Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hot Dog Luncheon

Ice Skating Party

THANK YOU EVERYONE!

I appreciate all the gifts and thoughtful treats!  I will stay good and caffeinated over break!  Thank you!

We had a great week, we finished up our life science unit with the test yesterday.  After break will begin Force and Motion and also start Unit 2 in our Ready Gen series.

Have a fantastic break with the kids!  Enjoy the time of Christmas with your family and friends.  I am very excited about all the other fun learning we will do as we return in January.  Thank you again for all your support and sending me such amazing kids to teach each day!

I can…

Determine theme in a story from details in the text, including how characters respond to challenges in summary.

Describe how a narrators point of view influences how events in a story are described.

Describe the forces that affect the movement of an object.

Science Test/ Hot Dog Lunch / Ice Skating Party

We will be taking our big unit test for life science next week Wed. before our party on the 22nd.  The kids have a study guide and I told them to study each night instead of reading log. 

Remember our skating party and hot dog lunch is next week Thursday Dec. 22nd.  If you’d still like to volunteer or donate items for the hot dog luncheon please visit this link to the Volunteer Spot page.  There are still a few items left to be filled.

This week we also started the Unit 1 Ready Gen assessment online.  We are building a little stamina like a marathon runner would by taking that test over all of our learning in Unit 1 as we prepare to do an excellent job on M-Step in the spring. 

This week we also have been working on our human systems advertising projects.

I can…

Analyze multiple accounts of the same topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.

Compare and contrast the overall structure of information in two or more texts.

Explain how the selected body systems work together to perform life activities.

Hot Dog Lunch / Ice Skating Party

We will be having a hot dog lunch here at school before we head over to  The Edge Ice Arena on Dec. 22nd.  Please see this link, or click the link in the email for signing up to donate food items.

Remember you are invited to come and skate with us!  Just bring your own skates or $2.50 for skate rental!  We will have the ice from 1pm to 1:50pm.

Remember those hats, gloves, and or mittens!  We are collecting them for Blackwell Institute this year in conjunction with our Quincy mitten/hat drive.  If we could get them in by Dec. 15th that would be fantastic! 

We will be taking our unit test on Systems and Survival next week, as well as an online version of the Unit 1 ReadyGen assessment that covers all of the language arts skills we’ve been learning this year so far.

I can…

Explain relationships and interactions between two or more individuals and events in a scientific text based on specific information in the text.

Determine the meaning of general and domain-specific words.

Explain how the selected body systems work together to perform life activities.

Christmas Tree Ship Learning / Celebration

Our classroom will be honoring the spirit of giving on Friday Dec. 22nd with a donation of mittens or hats (brand new only) to His Harvest Stand a local nonprofit organization.  In the past H.H.S. has reported they are in need of these items later in the winter.   We will box them up and give them to H.H.S. in February, as they are typically flooded with goods at Christmas time but running low during the latter part of winter.

During the last week before break we will learn about the Rouse Simmons, better know as the Christmas Tree Ship.  The Rouse Simmons was a famous schooner that brought thousands of Christmas trees each Christmas season to Chicagoans, and gave a portion of its trees away to needy families.  Unfortunately, a strong gale hit Lake Michigan on November 23, 1912, which encased the Rouse Simmons in ice and she sunk near Two Rivers Wisconsin with all hands and cargo.  Today, the U.S. Coast Guard carries on the Rouse Simmons tradition by bringing trees to Chicago’s needy families at Navy Pier.

So, honoring this giving tradition in our own fifth grade way we would like to make a mitten & hat donation to His Harvest Stand in lieu of a gift exchange.  We will be having a little “ceremony/party” on the 18th when we hope to fill a box full of mittens/hats to give to the needy of our area this Christmas season.  We will be viewing a fantastic History Channel Storm Stories episode on the famous Christmas Tree Ship on Lake Michigan.  If any parents would like to donate a few 2 liters of soda and some Christmas cookies for our party, it would be greatly appreciated.  Please email me bbraymer@zps.org