Projects, projects, projects

It is crunch time! We are right at the end of the year, so I thought I would just list out what is left.

LA Projects:

• Think Tac Toe book report projects are due Friday, May 14th (because it is field day, there will be a grace period--no points deducted if they are turned in by Monday)--This was assigned months ago...hope it is going well! The projects that have been turned in already are AWESOME!
• Story Books due Friday, May 21 (or earlier)--Some kids are writing 50 page stories, which is great! I just want to make sure you are saving enough time to edit and copy into their books. We have a writers worshop with laptops again tomorrow...yay!

*If you are able to get a flash drive, it will really help with transporting your story to various computers in the school and/or home.

Social Studies:

• Mr. Garrido passed out everything needed for state reports to be completed on powerpoint
• Some kids still haven't turned in Waxless wax reports--talk to Mr. Garrido if you have questions!

This week's spelling is UNIT 25. Just click the unit 25 link to get a list you can print.

Fifth grade list:
http://www.zaner-bloser.com/spellingconnections/english5.html

Alternate List:
http://www.zaner-bloser.com/spellingconnections/english7.html

Spelling lists will be up tomorrow!  Here is a study guide online for the science test.  Please bring your silent reading book for your report tomorrow as you will likely get some reading time in.  

Go to drewnal22.myutips.org for more practice

select the "Geology Test" then "simple log in." 

You should be able to log in without a password. Just type in your name and it will take you to a practice test. 

As you do each question you can practice the sorts of wording you may see and the kinds of tables, charts, and graphs that may be confusing.

Book Orders

Due the 24th:

www.Scholastic.com

Username: Mrsvillastrigosclass
Password: ndpa

Some great news sites for kids!

I'm hoping we can get some inspiration for our own publications:

Time magazine for kids http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/

A UK based online news source http://www.firstnews.co.uk/

4Kids News http://www.4kids.org/

I passed out information about the book report project for the third trimester. It is a fun one, but requires some planning ahead. Make sure and read 30 minutes each night and you will easily finish your book. I recommend finishing by the end of spring break to work on your project.

We will have spelling practice Monday night, Tuesday night and Wednesday night this week. The quiz will be Thursday because of the assembly Friday. We are working with test taking skills, so make sure you do the back of the page Monday through Wednesday and the practice Thursday. These pages are practice similar to an ITBS or end of level, but what is important is the discussion we can have about them to help us understand general test-taking skills.

*School Spirit Week* Tomorrow is backward uniform day, Wednesday is wear as much red, white, and blue for school pride as you can, Thursday is best dressed day, and Friday is school spirit day. You can wear NDPA t-shirts that may be purchased at lunch for 8.00 or just sport your uniform!

Alternate List:

Abstract

Complicate

Persist

Attractive

Strict

Replica

Distract

Consist

Restrict

Insistence

Duplicate

Resist

Constrict

Detract

Resistance

Complication

Attract

Insist

Retract

Consistent



Fifth grade list (Easily confused words--many are homophones--study, study, study):

Vane

Principal

Country

Weight

Kernel

Vein

County

Coarse

Invent

Except

Colonel

Dairy

Capitol

Accept

Vain

Principle

Event

Capital

Diary

Course

Week's homework/reminders

Each night this week students will have a spelling practice with a vocabulary practice on the opposite side of the page. We will have a test over the list Friday and no homework for the weekend. If anything else is added, I will post again.

Reminders:
*Thank you to so many parents who have helped make sure students are caught up after absences.

• Spring pictures (optional) are on Wednesday this week.
• Please return signed report card envelopes (keep report card)
• A note is going home with my homeroom students about our art auction basket--it is going to be great, but is pretty meager currently.

Week's word lists below...

Spelling List (Yellow):
*Sorted for you--categories are italicized!
one word
outline
homework
downstairs
themselves
sweatshirt
itself
hyphenated words
full-time
up-to-date
make-believe
merry-go-round
fourty-four
good-bye
double-header
twenty-seven
Two words
home run
peanut butter
part of speech
parcel post

Blue (Alternate)
*Commonly misspelled words
laboratory
auxiliary
mischevious
salary
temperature
accidentally
remembrance
veterinarian
disastrous
athletic
separately
laundry
temperament
principally
hindrance
incidentally
privilege
maintenance

Vocabulary

animosity (anuhmosuhtee) noun a feeling of strong dislike or hatred

defaced (dihfayst) verb Destroy or spoil the appearance of. "scars defaced her cheeks"

deluge (dEHlyooj) noun,verb n. A heavy rain; a flood of anything.

dilatory (dihluhtawree) adjective Tardy, late, procrastinating.

garrulous (gEHruhluhs) adjective Talking to much about unimportant things

genealogy (jeeneeoluhjee) noun an account or chart showing the ancestors of a family.

punctilious (puhNGktihleeuhs) adjective Precise; paying strict attention to details.

sullen (suhluhn) adjective To be silent and gloomy because you are mad, angry, or bitter.

No homework tonight! Last night's homework was the mini-book about the layers of the earth and plate tectonics. Some students didn't quite finish it, so don't forget it tomorrow because it is all you need for homeworkopoly this week.


*To celebrate our hard work with persuasive writing and decompress after a long state assessment, we will be having a READ IN this friday! Feel free to bring something comfy to sit on and don't forget your favorite book or a new, exciting novel.

Get excited for the science fair tomorrow! It is going to be a wonderful opportunity to show off all your hard work. Balance your homework as necessary. The end result should be a rough draft on Friday, in order to play homeworkopoly. I recommended finishing 1/2 of the rough draft tonight (introduction and two body paragraphs) and the last two paragraphs tomorrow.

Don't forget your science fair poster tomorrow!!! I know you are very busy finishing posters and abstract papers, so I will give some class time for the short homework assignment you took home (about 20 min.) Remember, the homework was to choose something you want to do or have and write an outline with reasons why you should be allowed to do or have that thing. For voice, we are focusing on parents as our audience.

Oh my goodness, I have been forgetful about posting on here! No homework tonight and Valentine themed learning activities tomorrow.

*See reminders about science fair in the previous post.

Reminders/announcements:

Science fair posters must be in by Wed. the 17th because of the great number of entries throughout the school. This is only one day before, but if it presents a problem please let me know this week. The school will let me reserve a couple of spots, but they want to have everything set up to ensure ample space for everyone.

Johnny Tremain Fluency contest coming up! You will get your page assignment tomorrow and then you can practice as much as needed to have wonderful reading fluency when we read on Wednesday and Thursday.

Valentines notes went out last week with a class list on them. We will have shortened classes and then return to homerooms for the afternoon on Friday. We chose some great learning activities that will be oodles of fun!


Vocabulary
ardent- (orduhnt) adjective eager; filled with enthusiasm and feeling
cavorting -(kuhvawrtihNG) To run or leap about in a playful manner.
dawdled- verb wasted time; lingered; take one's time
enmity- (EHnmuhtee) noun a feeling of hatred; animosity
gait- (gayt) noun A manner of moving (in the case of our book a horse's walk)
gluttony- (gluhtuhnee) the act or habit of eating or drinking too much
knave- (nayv) noun a tricky deceitful fellow, a dishonest person
militia- (muhlihshuh) noun troops that could be called out in times of emergency
sorrel- (sawruhl) noun,adjective A horse of a brownish orange to light brown color.
suave (swov) adjective Having a pleasant manner and style; smooth.

Fifth grade spelling (ending in 'en' or 'ize')
Broken
Frighten
Specialize
Organize
Shaken
Fertilize
Awaken
Realize
Loosen
Summarize
Criticize
Forgotten
Modernize
Stolen
Generalize
Memorizes
Frozen
Civilize
Flatten
Straighten

Alternate List (difficult textiles/clothing, foods, flowers)
Tangerine
Suede
Gardenia
Calico
Frankfurter
Tuxedo
Angora
Cardigan
Damask
Cheddar
Magnolia
Denim
Hamburger
Cantaloupe
Satin
Currant
Leotard
Cashmere
Hyacinth
Camellia

Maturation class tomorrow at two. Parents are welcome to attend!

Please finish rough drafts tonight. Many kids were unprepared today and I gave quite a bit of class time. I am happy to help kids before or after school if they would like some extra help. I am working on putting together a writer's workshop so that I may work more with each student. Currently it is a struggle to get around to every single student and talk about the writing for very long. Please let me know if you are struggling.

Please make sure your career day rough draft is finished. Some kids used the almost 30 min. I gave in class very well. If you didn't get as much of a start on it, it is still important to get it done tonight. We will be doing some important things with it tomorrow and the next day.

Our afternoon class has author and professional writer, Kelley Lindberg presenting to us tomorrow. Morning class can stay tuned for a presentation soon. We are so lucky to have an opportunity like this!

*If you want help with your graph, don't forget your data tomorrow. :)

Spelling and Vocab. tonight. Please bring any letters for Haiti to school by the end of this week. Jayden Antes will be collecting them.

Science fair graphs: Be ready by Wednesday with your data if you want help at school.

Book reports can be turned in early if you like

Alternate spelling list:
Application
Asset
Affirm
According
Attain
Applaud
Assurance
Account
Assortment
Affix
Appetite
Attempt
Accustomed
Approval
Attire
Assemble
Appliance
Afford
Assert
Attentive

Fifth grade list:
Dishonest
Incomplete
Imperfect
Nonfiction
Unequal
Incorrect
Dislike
Nonstop
Unsure
Disagree
Inactive
Nonviolent
Unbutton
Impolite
Disobey
Impatient
Nonsense

Vocabulary
cordial (kawrjuhl) noun,adjective warm and friendly
effigies a figure or dummy that represents someone who is extremely disliked
exuberant (ihgzooburuhnt) adjective excited, full of energy, high-spirited
grievances (greevuhnsuhz) complaints
indenture (ihndEHnchur) noun,verb A written contract between two people
perturbed (purturbd) adjective,verb irritated
smug (smuhg) adjective conceited or self-satisfied; overly contented with oneself
spinet noun A small, upright piano
trudged (truhjd) verb Walked heavily, slowly and with dragging feet.
wary (wEHree) adjective Openly distrustful; very cautious.

Missed some posts!

I missed a couple of posts this week! I'm one of the millions of Americans trying to hit the gym at the start of the new year and my routine was thrown off just enough to mess me up. Tonight's homework is studying spelling a vocabulary. We had some tough vocabulary words this week, but I know you will all do well!

Reminders:
Science Fair is coming--I listed the parts and due dates in the science gradebook. Students are hopefully wrapping up research by now or prepared to do so for those with longer projects. The next step is getting a poster put together.

I plan to help students who are ready with thier data to create graphs. If you won't be ready, I hope you have the notes we took that take you step by step through creating the graph on NCES kids CREATEAGRAPH ( http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/ )--I am your resource if you get stuck!

I reccomend finishing the poster presentation by next weekend and following that up with your one page abstract report (12 font, double spaced). Some kids like to type the abstract first and then cut bits and pieces out of it for use on thier poster. Of course, any parts of the report you use on the poster should be enlarged to make your poster easy to see.

*EVERYTHING you need and all the information needed to complete your research, report, and poster presentation is in the journal we made at school.

**Don't wait until the last minute. It is sad to hear kids say they stayed up until midnight the night before and they can hardly stay away for the awesome science fair. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone this year. I can give as much help as you need at school, if you just ask.

Spelling and vocabulary for h.w. tonight. Don't forget to do your word sort next to the list.

*Those who are able to finish the experiment part of science fair research will be able to use class time on February 3rd to create graphs on the program I taught you to use.

**If you are done with your graph, you can use that class time to do your one page abstract paper.

Vocabulary

aloof (uhloof) adjective,adverb standing apart from others, seeming snobbish; uninterested in what is happening

diffidently adjective,adverb Hesitently or in a shy manner; without self-confidence.

gilded (gihldihd) adjective,verb Made from or covered with gold.

gumption (guhmpshuhn) noun initiative and courage; "get up and go"

illiterate (ihlihturuht) noun,adjective Not able to read or write.

imperceptibly (ihmpursEHptihblee) so slightly or gradually as to be barely noticeable

indolent (ihnduhluhnt) adjective lazy, not motivated to work, moving slowly

promenade (promuhnayd) noun,verb A public area set aside as a pedestrian walk.

rakish (raykihsh) adjective Marked by carefree, confident behavior or appearance

squabs A young pigeon eaten as food

Spelling

Fifth grade list (state names)

Ohio
Maine
Alaska
Iowa
Texas
Nevada
Montana
Florida
Alabama
Maryland
South Carolina
California
Washington
New York
North Dakota
Colorado
Massachusetts

+ 3 words of your choice on the test!

Alternate List (compound words, adding es for plural, and changing y to es)

Activities
Potatoes
Mix-ups
Copies
Shelves
Spoonfuls
Mother-in-law
Echoes
Knives
Opportunities
Tomatoes
Cupfuls
Father-in-law
Thieves
Boundaries
Volcanoes
Passerby
Teaspoonfuls
Companies
Mosquitoes

Write each word missed 10x each and a create a sentence for each vocabulary word (we did a couple of these together).

How is science fair going? Hope everyone is started on that so it doesn't become a stressful, last minute project. Ask me anytime you have need help or have a question.

Two days left to prepare for our assessments on Friday. This is a challenge with a four day week--be sure to study. Practice that silly persuasive essay outline dance. Lets see who knows it tomorrow! Exciting events to come in our novel, Johnny Tremain tomorrow.
I wish I would have thought to post these spelling lists earlier. I suppose you should (in theory) have your own copy in your possession each night. Next week I will get these posted earlier in the week for at home practice.

FIFTH GRADE SPELLING LIST
Consonant Sounds: /k/, /s/ (spelled using a 'c', 'ch', or 'ck')
　　
chorus
create
suitcase
cereal
recent
practice
company
expect
jacket
frantic
choir
grocery
recite
celebrate
exercise
correct
comic
select
plastic
stomach

ALTERNATE LIST
Words from Spanish!
avocado
stampede
cafeteria
rodeo
mustang
iguana
lariat
sierra
tornado
cinch
fiesta
mosquito
cabana
bravado
mesa
canyon
pronto
siesta
patio
tortilla

Vocabulary from Johnny Tremain (ALL)'

-Abated (uhbaytihd) verb to make less in force or intensity; decrease

-Crimson (krihmzuhn) noun,verb,adjective A deep and vivid red.

-Loiter (loitur) verb to remain somewhere for no good reason

-Mundane (muhndayn) adjective routinely done without thought

-Poultice (pohltuhs) noun,verb A soft, heated mass applied to sores and other injuries.

-Reproved to scold or correct usually in a gentle way

-Slavishly (slavihshlee) To follow completely without any thoughts of your own.

-Stifling (stiiflihNG) adjective,noun,verb Smother, suppress or suffocating.

-Tediously (teedeeuhslee) slowly; in a boring manner

-Tyranny (tihruhnee) noun harsh and cruel leadership

-Ulceration the process of slowly healing an open sore

Just a little vocabulary is all that should be left. I worked with each spelling group and it looked like everyone finished!

Many students forgot to do their homework over the weekend. There isn't any grade penalization, but rough drafts on our persuasive topic about uniforms need to be in no later than tomorrow. Outlines were done last week, so the last step is putting everything into complete sentences/paragraphs.

This time around I asked students to really work on making ideas interesting and convincing. Those who have been scoring higher were asked to add one fact or statistic and all students were asked to add one anecdote. The anecdote may be very short or more detailed. It should just add some personalization from the student's life to the argument.

Beyond this no homework this week!!!

We had quite a bit of time to work on the possible homework in class, but you may need to wrap up one or more of the following:

• vocabulary reading
• Words missed 10x each
• For or against uniforms essay outline

Students: Start brainstorming story ideas, comics, letters to the editor, book or movie reviews for our fifth grade newspaper. We will be taking applications for Editors beginning next week and look forward to seeing the first edition of our paper in the next couple weeks.

Please return science fair registration forms by Monday. I gave out a copy that is blue and you can also print them from the school's website. I forgot to pass out your reading calendars, so you can expect those tomorrow. Book orders are due January 14th. You can order online starting tomorrow.


A couple of reminders:

Don't forget spelling tonight/ study vocabulary lists

Bring your science journal tomorrow


Parents--I

f you would like a picture from the skits please email me and I will send it. I am going to keep trying to post them, but have been unsuccessful because my internet at home is so slow.

Conferences are coming up next week. If you didn't sign up for a time, your child will bring home an appointment tomorrow.

Monday H.W.

Welcome back!

Whatever is left of spelling and vocabulary is homework. I gave considerable time in class and went over the whole vocabulary side for those that wanted help.

Science Fair Registration is due next Monday. I will send home a copy and you can also print it from home (it is the last page of the packet). Just go to northdavisprep.org and it is at the bottom of the page. It says "New science fair."