Monday, April 23, 2012

Vocabulary Words April 23-27

  1. mesa- (noun) a flat hill with steep sides
  2. reined- (verb) pulled on by the reins
  3. pursed- (verb) gathered or wrinkled
  4. jabbed- (verb) poked
  5. treacherous- (adjective) dangerous
  6. boycott- (verb) to protest by refusing to use or buy a good or service
  7. massacre- (noun) the murder of several or many people who are defenseless
  8. repeal- (verb) to cancel or undo a law
  9. proclomation- (noun) an official public announcement
  10. delegate- (noun) a person who prepresents others at a convention or conference
  11. import- (verb) to bring into a country in order to sell
  12. protest-(verb) to object to something

Monday, April 16, 2012

Weekly Homework for April 16-20

Dear 5th Graders and Families,
We are looking forward to another fun week of learning together! We had a wonderful trip to the middle school last week. Don’t forget to turn in your registration form to Fox Ridge if you haven’t turned it in to your teacher already. Also, please remember that all money ($22) and permission slips for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science classes are due no later than Wednesday, May 18.
All homework is due on Friday so be sure to budget your time accordingly. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great week! J

Vocabulary:  On the back of this page are words that come from the other subjects we are currently studying. You need to know the definition, the part of speech, and how to use it correctly in a sentence. You will have a vocabulary test on all 10 words on Friday. The format of the test will vary each week.
·         Vocabulary activities (in class assignments) will be due on Thursday morning.
Word Work/Spelling: This week we will focus on learning to spell words systematically rather than just through memorization. We will study word endings for the patterns /ch/, /k/, /j/, and /iz/ and different spellings for /oi/ in Unit 19. Please read the Family Letter and complete the Take-Home Task together to familiarize yourself with the concepts. Be sure to look for these words in your reading and writing this week.  
·         Family Letter is due Tuesday
·         Spelling activities (in class assignments) due in literacy notebook on Thursday morning
·         Spelling Test on Friday

Reading:  We will begin Unit 4 in our Daybook text which will focus on the skill of visualizing. Continue to read your novel each night so that you will finish on or before May 1. There will be in class activities based on your novel so you will need to be prepared. There will be a culminating novel project that will be due on Thursday, May 3. The rubric and instructions for the project will go home this week.
·         Read the April 13 issue of Weekly Reader News. Complete the questions on the back.

Social Studies: Complete the weekly geography worksheet, questions 106-110. Use the provided maps and other resources such as an atlas, globe, or internet websites. Be sure to answer ALL parts of each question!
We will continue Unit 9 in our History Alive text to learn what life was like in the southern colonies in the 1700s. We will have some fun activities in class to make this era come alive for us! The Unit 9 Test will be on Friday.  
Science: We will begin Investigation 3 in the Water Planet Unit. The experiments will center on “heating Earth’s materials.”
Math (Ms. Reese’s class only): The Unit 12 test has been moved to Wednesday. Afterwards, we will begin Unit 7. Just a reminder, that FRMS will be administering a placement test to ALL 5th graders on Tuesday afternoon in school. Finally, be sure to attend Friday Fun Math Morning if you would like some extra practice before the test. I will be offering help from 8:15-9:00 a.m. on Fridays. Hope to see you there!

Vocabulary Words for April 16-20

  1. capitol (noun)- the main government building where lawmakers meet
  2. craftsman (noun)- a person who works at a job that requires manual or artistic skill
  3. trade (noun)- a craft, or an occupation that requires manual, artistic, or mechanical skill
  4. royal colony (noun)- a colony that is controlled directly by a king or queen, who usually appoints a royal governor
  5. bill (noun)- a draft of an idea for a law that is then considered by lawmakers
  6. earth material (noun)- nonliving substance that makes up or comes from the earth
  7. solar energy (noun)- energy from the sun that takes many forms including visible light and infrared light that can be felt as heat
  8. energy transfer (noun)- the change of energy from one form to another (light to heat), or the movement of energy from one object to another (heat moving from air to water)
  9. heat sink (noun)- a material, such as water, that can absorb a large amount of heat
  10. absorb (verb)- to suck up or take in like a sponge

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Science Study Guide


                                    SCIENCE WATER VAPOR TEST: FRIDAY, April 13, 2012
·         Evaporation can occur at any temperature, but it happens faster at higher temperatures
·         Dew and frost are similar because they both condense from water vapor in the air
·         Dew and frost are different because dew is a liquid and frost is a solid (ice)
·         You can turn liquid water into water vapor faster by:
o   Transferring energy to the water
o   Increasing the surface area of the water
o   Heating the water
·         Warm air holds more water vapor than cool air
·         An independent variable in an experiment is what you are trying to test. It is different in the experiment. For example, we did an experiment on evaporation and surface area was different for boxes 1-4. Surface area was the independent variable in this experiment.
·         Controlled variables are the same for all parts of the experiment. For example, boxes 1-4 were put in the same location and had the same amount of liquid. These were the controlled variables in the surface area experiment.
·         The larger the surface area (bigger surface or more water is exposed to the air), the faster the water will evaporate.
·         Materials dry faster when there is more air movement and a higher temperature.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Vocabulary Words for April 9-13

  1. condensation (noun)- water vapor contacts a cool surface, it condenses and becomes a liquid water (gas becomes a liquid)
  2. frost (noun)- water vapor contacts a surface below freezing (water becomes a solid)
  3. freezing point (noun)- 0 degrees Celcius or 32 degrees Farenheit is the temperature at which water changes state from a liquid to a solid
  4. hull (noun)- the part of a ship that sits below water
  5. remote (adjective)- far away from everything
  6. toxic (adjective)- poisonous, causing severe illness or death
  7. matted (adjective)- tangled or pressed down
  8. tolerated (verb)- put up with
  9. pesticides (noun)- chemicals used to destroy organizms that harm plants
  10. politics (noun)- the activities of governments and the people who work in them

Weekly Homework for April 9-13

Dear 5th Graders and Families,
We hope everyone had a wonderful spring break. Hopefully, you are relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready to SPRING into the swing of school!
IMPORTANT REMINDER: We will be touring Fox Ridge Middle School on Wednesday. Please be on time to school as the buses will be leaving promptly at 9 a.m. We would like to proudly represent Pine Ridge by wearing our green 5th grade t-shirts on Wednesday. It will be an exciting day for sure!
All homework is due on Friday so be sure to budget your time accordingly. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great week! J

Vocabulary:  On the back of this page are words that come from the other subjects we are currently studying. You need to know the definition, the part of speech, and how to use it correctly in a sentence. You will have a vocabulary test on all 10 words on Friday. The format of the test will vary each week.
·         Vocabulary activities (in class assignments) will be due on Thursday morning.
Word Work/Spelling: This week we will focus on learning to spell and use words that make comparisons. We will learn about positive, comparative, and superlative adjectives in Unit 18. Please read the Family Letter and complete the Take-Home Task together to familiarize yourself with the concepts. Be sure to look for these words in your reading and writing this week.  
·         Family Letter is due Tuesday
·         Spelling activities (in class assignments) due in literacy notebook on Thursday morning
·         Spelling Test on Friday

Reading: We will complete Unit 3 in our Daybook text. The test will be on Friday. We will also begin reading a new novel in small groups. Be on the lookout for a new project next week to go along with your novel.
·         Read the March 9 issue of Weekly Reader News. Complete the questions on the back. It is due next Monday.

Social Studies: Complete the weekly geography worksheet, questions 101-105. Use the provided maps and other resources such as an atlas, globe, or internet websites. Be sure to answer ALL parts of each question!
We will wrap up unit 8 on slavery in our History Alive text and continue on to Unit 9, which discusses the key parts of colonial life for Southern colonists in the 1700s.
Science: We will continue investigation #2 “Water Vapor” in the Water Planet Unit. We will wrap-up evaporation and move on to condensation.
Math (Ms. Reese’s class only): We will continue Unit 12 on probability and data. The test will be on Friday. Be sure to attend Friday Fun Math Morning if you would like some extra practice before the test. I will be offering help from 8:15-9:00 a.m. on Fridays. Hope to see you there!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Goooooo C-A-T-S...CATS,CATS,CATS!!!

Will you be watching the NCAA championship game tonight? You know I will be cheering on my beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats on to their 8th National Title against Kansas. 

Props to my other Alma mater, the University of Louisville, on a well-played game in the Final Four! 

One of my favorite parts of spring break so far was being able to attend the Sweet 16 Kentucky/Indiana rematch game in Atlanta. What an incredible experience!

Did you fill out a bracket this year? If so, how well did you do? Extra credit will be given to all students who chose Kentucky to win it all!! Just kidding! ;)

About Me

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Welcome to the 2013-2014 school year! I am so happy and grateful to be a part of the Buffalo Trail community and especially the wonderful 5th grade team. This is my 2nd year at BTE and my 12th year of teaching. I have taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades in Kentucky and Colorado. Before moving to Denver three years ago, I lived in Northern Kentucky near Cincinnati, Ohio. I earned a BS from the University of Kentucky and my MAT from the University of Louisville. In 2007, I became a National Board Certified Teacher with an emphasis in Early/Middle Childhood Reading and Language Arts. In my free time, I love to read, ride my bike, try new restaurants, and go to concerts/sports events. I love cheering my teams on during basketball season, hiking, and skiing. I am loving Colorful Colorado and look forward to our new adventures together!