Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The grading period and first half of the year are winding down quickly. We do not have much class time this week because of practices for the Christmas program. However, there are still things that we need to do.

The morning practice took up a lot of time this morning, so the 6th graders did not have enough time to take the math test. They will take it tomorrow. 5th grade took the math test today.

We finished the science study guides for both grades today. There will be a quiz on Thursday.

For heritage studies, we are only using pages from their worktext as the study guide. There will be a quiz Thursday on the information from the pages they worked on yesterday and today.

I was not able to finish grading all of the tests from last week. The students will receive their test folders tomorrow so that all of the tests before this week are sent home before the break.

Monday, December 14, 2009

The money for the Christmas party was due Friday. They will allow the students to pay tomorrow if they have not yet. If the student does not pay, they will not be allowed to participate and will have to sit in the office during the party.

Both grades received review worksheets for math today. Their test is tomorrow.

We began the science study guide for 6th grade today. 5th grade did not have time to do the vocabulary Friday, so we did the vocabulary for science class today. They will get the study guide tomorrow and we will finish it tomorrow.

For heritage studies, we will only be having a quiz on thursday. The information is coming only from pages in the worktext that we are completing today and tomorrow. There is no study guide for heritage studies this week.

Friday is the last day of the grading period. The tests from this week will not be included in a test folder until after the Christmas break.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Today was that last day to turn in money for the Christmas party. The party is next Friday, following the Christmas Program.

We learned our last new lesson for this math test today. The students did practice work in class and will receive the worksheets on Monday. At the top of each new lesson in the book is the explanation. If you need to review over the weekend with your student, that should be enough for you to work with without the worksheets.

6th grade was able to do the science definitions today but 5th grade did not have enough time because they took longer to finish math. Next week we will only have a quiz in science, so it will not be much for them to learn, anyway.

We had our heritage studies tests today. 5th grade again did not have time to complete the test, so I broke it down and only gave the first page today. They will take the second page on Monday as well as learn the new lesson. There will only be a quiz in heritage studies next week.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Okay, I'm back and hopefully it'll stay that way! I just had a worse relapse of my non-contagious bronchitis from before Thanksgiving Break. This time, it was contagious. I would have been back sooner if they had let me!

The students still had all the resources they needed to get the information and do their work for the tests this week. We had the science test today. The heritage studies test will be tomorrow.

I have grades to send home, but I knew that if the test folders went home today, I would not have them all back in time for Tuesday. Test folders will be ready and sent home Tuesday.

Tomorrow is the last day for the $10 for the Christmas Party. A reminder was sent home with the students.

We have been having music practice for the Christmas Program during class time. Some of the students may be having a little more homework this week and next week because of less class time.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Both grades had their science test today. We were able to review in 5th grade before the test.

The heritage studies test is tomorrow. We reviewed the material for 5th grade. We had chapel this morning, so there was not enough time to review for the 6th grade. We will go over the material briefly before the test tomorrow for them.

Both grades had a graded worksheet for math on Tuesday. It was open book and I walked around answering any questions that they had while taking it.

A note is going home today for the Christmas party we would like to throw for the 5th and 6th graders. It will be right after the Christmas Program on Decemver 18th. Each student is asked to bring $10 to provide for the party's supplies. They will not need to bring gifts this year. The money will be spent on quality food, supplies, and then gifts with what is left..

Monday, November 30, 2009

Thanksgiving Break is over and I'm back! I thought I'd be able to finish the last few days before the break, but I ended up with a case of bronchitis. We are going to be getting back to our regular schedule this week, though.

The students still had math lessons to learn while I was gone. We reviewed those today and they will have an in-class, graded worksheet to take the place of a test grade. They will be able to use their books and ask questions.

The students were supposed to get their science vocabulary done before the break, but the 5th graders did not do it. They will have to finish them tonight so they can be on task. Both grades got the study guides today and will have the test Thursday.

We began our heritage studies lessons today. We will do the majority of the study guide tomorrow and will finish them on Wednesday. The test will be Friday.

There are only three weeks of school before the Christmas break. The second grading period ends with this year. Report cards will not go out until after the break, but only grades from before the break will count.

Test folders will be going out tomorrow. Since I was not able to be at school to put them together in time last week, the students will have two weeks of tests sent home.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The students received another paper today dealing with Harvest of Hope. They are having a cake decorating contest. Anyone participating has to have their cake turned in Thursday morning. The cakes will be sold on Friday as part of the fundraiser.

Test folders will not be going home until tomorrow.

Both grades had a math test today. We will learns some lessons tomorrow and Thursday and complete graded worksheets Friday instead of having the lessons carry over the week.

We completed the science study guides today. The test for that is Thursday.

6th grade did more work on the heritage studies study guide and 5th grade got them today and began working on them. We will finish them up in class tomorrow.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Harvest of Hope is Friday. The students received a paper requesting certain donations. They also received a paper as a reminder for it. Mrs. Heather's phone number is on the first paper if you have any questions.

Today, both grades completed math worksheets and we went over them to prepare for the test tomorrow. Since the Thanksgiving break is next week, I do not want the students to have information to remember over the break. To avoid that, we will simply be learning new lessons Wednesday and Thursday. Friday, they will complete worksheets in class as a grade.

We worked on the science study guides today for both classes. We will finish those up tomorrow and have our test Thursday. 5th grade has a science assignment to be turned in for a grade tomorrow. Most of the students finished in class, but those who did not have to finish for homework.

6th grade received the heritage studies study guide today but we did not have a chance to work on it for 5th grade. We will continue working on those tomorrow and Wednesday.

Thursday, November 11, 2009

Both grades had their science tests today. 6th grade had a few minutes to review on their own and 5th grade we reviewed together before the test.

Those students who brought back their progress reports signed today are getting 2 bonus points in each of the 3 subjects they have for me.

6th grade made Greek drama masks in class today. We reviewed a little for the 5th grade heritage studies test. Both grades have the test tomorrow.

5th grade has learned 3 new math lessons this week, but they all tie in to be basically the same thing. We will review tomorrow and I will also have worksheets for them to practice on. 6th grade still has a new lesson to learn tomorrow but we will start practice problems and I should have a worksheet for them, too.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Happy Veteran's Day! I hope that those of you who have family members serving now or who have served are able to realize all the good they have done and are doing for our country. Thank you.

The students have received papers with some announcements. First, the Harvest of Hope has been pushed back to Friday, November 20. Hopefully not too many people are leaving early for the holidays. Also, due to the awesomeness of the girl's volleyball team, they have made it to the state play-offs. Tomorrow will be a special Warrior Day for the students to wear jeans and any HCS t-shirt. They do not have to pay the $1 this time. They also received the November PTC Newsletter with the calendar on the back.

Progress reports went out today. For Mrs. Jodie's class, they also just received the test folders today. They did not include the homework grade, which for most students is a 100/100. The 6th graders had a definite improvement in their grades, and I think a lot of them are happy with the grades so far. Also, a lot of 5th graders have made significant improvement and are doing better.

We reviewed for the science test tomorrow in both grades. Also, we completed the heritage studies study guides for both classes.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Progress reports go out tomorrow. It looks like the majority of the students are doing a lot better and I think they will be proud of their grades.

Both grades have to complete the front of the heritage studies study guide and a worktext page tonight. We will finish the study guide up tomorrow.

We finsihed the study guides in science today. We will review and have our test Thursday.

Math tests were today. I am not able to have those factored in to the progress reports for tomorrow. We will start our new lessons tomorrow.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Tomorrow is the last day for the boxes to be turned in for Operation Christmas Child. A couple of students have turned in boxes already. Tomorrow is also the cookie cake party for 6th grade.

Both grades had the science test today. We were able to review before it in both grades.

Tomorrow we will have our heritage studies quiz in both grades.

We learned new lessons in math in both grades today. We will have practice problems tomorrow and another new lesson.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Since the 6th graders won the door decoration for Red Week, they are being rewarded with a cookie cake party this Friday. Drinks will be provided, but 4 students have volunteered to bring in a bag of chips to go along with the cake. I'll remind those students tomorrow. The party will be the last part of the day before dismissal.

Yesterday, some 5th graders missed the science lesson becuase they had a 4-H meeting. They were not in class for the questions that they need for the test tomorrow. They have had the vocabulary since Friday and I told them they would be responsible for finishing the questions today. There aren't many questions, so it should not be a problem. We went over the answers in class, too. We also were able to review in 6th grade for the science test tomorrow.

5th grade and 6th grade are only having a quiz in heritage studies this week. They have all of the information that they need.

We started our new math lessons today. For 5th grade, they learned adding and subtracting with uncommon denominators. Last week, they learned how to make common denominators and a few weeks ago they learned adding fractions. I'm confident that they will do well since they already learned it, just in two separate parts. We spent the majority of our class time working on it so that each student could do their assignment. I also assigned them each a few problems to turn in so that I can see if they are getting it. 6th grade moved on to multiplying decimals, but it's simple and requires regular multiplication. The only difference is where to put the decimal in the answer.

It seems like both classes are going to be doing better in math, especially once they realize that they already know how to do all or most of it for this week.

Friday, October 30, 2009

A big congratulations to the 6th graders: They won the door decoration contest for elementary!! They definitely worked hard on the idea and getting things together. It was worth it for the regular class time that we lost! Their prize is going to be a cookie cake party next week. The exact day is not set yet.

There were several 6th graders absent today, but we still continued with our lessons. The heritage studies test for them will be Monday.

Both grades worked on their science vocabulary today. We will start with the lessons and the study guide on Monday as usual.

Both grades also finished their math lessons for the test Tuesday. They received worksheets to be completed over the weekend as homework. A lot of the students finished in class, or were close to it. The worksheets do not have much to practice, but it breaks down step by step an example for each way to work them. This should help them if they read the directions.

I hope everyone has fun this weekend and whatever your plans are for tonight and tomorrow, be safe!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Today was another crazy morning for the 6th graders. They took the science test and started working on our door decorations. We had chapel this morning, so we did not have much time to work on it. We are getting there and really only have a few things left to glue on. They did not have a math lesson but did work on completing their heritage studies study guide. We will review it tomorrow and have that test Monday.

5th graders learned their math lesson and started practice problems today. They were able to take the science test and we reviewed for the heritage studies test tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Today we began working on the door decoration for Red Week. The 5th graders are in Mrs. Jodie's homeroom, so they have their own theme. For 6th grade, each studetn is responsible for drawing and decorating their own baseball. It should be just about 3-4 inches across with the student's name on it and any other decorations they want to put. They have known about it since yesterday and it is due tomorrow. We will hopefully be putting it all together tomorrow. Because we have had to take some time away from work, the 6th grade is not ready for the heritage studies test Friday. It is being postponed until Monday. 5th grade will still have their test Friday.

In math, we are learning new lessons this week and are moving on. I am working on having worksheets for both grades with practice problems to help prepare for next week's test.

Both grades are having the science test tomorrow. They have had their vocabulary since last week and all the rest of the information since yesterday.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Today is the last Monday of October. It seems like this year is going by so fast! We are already in the 3rd week of this grading period, which means progress reports go out in just a couple of weeks.

Today, 6th grade took a bit longer in getting their math practice finished, so we were not able to start our science lesson. However, they have had their vocabulary since Friday and there are only a few questions on the study guide that are not vocabulary. We will finish the study guide tomorrow. 5th grade did have time to work on it. The case is the same as 6th grade in that they had all of their vocabulary Friday and only have a few questions that are not vocabulary to know.

For heritage studies, 6th grade began the study guide today. We will finish it with our lessons tomorrow and Wednesday. 5th grade is having a similar test to the last one. Most of the material will come from the worktext pages they are responsible for doing over the next couple of days. The majority of what they need to know is in labeling the map of the states from the two regions we will cover this week. There are less states, so they will be responsible for knowing a little more about each state that just their location.

We went over practice problems in math for both grades and worked them out on the board. I had to address a small situation, particularly with the 5th graders. They have not been following along or paying attention in class. This shows particularly in how well they are not catching on in math. I gave them a worksheet last Thursday with examples using step by step directions. Even with that being given AFTER we learned everything and did our work, they still seem to not understand. With all that we practiced in class together and all the practice that they received, there is no reason (other than that they are not paying attention) that they should not know how to work everything. Math has been taking up way too much time in class because I am trying to help them as much as possible, but it is becoming more clear that it is because they do not pay attention or read/follow the directions. They need to learn to do that or else it will continue being difficult for them.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Another week is finished and with only one week left in October, it's nice for it to finally feel a little more like fall!

Both grades had their heritage studies tests today. We will pick up in learning new lessons on Monday.

Both grades also completed their science vocabulary in class today. On Monday, we will begin learning the lessons and have the official study guide.

6th grade learned a new math lesson today but 5th grade did not. Yesterday, 5th grade received a packet or practice work that I wrote up. We continued working on it today and will wrap up our practice problems on Monday before the test Tuesday. Both grades took the openbook math test again to count as a separate grade worth half the points. After the students worked on them for a little while, we went over one or two problems from each section for them to make sure they got it right. All of the students should have finished everything and done it all the right way. This is meant to be an extra grade to help them.

Next week is Red Week. The students received a slip of paper explaining everything that they can participate in for next week. We will be decorating our door, so some students may have to bring in small props or supplies to help with that.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Both grades had a chance to study and review science today. The quiz is tomorrow. There is not much information to learn and they have had all of the answers since yesterday.

We finished up heritage studies today. We will review tomorrow and then have our test Friday. A big part of the 5th grade test is labeling some of the states on the map of the United States. They have the ones they need to know in their worktext books and there are also a few more questions on the study guide, but not much else.

We learned new lessons in math for both grades. We have spent a lot of extra time going over and over the fractions and factors and we need to move forward in our lessons. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's not. The students need to learn to pay attention and do their practice work so that they are prepared for the tests.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Both grades took their math open book tests today, It covered no new material and we practiced problems yesterday. If they did the work in class like they are supposed to, the test should have not been a problem.

We completed the study guides for science today. We will review tomorrow and have our quiz Thursday.

We finished the study guides for 5th grade in heritage studies, and are almost finished with the 6th grade study guide. We will complete them and go over them tomorrow. The test is Friday.

Test folders went home today. The students have two weeks of grades. I made new conduct sheets because the other ones were getting messed up and to add a spot for the number of grades being sent home.

Monday October 19, 2009

We are resuming our regular week of tests and quizzes. The students have not learned anything new in math, but will have an open book math test tomorrow. Today, they each made up two problems covering information that we have learned over the last few weeks and worked one each on the board as review. The problems on the test will not be worth much, but will serve more as graded practice.

We started our heritage studies study guides today. We learned a little bit about the lessons last week, but did not start much until today. The test will be Friday.

Both grades also started the science study guides today. They got all of the definitions and we will complete the last couple of items tomorrow. That quiz will be Thursday.

Test folders will be going out tomorrow. They will have the tests from the week of 10/5-10/9 and also last weeks. The grades from the tests of 10/5-10/9 went home last week, althought the test folders did not.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The students got their report cards today. I sent home a slip giving the test grades from last weeks tests. For 5th grade, the slip was put in their report card folder. For 6th grade, it was handed out to them. The tests with those grades will go out next week.

We did not get much accomplished in either grade today. It took a lot longer for 6th grade to finish their math tests than usual. Because of that, we did not get to cover any new lessons. For 5th grade, we reviewed a little bit more for the math, and then by the time we were able to get our tests done, the day was almost over. In both grades, besides the math tests, we only did a small experiment in science class.

Tomorrow, we have our science quiz. For math, we will just review some things, and then for heritage studies I have a small hands-on activity to do if things work out.

Fall Break is Over!

I hope everyone enjoyed the time the students had off and were kept safe over the break. All of the grades are in and report cards go out tomorrow. I think most of you will be happy with the improvement from the progress report grades. There are not many homework assignments in class, so most of the students had that grade to help with the averages and every student had the opportunity for 10 bonus points simply by completing their assignments and turning them in on time.



Test folders will not be going out this week. Due to the students getting their test folders late last week, I still have not received all of them back yet. I will send home a slip with the test grades for each student, and then the tests will go home next week.

We went over our math practice problems today. The test is tomorrow.

We read a little bit in heritage studies, but are taking it slow this week. I expect to get back into our routine of tests next week, so we will not have a heritage studies grade until next week on Friday.

The students have hadtheir science vocabulary since Friday. We completed the study guides today and will have our quiz on Friday.

Friday, October, 9, 2009

***I thought that I had submitted this post on Friday, but when I opened up my computer today, I found the blog not posted. Sorry for it being late!***


Fall Break is here! I think it'll be a good break for both the students and the faculty here. Hopefully the students can relax and come back refreshed and with clear minds.

Today, we had our heritage studies quiz. Since we will not have very much time to learn new heritage studies lessons next week, we will not have a test or quiz next week. The week of 10/19-10/23 we should start back with out regular test schedule.

I assigned both grades a math practice test to complete and turn in on Wednesday. Also, they were informed of our tests/quizzes next week and should have written it in their planners.

Both grades got their science vocabulary today. We will learn more about the lesson on Wednesday, review on Thursday, and have a quiz on the imformation on Friday.

For math, we spent time Thursday and today practicing. We will continue our review on Wednesday and then have our math test on Thursday after the break.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Tomorrow is the lat day of the first nine weeks. The students saw some of their averages at the beginning of the week, but those did not include the homework grade. Most of the students have a 100 in homework, so it will really bring up their grades once it is factored in.

We had our science tests today. Tomorrow, we will work on science vocabulary so that for next week, we will be able to learn on Wednesday, review on Thursday and have a quiz on Friday.

The heritage studies quiz is tomorrow. We will not have a test or quiz in that subject next week.

For math class, we are learning our lessons now. We have started practice problems and will continue with those tomorrow. We will have our math test on Thursday after Fall Break. The students may end up with math work to do over the break, but it should not be much. It all depends on ow much of their practice work they get done tomorrow.

Also. I forgot to mention that tests folders are not going out today. They will be sent home tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Either through me or Mrs. Jodie, all parents have been called, talked to, written to or left voicemails for conferences that requested one. If you received a letter or voicemail, you have to call the office during office hours or return the letter to the teacher to let us know that we need to try again.

Both grades had their math tests today. The tests had a few more problems on them, but they were not worth many points and they were smaller problems. We had learned our lessons last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and had started the practice problems in class on Thursday as a part of the lessons. We finished most of them on Friday and then worked on the rest and went over them yesterday. The students also have had the extra point assignment for math for a week.

In science, we finished our study guides. The students already had their vocabulary from last week and just had questions that we went over in class added to the study guide. We will review tomorrow and have our test on Thursday.

For heritage studies, we started the study guides today and did most of it. We will wrap those up tomorrow and have our quiz Friday. The students had at least 30 minutes in class yesterday to work on just the heritage studies extra points. About half of the answers they should have already had from when they worked in their work text book and now only have to copy those answers. I did not put too much work for this one because they had gotten it late, and there should be no issues with getting it done if they had stayed on task with the others.

I have brought this up in the past, but feel that it needs to be addressed again. After the students finish a test or one assignment, they have extra time until everyone finishes. For a lot of the students, this ends up being about 15-20 minutes. I cannot make them study or do their extra work at this time, but I always tell them that they should take advantage of the time to do school work.

Monday, October 5, 2009

The students received the PTC newsletter today. There is a calendar on the back showing important dates. The girls' volleyball game for tomorrow is cancelled. The Sally Foster and Otis Spunkmeyer sales end on Wednesday. Students need to start bringing in their order forms.

Both grades had done their science vocabulary last week. Today, we went over some more of the lesson and started the study guide, which includes a little more than the vocabulary. We'll wrap those up tomorrow.

The math tests are tomorrow. Both grades started practice problems last week and we worked a little more on them today and went over all of the answers. A lot of the students have had enough time and have finished their math extra point assignments in class.

Both grades got their heritage studies extra point assignments today and had a while to work on them in class. We will start our lessons tomorrow and have a quiz on Friday.

The bonus point assignments for all subjects are due on Wednesday. Both grades have had time to work on them in class, and many have already completed one or two of the packets. No homework was assigned tonight, although some of the students did bring home their books to finish up the extra point assginments.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Today was a crazy day! 6th grade went to chapel with the high schoolers and there was an afternoon pep rally for the volleyball team, which threw off the whole day's schedule. 5th grade won the spirit stick at the pep rally, making it the first time their class has ever won!

We were able to get the definitions for science for both grades. Also, the grades had a chance to work on math practice problems that will be finished on Monday for the test Tuesday. 5th grade was a little pressed for time with the heritage studies test, but they had a solid 25 minutes to get it done. It was only 10 questions, and then the map that they had to label.

There is no homework or practice for over the weekend.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

We were able to spend a little extra time working on math again today. Both grades had some work to do for a grade. They worked on it themselves, and then we went over it one by one for them to get the right answers. This is to help boost their grades a little. The students had more than enough time to complete the problems and to change any that would have been wrong while we went over it together. Both grades got their math grades from yesterdays test. There was significant improvement in a lot of the 5th grade students and a lot of the 6th graders did well. Both grades had time to work on their bonus points assignments in class as well.

The science quiz is tomorrow. We took a "pop quiz" today as our review and it will count only as bonus points for the quiz tomorrow. 6th grade received their bonus point assignment for science today and was able to do some work on it. 5th grade will get theirs tomorrow.

We finished the study guides for heritage studies in both grades. Neither grade has very much information for this week.

It Feels Like Fall!

Even thought it officially turned fall last week, today is the first day of cooler weather. Finally, when the kids came in from P.E., they were not sweating or with red faces! We've still got a few weeks before it really starts to stay cool, but I'll take it for today.

The math tests were a little easier today. A lot of it was material that we tested on last week and had extra time to review. Hopefully, the grades improved. Both grades were given a packet of worksheets. This packet will all together count for up to 10 extra points in math class. 5th grade had a while to work on it in class after the test. It is not due until next Wednesday.

We finished the science study guides for the quiz Thursday. Neither grade has much information to learn and we have spent two class periods going over it already, and will go over it again tomorrow.

Both grades received the heritage studies study guide today. A lot of 6th graders finished it in class. We will learn the last few pages of our lesson and finish the answers together tomorrow. There are 18 separate items on the study guide for 6th grade, but 20 questions. 5th grade has only 10 items on the study guide, but one of them is to label 10 countries on the world map. They have a copy of the map and the 10 countries they will need to know.

The bonus point assignments will be given out by Thursday for the other two subjects.

There are still some students that have not brought back their test folders from a few weeks ago. If the folders are not brought back this week, the students will be written up. They have already lost several points from their homework grade in each subject for not having brought back the folders.

Monday, September 28,2009

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekends and the nicer (although hot) weather. The Saints pulled it off again and beat the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately, Nicholls took quite a beating at their homecoming game against Jacksonville State University.

Both grades did not do too well on the math tests last week, so they retook them for bonus points. I factored in the bonus points and those tests will be going home tomorrow. Because some students have not been doing too well in math, we spent some extra time in both grades going over all of our practice problems and working them out together. Neither grade learned much new stuff last week, so a lot of the test will be what they were tested on last week.

We skipped heritage studies in both grades because it took longer in math and science. The heritage studies test will still be Friday, but not much material will be on it, so it will be halfway between a test and a quiz.

The science quiz will be on Thursday. Both grades got their study guides today and worked on completing them. Almost every student got all of the answers, but we will finish up the rest of the answers tomorrow.

There are only about two weeks left in the first 9 weeks grading period. The students will be given their extra point assignments soon. I will be sure to give them enought time to complete it all for all three subjects.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Both grades did not do too well on the math tests this week. Today, they had to retake them. The tests did not have bonus points, so the problems that they got wrong the first time and get right the second time will count towards extra points to bring up the grades. Since we had to retake the test and practice math for the test next week, neither grade learned a new lesson in math. Most, if not all, 6th graders finished their practice problems in class. 5th graders had 20 minutes to do the work in class. They had to write down the whole list of problems, but only do part of them before Monday. The rest will be done in class on Monday.

With time restarints due to the extra math, we did not learn a new science lesson in either grade. We will have short lessons next week, followed by just a quiz on Thursday.

Parents, there has been an issue with students not returning their test folders. For both me and Mrs. Jodie, some students have not brought back their folders from 3 or 4 weeks ago. They have been deducted homework and conduct points for not bringing them back. If you have not received any new tests from your child every week, then your child is not returning his/her test folders on time.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Today we completed the heritage studies study guides. Both grades will have a short quiz on the information Friday. There is less than 15 items on the study guide, so the students should not have a problem studying them.

We reviewed for science today. 6th graders completed an assignment yesterday and 5th graders had a "pop quiz" on everything from their science vocabulary today. This will count as the bonus points for their tests tomorrow, allowing them to get up to 5 bonus points.The 5th graders only have 20 items all together that they need to know. For both grades, we have worked on the information together, Monday and Tuesday. Since it was mostly just vocabulary, each student was responsible for writing the information down from a transparency and had more than enough time to get it done in class the last two days.

6th graders moved on to Greatest Common Factors in math today. I do not like the way that the book shows for solving this problem. I believe that it is for the benefit of the students to work it out the same way that they worked on the charts, like on page 42 #4. They should take the two numbers, write out all of the pairs of factors, then write out the factors, and find the greatest common factor from that. By doing it this way, I feel like it is helping them learn the multiplication facts better because they are having to find what two numbers multiplied together make the original number.

5th grade did not do a new math lesson today. They had a practice worksheet for fractions and then had an opportunity to work out any problems they missed on their math test and ask any questions about ones that they got wrong. This was not for points, because they had a math worksheet from last week that counted as their bonus points. I did it for their benefit, so that they had the chance to ask any questions about how to work something out.

Try-outs started today for the Christmas play. They will continue the rest of this week beforing making their decisions. Not all students will get to have an acting part, but there are extra spots for helpers and things like that.

I'm in the process of calling all of you that signed up for a conference. Please be patient as I can only call a few parents at a time. If you have not heard from me by the end of next week, please leave a comment on here or send a note with your student.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

5th grade did not get their test folders today. I forgot their math tests at home and feel like the best thing is to wait until tomorrow when they can get all of their tests together.

Both grades will only be having a small quiz for heritage studies this week. For 5th grade, we will have about 10-12 items on a "study guide" that we will work on together tomorrow. 6th grade started working on theirs today.

Monday, September 21, 2009

We did not learn new heritagev studies lessons for either grade. We spent extra time on math and science.

Both grades received vocabulary for science. 6th grade finished most of it and 5th grade will finish tomorrow.

Math tests are tomorrow. We spent a lot of time practicing and reviewing in both grades.

FRIDAY!!

Today was a busy day for the whole school because it was Grandparent's Day. The students had more time to have their lunch with the grandparents, which threw off the rest of the afternoon. I'd like to thank those grandparents and parents that donated a book to our class from the book fair. The students really like having opportunities to read in class, and I think they will enjoy those books.

In 5th grade, we started watching a movie yesterday. I wanted to get that finished today, but still had to work on math. Because of our time constraints, they did not have the heritage studies test. THE 5TH GRADE HERITAGE STUDIES TEST IS POSTPONED UNTIL MONDAY. I do not like giving tests on Mondays, but there is no reason why the students should not be prepared.

Both grades only learned two math lessons this week. Both lessons went along with each other and did not involve learning many new things. They were given review problems to practice for the test on Tuesday, and I was able to help many students in class today. The test will cover material from the last test, so some of that was included in their practice problems. Some students finished in class, but the rest have to finish for homework over the weekend.

We were not able to start a new science lesson in 5th grade today. They will start on Monday, and just have a short study guide and short test on Thursday. 6th grade wrote out their definitions for the first section that we covered today. All 6th grade students had a chance to finish in class.

Wednesday, September 15, 2009

We played some different games for reviewing for science class today. I'll be trying different things to make it fun for the kids, but still allowing them to get ready for their tests or quizzes. The science quiz is tomorrow. They will have about 15 questions, and be worth about 40 points.

Both grades received a small packet of pages for math. The pages cover metric measures. We worked on it in class as extra practice. I was able to help a lot of the students with converting and working the problems. The book I got the pages from was a bit older, so some of the things were worded differently, but I explained to the students what it meant according to the way we learned it.

We finished up the heritage studies study guides today, so all the students should be prepared to review tomorrow for the test on Friday.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Both grades finished the science study guides today. We will review over the answers tomorrow and have our quiz on Thursday.

The students got their heritage studies study guides today. We answered the questions for everything that we have covered this so far and will finish them up tomorrow with our last lesson before the test on Friday.

Test folders went home today. Some students have not been bringing their test folders back. They are receiving points off of their homework grades for not bringing them in. Several students between 5th and 6th grade did not receive new test folders today because they have still not returned the ones from last week. It is very important that the students get these back to me the next day, or at least the same week as they get them.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Both grades received their science study guides today. There are only about 18 items on each of them, and between today and tomorrow they will have all of the answers. There should be no problems with the science quiz on Thursday.

Although we have started a new heritage studies lessons in both grades, they will not get their study guides until tomorrow. We will answer the study guide for the new lesson we learn tomorrow and the lessons that we have already covered, to make sure they get the right answers. The heritage studies test will be Friday.

Math tests are tomorrow. The tests will be a little shorter than the others. We spent a lot of time reviewing over the lessons today. Some of the students have not been working on the practice problems from the study guide. It is not counted as a part of homework because the study guides are their responsibility and are meant to help them. However, the students need to be practicing their problems to prepare for the tests.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Good news!! There was significant improvement in this week's test scores! That means either I'm getting soft, or the students are paying attention!! It really looks like we have found our groove in the classroom and I hope that you agree. Now, some of you may be saying, "I thought they were supposed to receive their science study guides on Fridays!" Although that will be the typical way we'll be doing it, they had their science tests on Friday and we had not started learning anything new yet. They will have a quiz (not a test) in science on Thursday (our regular day for science tests), but it will only cover a few pages in the textbook, so there is no reason to worry.

Both grades had division problems to work on over the weekend. These will be turned in on Monday. The math tests are on Tuesday. We had about 30 minutes Friday in each grade to go over the math practice problems and I was able to assist several students individually. There were one or two issues with some of the lessons from both grades, so until we get those figured out, I will not put too much of those lessons on the test.

We will be resuming our regular schedule for heritage studies on Monday. We will have that test on Friday, as usual.

For those parents who did not attend Open House, I want to let you know that the progress report grades do not include the homework grades. Also, the first two weeks of school were a little shaky, so there will be an opportunity at the end of the 9 weeks for the students to get extra point assignments to help boost their grades.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Open House is at 6:30 tonight. The students got a letter last week saying it starts at 7:00, but today they got a letter correcting the time. Open House is not a time for conferencing. If you want to meet with me about specific things having to do with your student, I will have a sign-up list to set up a time for a conference.

The students got their math study guides today. Both grades had time to work on some of the practice problems in class. The math test is Tuesday, September 15.



The science tests are tomorrow. We went over the study guides in class today and also played a review game. All they have to do tonight is study their science materials.

I have been keeping the information on each test to a minimum. Because of this, the tests will be shorter and not worth as many points. I think it is working out for them to be tested every week. If we did not have our tests every week, there would be more for them to have to learn for each test. For the last two weeks, the students have had more than enough time to complete the study guides and study them in class. Not all of the students have been taking advantage of the extra class time to study, but a lot of them have.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

I'm back! For those of you who don't know, I woke up last Wednesday with a slight fever, which became full blown flu symptoms in a matter of just a couple of hours. I did my best to keep the students working on assignments that would help them, rather than just be busy work.

We had received our heritage studies' study guide last week and some of the students had finished it before I got sick. They had to finish it while I was gone, and we went over it in class yesterday and today to make sure they had the right answers. They will have a small test on the material tomorrow. They've had the material for over a week, and we reviewed it in class today. The test will only be about 70 points, with 20-25 questions.

The science test is Friday. Again, this will be a smaller test with less questions on it. The students did their vocabulary in class on Friday and received the study guide Monday. A lot of the vocabulary words were not included on the study guide so that there would be less for them to study.

Tomorrow night is Open House. I will have the 4 1/2 week progress reports for each student. The grades on there will not include the homework grade. This is because Mrs. Jodie and I think it is important for you to see the student's grades on their own. Homework grades will be factored in for the 9 week report cards. The students have been given bonus points on a lot of the tests. This is to help them get a better grade. Not all students have taken advantage of even trying to get the bonus points. I am doing that for their benefit, but at the same time they are the ones responsible for knowing the material and paying attention in class.

For science and heritage studies, we have been working on the study guides as we cover the lessons in class. There should be no excuses for the students not completing the study guides or having incorrect answers. I think this system will be helpful in making sure they have their information early and are not stuck trying to answer it all at once.

Tuesday, September 1

Yay! The air conditioner is fixed! We were able to be back in our regular classroom today. The unit and everything is all new, so there shouldn't be any more problems with the A/C.

Since the math tests were today, there is no math homework. The students received their heritage studies study guide today. They had some time to work on it in class. There are spaces for them to write the answers and also hole punches for it to be kept in their binders. Tomorrow, they will be able to follow with the study guide and answer some of the questions as we learn about it in class.

We will be reviewing the science study guide tomorrow. All students should have it completed. The definitions were done in class last week and there were only a few questions left that they had to answer. Every time we are working on these in class, I am available to answer any questions that the students have while they are searching for the answers.

The students only have to continue studying for their science tests on Thursday. They have their heritage studies study guide, but it does not (and should not, because we have not learned all of it yet) have to be done tonight.

Monday, August 31

Today we were able to stay in the sanctuary for all of our classes. This helped a little because we did not have to move around, but it did make it hard for the students to do their work without a desk or table. The A/C guys have been working all day and our regular room should be ready for tomorrow.

In class, we reviewed the problems for the math test. That test is tomorrow.

The students should have had all of the science vocabulary words defined in class on Friday. Those who did not finish in class had to finish over the weekend. The science test is on Thursday. The students received the study guides today, covering just a few things more than the vocabulary words. Both grades had time to work on it in class and most students finished it in class. I always try to give them time to work on it in class. A lot of the students have questions about what answer I'm looking for, so it is important that the students take advantage of the class time to work on the study guides and ask questions about it.

Students only have to finsih preparing for their math tests and work on the few questions from the science study guide if they did not finish.

Friday, August 28

Today was a crazy day! The air conditioner is broken in our classroom, so we had to do a lot of moving around to other different classes. Because I did not have all of my usual resources, both grades were not able to get new lessons in their math or science.

In both grades for science, they worked on their definitions for the next test. The test will be on Thursday, September 3. For 6th graders, it will cover lessons 1.5 and 1.6. For 5th graders, it will cover lessons 2.3-2.5. There were not many vocabulary words and a lot of students finished in class. They had to bring their books home to finish and also because we were not able to put them back in the regular classroom. This should be a big help to those who need the weekends to study. The students will still receive a study guide covering just a few more points that they will need to know for the test.

The math tests are on Tuesday. Some students had time to work on their study guides in class, but all students should be completing it over the weekend. In class on Monday, we will review the math lessons to prepare for the test. For the 6th graders, we were not able to fully cover 4-digit divisors, so that part will not be on this test. For 5th graders, we were not able to cover measures of weight, so that will not be on this test.

The heritage studies tests will be on Friday, September 4. They will receive the study guides at the beginning of next week.

Thursday, August 27

The students had their second science test today. I added a few more questions than the first one, and was able to lower the point value of each question. There were also bonus questions that gave them an opportunity to make some extra points.

In class, we reviewed over the heritage studies study guide. They received them on Tuesday and have had some time in class to work on them. The review day is not for answering the study guide. The students should be working on them the two or three days prior to the review day so that they are able to REVIEW and make sure they have the right answers as we go over it in class. There is not enough class time for them to write all the answers as we review.

I am working on finding a better middle ground for the science study guides and tests. As the following week progresses, they should have an easier time of studying and keeping up with the science material.

The heritage studies tests are tomorrow. I gave the opportunity for the students to come in during recess to make sure they got all that they needed and some of them took advantage of that time.

Wednesday, August 26

It is Wednesday, so there is no scheduled homework tonight. Both grades only have to continue studying for science and heritage studies. In class today, we went over all the answers for the science study guide and reviewed for the test.

The students will be receiving a math study guide tomorrow. It will just have page and problem numbers for them to practice with what types of things will be on the test. The math test will be Tuesday, September 1 and we will review over their study guide problems in class on Monday.

Tuesday, August 25

Today, the students received their study guides for heritage studies. The assignment with that study guide is to just start working on it. The tests are not until Friday, so there is still some time to finish it.

6TH GRADERS: I sent home a note with the 6th grade students about the science study guides. The part about trees will not be included on the test, so they do not have to work on that part. They only had to complete part of the study guide last night, so it should not be a problem, although some students did all of it.

Test folders went home today. It is part of the homework grade. You are supposed to sign the conduct paper and also all the graded assignments in the folder (initial/sign next to the grade on each test) to show that you have seen the grades. The math tests are taking a long time to grade, so they are not included in today's test folder.

Monday, August 24, 2009

On Friday, I informed the students that their science test would be Thursday, August 27 and the heritage studies test would be Friday, August 28. This was written on the board. Today, I announced that their math tests will be Tuesday, September 1.

Both grades received their study guides for science today. It is not for homework, but they were told to begin working on some of it. We will not have time this week to work on it in class, except to review the answers on Wednesday. They will get their heritage study guides tomorrow.

Most of the students were able to complete their homework assignments in class.

This Week!

5th and 6th graders:

We are starting to prepare for our math test in both grades. The test is on Friday, August 21 and the students have known about it since Monday (the dates for all tests have been posted on the board since Monday). Each student was given some page numbers and problems today to work on to help them prepare for the test. We will be spending our time in class tomorrow (Thursday) to review for the math test.

Welcome!

Parents:

I have created this blog so that I can post assignments and information about tests for my classes. There have been a lot of students that have not been writing their assignments down, so this is a way for you to know what your student should be doing each night. Hopefully this will be a useful tool in keeping up with your student's progress in class.

This is not meant to replace the students having to write their assignments down. It will still be their responsibility to pay attention so that they know what they are supposed to do each night. I hope you will work with me in training them to take on the responsibility of writing down their assignments and use this blog for your benefit only. I hope that this helps us all to have things smoothed out quickly.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Manning