Classroom News for the Week of September 28th

News and Upcoming Events: 

• Congratulations to Sienna and Renee, our Student Council representatives! We had 10 students run for the positions, and I am very proud of them all! Each of them displayed their maturity, sense of responsibility, and poise in running. Great job, Students!
• Thank you Volunteers! We appreciate your time and effort in helping with the Pancake Breakfast and Friday's art project. :)
• 10/16/15 FIELD TRIP - We can take up to 7 chaperones (5 would be sufficient) for our field trip to Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens. Currently, we have 1 chaperone confirmed. Please email me (slc5001@lausd.net) if you are able to come and supervise a small group of students. This trip involves lots of walking/standing outdoors and chaperones will need to drive themselves or carpool. 8:30 a.m. to 2:30p.m. Volunteers will be assigned on a first-come/first-serve basis.
• No social studies homework this week.

Volunteers Needed- 

• GARDEN - Renee Frisbie has generously offered her time as our class garden representative. She will be coordinating with me to provide your child with hands-on activities in our school garden. If you are interested in assisting, we'd love to hear from you. Please email Renee at renee.frisbie@monarchd.com

Please click on the link to view my Amazon wish list.Ms. Convey's Amazon Wish List

What's Going On This Week In Class:

Math: 

This week we will be wrapping up the addition and subtraction unit. This week's work will continue to include multi-step word problems, tape diagrams, and estimation to determine reasonableness. Students will have an end of unit assessment on Friday.

Using the CUBES* strategy to unlock word problems:

• C - circle the numbers
• U - underline the question
• B - Box key words
• E - Eliminate unnecessary information
• S - Solve (lots of strategies to choose from)
• * Check!

Multiplication Madness (Fact Practice) 

Reading:

This week students will be working on final "Beyond the Book" projects individually and with partners. Projects are being completed in class. Ask your child about the project s/he chose and his or her progress. Projects due Friday.

Genre Blackout: Students have been challenged to read books from 9 different genres in the first reporting period. Ask your child about his/her progress.

Spelling & Vocabulary:

This week's prefixes are mono, uni (one); bi, du (two); co, col (with together) 

Our words are:

1. condense
2. companion
3. confer
4. collide
5. conspire
6. monopoly
7. unicorn
8. unify
9. dual
10. bisect

Tip: Spend 10 minutes verbally studying the words each day. Research suggests that studying for small periods regularly is more effective than cramming. In addition to having your child spell the word aloud, ask your child to use the word in an imaginative sentence. You can pick a "theme" for the sentences, such as Halloween or the Desert…"Give me a sentence with 'collide' that has to do with Halloween." This can provide some challenge and novelty to a routine task.

Writing:

Unit 1 of Writer's Workshop: Realistic Fiction continues. 
This week's lessons continue to emphasize how to show, not tell, what our characters are like, drafting the heart of our story, and writing strong leads.

Social Studies/Science:

Social Studies: Geography of California

Science: Rocks and Minerals

Reminders:

Tardies:

 Please make sure your child is at school and in line by the 8:06 bell. We try to start the school day at 8:11 promptly. Thank you for your help!

Homework:

Please check your child's Homework Log nightly and sign or initial after the work has been completed. Remind your child that completed homework and the HW log are due in class daily.