Field Trip Reminders:

• Bring in those permission slips and money!
• Parents, please join us.  We need you!
• Bring a bag lunch.
• Dress for the weather

Homework Reminders:

• Reading Logs are being checked daily, and will be collected on Monday
• 5 Senses/Brain: Read and make your own fact finder that includes diagrams, and a minimum of 10 facts.
• Math 12.2: Make an estimate and choose a method to check.  No calculators allowed!
• Human Body Cooperation Writing is due on Monday.

Parents Needed!
Hello 201 Families,

If you have a hour or two, I could really use your help with....

• cutting out the silhouettes that we created during our CAC unit
• taking 201's art work off of the CAC wall and brining it up to our classroom

Let me know if you can help!  Thank you!

Homework:

1. Reading Log: Due on Monday. I will be checking for completion each morning. This week's focus is Making Inferences.
2. Math: use lattice method to complete problems in 12.1
3. Due Monday: Human Body Cooperation Persuasive Writing
4.Yellow, Discovering the Achotca project, including all artifacts, will be due on Thursday.
5.Field Trip forms and money are absolutely, positively due tomorrow.
6.We need more parent volunteers in order to make this a safe and successful trip.  Please join us!

Extra Opportunities:
1.Watch the BrainPop or Brain Pop Jr segments on the 5 Senses and complete the activity

Wednesday

News:

• Progress Reports were sent home today.  Please note that there is still time to raise your grades.  Some averages are low due to either incomplete work or a low weekly test score.  There will be time for corrections.  Please give me a call or send me an email, and we can devise a plan to help your child.

Today we.....

•  created "x rays" in the Science labs. 
• began our "inside the human body" project. Our focus today was the skeleton.  
• watched a BrianPop segment on the skeleton and used a new note taking strategy to help us organize our ideas.
• worked on finding patterns in multiplication.  Knowing your facts is a prerequisite skill!  Ask your child what the word prerequisite means.  They should know!

Homework:
Theme 6 Vocabulary: Write a sentence for each word or write a short story that uses all of the words!
Math workbook 11.1 Patterns in Multiplication
Get your progress report signed and bring it back
Reading log, cause and effect and signature

Today we....
-Began our Reciprocal Reading foldable project
-Took a math test.  Students know their scores.  I will hand the tests back as soon as I enter them into the grade book.
-Participated in a French and Indian War Readers Theater

Tonight Please...
-Complete your reading log entry
-Complete page  209 "Check What You Know" in the math text book
-Complete the Theme 6 Review Vocabulary section: write a mini definition for each word.  These are the words that will be on next week's Theme Test.
- Work on unfinished assignments such as Opal's Life Lessons and the Consumers and Producers Fact Finder.  These must be turned in by Friday.
-

Monday News

Today we.....

• Prepared for tomorrow's math test
• Read the last excerpt in our Harcourt Text and practiced some Reciprocal Reading
• Played some games on the lap tops to learn about the digestive system

Homework:

• Reading Log: read for 30 minutes and find examples of cause and effect relationships
• Math Test/Review Solid Figures page 518
• Math test tomorrow
• Read in Harcourt Text pp.785-789 and do a Fact Finder page about what you read.  Remeber that Fact Finders should be accurate, neat and complete.  This means that you include 10 facts, and that your diagrams/pictures are detailed.  If you do not have enough room to write all ten facts, use the diagrams to "show what you know."

It is Friday!

201 Students have just a few things to do in order to be prepared for Monday:

• Create your final draft of Opal's Life Lessons. If you did your homework on Thursday, this should be a snap!  See yesterday's post for those directions.  Now, add some decorations, symbols and icons that show what you know.  Here are some ideas: bottle tree, Gertrude(haha), The H.W. Block Memorial Library, books, Dump punch, a jar of pickles, a guitar...a certain special dog.......
• Finish your Science Lab handout.  You can use any watch or clock with a second hand to complete the extra assignment.  Don't forget to answer all of the questions and to make the bar graph.
• Reading Log: I will collect last week's RL on Monday.  Please make that paragraph worth reading! I have to read 30 of them, so don't put me to sleep!

Extra Learning Opportunity:

I also posted this on Edmodo, but I will post it again.  Next week, we will dive into our study of the Human Body.  Click on the link to play some Human Body games.  Write back and tell me what you think.  If you know of any other sites or games that you think 201 will find interesting, please send me an email.

On Monday afternoon, we will use these games to do some note taking with partners.

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/bodyintro_34/index.html

Hi 201 Families,

Today we......

• Finished our Maps testing
• Finished the novel Because of Winn Dixie

Tomorrow we will........

• Test our resting and active heart rates in the Science Lab
• Work on problem solving strategies in math
• Take a reading and vocabulary test
• Discuss our Winn Dixie homework

Homework:

• Math 24.4
• Reading Log: read and get a signature
• Because of Winn Dixie reflection: What "life lesson" does Opal learn from each of the following characters?  Winn Dixie, Ms. Frannie, Gloria Dump, the Dewberry boys, Amanda and Otis.  You may write using a list format. 
• We have a reading test tomorrow.  Do you know your vocabulary words?

I will see you bright and early!

Greeting 201 Families,

Reading and Math Maps scores are in.  Most students are proudly seeing a dramatic increase in their scores.  Tomorrow we will take the Science test.

Homework:
Science Text Book Chapter 4 Human Body Systems

• Read A98-A101
• Answer the Red Check Questions and the Review Questions

Math workbook:

• Please do lesson 26.3
• We will review on Friday and the Chapter 26 test will be on Monday

Reading:

• Reading log due Monday
• Study the vocabulary words

Other News

• We did not go to the Science Lab today because we were MAPS testing.  We will go on Friday.  Students will compare their resting and active heart rates.
• I will post Some Extra Credit Brain Pop activities
• On Friday we will take our weekly reading test.  The study guide is posted on Edmodo.  Rereading the story on Thursday night is a good idea.  Study those vocabulary words!
• Volunteers needed!  I could really use your help one morning.  All the the CAC art work from our area needs to be taken down, "detaped" and brought up to the Pod.  We also need help cutting out the beautiful silouettes of your amazing children. 

Homework Correction Notice:
Tonight, please do 26.1, not 27.1.  Sorry about the confusion.  This week's study guide is posted on Edmodo.  
-We will use the "evidence" sheet in class tomorrow to do some partner work with the John Muir story.
-I will collect the new Reading Log page next Monday

:-)Mrs. Ginn

Hats off to 201 and Pod 200!  Your performance today was among the best I have seen.  All students were on cue, and sparkling!  Thanks for lending your natural light to today's show.  The compliments from teachers are pouring in.  Here are a few photos.  Please send me yours!

Showtime in.....2 days!

Parents, if you have a free hour tomorrow or Thursday, we could really use your help!  Come on down to the CAC!

Students, tomorrow morning we will...
-Finish our Op Art pieces
-Finish our Tim cut outs
-Work on a "top secret" project
-Meet with focus groups in the morning
-Run through the entire show 6th and 7th periods.  Bring your smiles, your songbird voices, and your jazz hands!

CAC Homework and News

Happy Monday!

 It is almost showtime! May 11 is the date and the doors will open at 9:15 for the 9:30 show.  Please note that Disney has a "no children under 5" policy for these performances.

Homework:
Reading Log: Today your child will come home with a new Reading Log template.  It asks students to record their reading each night and take notes on the graphic organizer. This week, we are focusing on "context clues." These are the other words, phrases and ideas that help us understand difficult words and passages.  At the end of the week, they will write a reflection.  This will be collected on Monday.

Math "Problem of the Day": These open ended problems are designed to sharpen students' critical thinking skills.  These problems are due on Friday.  All work must be shown, and all answers  clearly labeled.  While accuracy is important, mathematical thinking and the evidence of this thinking is equally important!

CAC Photos

What's on Tim's T-Shirt?

Step 1: Spectrum Art

Painting: Translucent, Transparent or Opaque?

 The Mysterious Case of Roy G Biv: CAC News!
 I hope that parents have marked their calendars!  May 11 is the big day, and we can't wait to show you all that we have learned during this two week art integrated unit.  If you click on the link in the previous post, you will get a sneak preview.  Today 201 students practiced this song with Mr. Fahrenbach, and they performed for me at the end of music class.  I am going to rename this group The Songbirds!  Your children sounded absolutely beautiful.  It was a treat to see each member of our class actively engaged, working together and smiling.
Thank you Mr.F. for bringing this music to 201!

Here are some of the projects we are working on this week:

• We created reflective tissue paper art to learn about reflection and  the effects of concave and convex mirrors.
• Students created and painted translucent and opaque stained glass designs to cement their understanding of translucent, transparent, and opaque.
• We began working on oil pastel renditions of the color spectrum and wave frequencies.
• Today we  further studied the concepts of refraction and reflection as we rehearsed an original rap that will be a part of our final performance.
• Students have spent their afternoons in  self selected interest centers, focusing on one of the following activities: Rap and Spoken Word, Prop Making and Art, Dance, or Acting.

Thank you to all of the parents who are helping us in the CAC!  This is a true team effort, and we couldn't pull it off without you!  Please feel free to come help, even if you haven't filled out the form.  The more the merrier!  I do understand that not all of us have time that is flexible.  If there is one day that you can make it, that day should be May 11th.  It is going to be a show to remember!

ROY G BIV song