Another Exciting Week!

We have really enjoyed this smart, talented group! As we finish up decimals (for now) and say goodbye to ancient Egypt, we have some exciting things on the horizon. We also have our rewards party this Friday.

Math: Students have been working to master multiplying and dividing with decimals. As they complete their test review this week for homework, make sure to always ask them, "Where does the decimal go?" We will be testing this concept on Friday, so if students have questions about their review make sure they ask before school.

Writing: After studying the writer's process in-depth, we have moved on to the trait of Word Choice. Last week we killed the following boring words: said, went, good, bad, and cute. Students can no longer use these words in their writing. We practiced using the thesaurus to find more interesting, descriptive words. We also did some Halloween Quick Writes and I was so impressed with the way students were able to come up with poems off the tops of their heads. Prompt your student to always be looking for the best possible word to use.

Spelling: This week's unit focuses on spelling the /er/ sound at the end of a word. Before the test on Friday, ask your student when to use the -or, -ar. or -er at the end of a word. Our vocabulary words this week are: Maneuver, Perpendicular, Scholar, Geyser, and Acre.

Social Studies: The students turned to Pharaohs last Wednesday. They made their fancy neckwear, a cartouche with their name written in hieroglyphics, their sarcophagus, and a pyramid filled with the things they would like to have in the afterlife. On Thursday we will learn about mummifying as the students mummify a stuffed animal. (Please remember to send one to school!) Next week the students will begin learning about Ancient Greece.

Science: This week is all about sound. As the students make their sound instruments at home we have been learning the properties of sound and how it is produced. The classroom got extremely noisy during our sound centers but we were able to see how the slightest difference can change the pitch of an object. Students learned words like: amplitude, frequency, wavelength, pitch, vibration, and medium.

Reading: Our class is filled with amazing readers who love to dive deeply into books. I have been so impressed with our book discussions as the students ask questions, predict, analyze and so much more about the books they are reading. We have been working on making connections to our reading and discussing how they help us understand the book better.

Look for your Parent/Teacher Conference times coming home this week. Please promptly send back the sheet letting us know if you will be able to attend.

CHeck SIS for your child's grades before you come so you can be prepared with any questions you may have. Their homework folder contains a label with their login and password.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Our first set of conferences will be held on October 29. This year the office is doing the scheduling. To schedule your conferences make sure to call the school as soon as possible to get the best time for you. (801) 489-2850. Thanks!

Sorry so Late!

Reading: I am so impressed by the students' discussions during their book groups. They are digging deeply into all their books, finding connections, analyzing characters, stopping when they are confused, and asking great questions. It is so fun to listen as they enthusiastically talk about their books.



Science: Monday is their seasons test, it has been a fun unit to study and I think the students will do very well. We will next learn about the properties of sound.



Social Studies: Egypt is always a fun civilization to learn about as the students already have a lot of background knowledge. We are going to be researching Egypt and making travel brochures. Save any unwanted Stuffed Animals and shoe boxes for a "mummifying" activity later in the month.

Math: Students did a wonderful job at adding and subtracting decimals. They were able to quickly move on to multiplying them.

Writing: Many students have been revising and publishing their Personal Narritives. It is so fun to read about the adventures in their lives.

The students have done well adapting to having two teachers. They are such a wonderful class and we feel so lucky to be working with each and everyone of them!!

Fall has Arrived!

I am so excited for fall: the changing leaves, cool weather, and holidays!
The book order date has been extended to Sept. 30th so please get your orders in!

Math: Students are amazing at algebra and will be testing on Wednesday. They will then go into decimals: adding, subtracting, (should be review) then multiplying and dividing them as well.

Science: We are finishing up seasons and the students will be tested on this next week and we will move on to the properties of sound. For extra science credit this week students can take a Seasons UTIPS test.
Directions:
From the blog: Link on the Mrs. Birds UEN page link
Click on the Tests link under “My Bookmarks”
Take the Seasons test—you can take it as many times as you want to help you learn the information

Social Studies: We looked at a map of Ancient Egypt and talked about all the students background knowledge. This week they will learn about their class system and start reports.

Reading: We were so excited to start guided reading last week! I love every book that the groups are doing and look forward to our conversations.

Writing: Students continue to work through the writing process with their personal narratives.

**The students will be tested on their past 25 vocabulary words this week instead of a spelling test.

Mrs. Davis is back!! She teaches during the morning and Mrs. Bird is the afternoon teacher. Feel free to email us: doubletroublebd@gmail.com

Scholastic Book Orders

Reminder: Book Orders are due by Sept. 28. You can order on line or send them back to school with your student.

To Order Online:
www.scholastic.com/bookclubs
User Name: doubletrouble
Password: books

Some Top Picks:
Timeless Treasures: Fun for whole Family
56. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane-For everyone
28. Gary Paulsen Pack-Outside Adventure
79. 39 Clues-Mysteries
45. Junie B. Jones-first and second graders
55. Max Lucado Pack-great for goodnight read alouds
83. Wayside School Pack-Timeless books, I remember reading

Arrow: Great for Sixth Grade
98. The Witches-only $1
78. Smiles to Go-new book by well known author Jerry Spinelli
48. Inkdeath-last book in the series
8. The Big Field-for sports lovers
48. Bill Wallace Pack-for animal lovers
67. Percy Jackson & Olympians Boxed Set-Great books but if bought I ask you not to read until we have finished the first book in the series as a class.

Tab: Higher Levels
36. The Graveyard Book-2009 Newbeary Medal
43. The Hunger Games-great books for mature readers
3. Among the Hidden-$1 special
8. Best of TAB Pack-5 great books
84. Uglies Trilogy-also great reading for more mature readers
35. Giver-classic

There are so many good books it was hard for me to choose what to put on here but I included books I thought you might not be familiar with and ones I love!

Last Week Alone

This is Mrs. Bird's last full week and Mrs. Davis' last week of maternity leave. It is bitter sweet for the both of us!

Math: Students are doing a wonderful job learning algebra. They are all catching on so well and really seeing the joy in math. Mrs. Bird and Mrs. Davis have such a love for math to pass on to these students!

Writing: Students are working on writing their personal narratives. They have made sure their story has all the components it needs and everyone has begun their draft.

Social Studies: We have been through all of Ancient Mesopotamia. Last week we learned about the battles between the Assyrians and Babylonians. After many years of wars the Babylonians finally defeated the Assyrians once and for all. The brains out smarted the muscles.

Science: Students have been learning the reasons for seasons. We measured pictures of the sun and noticed that in the summer the sun appears to be smaller: the class concluded that this means the sun is actually further away in the summer. The difference in the distance is so small that it does not affect our seasons.

Reading: Students are wonderful at thinking about their thinking while reading. We have begun working on "Monitoring for Meaning." This means that the students know when something doesn't make sense in their reading and they use appropriate strategies to figure it out. We are starting our reading groups this week.

I was very impressed with President Obama's speech. He talked about how he has talked with teachers and parents about their responsibilities for educating the children but this speech was specifically on how it is the students' responsibility to be educated and learn at school. He talked about trying over and over again until you get it, Never giving up, and that what and how much you learn is ultimately up to you.

Thanks for all those who donated to our basket, and to Emily Flake for putting it together. It looked absolutely delicious!

Movin' and Groovin'

It always amazes me how fast each week goes by. We are having so much fun in school as we move through the curriculum.

Math: The students worked with place value, estimation, rounding, and learned about exponents. We saw huge numbers like a googol and googolplex, also saw how quickly numbers grow exponentially and were amazed as we tried to make towers that grew exponentially by 2. The students will be tested on Wednesday.

Reading: We continued in Zlata's Diary and asked many questions about the war she faced and Sarajevo where she lived. We compared her life to ours and her war to the ones we know about. The students wrote long journal entries about their thinking and the discussion we had as a class. Wow! These students sure can write.

Writing: We continue to learn about the writer's process and collect ideas for stories in our idea's notebook.

Social Studies: It was fun to compare the hunter/gatherer society with the society that started agriculture. We learned that as their farms became more productive city members had a chance to do other things besides worry about food and the first real civilization is born.

Science: We began learning about the seasons. This week we will combine all the students survey answers to see what the majority of people think about seasons. A similar survey was given to Harvard students at graduation and most of them got the answers wrong. In a few short weeks your students will be smarter than college graduates!!

Please make sure that when you sign your child's homework you check it for completion and make sure it is legible.

I look forward to another great week!