Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A trip to the Museum!

The bus ride!

Fieldwork experts!


Getting ready for connections in our Expedition!

Can you name this part of the body in its scientific terminology?

Mr. Richard making us use our nervous system!

"Wow that's interesting!"


Taking a look at parasites that can affect our body

Your arm span is 4 feet 5 inches!

Ewww...a clean arterie verses a clogged artery! I am eating healthy from now on Miss McGuire!

A healthy set of lungs...

Lungs of a smoker. Notice the holes. These holes represent emphysema!

We were able to visit the Buffalo Science Museum! We got to learn all about "Anato-Me" up close and personal. Mr. Richard was an amazing expert and taught many cool things about our body! We then got to work in workshops and got a deeper understanding of how we operate, the foods we eat, and the muscles and skeleton make up! Take a peek at what we learned!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

1/16-1/20

Good evening! We are off to our third marking period! ( no assignments are being accepted for the 2nd quarter) I can't believe how fast this year is flying by! Looking back it is so wonderful to see your children growing and maturing so quickly. I am so thankful to be working with your children!
This week we will be working on diseases and injuries that occur within our skeletal system. We talked about osteoporosis as well broken bones. 5th grade will start their next writing piece on comparing and contrasting the two. Our class will be heading to the Buffalo Museum of Science to investigate the vertebrates of animals and humans as well and partake in the a healthy heart workshop. Stay tuned for pictures. :) The students will be taking their third benchmark in both ELA and Math this week to identify their progress in learning.
Reminder that next week we have two half days with dismissal at 12:00pm on both days! Parent teacher conferences will take place on the 26th. If you have not yet signed up, please do so in order to assure your desired time. If you need to change your time or are unable to make it please send a note or call the school so that those times can be filled by other parents/guardians. It is crucial that your children are also in school on a daily basis so that they are receiving the skills and tools necessary to progress through fifth grade! Thank you for your support. :)
ELA
Tuesday- 3x each
Wed- ABC order
Thursday-Sentence

Math
Tuesday-10-1
Thursday- 10-2

Reminders:
*Bring in loose change for "Hoops for Hearts"
* Chuck E. Cheese Fundraiser 3pm-9pm on Thursday
*Wear jeans for $1 on Friday
*Return Parent conference forms
*1/26 Parent teacher conferences
1/27 & 1/27 half day dismissal at 12:00pm

Thank you!
Miss McGuire 

Monday, January 9, 2012

1/9-1/13

Good evening! I hope that you all enjoyed your weekend! We are well into our second expedition and are learning so much about ourselves and our bodies! Last week, fifth grade dissected an owl pellet and compared the skeletal system of the vole to that of a human body. Most the kids were disgusted. However, once beginning the process they were very enthusiastic. What a great experience at such a young age. We are continue to dive into fractions expressions in math. Please remember to use the resources provided to enhance your child's education in the upper right hand corner. These are valuable resources to support the learning of what is being taught in our classroom.
We are currently reading Freak the Mighty. This is an anchor text related to "Anato-Me" and works with differences, disabilities, and the development of the adolescent body. It is a literary text of  two young boys who become best friends regardless of their differences physically and mentally. We will be investigating and reinforcing various ELA skills related to our reading.
Over the past several months we have been focusing on the Terra Nova's and the NYS test preparation in April. This week we will administer the Terra Nova. This test assesses the basic skills needed up to now in fifth grade. It is crucial that you are reading with your child, working with them on their homework, and supporting their learning. Please make sure that your child is getting a solid sleep each night to prepare them mentally for testing this week. It is also important that your child is present in their learning each day as well as present for testing. Extreme absences affect your child's performance.
The marking period will be closing on Friday. Just a reminder that I don't copy math assignments. It is your child's responsibility to tear out nightly math assignments and turn them in on time. I will collect any assignments from the second quarter up until Wednesday. Any missing assignments earn a zero. If your child is absent, again they are responsible for making up work missed.
Homework
ElA
Tues-ABC order
Wed- 3x each
Thurs- sen*tences
*Rest for Terra Nova

Math
Mon-9-6
Tues-Fractions/Percents
Wed-9-7
Thurs-9-8
*Rest for Terra Nova

Reminders
* Terra Nova testing: Tues, Wed, Thurs.
*FSA Meeting @ 6:30 Doris Jones
*Bring in loose change and enter to win prizes. All money raised goes to AHA
*Basketball tournament on Friday (All work must be turned in and great behavior in order to participate)
*1/2 Day on Friday; Dismissal at 12:00
*No School Monday 1/16

Looking forward to dissecting the pellet

Ewww...this is gross!

We broke it...look what's inside!

Up close and personal with bones and gore

Measuring the length of a pellet. Did you know a barn owl eats about 6 mammals a day?

Wow the human and the vole both have ribs!

How many skulls did you find?

Learning all about our skeletal system


Webquest through the skeletal system! We're hard at work