September 30

Fall Fest

Caughlin Ranch's fun-filled Fall Fest will be held on Friday, October 4.  I know the Fall Fest committee is in need of volunteers.  Fliers went home this past Friday with more detailed information.  If you would like to volunteer your time or some baked goods, the office has the information.

Reading

The students' Independent Reading Assignment is due this coming Friday, October 4.  This assignment includes students' AR points, a story map and character analysis on a realistic fiction book (this was a two sided sheet of paper handed out more than 3 weeks ago), and a WOW! Words bookmark. 

Students are expected to read every night at home.  They are also encouraged to read in the classroom after finishing required assignments.

Math

We are finishing up Unit 2 in Everyday Math.  They will be taking a multiplication assessment and the Unit 2 Checking Progress test in the next few days.

Common Core Standards state that 5th grade students need to be fluent in the standard/traditional algorithm for double digit multiplication.  Some students are still struggling with this algorithm.  You may want to check your child's homework to see how they are progressing using the standard algorithm.

The next Everyday Math unit is geometry based.  As we work our way through this unit, we will also begin practicing simple division.

Social Studies

Students will be introduced to a European explorer from the Age of Exploration this week.  They will begin researching their explorer in the library and during computer time.  Research will be presented in the form of an Explorer Trading Card.  Students will be given instructions and an outline for this project during the week.  I will take student in-put as to when this assignment will be due. Because students will need to work on this assignment at home, this assignment will take the place of one  Zaner-Bloser weekly writing assignment.

Science

Mixtures and solutions is being investigated during our labs.  Students earn a lab grade based on their active participation, ability to follow written and verbal instructions, demonstrations of proper lab behaviors and use of equipment, and cooperation with their science team.  In this week's main lab, students will need to write a materials list and procedure for separating a mixture of gravel, salt, and diatomaceous earth powder.  Then follow their procedure for separation.

Writing

This week students final draft of a Batty Opinion will be due Wednesday. Their rough drafts of this essay were due Friday and have been commented upon.  As a class, students will read, analyze, and compare their essays to  examples of well written essays on Monday.  This will help them in the revision process.  A focus point for revision will be smoothing out transitions.

This week's writing assignment will be another opinon essay on whether or not schools should be nut-free zones.  Information for this topic will be supplied by a Time For Kids article.

Septemeber 23

I apologize for not posting more blogs; however, learning to comment and score Zaner-Bloser writing assignments has be quite time consuming. 

Zaner-Blosser Writing

Thank you for your support using the Zaner-Bloser program.  Please encourage your child to use the   e-books and other reference materials the program offers.  I have included page numbers to the Strategies for Writers e-book in the assignment instructions. I, also, encourage you to help your child with the revising and editing of their writing.  When I work with students individually on written assignments, I tell them to read out loud to me every word they have written.  This revising strategy helps them to hear their writing and pick up on extra words or missing words. 

Math

This coming Wednesday, September 25, the Caughlin Ranch Math Committee will be hosting a Math Night at school between 6:30 -7:30.  I highly recommend you and your child attend.

We will be finishing up Unit 2 in Everyday Math by the end of the week. This unit focused on estimation, statistics, addition and subtraction.  I have had question regarding how much time should be spent on IXL assignments. IXL is great program for reinforcing and practicing math skills. I would like every student to work toward achieving 100% on a skill; however, I do not want students spending hours achieving 100%.  20-25  minutes of honest to goodness hard work is enough time.  If a student can reach 100% in 10 minutes, that's great.  If after 20 or 25 minutes they are at 75% that is good enough. They have practiced the skill and will have a better understanding of it. What I will down grade students for is having practiced a skill for 3 minutes with score of say 50%.  That student can put in more effort.

Reading

We have finished our novel unit and have focused on reading information text related to science and social studies. We will begin using the district provided reading anthology, as well, as other teacher provided resources to work on specific reading skills.  You child's Independent Reading assignment which includes her/his personal AR point goal, WOW! words bookmark, story map, and character analysis is due October 4.  This is several days later than the original due date because students requested an extension.

Science

We have begun using the FOSS kit, Mixtures and Solutions.  It was quite challenging managing the chemicals and equipment for 33 students, but we did it.  I'll I can say is it takes extra time setting up and passing equipment out. Our first lab was making and separating mixtures.  I encourage you to talk to your child about this investigation.

Social Studies

We recently studied ancient American cultures which intrigued the students.  This coming week will focus on North American Native Americans.  The following week will be the Age of Exploration, which will then lead to exploration and colonization of the Americas.  Our major focus in 5th grade social studies is the 13 English colonies and the American Revolution, but I believe students needs background information on North American Native Americans and exploration to fully understand colonization.

Fall Fest

Caughlin Ranch's annual Fall Fest will be October 4.  I know PTA needs a lot of help to make this event happen.  A flier about this family fun event went home in Friday Folders.  If you did not receive one, information is available in the office. I will be volunteering at the event and look forward to seeing my students and their families there!

Posting Videos and Photos

I would like to occasionally post videos and photos taken in the classroom.  Before I do so, I will review the information parents submitted about posting photographs.  I realize many parents do not want their child's pictures on-line. 

Please e-mail with questions, comments, or concerns.  Thank you for supporting your child's education.

September 3-9

I hope you all had a wonderful three day holiday!  Below you will find information on upcoming events and assignments for the week ahead.

Jog-athon & Count Day

Friday, Sept. 6, is our annual PTA Jog-athon fund raiser! Please make sure your child wears shoes and clothes he/she can run in on that day.  Friday is also official Count Day for the district.  Students will be asked to sign their names on a roster to indicate they are enrolled and present.  Our school's student population will determine the amount of money allocated to the school.

Math

On Wednesday of this week, students will be taking the Unit 1 Checking Progress test covering concepts in Unit 1 of Everyday Math.  We will review for the test on Tuesday.  We will then be reviewing decimal concepts before heading into Unit 2 which covers estimation and addition/subtraction algorithms and concepts. 

IXL for this week is Q12, writing multiplication expressions using exponents, Q13, evaluating exponent expressions (students may use a calculator), C1, identifying the decimal number illustrated by the model, and C3, working with decimal place value positions.

On Thursday of this week students will be taking the Math MAPs assessment.

Zaner-Bloser

Please make sure your child is logging onto my.zaner-bloser.com website and checking her/his assignments.  This week students will be playing the Sentence: Fragment, Run-on, and Commas Splice game.  Students have been asked to play all three games to improve their knowledge and skill and identifying these grammar errors. Grammar games should be played by Friday.

This week's writing assignment is another opinion piece on open-book tests.  Rough draft of the assignment is due Saturday, Sept. 7 for teacher review and comments.  Final draft is due Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Social Studies

We have completed our review of world and US geography with a test this last Friday.  We will be reading the text book and learning about early American cultures and civilizations.

Science

Atomic theory will be coming to a close with an investigation of static electricity.  Atomic theory test will be sometime the week of September 9.  Look for a study guide coming home.

Reading

We are more than half-way through, There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom. Following completion we will analyze the book discussing plot structure including internal vs. external conflict, climax, resolution,  and theme. Students will be asked to apply their knowledge of these concepts to their independently read novels.

Students should be reading toward their personal AR goals nightly.

August 26-30

The first two weeks of school have flown by quickly.  Students have successfully learned the procedures of the room and our gelling into a cohesive, collaborative group.

Parent Night

Parent Night will be Tuesday, August 27 from 6-7:30.  Parents will meet in the cafeteria to hear a few words from our principal, Mrs. Thoroughman.  Parents will then head to classrooms for teacher presentations.

Zaner-Bloser On-line Writing Program

Students will be introduced to the Zaner-Bloser website this week.  They will be playing grammar games and composing a persuasive letter on-line. Check it out with your child!

Reading

Students were given Independent Reading Contracts on Wednesday.  This assignment will be due September 30. We are continuing to read and analyze There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom.

Math

We will be finishing up Everyday Math Unit 1, Number Theory this week.  Students will take the Checking Progress Assessment the week of Sept. 3-6.

Social Studies

Our brief exploration of world and US geography has come to a conclusion.  Students will have a test on the material covered Friday, August 30.  A study guide will be given on Tuesday.

Great Thinker

Students have collaboratively worked on their Great Thinker project.  The project will wrap-up within the week.

Welcome Class of 2013-2014!

I greatly enjoyed meeting the students and parents that attended Caughlin Ranch's Ice Cream Social last Thursday, and I can't wait to meet the rest of the class this coming Monday, August  12.  Parents, look for a Student/Parent Handbook coming your way this week.  I will review the information in the handbook with the students the first few days of the week.  Students are expected to bring the handbook home and share it with you. There is a page for you to sign indicating you reviewed the book. Please keep the book at home as a reference guide.

Below is an outline of tentative academic studies the first few weeks of school:

Math

Our first unit of study in Everyday Math is Number Theory. This will be supplemented with a review of base 10 and place value.

Reading

Students will be reading the novel There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom.  This novel will provide a platform for studying story structure and characterization. Students are expected to read assigned pages nightly and be prepared for classroom discussion the following day. Students will eventually be asked to read a realistic fiction novel of their choosing  for analysis.

Social Studies

Our focus in 5th grade social studies is United States history. We will begin this study by learning a little bit about U.S. geography, followed by a quick study of the first people of North and South America and European exploration of the Americas.

Science

Atomic theory will kick off our science studies and then we will begin our first FOSS unit--Mixtures and Solutions.

Language Arts

Word study will focus on  words I expect to see spelled correctly in students' everyday writing and homophones.  Words studied will also come from the content areas.

Students will write in the content areas and also be given weekly writing assignments to be completed on-line using the Zaner-Bloser On-Line Writing Center.  More information about this remarkable web based program to follow.

Grammar will begin with a review of sentence and paragraph structure.

Great Thinkers

 Our motto for the year is D-1 Home of the Great Thinkers, and my goal is to support, expand, and challenge the thinking abilities of my students.  Students will be working on a collaborative mini-research project of a great thinker to answer the question: What makes a person a great thinker?

End of Year

It has been my pleasure teaching the 2012-2013 class this year.  This class has been one of the most cooperative and respectful group of children I have ever taught.  It was a joy watching the students organize themselves to play games at recess and during PE without adult intervention.  Academically this class has grown greatly as evidenced by their recent MAPs scores.  I will be sending home those scores home in Wednesday's Friday Folder.  CRTs scores will be mailed to parents sometime in June.

End of Year Celebrations

For our end of the year celebration, I will be holding the Mrs. S. Auction between 9 and 10:30 on Monday, June 3.  In the afternoon of that day, students will enjoy an hour of water play on the playground. Children can wear swimsuits or water clothes under their regular clothes or change at school.  Tee- shirts should be worn over bathing attire. Water toys will be auctioned off in the morning, but students are encouraged to bring their own water toys.

Keeping in Academic Shape Over Summer Break

In order to prepare for the rigor of 6th grade, students should continue to read over the summer and do  IXL math.  In conjunction with their reading, students should occasionally summarize what they have read.  Also, encourage your child to write letters or e-mails to family and friends--it is a fun and easy way to stay in writing shape. Students will also be bringing home their math journals and spelling books.  They can work on pages in these workbooks over summer, too.

New School Year Calendar

Washoe County School District adopted a new school year calendar.  I will be sending a copy of it home in Wednesday's Friday Folder.  School will begin on August 12.

Thank you, again, for a wonderful year!

CRTs & Native American Presentations

You probably have already heard, but in case your haven't, students will be taking state mandated Criterion Reference Tests (CRT) next week.  Students will be tested in the areas of math, reading, and science. In preparations, we have been reviewing and working on test taking strategies the past two weeks. Please make sure your child has a good breakfast and plenty of rest to power them up for the mental work ahead of them. They will have no homework that week, but I encourage students to work on their Native American Presentation (see below for more information).

Below is an outline of  current units of study:

Math

We are delving into measurement which include customary and metric systems, perimeter, area, and volume of rectangular prisms.  We have also touched on algebraic thinking.  We will continue investigating volume of other prisms and go more deeply into algebraic thinking following CRTs.

Social Studies/Reading

Students have been given an outline for creating a presentation, either a poster or PowerPoint, on a Native American culture of their choosing.  They organized note cards for each of the topics they are required to present to the class.  Mrs. Benensch, our librarian, provided students with books on many different cultures and a lesson on Internet sources on the WCSD website.  Students were also given a paper describing how to locate these Internet sources.  Students should have their research completed by May 6, paragraphs written on each of the topics by May 13, and be prepared to present their project to the class by May 22. We will be visiting Donner Memorial State Park and the Immigrant Museum on May 24 to support our Westward Expansion studies.

Westward Expansion will become our focus in social studies,  We will be reading informational and literature texts to support this study.

Science

Our Mixtures and Solutions unit is in its final set of investigations--chemical reactions.  The labs our a lot of fun, and I am sure the kids will enjoy the learning experience.