November 24, 2010

A Happy and Safe Holiday to all!

Online Grade Glitch

As of Tuesday, November 23, my Reading and Language grades are not showing up on the online grading web site. I have a guru or two that I am consulting. Reading and Language are the two areas that I have the most grades in. I will try and have this resolved before we return on Monday.

Upcoming Dates

There will be a Geography Bee here at Poly in December. The date will be up next week. The General Music Holiday Program will be Thursday, December 16^th @ 2:15. The Band and Orchestra Holiday Program will be Tuesday, December 21^st @ 2:15.

Student Council Holiday Projects

 The student council at Poly Drive is sponsoring two holiday projects. One is to benefit hospital patients at Billings Clinic. They are asking for UNWRAPPED new Christmas tree ornaments. The ornaments will be delivered to the patients with their dinner on Christmas Day.

The second one benefits the Montana Rescue Mission. They are looking for donations, again, UNWRAPPED, of diaper wipes, gift cards, pizza coupons, city bus passes, shaving cream, toothpaste, stocking caps, winter gloves, and socks.

Beginning November 29^th (Monday) students can bring the gifts and place them under the Christmas tree in the gym hallway. The gifts will be delivered Friday, December 17^th.

Reading

We are going to take some reading time and hit social studies and science hard. It will be another week before we get new novels.

Language

We had quizzes on Tuesday, November 23rd on the “to be” verb forms, helping verbs, and linking verbs. Another quiz will be given on Tuesday, November 30^th to students who did not receive a C grade or higher. The first quiz papers (from Tuesday) will be on their desk on Monday, November 29^th.

We are also having Latin Word Root quizzes every Thursday. The students need to be able to write the definitions for the prefixes, suffixes and root words for the word root introduced that week. (This is at the top of each sheet.) Many of the prefixes and suffixes  repeat week-week. Eventually, it will just be a matter of memorizing the roots themselves.

I told the students I am gradually raising the proverbial bar.

Math

Chapter 1 tests have been returned. Those who did not receive a 79% or higher on the test can raise it to a 79% by:

1.   1.  Correcting the problems they missed.

2.    2. Writing the page number in the book that describes that concept. (It is too easy to copy another person’s answers. No learning occurs there.)

3.    3. Having a parent signature on the test.

We have pretested on Chapter 2. I am anticipating spending 7 days on Chapter 2. Then we will head on to Chapter 3.

Science

We are continuing on with atomic structure, molecules, and compounds. We will be making models of atoms next week. A brief lesson on spdf orbitals and the electron configuration will be presented before the models are made. Those who would like to follow that configuration will be welcome to. We'll see how easily this is understood. Since it is basically patterning, I am anticipating most will catch on. 

Social Studies

5^th graders have begun Chapter 2 Native Americans and their Land.

4^th graders are working in Chapter 2 learning about basic types of maps (rainfall, population density, elevation maps, regional maps) and doing activities with them.

Spelling

If your child has personal spelling words, they should be taped into their assignment notebook on Monday, November 29^th.

4th grade spelling words Unit 13 November 29^th-Dec 3^rd   Compound Words

BASIC: somebody, fireplace, nearby, toothbrush, homesick, anything, goodbye, forehead, classmate, flashlight, haircut, driveway, airport, forever, mailbox, 

make-believe, twenty-two, baby-sit, all right, alarm clock

CHALLENGE: field trip, absent-minded, life jacket, skyscraper, nevertheless

REAL-WORLD VOCABULARY  Tooth Care

gums, prevent, decay, plaque, toothpaste, fluoride, hygienist, cavity

4th grade spelling words Unit 14 Dec 6^th-10^th     Words ending in –ed or –ing

BASIC: rising, traced, dancing, striped, handled, dared, raced, escaped, stripped, slammed, winning, snapping, bragging, dripped, begged, skipped, hitting, spotted, dimmed, spinning

CHALLENGE: urged, striving, whipped, breathing, quizzed

REAL-WORLD VOCABULARY  Fables

 advise, boastful, compete, crow, rival, conduct, attention, moral

5th grade spelling words Unit 13      November 29^th-December 3^rd VCCV pattern

BASIC: pattern, arrive, suppose, sorrow, tunnel, suggest, common, scissors, bargain, journey, object, shoulder, permit, subject, custom, perhaps, lawyer, timber, publish, burden

CHALLENGE: narrate, mentor, attempt, collide, ignore

REAL-WORLD VOCABULARY: Native Americans

culture, ancestors, oral, belief, myth, ceremony, rituals, legends

5th grade spelling words Unit 14       December 6^th-10^th  VCV pattern

BASIC: exact, credit, vivid, modern, panic, cousin, menu, novel, human, award, behave, basic, evil, nation, robot, select, item, police, prefer, deserve

CHALLENGE: autumn, nuisance, logic, column, laser

REAL-WORLD VOCABULARY: The Balance of Nature

ecosystem, impact, detrimental, consequences, organism, nourish, beneficial, recovery