Week 3 Day 3

Reading:

Finish the worksheet on capitalization. Can you now go to your piece of writing and check for your capitalization accuracy? - You do NOT need to work on  your second draft IF you have already completed your first draft. We will work on 2nd drafts in class tomorrow. If you are still in the pre-writing stage, you really should make a 'start' on your draft tonight.

From 'Week at a Glance Sheet'
Can you use PEX to bring your picture book story to life for your family member? - This H/W will be pushed back until late next week when we have had time to practice more

Social Studies
Can  you remember the different strategies we covered today for reading non-fiction? I could sense the difference in the quality of your work once you tried to use the strategies, couldn't you?

Writing

Make sure you are using a variety of sentence openers. These will naturally make your writing more descriptive and engaging. Remember: If you can't draw it, your readers can't see it! - Just because you wrote a draft, you have not finished..."When you've done, you've just begun"

Math

Square Root Games

Finish the Math Races sheet and study link for lesson 1.8

Play this game

http://www.studystack.com/matching-10015 (just click to match the boxes to match the square with the square roots. Plsy three times. See if you can beat your  fastest test.


This next game is REALLY fun. (Honestly, it is H/W if your parents ask! Look at the size of the boxes (arrays and the numbers being squared). You will need to read the instructions before  you start
http://www.xpmath.com/forums/arcade.php?do=play&gameid=88

 Optional -Harder

http://www.quia.com/cc/65631.html

Collaborating with popplet

If you want  to work onthe optional 'evaluation of  the SAS website', then use this video to learn how to share. Work due for this optional assignment: next Monday

Week 3 Day 1

RLA
Make sure you have at least 20 ideas before you begin writing your description of  a place that is special to you.  Remember, you are not trying to just describe the place, you are talking about how this place is associated with a memory. You will describe the place in an indirect way and not directly.
e.g. Paraphrasing the line  from Thursday class- "I reached across my bed and silenced my Quartz alarm clock." (what was described here?)


Math
Play these games for 10 mins  to help practice your square number recognition
http://www.learntables.co.uk/square_numbers/
http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/spookyseq/spookysqno.html

Optional

Play this Math game to practice your mutiples for 10mins

http://hotmath.com/hotmath_help/games/numbercop/numbercop_hotmath.swf

Optional

Evaluating - Remember the strategy we learned today about offer our opnions in a more constructive way. Gain a plus point if you can effectively evaluate the day when your parents ask - "How was school today?"

You need at least two categories and three pieces of evidence per category.
Use the RC RaCS strategy to evaluate your day at school. Think about categories first!

Day 5 Week 1 - Next Week's Week at a Glance

Congratulations to Sammy Snake winners: Alex, Scott, Jacqueline, and Sabine for their creative and engaging Current Events presentation. Think very carefully about the feedback I gave today. What were the specific points I tried to make? What do you think you need to do differently when presenting next time? +1 awarded for any precise comments you make.
Enjoy the winning prezi again here:

Japan Crisis on Prezi

Congratulations to Student of the Week: Aditya
Your  enthusaism, attention to detail, mature attitude and excellence were evident all week! Keep it up!

Word Study

Enjoy this video again from Spelling Bee

Why are they such good spellers?

What were the three ways that can help you understand  words and their spelling better that we discussed in class? - Clue What was the questions the Spelling Bee contestant asked?

RLA

Can you practice the PEX strategy to read aloud fluently from now on...Add some PEX and give your reading aloud more flair! Next time you read at home...Read-a-loud with PEX

You will be selecting one of  your list of places for you first writing assignment next week. - Make sure you have plenty of  ideas about the place before you start writing.

Math

Hope you enjoyed the Math race. - Congratulatinon to the winning team - Well done Zach with the last question on the Goldbach's Conjecture - Amazing what a little extra work can achieve!

Next  Week

Print the Week at a Glance sheet at home this w/end.  THIS IS THE CORRECT VERSION

Tuesday - No School.. yeppee!

Friday - Water Park

Coming Next Week - Technology Integration
Please set yourself up with accounts with on these sites:
www.popplet.com
www.sketchcast.com

Day 4 Week 2

tonight's H/W is just cathing up any worksheets and Math boxes that you did not finish up to Lesson 1.6
You should have completed all Math Boxes, Study Links and Worksheets up to the end of Lesson 1.6

Optional Research Question: What is Goldbach's Conjecture?

Message to Charlotte Latin students - ONLY

Have a fabulous first day of school.  Make the perfect first impression... and just keep getting better from there....

• Bystanders have all the power...use this power for good in Middle School.
• We learned a lot about making judgments - Don't forget these  lessons!
• Be proud of everything you try, say, and do!
• and ...WRITE like pros from your hearts...

You are the captain of your soul
You are the master of your fate

Week 2 Day 3

Kudos to Alex today for his application of an idea he had heard in our class read-a-loud. Great  writers often adapt ideas from their experiences or other stories and tweak them to make them their own. Well done!

Social Studies: (optional) - by Fri
Win +1 point if you can share with a parent anything you learned about reading non-fiction  and becoming a detextive. You must  use specific reference to at least 6  pieces of terminology we discussed in class. You should use the word ambigious in your talk. Parents sign H/W record book if  you think your child earned the + point.

Math

Study Links 1.4 and 1.5 (Due: Thur)

Use these links below to practice your divisibility rules. (You will need to scroll to the bottom of the page)

http://www.aaamath.com/div66_x3.htm

http://www.aaamath.com/div66_x4.htm

You can practice others by navigating further links on this site.

ONLY for those interested in going deeper into the topic... This is how you check to see if a number is divisible by 7
http://www.aaamath.com/fra72_x8.htm

http://www.vectorkids.com/vkdivisible.htm
RLA

Make a list of five places that are special to you that you would like to write about. Give two specific reasons  why each one is special.

Current Events

Spend 20 mins ONLY on your current Events presentation. DO NOT go overboard with this activity. This is just a practice. Be realistic with your expectations.  Remember, you will be assessed on how well you were able to function as a team. Also, team members will evaluate each other.

POPPLET H/W is postponed until next week. (This was written on your  Week at a Glance sheet) We will not get to that activity before next  week.

Week 2 Day 2

RLA
Write a brief paragraph in your Writers’ Notebook that describes your bedroom. (approx. 100 words)(Due: Wed) - you will need this for Wednesdy's class, so don't forget it

Based on what we studied in today's class. - You will always begin your sentence from now on with a variety of different parts of speech, won't you! - Think about this as you do your H/W.

Current Events
Spend 30mins working on your group prezi.


Watch this video to recap your underestanding of factors



Now play this cool game for 10 mins on factors.
http://hoodamath.com/games/factorfeeder.php

Week 2 Day 1 Recap

H/W
Current Events
Spend 30 minutes collecting information for your  Current Events group work activity. Remember, this is just a practice for the real smaller group presentations that will begin in a couple of weeks. Make sure your ideas are 'seeds not melons!' - Refer to guidelines on current events sheet to make sure you are collecting effective research. Use wallwisher to share  ideas if you need to.

Math
We learned how to identify factors and factor pairs for numbers. What is the first thing you need to write down when  you are writing the factors of any number?
Study Link  1.2 &1.3 Finish p.10 student journal

Reading and Writing Workshop
Decode the two sentences  on your  yellow sheet WITHOUT using a dictionary.

Win +1 for any 'wacky' sentences that you put  on the blog. It must be possible to work out the  meaning using our 'Parts of Speech' analysis tool

Recap - This is very important to remember  as you will need to use this all through the year.

How do we know when a word is a verb, noun, adjective, or adverb?

What are the most important characteristics of writing? - Promise me you will not forget these AGAIN!

Technology

Experiment with prezi.com if you get a chance. You all saw the power of this new software. The more you use it, the better you will get at it

This Week

It would be nice if those people who were not able to  finish their collages today were able to do so over the w/end. We will need these collages for our first writing assignment on Monday.  See  below for an example:

http://www.photovisi.com/




Quick recap on Rectangular Arrays  for those people who are interested.
Remember  the number x 1 is also an array e.g. 18x1




Current Events Presentations
Feel free to experiment with brainstorming on your teams 'wall' using the the links below: You may put your ideas, upload images, or even short videos that you make. Participation on the Wall over the w/end is purely optional. Click on your link below for your team. All team members can make contributions to the same screen from your own home! Your task next week as a team wil lbe to give a brief overview of  some of the major current events happening around the world. (More details will be given Monday)

Table 1 http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/pd39bey8NP
Table 2 http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/rBmVYxttJj
Table 3 http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/zlNTGeATzh
Table 4 http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/yylLc79SZd
Table 5 (mixed team)  http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/EP9K2WL9LW

Remember : Sometimes technologu doesn't work the way it should. Let me know via the blog if there are any problems.

The Student of the Week is....EMMA

Enjoy watching the video of our first class song.

Reviewing the Day

Science

Congratulations on  your performance in Science. Mrs. Clayton was so impressed by your class contributions and ideas. Keep it up!

Math

Key Concept - Remember, that your Math Reference Book and Student Journal (when used correctly and interchangeably) are smarter than your teacher!

Reading
Congratulations Emma on your use of  H.O.T.S. (Higher Order Thinking Skills) when talking about your reading in class today! Remember, anybody can talk about what they are reading, is is your ability to talk intellectually about your reading that will make you stand out!

Writing
We will continue the writing prompt in class tomorrow.

H/W

• Final Draft of  'Where I'm From' in tomorrow. Sammy Snakes are awarded for pieces of work that are unique.
• Bring in the USB full of photos.  Approx. 10-20 (Do not worry if you cannot do this by tomorrow)
• Math Study Link 1.1 (the package i gave  that you put inthe red folder. Do not work ahead!)

Reading Strategies

If you are reading this, you  have already accomplished  the first task - Check the blog every evening.
Don't forget your draft for your poem for class tomorrow.  Look at the sample in yesterday's post. Number of lines are a guideline. You should do at least 16, but you may do more. Avoid doing more than 30 lines. Do not worry about this poem. It is only a draft. If you are not 100% sure what you need to do, just do what  you think you need to do, and I'll help you tomorrow.

Tonight's H/W

Place your 'comfort zone' in a place near your desk. Add   comments, photos, ticket stubs etc. to it every time you step out of your comfort zone during the 1st Qtr. You will need to return this to school at the end of the Qtr.

Based on our discussions of 'just right books' - go to your family book collection (This could be  any magazines, newspapers etc. and select two books for ANY two people in your home.) In your Readers' Response notebook you should write 2 brief paragraphs  (approx 50-100 words) explaining why you chose the books  for each person. In both paragraphs, you should make specific reference to some of the strategies for choosing 'just right books' that we discussed in class today. (Paragraphs Due: Thur)

Watch the videos below for more links on choosing 'Just Right Books"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yiPYpHz8OA&feature=related

This one is a little infantile, but it reiterates the IPICK strategy at the beginning

http://youtu.be/noWW8yqewKA

Enjoy this one for fun!

http://youtu.be/1EuU_EuwE3U

Thinking Ahead...
You should start bringing a USB to school by next week.  You will need to use one by next Friday at the latest.

Open House

Welcome to 5th Grade:

Needed: Engaged, enthusiastic students to fill this classroom!

It was such a pleasure to meet so many of my new class this morning at Open House. The classroom is just an empty room without its students. Based on our first meeting, I'm even more excited about the year ahead!


Many of you may be reading this blog for the first time. If your parents were able to set you up over the weekend to make comments, feel free to write a brief comment introducing yourself. (Purely optional). Click on the comment button at the bottom of this post to introduce yourself to the class.


Remember P.E. uniforms for Monday.

See your classmates below:

Mr Buxton's Blog

Mr. Buxton's Class 2011/12. Watch this video. You should be able to hear me give you a brief introduction to the blog.

Welcome to 5th Grade

Instructions - How to set up comments for your child

Parents should print out this document using the icon on the right hand side of the window

What's it like to be in Mr Buxton's class..?

...hear some comments from my last amazing group of 5th graders from Charlotte, North Carolina. Many of them are hoping to become pen pals with the 5th Grade class of 2011/12.