Arnold

AR Book Club and Tibits and Dates

Students must now read and record the titles of all chapter books they read and test on. They must have at least 3 chapter books each month in order to be in the club at all, with all other books being either chapter or short books.

 

To be in the Small Candy Bar Club you have to have passed a minimum of 3 chapter books and 4 other books, and pass between 7-15 tests total.

 

To be in the Large Candy Bar Club you have to pass at least 3 chapter books, and pass a total of 15-25 books.

 

To be in the Large Candy Bar and Ice Cream Club you have to pass a minimum of 3 chapter books and pass between 26 tests and up.

 

In order to have the classroom reward which is popcorn and soda this month you have to have made it into at least one of the clubs for the month.

 

See how your child has done and help them come up with a plan if they need to improve. Challenge your child to beat their own record in the number of chapter books they read and pass. Ask them to challenge themselves to read more books and pass even more tests next month. Also notice their reading level and ask them to work on gradually raising that level too.

 

Tomorrow is Feb 1st and we have all of Feb and March to get ready for the CRCT. They are off school the first week of April and after break we only have a week and a half before the CRCT begins. All we need to do is get serious about reading, about applying our UNRAVEL strategies to our work, and to read and follow directions (that has been lagging lately on graded work in class). Encourage your child each day to come in ready to work and learn and to just do their best. They are great kids and all of them are capable of fabulous work. I believe in them!

 

This months Book Club Members are as follows:

 

Small Candy Bar Club Passing between 7-15 Tests and at least 3 Chapter Books:

Ryan, Crystal, Dasarath, and Parisa

 

Large Candy Bar Club: Passing between 15-25 tests with at least 3 chapter books:

Spencer, Lea, Anne-Marie, Andrew, and Julia

 

Large Candy Bar and Ice Cream Club: passing between 26 tests and up and at least 3 chapter books:

Delaney, Kevin, Alex, Mac, Michelle, Savannah, Michael, Zach, and Abby

 

3 students did not make it into the club this month but I know they can make it next month if they really begin working on their reading! It is a very attainable goal........

 

Eleanor Test next Wednesday. Be sure to look at and read your child's agenda and sign it for Fridays. I have students who loose out on earning $10 market money simply because the parent is not reading or signing the agenda once a week on Thursday night. Help your child earn that market money!

 

Our next market day is on March 2nd a Friday.

 

In house school trip, the Puppeteers, on Feb 21st.

 

No school on Monday, Feb 20th.

 

As usual homework due on Friday and weekly spelling test also.

 

I hope to find the time to hand out graded papers tomorrow and go over them with the students. I will let you know if they are in binders.

 

B Arnold

Eleanor Roosevelt Test on Feb 8th: Vocab and Essay

Study Guide

Eleanor Roosevelt

Vocabulary Terms: Students will need to be able to match the definition to its meaning on a test.

Authority: the right to lead and make decisions

Campaign: time in which those running for office try to convince people to vote for them

Cooperation: working together with others

First Lady: the wife of the President of the United States

Governor: person elected head of state in the United States

Human Rights: the rights, or freedoms, that all humans deserve to have

Immigrant: a person who comes into a country from another country to live

Issues: subjects voters make choices about

Respect for and acceptance of authority: obeying rules and expectations of adults and leaders

Tolerance: respecting the beliefs and practices of others

General Information on Eleanor Roosevelt: Students will need to be able to write about what they consider to be the important and/or interesting information about Eleanor Roosevelt. They must include at least 5 facts about her in their paragraph.  The information below can help you-help your child. A suggestion would be to have them practice a paragraph at home so they are comfortable with the information.

Eleanor was married to her cousin Franklin D Roosevelt in 1905. She was called the First Lady when he became president. In the 1900s many immigrants came to America and many had very little money and no jobs. Eleanor wanted to help the immigrants. She worked without pay to teach them to read so they could find better jobs more easily. She also worked for women’s rights. She, like Susan B Anthony, worked hard to get women the right to vote. In 1920 women were finally allowed to vote. Eleanor helped Franklin when he contracted polio so that he could stay serving in government.

Eleanor was not your typical First Lady. She moved furniture in the White House by herself and she drove her own car. When the King and Queen of England came she had a picnic and served them hot dogs to eat!

Eleanor was a very tolerant and caring woman. She once met at the White House with reporters. No other First Lady had ever done this. She did however only invite lady reporters to her interview! She also wrote a daily newspaper column. She was friends with Mary McLeod Bethune and wanted to help African-American women in their fight for Civil Rights. She supported all women no matter what the color. She also was the first “First Lady” to fly in an airplane. At a party Amelia Earhart was there and they both left the party to go flying. Eleanor was adventurous and brave.

In 1941, the United States went to war. This was World War II. During the way Eleanor traveled to the South Pacific Islands, Australia, Canada and England to meet soldiers, both men and women, to encourage them. This is when she got the nickname “Eleanor Everywhere”!

Franklin died in 1945 and by then he and Eleanor had been President and First Lady for 12 years.

Eleanor started the United Nations and helped to write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When she was 75 she started teaching at a college. Eleanor never quit working. Over and over during her lifetime she was voted “America’s Most Admired Woman.”

 

Study Guide: Test January 25th: Writing Requirements: No School Monday etc

Today a study guide is coming home for our next historical figure. He is Franklin D Roosevelt and will be followed by his wife Eleanor Roosevelt. The study guide is just for Franklin who we will begin to study next week on Tuesday. (No School on Monday!)

 

The students will need to know the terms and their definitions and be able to match them on a test which will be Wednesday, January 25th. Giving you the guide early gives you time to work with your child at home and to teach them how to manage time for study and how to study.

 

The second part of the test will be a writing portion where each student must write one paragraph in class including 4 to 6 facts about the person. We will be doing a model writing together in class tomorrow and they will bring that home so that you have an idea of what is expected.

 

Your child can choose the facts they think are most important and interesting and then they can sit and practice writing at home. They will be graded on grammar, capitalization and punctuation, and on the facts that they included. This type of writing will be done from now until the year ends to help them better prepare for grade 4 and the upcoming requirements as we transition in Georgia from Georgia Performance Standards to Common Core requirements.

 

The more they practice writing the better writers they can become and also they can increase in confidence in this area.

 

I am having them place the study guide today in a clear plastic sheet to keep in their binders and then tomorrow they will add the model writing to help you and them at home.

 

They are being given this study guide in plenty of time to prepare for the test. Please realize how important this is for their academic future. You are not simply preparing them for this one test but also developing in them the knowledge of how to prepare for a test, how to use time wisely, how to study to learn terms, and how to be confident when they sit down to take a test. It is honestly very important for them as they move towards greater expectations of independence in school. This can create a confident and successful middle and high school student.

 

Look for the study guide today.

 

Look for the writing sample tomorrow.

 

Look for the report card tomorrow.

 

Look for the parent survey tomorrow.

 

Check your binders today and tomorrow!

 

Remember no school on Monday.

January 10, 2012

Most students (unless they have a sibling in another room) will receive a large brown envelope on Tuesday which contains a county survey. Please fill it out with a #2 pencil and return it unsealed to school with your child. Thank you so very much. Refer to the notes below for all of the details!

 

• Parents please complete the survey using a number 2 pencil only.  NO PENS!
• Parents should NOT write names on the survey or the envelope.
• Parents should return the surveys in the envelope by February 10^th.
• Parents should NOT seal the envelope and return to the teacher or the front office.

 

Class snacks are running very low so if you are able to send in some items it would be greatly appreciated.

Tomorrow we will hit the ground running academically (as usual) back on the fast track to prepare for the CRCT which will be here before you know it.

Grammar: General Grammar skills with a focus on writing with dialogue, capitalization, and possessive nouns.

Reading Focus: Mary McLeod Bethune: non fiction conventions: bolded words, glossary, index, table of contents, pictures, graphs, etc.

Math: Fractions and fractional parts: how to add and subtract fractions with like denominators and comparing fractional values with cross multiplication strategy.

Report cards will come home on Friday along with my detailed grade book report as well. Please DO NOT seal the brown envelopes but do sign and return the white card in the envelope to me as soon as you are able. I would like to reuse the envelopes for the next grading period also.

Next grading period we have combined some areas of our report card rubric for grading purposes. Many skills are so intertwined that we found a way to make the compilation of grades more effective and efficient. This will be reflected on my detailed report next grading period.

Have your child go on Study Island for practice in any weak areas and also do some work on fractions and decimals as this will be covered in the coming weeks in class.

Hope you enjoyed your break!  I know I did!

B Arnold