Feb. 21 - Feb. 24

I'm looking forward to a short, but productive week!  Here is what will be happening:

Math- Our next chapter in geometry will continue with the study of space figures, also known as solid figures or 3-D figures.  For the next several weeks we will move rather quickly through the material.  Some lessons in each chapter will be excluded .  Therefore, it will be important for you to know the lessons being tested.  I will have the students make note of this on their study guides, or will send an email to alert you about each test.  Our next test will be sometime next week over chapters 21 and 22.
Reading- We are working through mini lessons and in reading groups to be experts in finding details to support our reading responses.  Students are reading either Meet Addy, Stone Fox, or Class Clown.
Spelling- All groups will test this week.  Yellow group will be Wed., Green Group, Thursday, and Blue Group on Friday. 
Science- We are continuing our study of the States of Matter.  Our test will most likely be next week.  Prism projects are due tomorrrow, Tuesday 2/21.  The Prism Fair is this Thursday.
Social Studies- Tomorrow we will play a game to help us review for the Ch. 10 test on Wednesday.  Students have study guides in their binders.  I will ask them to take the social studies books home tomorrow so that you have that to look over as well. 
Writing- This week's activity will be for students to write a paragraph telling what he or she would do if running for president.  I can hardly wait to see the campaign promises!

Special Events:
Mon.-   President's Day holiday!
Tues.-  Prism projects need to come to school.
Wed.-  Library;  Spelling test for the Yellow Group;  Social Studies test - Ch. 10;
Thurs.- Reading Tungsten Test;  Spelling test for the Green Group;  Prism Fair begins at 4:00!
Fri.-  Spelling test for the Blue Group;

Feb. 13- 17

Mr. Hamby Verses the Assembly Line!

     There seems to be a lot going on in Feburary! First we have the Valentine's Day party this Tuesday. Students should bring their decorated box on the day of the party along with cards for their friends. Please don't allow your child to overlook any of the students in the classroom. If you are in need of cards, please email me to let me know so that I can help you get cards before Tuesday.
     Another important task is getting the Economic's Day plan in by this coming Wednesday. Everyone in the class will participate in this event. Some students do not receive grades in social studies because they are not usually present for social studies class. However, all students will receive a social studies grade on their report card in the third quarter because all will be participating in the Economics Day event.
     Finally, prism projects should be turned be turned in by Thursday, February 23rd. However, if you would like for me to look over the project in advance to make sure that everything is correct, please send the project in early. I would like to see the projects this week if possible - either Wed., Thurs., or Friday. That way if anything is missing, students have time to make the changes needed. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me.

Here's what is happening this week:
Math - We are continuing our study of geometry.  In Ch. 20 we will review congruency and symmetry.  We will also learn about flips, slides, and turns and how they are used to help one determine if a figure is congruent or merely similar.  Our test over this chapter will be on Friday.

Reading - We are wrapping up author's purpose.  Our reward game on Friday, PIE, was tied to author's purpose.  The letters for PIE stand for persuasion, information, and entertainment.  Authors write with one of these purposes in mind.

Spelling - No tests this week.  However, every group will receive new words!

Science - Lesson 2 begins with the states of matter.  There will also be a review of the water cycle.

Social Studies - We will finish making our flow charts and then put the finishing touches in the chapter.  There may be a test over chapter 10 by the end of the week.  Please consult the assignment book with regards to this.

Writing - Students are finishing their persuasive letters and choosing one to publish.  The work is completely theirs and is what I will grade.  They will not be making a display copy, so the graded letters will have some flaws.  When you receive the graded work, be sure to read and discuss the good points of the letter and as well as how it could be improved. 

Special Events
Mon. -  Money due for Jump Rope for Heart
Tues. - Jump Rope for Heart event, Valentine's Day parties;
Wed. - Early Release Day;  Economics Day plan is due;  bring in prism this week!        .
Thurs. - Counseling class with Mrs. Toomey in the afternoon;  first test over the 9x facts;
Friday - Test over math Ch. 20.

Feb. 6 - Feb. 10

     I hope you are all enjoying the Super Bowl today.  Mr. Hamby encouraged the kids to root for the Giants.  I think he said they had one in a million chance of winning.  Anyway, that was his opinion!  If you disagreee, you can take that up with him!
     We have another busy week ahead.  To kick off the week, however, our school is participating in Pasta for Pennies.  (I may have that backwards - the kids have been correcting me, but for the life of me I can't remember which way it goes.)  Anyway, the idea is for our class to collect for the leukemia and lymphnoma foundation.  Our class set a lofty goal of $250.00.  To help us get there, I will match whatever the class brings in as it is for a very good cause.  I often think of leukemia as a children's disease.  I hope it never afficts any of our own.
     Special congrats to Alexis Landmeier, Jack Stephens, and Connor McFerron.  These students won first, second, and third place respectively in our class's Martin Luther King Jr. Poster/Writing Contest.  Their work will be submitted for further judging at the state level!                               

Here's what's going on this coming week:
Math:  We will wrap up geometry Ch. 19 and test over the material on Thursday.  Students already have a study guide that reviews the geometry vocabulary.  There is quite a bit to memorize, so it may be wise to study each night this week.  Another study guide will come home on Wednesday.  That one will be very similar to the actual test.  We are also continuing to memorize the 7's and 8's multiplication facts.  All students should have their 7's completed by midweek. The 9x cards will come out at the end of the week.

Reading:  I am continually reviewing cause and effect as well as the art of summarizing.  However, this week we will focus on author's purpose.  Students should be able to recognize if something was written for entertainment or for information.  We will also be exposed to writing that was written for the purpose of persuasion.

Spelling:  All groups test this week - Yellow Group on Wednesday, Green Group on Thursday, and Blue Group on Friday.

Science:  We did compare density of liquids last week, but did not get in the sink or float experiment, so it looks like we will tackle that this week.  Our test over chapter 11, lesson 1 will be this Friday.  Students will need extra help at home with the vocabulary - mass, volume, and density!

Social Studies:  How are the economic plans coming?  All students need to have them turned in by February 15th.  This includes students who are not normally in social studies class.  Need help coming up with an idea?  Just shoot me an email!  We will have some fun in class this week when we organize an assembly line.  Our goal will be to make marshmallow men in assembly line fashion faster than Mr. Hamby can assemble them on his own.  I hope we win to prove that the assembly line is a better way!

Writing:  We are trying our hand at persuasive writing!

Special Events:
Mon. - 7x test for those who haven't passed it yet;
Tues. -
Wed. - Yellow spelling test;  8x fact test;
Thurs. - Green Spelling test;  Chapter 19 math test;
Fri. - Blue spelling test;  8x fact test;  science test over Ch. 11, lesson 1;