Homework Week 1 Trimester 2

Click the link above to get the H/W sheet for this week

Welcome to the start of a new trimester. Everybody starts with a clean slate. You will be expected to continue to apply your reading,  writing, and grammar skills from the first trimester into your work in addition to the new skills we will learn this trimester. This means my expectations increase a little! Who's ready for the new challenge?

We hit the ground running with a short review of:

• Types of nouns
• Rules for making nouns plural
• Difference between singular and possessive nouns

These will be tested on Monday 8th November. Watch out for Noun practice on the blog early next week.

We will also begin our tour of the different regions of the U.S. beginning with the Southeast.

Don't forget that you descriptive piece is due Tuesday.

Mentor Text - U.S. Tourist attractions

For Tuesday. Make sure you bring as many notes on CONSERVATION  as you can find for Tuesday's in class writing test. You will be able to use your notes  to help you with this writing. YOU DO NOT NEED A SOCIAL STUDIES TEXTBOOK. No other Humanities H/W tonight.

Look below to see a further example of an effective advanced parargraph. /will yours read like this tomorrow?

Tourist Attractions Across America

As Robert ventures down into the Grand Canyon, he begins to picture all of the other beautiful destinations in the USA. The variety of tourist attractions across the US can appeal to residents an visitors alike. The United States contains a multitude of tourists’ favorite national parks. From a plethora of Geysers, to boiling hot springs, and boiling mud pots, Yellowstone National Park is a wonderful place to visit. To travel to the Grand Canyon, one of the seven wonders of the world, is a spectacle visitors will never forget. In addition, Big Bend is yet another national park that lies on the border of Mexico, and it attracts thousands of tourists every day. A vast amount of mountain ranges spread throughout the US. The Appalachian Mountains, one of the most famous mountain ranges, runs through the Southeast and the Northeast Regions. On the other hand, The Rocky Mountains, or the Rockies are located in the west. The Cascades, another breathtaking mountain range, runs straight through California making it tangible to tourists that this is the perfect destination. The pacific States, a minute region in the west, has an assortment of tourist attractions. Containing some of the country’s tallest mountains, the Pacific States are lined vertically on the west coast. Hollywood is a city where most of America’s movies are shot, and it is also a popular tourist destination. Spanning across the golden gate, the opening of the San Fransisco into the pacific ocean, the golden gate bridge attracts visitors from all around the world. The United States contains thousands of tourist attractions, such as Yellowstone or the Cascades, and they can appeal to everyone. As Robert ascends back up to the top of the canyon, he decides that there are thousands of wonderful destinations to see in the US. His only question is, “Which one will I visit next?”

Next Week - Descriptive Writing

There is no H/W sheet to download since we have just two days next week.

Monday Night's H/W -
DESCRIPTIVE WRITING DUE DATE POSTPONED UNTIL TUESDAY  NOVEMBER 2nd

• Make sure you use the proof reading guide (given in class Monday) to improve your sentence construction. Have you truly 'painted a picture' with the words you chose?
• Do your best to integrate ideas/words from the 'word bank' booklet.
• Class Halloween party is Tuesday afternoon 2:20pm (both classes)

Mentor Text - Descriptive Writing

Home

The wind whistled in my ear as an angry chill crawled up my spine. Rain and sleet blocked my way. Each nervous step forward brought me closer to my destination. I could almost taste my fear. Our old, oak tree guarded the concrete path obediently. Its twisted branches and wet drooping leaves seemed to create a welcoming archway. A lone branch stroked my cheek as I darted underneath; reassurance perhaps? I pondered. Suddenly, even more familiar sights, comforting sounds, and calming smells bombarded my senses. I had made it. Just a few more precious steps I calculated. With two impressive strides and an enthusiastic leap I found some cover from the tormenting downpour. A long, green drape was pulled to one side, and two, tiny, warm smiles beckoned me forward. My heart pounded with joy. They were home, and they were safe.





Tuesday's Class - In Class Essay Writing

You will be required to write an in class essay on the topic 'conservation'. You will be able to use any notes we covered in class on the three Rs related to Recycle City. In addition, you will be able to ue any other notes/power plans you create.(e.g. Remember the H/Wnotes you took on how organizations can better conseve their resources?) The in class writing question will be very specific. It is VITAL that you adapt any information/notes you bring in and relate them specifically to the question you are given on Tuesday. i.e. You cannot just write down everything you know about conservation; instead, you have to make the question given is being answered.

No H/W Tuesday night

Enjoy your break and be safe when trick or treating next weekend

Feel free to add an comments about how you feel about this 1st trimester that ended Friday.  (+1 for thoughtful contributions)

Change to H/W Sheet

Due: Friday:

• Bring in a photograph  of a special 'moment in time' from your past. Try to select one that is an important point  in your life. You will be writing descriptively using this photograph, so make it as interesting as possible.
• If you have a problem getting an actual photograph, think of a creative way to achieve this same objective.
• Subjects booklet pages 4,5,6
• (If you didn't get chance to finish your descriptive writing card, don't worry. We will finish it in class or during morning work)

Reminders:

• Studying USAGE of the vocabulary words is the best way to prepare for the test tomorrow.
• Last day of Book Fair is Friday. Please remember any donations of slightly used boks for the 'Giving Tree'.
• Remember: Soar Day Friday
• Friday Night Football Game. As 5th graders, you are all role models for the younger students. Your behavior will be exemplary!

Change to H/W sheet

Instead of the exercise on 'Subjects' - Tackle this question. (Due: Thur)

List EIGHT additional ways (different from what we studied in class) that organizations and businesses could reduce their carbon footprint. Bullet points are fine. (Wink Wink ... these will be very useful facts for next Tuesday's test.)

These are some ideas...but you should try and find some unique ones yourself.
http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/04/11/10-business-practices-that-reduce-your-footprint/

Enjoy these videos on carbon footprint

Mentor Text - U.S. Terrain

Enjoy reading the paper written by Thomas on U.S. terrain. Why did I choose to put this paper on  the blog? comments encouraged

As the Smith family piles into their car, they head out to embark on an exciting adventure to national parks, mountain ranges, and coastlines all across the U.S. To begin with, the impressive terrain across the U.S. is both vast and varied. A multitude of tourists’ favorite national parks are right here in the U.S. From Big Bend to Yellow Stone and Glacier national park, these are some of the largest outdoor attractions in the U.S. Furthermore, Yellowstone national park, located in Colorado, is filled with bubbling hot springs and spitting geysers. Big Bend is located in the Southwest, yet it is on the boarder of Mexico and the U.S. A vast amount of  picturesque mountain ranges are spread across the United States. Stretching across the Southeast region is the Appalachian Mountains. The Rocky Mountains, located in the Southwest and West, crosses two regions. In these two mountain ranges is where outdoor adventurers might find the best skiing in the nation. The U.S. is outlined with a numerous amount of coastlines. Beaches of Los Angeles and Florida are some of the most popular destinations in the U.S. The latter was recently affected by an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill kept an extremely large amount of people from coming to the coastlines that were affected, but now that the spill is clogged, so people are starting to swarm in again. From national parks to coastlines and mountain ranges these fantastic features make the U.S. a popular destination. After a long day of breathtaking sightseeing, the Smith family parks their car and they stagger into the hotel to take a break and sleep for the night.  

• Words in black are ones I added to avoid word repetition
• Tomorrow, we will work on effective restate sentences

Next Tuesday, you will write an essay in class under exam conditions as part of your Lesson 3-5 Test.

Prepositional Phrases- Test Practice

Use these links to practice for Wednesday's test on clauses, prepositions, and prepositional phrases.

Infinitves - explanations
http://www2.puc.edu/Faculty/Rosemary_Dibben/Grammar/infinitives.shtml
new link on preps. (added Monday night)
http://www.eduplace.com/cgi-bin/hme-quiz-start.cgi?Grade=6&Unit=7&Topic=Prepositional+Phrases&x=25&y=9
http://depts.dyc.edu/learningcenter/owl/exercises/prepositions_ex1.htm
http://depts.dyc.edu/learningcenter/owl/exercises/prepositions_ex2.htm
http://www.quia.com/quiz/298373.html?AP_rand=219568485

http://www.towson.edu/ows/ESLexercisePrep2.htm
http://www.english-in-chester.co.uk/stayintouch/prepositional-phrases-english-language-practice_32.html
(drag and drop answers for speed)

http://aliscot.com/bigdog/prep_exercise.htm

http://www.quia.com/cc/73781.html
Make sure you watched last week's videos on prepositional phrases.

Enjoy these zany videos on Prepositions







You will not be able to answer all the quesations on this page as we have not studied gerunds yet. However, this is a VERY useful exercise to try (wink wink!)
http://www.grammaruntied.com/phrases/phrasequiz1/Iquizphrase.html

Mentor Text - Essay Writing

Read this sample essay paragraph that earned an A+  on the last writing assignment by Bennett. You will be writing another one of these tomorrow. See if you can see why Bennett earned the highest grade. Comments welcome.


Oceans
by Bennett Smith

On a beautiful summer day John Drinkwater, a scuba diving specialist, prepares to explore the awesome oceans. A number of major oceans cover about 70% of our Earth’s surface. The largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean. Surprisingly, The Pacific Ocean is 69,000,000 square miles wide. While oceans themselves cover 70% of the Earth’s surface, the Pacific covers 30%. The deepest point, The Mariana Trench, can fit 28.7232 Empire State Buildings inside it. The Atlantic Ocean has various amounts of geological features. For instance, the Mid Atlantic Ridge runs right through the Atlantic Ocean. Another feature is the mysterious Bermuda Triangle that is located on the Atlantic. Additionally, there are lots of hydrothermal vents that squirt out waters form 500 – 780 degrees Fahrenheit. The Arctic Ocean is known for its cold waters. Astonishingly, in the winter the Arctic Ocean is mostly sea ice, but sometimes it forms glaciers. The salinity level increases in the Arctic because the water freezes and leaves the salt behind. Not only has global warming affected the water temperature, but also it affects animals’ habitat. From the ring of fire of the Pacific, to the Mid Atlantic Ridge of the Atlantic, and the bone chilling waters of the Arctic, oceans are one of the most interesting and fun topics people can learn about. John Drinkwater is all prepared, and he is finally ready to explore the amazing underwater world of his ocean.

Homework Sheet Week 9+10

Click above to get next week's homework sheet. The next two weeks close this first trimester. Can you belive one third of fifth grade is almost already over.  Be VERY organized with your studies next week as many grades are being taken for your Report Cards. Finish the trimester STRONG!

Word of the Week
Precocious

Phrase of the Week
You'll always know when you are on the right  road; it's uphill.

Note: Buxton class Teddy Bear skit is Monday, Graham class Tuesday.

Prepositional Package H/W

Remember:

• Pages 7-8-9 from your prepostional package for H/W.
• Graham class ONLY - Write three P2s for the topic sentence on the back of the power plan. Next, write three P3 for just one of the P2s.
• work on your prepositional phrase skit. By the end of tomorrow's session, your group should be able to run through  your play from start ot finish. Remember the WILF
• Daily Editing Books due tomorrow. This is an easy A+. You just need to hand it in completed on time.

Don't worry about finishing Hatchet. We'll tackle that tomorrow.

Prepositional Phrase Practice -Videos

A reply from Mr. Warton

To Mr. Buxton's Students,



It was exhilarating to talk with you about the challenges of living in a diverse, global world. You really are the leaders that our city, state, and nation is waiting for to grow up and solve many of the problems we adults can't figure out. Thank you for your thoughtful and smart comments. Always think critically, listen intently, and speak and write with clarity and passion.


Mr. Wharton



Watch these videos to recap what we learned about prepositional phrases today

Will your prepositional phrase song be full of prepositional phrases like this one?



Use this link to practice for next week's Prpositional Phrase Test

"Wink Wink Nudge Nudge  Bob's your Uncle"- This exercise could be VERY useful next week! (click on -pop quiz)
http://eslus.com/LESSONS/GRAMMAR/POS/pos7.htm#Pop Quiz 1

Homework Week 8

Click above link for this week's homework'

Phrase of the Week
You can't applaud with one hand

Word  of the week
naive

Sentence Fluency Test Practice 2

Add your questions/comments/study examples to the blog.

Plus points for quality questions or answers that you can provide to other people's questions.

Mr. Warton's talk...

What messages did you take away from Mr. Warton's talk today?

Any other comments regarding the topics discussed?

Win + points for thoughful responses

Setnence Fluency Test Practice

Next Fridaty's test is OPEN BOOK and OPEN NOTES. You may bring ANYTHING you create into the test room with you. The trick is studying 'smart' and looking for the red flags that give you the clues to the answer
e.g. what words do you need to be highlighting if you are trying to decide whether something is compound or complex?
e.g. what's the difference between a semi colon and a comma?
e.g what are the four charateristics of both compound and complex sentences?
e.g. how can you learn from the mistakes you made in your worksheets?
 You are expected to spend about 10 mins every night next week practicing these exercises and playing these games below.

http://www.csus.edu/owl/index/sent/clause_quiz.htm
compound and complex sentences

http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0073123587/student_view0/chapter6/complex_sentences_exercise.html 

http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/language_arts/sentence_types/quiz1848.html  

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quiz2/quizzes-to-fix/sentence_types_quiz.html

https://www.classzone.com/books/lnetwork_gr07/page_build.cfm?id=quiz&ch=8 

http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0073511994/student_view0/brush_up/part_i-grammar2/grammar_exercise_04.html 

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9901/cw-senttype.html

Fused and Comma Splice

http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/runons_quiz.htm 

https://depts.dyc.edu/learningcenter/owl/exercises/run-ons_ex1.htm 

http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_smith_english_10/108/27805/7118326.cw/content/index.html 

http://www.quia.com/quiz/299540.html (ignore question 13 and 16)

http://www.quia.com/rr/126726.html
http://www.quia.com/quiz/815621.html?AP_rand=60951870

Week 7 Homework

click above link to see you H/W for next week

Change to Thursday H/W

Spend tonight working on some aspect of your script if you can.   Scripts are not due until next Tuesday. You will have another hour in class to work on these Fri and Mon, so don't panic!

For tomorrow, read this article below on phrases and clauses. This will help you prepare for the lesson. Then try the exercise

http://www.english-the-easy-way.com/Punctuation_English/Clause_or_Phrase.htm 

http://www.csus.edu/owl/index/sent/clause_quiz.htm  

Start to tackle some of the online sentence fluency exercises for practice for next Thursday's test.  This is not compulsory, but you should try all these exercises before next Friday's  Sentence Fluency Test

http://eslbee.com/cgi-bin/quiztest.cgi?helenkeller   compound/complex practice

http://itech.pjc.edu/writinglab/senpat.htm  compound/complex  practice

http://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/Orange%20Level/Orange_Level_Quiz_4_Clauses_&_Phrases.html  phrases and clauses

This video gives details on clauses - phrases are just without the subject or verb or both