for test - Unit C, Chapter 1
• History - Study for test - 13 Colonies
• Vocabulary - Study for test

Homework - 1/23/2007

• Reading - Answer questions 1, 2, 3, 4 & 7 on page 280; PB 140 & 141
• Math - study for test
• Health - home workout

Upcoming Tests

• Science - Unit C, Chapter 1 - Thursday
• History - 13 Colonies - Thursday
• Reading - Paul Revere - Wednesday
• Vocabulary - Thursday
• Math - Chapter 12 - Wednesday

Homework - 1/22/2007

• Math - 214: 4-23
• Science - Finish reading lesson 3; Answer red check questions on pages C25 and C26; Answer Review questions 1-3, 5

Homework - 1/19/2007

• Math - 209: 7-19 (all); 20-31 (even) and 211: 8-23 (odd)

Homework - 1/18/2007

• Science - C19: 1-3, 5; WB 139
• Math - 205-206: 18-49 (odd); 50-53 (all)
• Spelling - study for test

Homework - 11/17/2007

• Math - 203: 6-27 (even)
• Social Studies - study for test

Homework - 11/16/2007

My lesson plans were not correctly followed by the substitute teacher, but there was supposed to be spelling and math homework. Many students completed the spelling homework in class. And we did review today, Wednesday, the first of the math homework assignments.

Homework - 1/12/2007

No homework today. The students had time to complete their Five Best, took a spelling test, and then went to the computer lab to print out information for their research paper. After recess, they had social studies and took a math test. After lunch, they had chorus with Mr. Krista, and then we wrapped up the day, so no homework.

Homework - 1/11/2007

• Science - C11: 1-3, 5; WB 135
• Math - study for Chapter 11 test
• Spelling - study for test

Reminders:

• Problem Solving 8 is due tomorrow
• Five Best journal prompts are also due tomorrow

Help with Math Homework

Use these tips to help your child with her math homework.

By Miriam Myers, GreatSchools.net Staff

The math your child brings home may look different from the math you remember doing as a child. How can you help if you don't understand it? And if you do understand it how can you guide him without just giving him the answer?

Here are some helpful tips to guide your child:

• Go over the directions with her and find out what she does and doesn't understand about the assignment.
• Encourage him to find another math student he can call for help if he's unclear about the assignment or wants to review a class lesson.
• Ask her where she thinks she should begin.
• Ask him if he can find information in his notes to solve the problem.
• Ask if there is a similar problem in her textbook or one she did in class.
• Suggest that he draw or make a model to explain his thinking.
• Ask more guiding questions as she progresses, such as, "What should you do next?" "Is this answer reasonable?" "Did you answer the question?" "Can you solve it another way?"
• If he struggles to understand the subject matter or has trouble keeping up with the amount of homework assigned, check in with his teacher for suggestions about how to help.
• Suggest looking for homework help online. Math.com has math help for parents and students.
• Remember to resist the temptation to do the homework for her.
• The greatest impact on a child’s attitude about math is the parent’s attitude about math. Show an interest in math and point out to your child the many ways you use math in your everyday life. Help your child understand that every parent is a mathematician.

Again, this is from GreatSchools.net.

Your Fifth-Grader and Math

Here are some excerpts from a recent e-mail newsletter that I received from GreatSchools.net:

Problem-Solving and Real-World Math

In a thriving math classroom the teacher engages students to problem-solve and use mathematical reasoning to do tasks that are of interest and appropriateness to the students.

Wendy Miller, our teacher consultant and North Carolina’s 2006 Teacher of the Year, explains that your child will be building on material that’s been previously introduced so that she can master it. “Fifth-graders will experience a spiraling and challenging curriculum,” she says. “There will be a blend of understanding math concepts and applying skills to solve real-world problems. The fifth-grade classroom should provide students an opportunity to use problem-solving strategies to solve authentic tasks."

Geometry

Geometry is the study of points, lines, shapes and figures. It provides students with an understanding of the structure of space and spatial relations. Your fifth-grader learns about the characteristics and relationship between points, lines, line segments, rays, planes and shapes. She explores angles and measures right, acute and obtuse angles using a protractor. She will also explore and understand the properties of different kinds of triangles such as equilateral, right, scalene and isosceles triangles.

Miller explains: "Geometry is a part of everyday life for many professionals. Graphic designers, landscapers, and architects use geometry daily to express their creativity. Math is more than numbers. Math is a form of art when using geometry to solve authentic problems."

Learning about polygons

Your child learns about polygons, which are closed figures formed by line segments. She will construct and measure polygons with up to 10 sides. She will also find the perimeter of polygons. She will use the formula a=lw to find the area of a polygon and will begin to use a formula to find the volume of a prism.

Exploring graphs

Your child continues to use graphs and coordinate systems to identify, locate and plot ordered pairs of whole numbers. A coordinate graph is a grid with four sections with a horizontal x-axis and a vertical y-axis. Your child will be placing points on the graph with a horizontal and vertical value. Graphing is a skill that can help students make the connection between subjects. Science and social studies are areas in which students will use graphing to gain a better understanding of other subject areas. Students will not only develop their own graphs, they will use graphs as an information tool.

Homework - 1/10/2007

• Math - 196: 4-25 - We'll review the chapter tomorrow and students will take the Chapter 11 test on Friday.

Sequence and Steps of the Research Paper

Step 1: Choose a topic that interests you and which is an important part of the American Revolution or a fifth-grade science topic.

Step 2: Find at least three sources for your research. One should be an encyclopedia article that gives you an overview of your topic. Show your three (or more) sources to your teacher.

Step 3: Read the encyclopedia overview and see if the topic still interests you. If it does, go on to Step 4. If it does not interest you, go back to Step 1 and start over.

Step 4: Narrow your topic by creating a focus question that you will answer in your research paper. Your focus question must relate directly to the American Revolution and the events that led up to it. You may not write about George Washington’s presidency or Benjamin Franklin’s inventions; neither of those topics relates directly to the American Revolution.

• For example, if you chose the topic of Abigail Adams, you might ask: “How dedicated a patriot was Abigail Adams?” Then you would follow that up with: “What specific actions did Abigail Adams take that show she was a dedicated patriot?”
• If you chose the topic of John Dickinson, you might ask: “Why is John Dickinson called the ‘penman of the Revolution?’” From that focus question follow more specific questions that help to answer the larger focus question. You might ask: “What did he write before and during the Revolution? Besides writing, what other actions did he take that supported the Revolution?”

Step 5: Clear your focus question with your teacher before you start taking notes.

Step 6: Take notes from your sources. If you use note cards, each note card should contain a topic heading, one important fact or event, and the source where you found the information. You may want to use regular binder paper for notes. If so, put your topic heading, and then list the important facts or events that relate to that topic and the source where you found them. Remember, it is important to track your sources to prepare your bibliography.

Step 7: Once you have enough notes to write a complete paper, submit your notes to your teacher, who will either approve them as written or ask you to correct them or include more.

Step 8: Write your paper. Follow the guidelines provided by your teacher.

Step 9: Write your bibliography. List your sources in alphabetical order based on the authors’ last names.

Step 10: Compile your research paper, including cover page, essay, and bibliography. Turn in to your teacher on time.

Research Paper

The research paper was assigned on Monday, January 8 and is due on Friday, February 23.

Purpose: to inform the reader; to explain factual information to the reader
Assignment: Write a research paper of at least 500 to 700 words.

Writing Standard 2.3 - Write research reports about important ideas, issues, or events by using the following guidelines:
a. Frame questions that direct the investigation.
b. Establish a controlling idea or topic.
c. Develop the topic with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations.

Writing Standard 1.2 - Create multiple-paragraph expository compositions:
a. Establish a topic, important ideas, or events in sequence or chronological order.
b. Provide details and transitional expressions that link one paragraph to another in a clear line of thought.
c. Offer a concluding paragraph that summarizes important ideas and details.

Writing your paper:

• Write your thesis statement. It has two parts. One, it tells the reader your topic. Two, it explains the point of your essay. (Example: John Dickinson, while not a well-known founding father, was an influential writer who helped to inspire rebellion amongst the American colonists and who later helped to shape our Constitution.)
• Write your outline. You should have at least three sub-topics that support your main topic and your focus question on that topic.
• Write your body paragraphs. Write at least one paragraph for each of your sub-topics. Each body paragraph should follow the same basic structure. One, write your topic sentence. Two, write at least three sentences that support your topic sentence. You may also write sentences that elaborate on your supporting ideas. Three, write a concluding sentence.
• Write your introduction and conclusion. Now that the body of your essay is done, go back and introduce your topic and conclude your essay. Your introduction should immediately get the reader’s attention. It should also end with your thesis statement. Your conclusion should provide closure to your paper, summing up your main points.

Note: Using someone else’s ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as your own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism.

Avoid this problem by writing your notes in your own words. Paraphrase the information in your sources so that you are not copying what someone else has written. If your notes are in your own words, then your essay will be your own ideas in your own words, and you will not have plagiarized someone else’s writing. You will have written an original research essay, and that is the assignment.

Homework - 1/9/2007

• Grammar - PB 179
• Math - 187: 6-22 (even); 189: 6-21 (odd); 192: 10-34 (even); 195: 1-4

Paul Revere Vocabulary

Here are the ten vocabulary words for And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?:

• prohibiting (263)
• congregation (264)
• muffled (270)
• incident (268)
• arousing (272)
• oppose (267)
• committee (276)
• occupied (276)
• succession (275)
• militia (276)

Homework - 1/8/2007

• Spelling - PB 203/204
• Math - 185: 7-11 (all); 12-26 (even)

Note: We have begun the writing assignment for the third quarter: the research paper. Students have six weeks to complete this assignment; it is due Friday, February 23.

Homework - 1/5/2007

• Math - 183: 10-25

Problem Solving 7/8 is due next Friday, January 12, 2007. We finished solving the five problems on Problem Solving 7 together in class today, and now the students have to finish Problem Solving 8 by next Friday. They must find the correct solution and show their work to receive credit for each of the five problems.

Homework - 1/4/2007

• Reading - "Paul Revere" and Choosing ten potential vocabulary words
• Science - Read pgs. C8-C11
• Spelling - Study for test

Homework - 1/3/2007

• Grammar - PB 170 & 171

Students took a math test and had P.E. today, so it's a light homework day.

Homework - 1/2/2007

• Spelling - PB 181/182
• Math - Study for Chapter 10 test