Classroom News for the Week of September 30th

News and Upcoming Events: 

9/30 Unassigned Day - School closed. There will be no orchestra this week.

10/1 Trip slips for the 10/17 field trip come home. Please fill out all sections and return asap. Permission slips to check out books from the school library come home. Please sign and return.

10/9 Unassigned Day- School closed

10/17 Field trip to Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden
Students visit hands-on stations to learn how local California Indians used native plants. There is 1chaperone spot left. This all-day trip takes place outside and involves moderate walking on dirt paths. If you are willing and able to supervise a small group of students, please email me at slc5001@lausd.net. Chaperones will need to drive/carpool in private cars with their children.

Room 12's Wishlist: If you would like to make a purchase for our class, please click on the following link. You may have items shipped directly to me at the school's address. Your generosity is appreciated!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3UMPU38TFPSLQ?ref_=wl_share

What's Going On This Week In Class:

Math: 

This week we will be wrapping up the place value, rounding, addition, and subtraction unit. We will review the above skills as well as multi-step word problems, tape diagrams, and estimation to determine reasonableness. Students will have an end of unit assessment on Friday. Our next unit will be on metric measurement.

Khan Academy (Individualized math practice)

Reading:

This week students will begin reading Scott O'Dell's Newbery-Award winning book, Island of the Blue Dolphins. This work of historical fiction ties in with our current social studies unit on the geography and native people of California. We will be using Depth and Complexity icons to help us dig deeper into the text.

Genre Blackout: Students are challenged to read books from 9 different genres in the first reporting period. Ask your child about his or 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:

This week we will begin a new unit of Writer's Workshop: The Arc of A Story. This unit focuses on the skills and concepts young writers needed to craft realistic fiction stories. Lessons this week focus on brainstorming: Imagining Stories from Ordinary Moments; Imagining Stories We Wish Existed.

Social Studies/Science:

Social Studies: California's 4 geographical regions

Earth Science: Geology - Volcanos

Reminders:

Birthday Celebrations: If you would like to send treats to celebrate your child's birthday, please email me a day or two in advance. Treats must be something small and easy to pass out. We have students with food coloring, nut, dairy, and tree nut allergies. We currently have 35 students in our class. We don't have time for birthday parties - your child will distribute the treat at the end of the day as his/her classmates are leaving the room.

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.