Wright LA Week of March 31

We are up to Unit 4, week 4 in our Treasures collection.  The main selection for this week is Zathura, by Chris Van Allsburg.  The reading skill to practice this week is gathering evidence that points you towards the conclusion of the story.  The grammar skill for the week is the use of possessive pronouns.  Remember that you owe me a revised and edited copy of your Sign of the Beaver comparison piece that you turned at the beginning of this quarter.  Please be sure to have a peer or parent edit your work.  Make sure that your concluding paragraph wraps up your piece!

Spelling List

rancher, searcher, pressure, future, butcher, measure, pleasure, mixture, treasure, feature, pasture, creature, lecture, gesture, nature, fracture, moisture, stretcher, legislature, azure

Mon- Assign Treasures pages 452-482, Practice Book pages 163-170 due Thursday

Wed- Computer time to revise/edit SOTB piece

Thur- Selection Test

Fri- Skills Test, Spelling Test, Re-share your SOTB Piece on GoogleDocs with me (Be sure to use caseywright@bwls.net)

SCIENCE Week of March 31

This is the week of our Earthquake Proof Building Challenge!  Monday and Tuesday we will be discussing plate tectonics further and comparing the damage from two recent quakes (Haiti and Chile 2010).  Wednesday and Thursday students will work in small groups to design/build/test/redesign an earthquake proof structure.  Students will test how their structures hold up on a shake table and in a tilt test.  On Friday, groups will pit their structures against each other to see whose design is the most earthquake proof!!!

No homework or quizzes this week!

SS Week of March 31

In Ch. 9 of History Alive, students will take a walking tour of colonial Williamsburg to learn about daily life in the colonial Virginia capital.  Students will visit six stations, each of which represents an actual site at Williamsburg, such as the Governor's Palace, Raleigh Tavern, and Bruton Parish Church.  At each station, pairs examine written and visual information about an aspect of colonial life, such as government, social life, and religion, and record notes and complete a task.

Essential Question: How have ideas and events from the past shaped the Western Hemisphere today?

•  I can describe the lasting effects of European exploration and colonization on the cultural practices and products of the Western Hemisphere. (HIST3)

Homework

Monday 3/31-finish 9.2 notes

Monday 4/7-finish reading Ch. 9 and complete notes of any stations you didn't visit in class

Wednesday 4/9-study for Ch. 9 test, extra credit tutorial

Thursday 4/10-Ch. 9 test

Graven LA Week of March 31

This week students will read "Ultimate Field Trip 5: Blasting Off to Space Academy" from Unit 4, Week 2 of Treasures.  The main skill is main idea and details.  Students will focus on the question: What do all of the important details have in common?  In writing, students will turn their science research about alternative energy sources into a 5 paragraph report.  Kids will be drafting, editing, and revising in class.  Final copies of energy reports are due Thursday, April 17.  Remember to save all pieces of the writing process to turn in with your final copy.

Homework
Monday-Read p.414-437, OAA Reading packet, practice book p.145-153 due Thursday, 2 Study Island topics due Friday, Reading Counts Quiz #1 due April 9

Tuesday-practice book p.145-153 due Thursday, 2 Study Island topics due Friday, Reading Counts Quiz #1 due April 9

Wednesday-practice book p.145-153 due Thursday, 2 Study Island topics due Friday, Reading Counts Quiz #1 due April 9

Thursday-selection test, practice book p.145-153 due today, 2 Study Island topics due Friday, Reading Counts Quiz #1 due April 9

Friday-skills test, spelling test, 2 Study Island topics due today, Reading Counts Quiz #1 due April 9

Yankee Candle Pick Up

Yankee Candle Pick Up will be this Thursday (4/3) from 3-6pm.  Pick up will be located in the Superintendent's hallway (same as pizza pick up).  

Congrats to Feb. and March RISE Students

This month's selections were Ethan, Mykaela, Ashley, Sabrina, Isabella, and Ciara.  Not pictured below but also honored in Friday's assembly are Maggie, Bella, and Isaiah.  Congrats to all of these kiddos for demonstrating Responsibility, Integrity, Scholarly, and Exploration!

Liquid Nitrogen Demonstrations with Mr. Yano

On Friday, Mr. Yano administered many experiments with liquid nitrogen to tie in with students' latest science studies.  The kids had so much fun seeing science in action!  A big thanks to Mr. Yano for joining our classes!

Welcome Message from Mrs. Byanski!

Mrs. Byanski will be Mrs. Graven's long term substitute beginning on Monday, April 7.  She will also be joining Mrs. Graven in the classroom before then.  Here's a message from Mrs. Byanski below.  

March 22, 2014

Dear Families,

My name is Kelly Byanski and I will be the substitute for Mrs. Graven’s class while she begins her maternity leave. I have a PK-5 teaching degree, with a BA in English Literature, and masters in administration. I have taught 5th grade in the past and enjoyed my time with that grade level. I am married and have a one year old boy who is very active and brings much joy to us. I am honored to be teaching your children these last couple months of their fifth grade year while Mrs. Graven enjoys her time with her new little one.

I will be shadowing Mrs. Graven in order to familiarize myself with the class and curriculum. I want to try to make this transition as smooth as possible for the students. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. My email is ksulvs59@yahoo.com and kellybyanski@bigwalnut.k12.oh.us, you will also be able to reach me by phone at the school.

I look forward to a great end of the school year!

Thank you,

Mrs. Byanski

SCIENCE HOMEWORK for Wed. March 19th

Watch this 5 minute video on plate tectonics. Write down 3-5 facts that you learned!!

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO!!!!
Enjoy!!

Wright LA Week of March 17th

This week we have a Time For Kids section for our Treasures selection.  This section is titled "Helping Out" and all the articles highlight teamwork and community building.  The reading skill for the week is identifying fact and opinion.  The spelling list follows:

contest, content, protest, combat, permits, rebel, present, insert, desert, subject, minute, compact,

conduct, contract, refuse, conflict, research, excuse, entrance, extract

Mon- Read Treasures pages 438-447, Practice Book Pages 145-151 due Thursday

Tues- PB pages due Thursday

Wed- PB pages due Thursday

Thur- Selection Test

Fri- Spelling Test, Skills Test

Science Week of March 17th

     This week we will start with a workday for the Alternative Energy Project.  All students will be working with their teams to research their alternative energy sources on the internet.  Students should be taking written notes on their topic as the team researches and builds a slideshow.  Students can start on their individual written reports when they return from spring break.  This will be a grade for science and language arts!!

     For the remainder of the week, we will be reviewing processes that change Earth's surface.  We will be talking about slow processes (weathering, erosion, and deposition), fast processes (avalanches, mudslides, sinkholes), and some fast/slow processes (plate tectonics).  These concepts are 4th grade standards so we will be moving pretty quickly!  No official quiz this week!

Wed- Homework (to be announced!)

Updates and Reminders

Report Cards
3rd quarter report cards are now live on the parent portal of Power School.  Please be sure to log in and check your child's progress and share the information with your child.  Paper copies can be requested from the office.

Conferences
Parent/Teacher conferences will be held March 18 & March 20 from 4:00-7:30.  Please contact the school office or your child's homeroom teacher to schedule a conference.

Mrs. Graven and the Baby
Mrs. Graven's last scheduled day for the school year is Friday, April 4 (if all goes according to plan and baby girl doesn't come early!).  A long term substitute will be selected the week of March 17 and hopefully the students will get a chance to meet the sub before Mrs. Graven leaves.  Mrs. Graven will not return this school year (again, if all goes according to plan!), but she hopes to visit the students towards the end of the year!

Graven LA week of March 17

This week students will work in class on various reading skills and strategies using Buckle Down.  Various OAA-like short assessments will take place throughout the week.  There are no spelling words this week.  2 Study Island topics are due on Friday.  Students should be reading their first book choice for the 4th quarter in their new Lexile level.  Enjoy reading 30 minutes each night!

Social Studies Colony Tournament

On Friday, students participated in a colony tournament (March Madness style) to select which colony they would choose to settle in the 1700's if traveling from England to the New World.  Students worked in groups to prepare billboards and commercials to inform the class about their colonies.  Topics included geography, climate, jobs, government, and the reason why it was founded.  Here are pictures of the winning groups and their billboards for each class period.  The tournament bracket pictures are also below to show how the voting went in each class period.  Next week, we'll go over details about each colony together in class and take specific notes together.  A test will take place on Thursday before spring break.

Wright LA Week of March 10

Our Treasures selection for this week is the Ultimate Field Trip, pages 415-436. This selection is about going to NASA space camp, so it lines up perfectly with our solar system study in science! The reading skill to practice is finding the main idea of a selection and supporting that with detailed evidence. The spelling list is below:

unusual, underwater, regain, repaired, unaware, unfriendly, unfinished, unimportant, refreeze, replenish, reunite, rediscover, rewrap, disconnect, dishonest, nonspecific, misguide, overwhelm,  submerge, discourage

Mon- Read pages 415-436 in Treasures, Practice Book pages 145-152 are due Thursday

Thurs- Selection Test, Work Time for Alternative Energy Project

Fri- Skills Test, Spelling Test

SCIENCE Week of March 10

We continue with our study of the Solar System and space exploration this week. We will discuss the technologies that brought us to where we are in space travel today and where we are headed. Tuesday will be a work day in class for the Alternative Energy Project.  Teams will have access to the library computer lab to research their energy source and start building slide shows. Friday will be a Solar System quiz.

Tue- Alternative Energy Project Work Day
D27 Review ?'s for homework
Thur- D27 Review ?'s for homework, Study notes for Solar System Quiz
Fri- Solar System Quiz

SS Week of March 10

Students are working in groups on a certain colony of the 1700's.  They are using class time to create a billboard and advertisement for their colony.  Presentations will take place mid week in class and then students will vote, March Madness style, to select the best colony of the time period.

Learning Target: I can describe the lasting effects of European exploration and colonization.

Graven LA week of March 10

This week students will read "The Spirit of Endurance" from Treasures Unit 4, week 1.  The main focus will be problem and solution, along with pronouns and final /al/ sounds in spelling.  All students will complete a new SRI test to find a new Lexile level for the 4th quarter.  Two books are still required to be read throughout the 4th quarter at this Lexile level.  Official book contracts for the first book are due on Friday.  In writing, students are writing letters to their favorite Big Walnut teacher of the past.  These letters will be delivered to the teachers.  Letters will focus on favorite memories of the teacher.

Essential Question:  How can recognizing a text structure help you understand the relationships between ideas?

Homework

Monday-Read p.388-405, OAA packet due Tuesday, practice book p. 136-144 due Thursday, book contract #1 due Friday, letter to favorite teacher due Friday, 2 Study Island topics due Friday

Tuesday-OAA packet due, practice book p. 136-144 due Thursday, book contract #1 due Friday, letter to favorite teacher due Friday, 2 Study Island topics due Friday

Wednesday-practice book p. 136-144 due Thursday, book contract #1 due Friday, letter to favorite teacher due Friday, 2 Study Island topics due Friday

Thursday-selection test, book contract #1 due Friday, letter to favorite teacher due Friday, 2 Study Island topics due Friday

Friday-spelling test, skills test, book contract #1 due, letter to favorite teacher due, 2 Study Island topics due

Big Walnut Local Schools Student of the Month

Congrats to Maddy for being selected as the Big Walnut Local Schools student of the month!  Maddy will be recognized at the board meeting on March 13.  She's a great student and role model for all.  Team Graven/Bodker/Wright is proud to have Maddy in our classes!

Earth's Seasons

Article 1
Article 2
Article 3

Wright Language Arts Week of March 3rd

We return to Treasures for reading this week.  The section we cover will be "Talking in Codes", pages 351-375.  Our grammar topic for the week is working with irregular verbs, verbs like "write" which can't be turned into past tense by adding "-ed".  The reading skill for the week is using context clues to give us an idea of the author's perspective.  **Don't forget that your 5 paragraph comparison essay for Sign of the Beaver is due this Friday, March 7th!**

Spelling List

sugar

crater

pillar

splendor

peddler

professor

shatter

governor

vapor

equator

soldier

gentler

scissors

founder

director

scholar

saucer

labor

commander

error

Mon- Assign Treasures page 351-375, Practice Book pages 127-134 Due Thursday

Wed- Library computer lab to finish SOTB writing pieces

Thurs- Practice Book pages due, Selection Test

Fri- Spelling Quiz, Skills Test

Wright SCIENCE Week of March 3rd

     On Monday, the Alternative Energy Research Project was introduced.  Students will work in groups to research one of six alternative energy sources.  These include wind power, solar power, hydropower, biomass, geothermal, and nuclear energy.  The groups will work together to research and build a slideshow in GoogleDocs to present to their science class.  Students will individually write a research report on their energy source for language arts class. This project is ultimately due April 17th.  I have shared a folder in GoogleDocs to each student with more details and pacing help.
     For the rest of the week we will be studying the Solar System!  Learning goals for the week include:

1. I can describe how night and day are caused by the Earth’s rotation.

2. I can explain:

      a. The Earth is one of several planets to orbit the sun;

      b. The moon orbits the Earth.

3. I can describe the characteristics of the Earth and its orbit.

4. I can explain how the stars are like the sun but farther away.

No quizzes or homework this week!!

 

Bodker- Language Arts Week of March 3rd

This week in Language Arts students will be working in small groups to read a small  leveled  book callled On The Moon.   Students will work together to identify important details and the main ideas in the story.  

In grammar,  students will continue to identify the  prefix and suffixes of words  discuss how they can change the meaning of a word.  

This week marks the end of the third nine weeks.  By Thursday, March 6th, students  should have completed two individual reading books and two Reading Counts assessments.

Homework

Mon- Practice p. 145, 146
Tue- Practice p. 147
Wed- Practice p. 152
Thur- Practice p. 149  Two Reading Counts books due.  Comprehension quiz (On The Moon)
Fri-Unit 4 Week 2 Skills Test. (prefix, suffix Pronouns, Main Idea, details)

Parent Teacher Conferences

BWIS spring parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for March 18 and 20.  Letters went home with ALL students with this information.  We will not be meeting with all families at this time.  Instead, the teachers indicated on the letter whether a conference was necessary.  Of course, if you would like to meet with your child's teachers and one was not requested by the teacher, please return the letter with your intent and a conference will be scheduled for you.  Contact your child's teacher or the office to schedule a conference.  Thanks!

END OF THE 3RD QUARTER

This is just a reminder that the 3rd quarter ends on Friday, March 7.  Students AND parents, please remember to check Power School for all grade updates and late assignments.  All late work MUST be in by Friday to the proper teacher to be counted for the 3rd quarter report card.  Report cards will be available on the parent portal on Thursday, March 13.  Paper copies can be requested and sent home on Friday, March 14.

SS Week of March 3

This week we will begin Ch. 7 in History Alive and take a look at the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies that England established in the New World.  Students will work in groups during class to study one of these colonies, create a poster, and present it to the class.  Presentations will take place next week.

Homework
Monday-Ch. 7 vocabulary due Wednesday
Tuesday-Ch. 7 vocabulary due Wednesday
Wednesday-work on colony
Thursday-work on colony
Friday-work on colony

Graven LA Week of March 3

This week will be spent reviewing all of the reading skills and strategies from Unit 3 of Treasures.  A larger unit test over these skills with short reading passages will take place instead of the traditional selection and skills tests.  Also, there are no new spelling words this week.  Instead, students will be assessed on their "personal list" for Unit 3, which includes all of the words they've missed so far in the unit.  As a reminder, all 2 Reading Counts quizzes for the 3rd quarter should be taken already at school.  Students will spend some time at the computers this week taking an assessment to improve their Lexile reading levels so that 4th quarter books can be chosen.  Remember to check Power School for all grade updates and late homework assignments.  All late work MUST be in by Friday to be counted for the 3rd quarter report card.

Homework
Monday-Ben's Bugs Blog worksheet, spelling sentences due Thursday, Study Island due Friday

Tuesday-Edison worksheet, spelling sentences due Thursday, Study Island due Friday

Wednesday-personification/hyperbole worksheet, spelling sentences due Thursday, Study Island due Friday

Thursday-Unit 3 test, spelling sentences due, Study Island due Friday

Friday-Study Island due