Reading Update

O'NEILL & ROST   

Target Learning Goals:  To grow ideas about characters, readers can...

• ... explore how characters treat others to notice patterns in their behavior.
• ... use patterns in characters' behaviors to write (and defend) claims about their personalities.
• ... pay attention to Memory Moments to infer what characters...
• struggle with.
• care about.
• hold close to their hearts.
• depend on.

TLGs in Action:

MEZAN  This week we finished up learning strategies to help us infer ideas about character feelings, move into thinking about character/ personality traits.

Target Learning Goals (TLG):  To grow ideas about characters, readers can...

• ... pay attention to what characters do (their actions) to infer how they feel.
• ... consider time duration to identify character feelings vs. traits. 

TLGs in Action:

Spirit Week Schedule

• Friday 10/28:  Race for Education during specials. Wear your school colors.

Reminders:

• Get Caught Reading:  Remember to email in pictures when you "catch" your child reading!  Hadley.ONeill@hcps.org  

Upcoming Dates:

• Race for Education: Tomorrow!
• Harford Glen permission slips due:  Friday, Nov. 4 or your earliest convenience. 
• Parent-Teacher Conferences: Monday, Nov. 7  
• All students and families should have been notified of their conference time.  If you are unaware of your assigned time, please email your homeroom teacher. 

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Spirit Week Schedule

Spirit Week Schedule

• Tuesday 10/25:  Crazy Hair and Hat Day
• Wednesday 10/26:  Book Character Day  (NOT Halloween Costumes so they must be related to a book)
• Thursday 10/27:  80s Day
• Friday 10/28:  Race for Education during specials. Wear your school colors.

Reminders:

• Get Caught Reading:  Remember to email in pictures when you "catch" your child reading!  Hadley.ONeill@hcps.org  

Upcoming Dates:

• Race for Education: Friday, Oct. 28
• Harford Glen permission slips due:  Friday, Nov. 4 or your earliest convenience. 
• Reading Week: Monday, Oct. 31 - Friday, Nov. 4.
• Book Fair Projects: All entries need to be brought to school between Monday, Oct. 24 - Wednesday, Oct. 26.  Information regarding reading week and projects will come home this Friday at the latest.
• Parent-Teacher Conferences: Monday, Nov. 7

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

In Math we have begun Topic 3. We will be learning to fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using different methods. We will explain patterns in the number of zeroes of the product when multiplying a number by powers of 10. We will also apply our understanding of place value to estimate products. We will use money in real world contexts to connect mathematics in Room 22 to problems in everyday life.

We will examine several methods to multiply large numbers in the beginning of the unit.  Students will be encouraged to choose a method that they understand the most to use for their classwork and homework. The method students use is open to personal preference as long as accurate answers are achieved. 

Continue to review and practice basic multiplication facts to 12 x 12. Students can more easily concentrate on multi-step problems when they know their basic multiplication facts. They are all becoming more confident with their facts as we enter the second quarter. I am so proud of their progress.

Homework will continue to be assigned Monday through Thursday nights. Math homework should take 10 -15 minutes. Students (and parents!) are always encouraged to give me feedback about their learning in a note on their homework.

The first quarter ends Friday Oct. 28th. Grades will be recorded in Edline beginning Monday Oct. 31 and posted on a regular basis. Do you have an Edline password so that you can monitor your child's progress? Contact our school office for a password code if you need one. Edline is a very valuable tool!

As always, please feel free to contact me with specific questions.
Mrs. Mezan
shelley.mezan@hcps.org

Room 24 Update - Harford Glen and Unit Wrap Up

We are wrapping up our astronomy and weather unit this week. Students should be studying for the assessment this evening for sure, although I have been mentioning the test for a few days, so they may have already started. Following this test, we will be transitioning back to social studies to begin our look at Native American regions and cultures.

Also, you should have seen the Harford Glen permission slip this week. Those are due by November 4, but will be gratefully accepted earlier, so we can get our preparations completed early. We will be completing some Environmental Stewardship unit activities prior to our trip, which Harford Glen will build upon and continue. This is a great experience and also an expected part of the HCPS 5th grade science curriculum. Therefore, it is the expectation that all students attend the trip for core content instruction. The dates for the trip are November 16 and 17. Students will arrive as usual, but it is an extended day trip and we will bet returning to school at 6 PM. Someone needs to be present to pick up your student, as we cannot send walkers and there will be no bus transportation home following the trip. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for your support from home and have a great evening!!!

Mr. Rost

Spelling Homework

All classes received spelling lists today.  Outlined below is spelling homework for the year.  Students are bringing home copies of this outline tonight; hang it on the fridge, etc.. For future reference, you can find this information in the Weekly Spelling Homework Menu tab.  I also have many copies in our room, if this paper gets lost.  Thank you!

Weekly Spelling Homework Menu

• Monday:  Write your words in your planner.
• Tuesday: Pick a numbered choice. Write the numbered choice at the top of your homework.
• Wednesday: Pick a numbered choice. Write the numbered choice at the top of your homework.
• Thursday: Pick a numbered choice. Write the numbered choice at the top of your homework.
• Friday: Spelling quiz (no homework)

*Choose a different number each day.

Spelling Menu Choices

1.    Alphabetical  Order Write all of your spelling words in alphabetical (ABC) order.	2. Use Technology Type out your spelling words on the computer and print them out or email them to Hadley.ONeill@hcps.org	3. Sentences Write complete sentences correctly using your spelling words. You may use more than 1 spelling word in a sentence. Underline the spelling words.	4. Cursive First, print each word, then write the word in cursive next to it.
5. Hidden Picture Words Draw and color a picture. Hide your spelling words inside the picture. See if someone can find your hidden words!	6. Waterfall Words Ex: H Ha Hap Happ Happy	7. Rainbow Words Write your words with colors. Make each letter a different color.	8. Vowel Spotlight Write your words using one color for the vowels and another color for the consonants.
9. Adding Words Vowels are 10 and consonants are 5. Write your words then add the value of each word. Ex: Cat 5+10+5=20	10. UPPER and lower Write all your words one time with all capital letters and one time with all lowercase letters.	11. Train Track Words Write the entire list end-to-end as one long word. Write each new word in a different color. Ex: trainbackstop	12. Fancy Words Write your words in fancy font. Ex: happy
13. Words within Words Write each spelling word and then write at least two words made from that word. Ex: catch cat hat	14. Syllables Break apart your words into syllables. Ex: pen - guin	15. UPPER and lower Write your words one time with all uppercase letters and one time with all lowercase letters.	16. Definitions Use a dictionary (or online dictionary) to write your words and their definitions.

Reminders:

• Spelling quizzes will take place this Thursday, as we do not have school on Friday.
• Get Caught Reading:  Remember to email in pictures when you "catch" your child reading!  Hadley.ONeill@hcps.org  

Upcoming Dates:

• No School:  Friday, October 21, 2016
• Race for Education: Friday, Oct. 28
• Harford Glen permission slips due:  Friday, Nov. 4 or your earliest convenience. 
• Reading Week: Monday, Oct. 31 - Friday, Nov. 4.
• Book Fair Projects: All entries need to be brought to school between Monday, Oct. 24 - Wednesday, Oct. 26.  Information regarding reading week and projects will come home this Friday at the latest.
• Parent-Teacher Conferences: Monday, Nov. 7 (information to follow at a later date)

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Room 24 Update - Astronomy and Weather Continue, Start of the G.R.E.A.T. Program

Sorry for the delay in posting. With days off and changes in schedules, I've been trying to stay on top of maximizing instruction and the blog posts slipped my mind a bit. However, I did want to be sure that I passed along that we are continuing our astronomy and weather unit. We have wrapped the astronomy portion and are now heavily into weather. We have tracked the hurricanes, in addition to the curricular studies of the water cycle, types of precipitation and clouds, and common weather conditions in our region. We continue to make sky observations periodically during class and I ask that students continue looking at night.

This Sunday, October 16th, a resupply rocket for the ISS is scheduled to launch from Wallops Island, Virginia at 8:06 PM. We will have an opportunity to view the launch, if we look to the southeast at this time. The rocket should become visible to our area about one and a half to two minutes around 5 to 10 degrees about the horizon. Viewing time will be limited, as the launch is aimed generally away from us this time, but we should still get a good look at the launch, if everything goes well weather wise. If the launch is scrubbed, I will post an updated time for launch.

We also started the G.R.E.A.T. program today, which is a collaboration between the school system and the Harford County Sheriff's Office. The idea is to promote good choices for behaviors and community relations. I have attached a picture of the flyer you should see coming home today. We have three different deputies who will be working with the three classes as they rotate through the rooms. We hope this is a strong experience for the students and look forward to the learning over the coming weeks with the deputies.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out and ask.

Have a great weekend!!!

-Mr. Rost

Spelling Quiz Tomorrow!

Just a reminder, ALL classes have a spelling quiz tomorrow.  Please make sure your child writes their words twice tonight for homework (and studies, if necessary).  Additionally, I will be checking ALL planners tomorrow for signatures indicating your child has read all school nights this week.  Thank you!

Get Caught Reading:  Remember to email in pictures when you "catch" your child reading!  Hadley.ONeill@hcps.org

Upcoming Dates:

• Race for Education: Friday, Oct. 28
• Continue to send in those labels!
• Reading Week: Monday, Oct. 31 - Friday, Nov. 4.
• Book Fair Projects: All entries need to be brought to school between Monday, Oct. 24 - Wednesday, Oct. 26.  Information regarding reading week and projects will come home this Friday at the latest.
• Parent-Teacher Conferences: Monday, Nov. 7 (information to follow at a later date)

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

KidBlog

Today students created their own blogs. The purpose of these blogs is to provide students with an authentic audience for their writing as well as a space to publish their thinking. In addition, when blogging, I will teach students basic keyboarding and computer skills. Furthermore, the majority of the writing published on student blogs will be regarding the books students are currently reading.

The program I use that has been the most successful in the past is "KidBlog". KidBlog is a private website that does not allow anyone aside from our fifth grade students to view/ comment on student blogs. I am the "Administrator" of all blogs, and can edit, view, etc. all student blogs, comments, posts.  As a fifth grade, we discussed appropriate and inappropriate ways to use these blogs to write and communicate with each other.  I expect students to be respectful and responsible in their use of their blogs.  Students will only be blogging in the classroom, on Fridays. For now, students are NOT allowed to blog at home. Once students get a handle on how to use this platform to write about their reading, I'll allow them to blog at home.

If you'd like to checkout your child's blog, click their homeroom teacher below. Have them log in and show you. Today, we simply set the blogs up; most students haven't posted or commented yet.

O'NEILL

MEZAN

ROST

Have a fantastic weekend,

Mrs. O'Neill

PJ Day Tomorrow

Riverside students "filled the tube" for the first time this year! Students voted to wear pajamas tomorrow!

O'NEILL & ROST  Students are learning strategies to help them think critically about characters; getting to know characters as people, understanding their personalities, etc..  Students will learn, practice, and apply strategies to help them grow ideas about characters over the next few weeks (see table below for more information).  Eventually, we want students building character theories and supporting their theories with evidence from text. 

Target Learning Goals:  To grow ideas about characters, readers can...

• ... consider time duration to distinguish between emotions and personality traits. 
• ... pay special attention to objects characters hold dear.
• ... notice and name patterns in what characters say.
• ... use patterns and thinking stems to write about characters.

TLGs in Action:

*Shapes next to quotes indicate patterns/ similarities. We use these patterns to develop new understandings of characters & texts.

MEZAN  Our main focus in Readers' Workshop this week has been learning strategies to help us infer how characters feel.  In class we explain inferring as the following: text clues + schema (background knowledge) = inference (a new idea that isn't explicitly said).  Additionally, we're working on being precise with our language; i.e., instead of mad, sad, happy, we can think/ say/ write: thrilled, anxious, despondent, heartbroken, furious, etc.. 

Target Learning Goals (TLG):

• I can use my schema plus text clues to draw inferences from texts.
• I can pay special attention to what characters say to infer ideas about how they feel.

TLGs in Action:

Reminders:

• PJ Day tomorrow
• I'll be checking planners for signatures tomorrow.  Your signature indicates your child has read 30 minutes/ school night. 
• No spelling for all classes this week.
• Get Caught Reading:  Remember to email in pictures when you "catch" your child reading!  Hadley.ONeill@hcps.org  We have about 10 pictures so far. Add to our collection! Send in those photos! 

Upcoming Dates:

• Early Dismissal: Tomorrow.  Students are dismissed at 12:30
• No School:  Wednesday, October 12, 2016
• Race for Education: Friday, Oct. 28
• Reading Week: Monday, Oct. 31 - Friday, Nov. 4.
• Book Fair Projects: All entries need to be brought to school between Monday, Oct. 24 - Wednesday, Oct. 26.  Information regarding reading week and projects will come home this Friday at the latest.
• Parent-Teacher Conferences: Monday, Nov. 7 (information to follow at a later date)

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

No Spelling This Week

I will post later on this week with a more detailed update in reading; however, I wanted to remind families that ALL classes will not have spelling this week as we missed Monday. 

Get Caught Reading:  Remember to email in pictures when you "catch" your child reading!  Hadley.ONeill@hcps.org

Upcoming Dates:

• Race for Education: Friday, Oct. 28
• Continue to send in those labels!
• Reading Week: Monday, Oct. 31 - Friday, Nov. 4.
• Book Fair Projects: All entries need to be brought to school between Monday, Oct. 24 - Wednesday, Oct. 26.  Information regarding reading week and projects will come home this Friday at the latest.
• Parent-Teacher Conferences: Monday, Nov. 7 (information to follow at a later date)

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Hello all,
I am slowly learning all the features to our new Math program. I wanted to share this information below in case you would like to explore the lessons at home. Students can review what we are learning in school and/or play the interactive computer games. We are currently in Topic 2, so anything in Topic 1 or 2 would be great practice for your child.

Make a note in your child's planner if he/she spends some time reviewing math concepts in Topic 1 or 2 online or playing the games. I will be glad to reward them with tickets and a big smile. :)

In order to access the Math text and materials students need to know their HCPS username and password to log on at home or on another device outside of the HCPS network.

Here are the step by step directions.

1. Launch the Internet browser.  Google Chrome is recommended.     
2. In the address bar, type HCPS.org
3. Click on the enVisionmath button in the top right hand corner of the page.
4. Directions will appear for continuing with the log in process. Follow the directions. Once logged in, students have access to online resources including their student book, glossary, interactive computer games, lesson animations, and virtual math tools.

Please use this great resource as we move through the Topics.
As always, please feel free to email me with feedback and/or questions.

Go O's!
Mrs. Mezan