9/20/11 - Conference Sign Up

Conference Sign Up

I am sending home some forms those of you that have not signed up for conferences. On the form, please indicate 3 possible times, and then I will designate one and send home a confirmation.

Those that have already signed up, I will send confirmation home soon!

If there is not a possible time for you that is listed, I am sure we can come up with something!

nb

9/20/11 - Picture Day Friday!

Picture Day Friday!

The beauty of the internet. I simply copied and pasted this from last year's blog entry!! I am bolding points of emphasis or ideas I have added this year:

Reminder Picture Day is Friday! You need to have your envelope with money that day. If you forget, or your student is absent, there usually is a make-up day.

I had this fun idea last year: If your student wants to, they could wear a tie! We had quite a few takers last year, and they looked pretty sharp. If you are wanting a particular shirt for your student to wear (with no tie), that is TOTALLY fine. Zero pressure.

Why ties? I wear one virtually every day. I have lots of them. I will bring them on Thursday and Friday. I will tie them for the students who are interested.

Guidelines:

1. Parents must okay it
2. You need an appropriate shirt to go with the tie
3. You may bring your own tie
4. Girls may OF COURSE participate. Who doesn’t look good in tie?
5. If you send an expensive tie, I’ll make sure your student wears it only for the picture!
   

Again, this is all for fun, and 100% optional. FuN, but I don't want it to be silly, as these pictures might be proudly displayed at a graduation party in May 2018!!

Have a great day,
nb

9/19/11

Language Arts:

Packet - due date TBA

Spelling - pretest - Dictionary group 5 words!!!

DRAs

Math:

Balke: SL 2.1

Gordon: MJ 31 SL 33 (due ???)

Hall: Study guide - test F SL 34

Moen: SL 2.3

Science: -----

Social Studies: -----

Other:

9/16/11

Language Arts: Packet - due Monday (don't do last 3 pages)

Spelling final

Math:

Balke: Test today

Gordon: no hw Test today

Hall: MJ 39

Moen: SL 2.2

Science: Foil boats - 4, 6, 8 inch

Social Studies: Continuiing Ch.3 The beginning of agriculture!

Other: Patrols begin Monday!!

Carnival tonight

Picture day Next Friday!

9/15/11

Language Arts: Packet - due Tomorrow

Spelling final test - tomorrow

Math:

Balke: Ch. 1 test tomorrow

Gordon: Study for Unit 1 test tomorrow

Hall: MJ 33

Moen: no hw - place value

Science: Foil boats

Social Studies: ------------------------

Other:

9/15/11 - Study Pages for Ch. 1 Math Test (Balke)

In the Everyday Mathematics Student Math Journal, the following are pages that can be used to study for the test tomorrow. Some of these pages have already been done in class, some not. I will not be checking to see if students have done this. I will only include pages that may be on the test.

Pages in Math Journal

6

7

8 (#2 only)

9

14

15

16 (#2 only)

17 (#1 and #2 only)

18

19

20

21

22

23

24 (#1 and #2 only)

28 (#1 only)

29

30

31

32 (#2 and #3 only)

33 (#1 only)

34

35

36

37

38

39 (#2 and #3 only)

40

41

42

43 (#1 only)

9/14/11

Language Arts:

Packet - due F

Spelling - Final test F

Math:

Balke: Reviewing for Test - F

Gordon: SL 24 MJ 24

Hall: SL 29

Moen: Review test - parents sign and return

Science: Buoyancy Displacement

Social Studies: Begin Ch.3

Other: Green note

Carnival F

9/13/11

Language Arts: Spelling - Word Sort, Vowel +r - due tomorrow

Math:

Balke: SL 1.11 1.12

Gordon: SL 25 MJ 24 (Th)

Hall: SL 21

Moen: Family letter Ch.2

Science: Finished Bill Nye

Social Studies: Brain only test

Other: Carnival Friday

9/12/11 - Social Studies Ch. 2

Social Studies Ch. 2

The following are the notes that we took today regarding the "brain-only" test. DO NOT expect to see these posted every time there is a test!

Order of Hominids (1-5, oldest-newest)

Scientific name - other names

1. Australopithecus afarensis - Lucy, Southern Ape

2. Homo habilis - Handy Man

3. Homo erectus - Upright Man

4. Homo sapiens neanderthalensis - Neanderthals, Wise Man

5. Homo sapiens sapiens - Early Modern Humans, Doubly Wise Man

Tools

1. Lucy - none

2. Handy - sharp rocks

3. Upright - fire, hand axe

4. Wise - 60+ kinds, knives, scrapers, spear points, sharp, thin blades

5. Us - bow and arrow, spear thrower, needles, engraving, hooks, sculpting tool

Capabilities

1. Lucy - biped: carry, defend

2. Handy - make tools

3. Upright - fire, move better - left Africa

4. Wise - better at tools, working together, 1st to hunt in a organized way

5. Us - the best at making tools, 1st artists, covered the earth

Also, read the text and other notes. Good luck!

9/12/11 - Spelling Procedures, Dictionary List

Spelling Procedures

As you may have heard, our spelling is new this year. We still have Houghton-Mifflin, but it is now integrated within the new language arts materials. I'm still trying to work it out. Here is the latest:

There will be four groups

A - responsible for studying the first 10 words of the list

B - responsible for studying the first 20 words of the list (the "Basic Words")

C - responsible for studying all 25 words of the list (the "Basic Words" + the "Challenge Words")

D - (The Dictionary Group) Students will come up with challenging, yet useful words. They will turn them in to me, then, if appropriate, I will approve them and create their list. D group students must still do any spelling assignments for groups A, B, and C.

The groups are based on their performance on the first three weeks of tests. Students will have the opportunity to move up.

Mondays:

Pretests for A, B, and C

Dictionary group will spend time coming up with words. Some years I have been able to have them do a pretest, but usually time does not permit.

Class gets an assignment. The assignment has the list in it. That is where the lists are, as opposed to the texts from last year.

During the week:

Students may receive 1-2 more assignments

Friday:

Final test

As always, subject to change!

Dictionary List

You won't get this every week, but I thought I would post it this time:

1. abbreviation

2. authentic

3. metamorphosis

4. augmentation

5. cosmetology

6. electrometallurgy

7. echelon

8. supernatural

9. resemblance

10. hallucinate

11. legislator

12. circulation

13. rendezvous

14. Renaissance

15. mannequin

16. simultaneously

17. pteranodon

18. triangulation

19. multiplication

20. strategize

21. photographic

22. venipuncture

23. embryo

24. barrier

25. Delaware