March 10th ~ 14th

I hope you remembered to "spring forward" this weekend.

You will notice a couple of changes to the blog this week. I have set up a SYMBALOO site that allows me to organize web links in a more logical ~ and easier to use format. At the top of the blog, you will find a link to my main SYMBALOO page, as well as specific links for Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. When you select MRS. BEATTY'S SYMBALOO, click on the tab marked "Add this webmix" and you will be able to choose any of the tiles. I had so many links listed on the blog, that it was becoming cumbersome for the kids and me.  I hope you find this easier to navigate. Some basic daily links are still listed individually on the blog.

Friday is "Pi Day" (3.14) and several kids have signed up to bring a pie that day. We will calculate the radius, diameter, circumference, and area of each pie before enjoying them. Of course we will wash our hands very well before this activity! Friday is also Mr. Monson's birthday!

Poly Drive Read-a-Thon ~ Don't forget to read, read, read every day!! Our theme days for the week are as follows:

Monday ~ Read with style (Dress up today)

Tuesday ~ Veg. out on reading (Bring a can of veggies for the food bank)

Wednesday ~ www-We wear words (wear clothing with printed words) 

Thursday ~ Read Every Day (Wear red)

Friday ~ Cat in the Hat day (Wear a hat)

6th Grade Night of the Notables: 6th graders will continue to research their notables and will spend time in class writing biographies and bio-riddles. Begin thinking about the costume your child will wear when he or she becomes the notable on Thursday March 27th at 6:30 in our gym.

Spelling: The kids are working with Unit 25 words this week and will take a pretest on Monday, have written assignments on Tuesday and Thursday, and take a final test on Friday.

5th ~ Final /n/ or /ain/, and /ure/, /zure/ sounds

6th ~ Prefixes per-, pre-, and pro-

Language: We will have written assignments on Monday and Wednesday that focus on various grammar concepts. The 6th graders will also work with the Latin root words cumul and lumin

Reading: 

5th Graders are working in Lead21 and will focus on fluency, vocabulary, summarizing, idioms, text structure, and writing to respond to what they have read.

6th Graders are continuing with the novels, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Between Shades of Gray. The kids must read the assigned chapters and complete comprehension pages that show their thinking and comprehension strategies used while reading.

Math:

5th Graders are working with fractions and subtracting, multiplying, & estimating with mixed numbers and fractions. They will have written assignments on Monday-Thursday.

6th Graders are converting fractions, decimals, and percents. This all ties in with our study of ratios and proportions. The kids will have written assignments on Monday and Tuesday and will work with partners on Wednesday and Thursday to complete in class activities.

Pi Day - All math activities on Friday will focus on Pi.

Social Studies:

6th graders will finish our study of the India and the Hindu faith and then we will learn about Buddhist beliefs.The kids will create a comic strip to share their understanding of the concepts.

Science:

We have been learning about earthquakes and the kids will begin work on our earthquake structure project. They will work in small groups to design a structure that can withstand a simulated earthquake, while cradling a raw egg. Each group will have a budget and must "purchase" the supplies from me The supplies include raw spaghetti, mini marshmallows, and blue painter's tape. I provide the base to build on, as well all the materials. This project is completed at school and will not require any work at home. My husband built my earthquake testing apparatus and we will test our structures next Friday, the 21st.

Buddies:

We will create Shamrock paper chain necklaces with our buddies on Tuesday. The chains will depict an ABC pattern, which ties in with the kindergarten math standards.

Have a fantastic week!