Dear Parents,
I hope you were able to attend the Open House last Thursday night. You would have had the opportunity to look at the students' ABC State Reports, their tessellations, and the letters to next year's students that Mrs. Gutierrez put on the bulletin board.
Yesterday I left all the graded Nutrient packets for Mrs. Gutierrez, and today I updated the grades on the ABC State Reports so she has them when she does the report cards.
Tomorrow is my last half day with the class. Last week Mrs. Gutierrez told me she'd be back full time starting on Thursday. That's wonderful news for the class!
I've really enjoyed my time with the class and have learned to appreciate the uniqueness of each child.
I hope you have a wonderful summer--hopefully we'll get more sun than we've had this spring--and next year I look forward to seeing the students again when I return to substitute teach for the various teachers at Valencia.
Thank you for your support. I've appreciated it a lot!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Dear Parents,
I intended to write yesterday in order to remind everyone that the library books were due today. Six students have overdue books as of today; please make sure the books are returned by Friday.
This morning the students attended the dedication of the new playground. It was a very special event with many dignitaries present. I'm adding a few pictures from this morning's assembly.
Please make sure your child has their running shoes at school tomorrow and Friday. Tomorrow the children will practice the mile run, and on Friday Mrs. Gutierrez plans to do the state physical fitness tests.
Don't forget that tomorrow evening is Open House. Mrs. Gutierrez is getting the room ready for you! You'll see the children's reports, tessellations, and other projects.
That's it for today!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Monday, May 17, 2010
Gray, cloudy Monday, May 17, 2010
Dear Parents,
Today the kids did more running, because next week Mrs. Gutierrez is going to do the 5th Grade Physical Fitness Tests, and a timed mile run is part of it--along with push ups and sit ups. Please make sure your child is wearing sports shoes on Thursday and Friday when they will be practicing their mile run again.
This is the last week the school's library is open. Please make sure your child returns his/her library books on Wednesday. Thanks!
More permission slips were copied for the children again today. Please be sure to return them filled out--and write your child's name in the space provided for it--ASAP this week. (They were given out a week ago, originally.)
All the ABC State Reports that have been turned in have been evaluated and are up on the bulletin board so that you can see them at Open House on Thursday. I hope you are as impressed with the good work that has been done as I am.
That's it for today.
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Today the kids did more running, because next week Mrs. Gutierrez is going to do the 5th Grade Physical Fitness Tests, and a timed mile run is part of it--along with push ups and sit ups. Please make sure your child is wearing sports shoes on Thursday and Friday when they will be practicing their mile run again.
This is the last week the school's library is open. Please make sure your child returns his/her library books on Wednesday. Thanks!
More permission slips were copied for the children again today. Please be sure to return them filled out--and write your child's name in the space provided for it--ASAP this week. (They were given out a week ago, originally.)
All the ABC State Reports that have been turned in have been evaluated and are up on the bulletin board so that you can see them at Open House on Thursday. I hope you are as impressed with the good work that has been done as I am.
That's it for today.
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Friday, May 14, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Dear Parents,
This morning the students participated in the Walk for the Arts. I've included lots of pictures that I took of the kids as they ran/walked the track. I didn't get everyone, unfortunately, but I tried to get most of the kids. (The pictures are in absolutely backwards order from how they were taken...)
Monday morning the students' science projects are due. Also, if you haven't already turned in your child's permission slip and money for the Beach field trip, please do so. Mrs. Gutierrez has the big envelope and check off list I started.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
P.S. If you click on the photos, they'll fill your computer screen.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Dear Parents,
Today Mrs. Gutierrez returned for the mornings. The kids were glad to see her again!
This morning I was able to evaluate the projects that were turned in yesterday. It is wonderful to see such high quality work! It's also interesting to see how different children put together their 26 pages of A-Z with the illustrations for each of the 26 topics. The other interesting part is how well the children summarized all the research they did in order to put together paragraphs of their own describing each aspect of their state. The children have spent a lot of time this year learning how to summarize and put other people's writing into their own words and not plagiarizing.
Tomorrow is the Walk for the Arts at 11:15. The children need a filled water bottle with them at school, and they need to be wearing good walking shoes.The children are given 45 minutes to walk in order to raise enough money from their pledges.
Another reminder that we need all the money, permission slips, and "yellow" (now some are white and in either English or Spanish), forms back by next week at the latest.
Have a good evening.
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Today Mrs. Gutierrez returned for the mornings. The kids were glad to see her again!
This morning I was able to evaluate the projects that were turned in yesterday. It is wonderful to see such high quality work! It's also interesting to see how different children put together their 26 pages of A-Z with the illustrations for each of the 26 topics. The other interesting part is how well the children summarized all the research they did in order to put together paragraphs of their own describing each aspect of their state. The children have spent a lot of time this year learning how to summarize and put other people's writing into their own words and not plagiarizing.
Tomorrow is the Walk for the Arts at 11:15. The children need a filled water bottle with them at school, and they need to be wearing good walking shoes.The children are given 45 minutes to walk in order to raise enough money from their pledges.
Another reminder that we need all the money, permission slips, and "yellow" (now some are white and in either English or Spanish), forms back by next week at the latest.
Have a good evening.
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Dear Parents,
You should see the tessellations the children made today. They did such a nice job! When you come to Open House next Thursday, you'll be sure to see them.
Today a number of children turned their ABC State Reports in early and earned 5 extra points. Tomorrow is the due date, so that's when all the others are due. If they are turned in on Friday or later, 5 points will be deducted from their score for being late.
Today the students started working on posters about Healthy Eating. Each child had to make a sketch of what they intend to put on their poster, and I had to approve their work before giving them a piece of paper to make their final poster. Some very nice work was being done this morning.
After lunch I'm continuing to read The Lost Prince. The students write a summary of each chapter and draw an illustration to go along with it. Several children said that this daily (nearly every day) summary writing has helped them a lot.
NEEDED: PERMISSION SLIPS FOR THE MAY 28TH BEACH FIELD TRIP, ALONG WITH THE $7.00 PER CHILD TO HELP PAY FOR THE LIFE GUARDS AND FOOD. PLEASE TURN THE PERMISSION SLIPS AND MONEY IN BY FRIDAY!!! Thank you!
Today your child should have brought home the most recent school newsletter. Many students from Room 28 are listed because they have helped in the school garden this year.
Have a good evening.
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
You should see the tessellations the children made today. They did such a nice job! When you come to Open House next Thursday, you'll be sure to see them.
Today a number of children turned their ABC State Reports in early and earned 5 extra points. Tomorrow is the due date, so that's when all the others are due. If they are turned in on Friday or later, 5 points will be deducted from their score for being late.
Today the students started working on posters about Healthy Eating. Each child had to make a sketch of what they intend to put on their poster, and I had to approve their work before giving them a piece of paper to make their final poster. Some very nice work was being done this morning.
After lunch I'm continuing to read The Lost Prince. The students write a summary of each chapter and draw an illustration to go along with it. Several children said that this daily (nearly every day) summary writing has helped them a lot.
NEEDED: PERMISSION SLIPS FOR THE MAY 28TH BEACH FIELD TRIP, ALONG WITH THE $7.00 PER CHILD TO HELP PAY FOR THE LIFE GUARDS AND FOOD. PLEASE TURN THE PERMISSION SLIPS AND MONEY IN BY FRIDAY!!! Thank you!
Today your child should have brought home the most recent school newsletter. Many students from Room 28 are listed because they have helped in the school garden this year.
Have a good evening.
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Dear Parents,
Thank you to those of you who sent in the permission slips for the May 28th field trip.
Tomorrow is the last day students can check out library books. Please make sure your child has his/her books to turn in. Overdue books from last week include books from 5 students as of today.
Today's work on tessellations was quite good! Fifth grade is the youngest class I'd ever try something as complex as tessellations. As you may know, M.C.Escher made tessellations famous. There are a number of web sites featuring his work, and there are some web sites that allow people to try to tessellate online.
Today we did have time for the ELA lesson with the emphasis on reading an article with a timeline. We also had time for the lesson on nutrition. The students need to do some research to find out how what they eat fits into the food pyramid. They also are to design a "Healthy Foods" poster.
The children really enjoyed my Newfoundland dog's time in class. Maddie, the dog, received a lot of hugs and pets from the children. She's a real children magnet, and is so good with them. However, when I took her home at noon, she was ready for a nice long nap. Here's a picture of her with most of the children.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Dear Parents,
This morning the students explored tessellating with pattern blocks. They have brought their work home today so you can see what they did after they'd used the real pattern blocks for a half hour. Tomorrow they will learn how to make their own designs that will tessellate, if they are careful and follow directions. :-)
This morning we started lessons on nutrition. There were a lot of questions and sharing of information about what they read today. Tomorrow I hope the children will complete the first packet.
Due to the fact that the math lesson took so long, I postponed the ELA lesson about reading a timeline and applying it to a story until tomorrow.
Today the students received a homework project in Science. The project is called: "My Invention Will Change the World". It is due next Monday, May 17th.
Today the students also received the permission slip for the May 28th Beach Field Trip. Please fill it out, sign it, and return it tomorrow.
Have a great evening!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
This morning the students explored tessellating with pattern blocks. They have brought their work home today so you can see what they did after they'd used the real pattern blocks for a half hour. Tomorrow they will learn how to make their own designs that will tessellate, if they are careful and follow directions. :-)
This morning we started lessons on nutrition. There were a lot of questions and sharing of information about what they read today. Tomorrow I hope the children will complete the first packet.
Due to the fact that the math lesson took so long, I postponed the ELA lesson about reading a timeline and applying it to a story until tomorrow.
Today the students received a homework project in Science. The project is called: "My Invention Will Change the World". It is due next Monday, May 17th.
Today the students also received the permission slip for the May 28th Beach Field Trip. Please fill it out, sign it, and return it tomorrow.
Have a great evening!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Mother's Day, May 9, 2010
Dear Parents,
I hope you've enjoyed this wonderful weekend, particularly today.
This week I'll be teaching the students about tessellations with pattern blocks. I'll also start a unit on nutrition, and do work on reading comprehension. In addition to that, I'll resume reading the book, The Lost Prince.
This coming Friday is the Walk for the Arts. This has two aspects to it. The first part is asking families to donate out-grown, but still in good shape shoes that will be sent to Haiti. The second part is about raising money. The children have had a couple weeks now to gather sponsors for the Walk for the Arts. It is hoped that each child will raise at least $25 to help support the SPECTRA art program at our school.
When you're on campus and see David, our wonderful custodian, please thank him for raising the desks in Room 28. (They were too low for many students in the class, and I asked him to raise them for the kids that needed it.) I also asked him to check out the lights, and he replaced all the burned out lights in the classroom, so now the classroom is a lot brighter than it was. He also replaced the burned out light that is outside the door.
That's it for today. I'm looking forward to seeing the kids tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
I hope you've enjoyed this wonderful weekend, particularly today.
This week I'll be teaching the students about tessellations with pattern blocks. I'll also start a unit on nutrition, and do work on reading comprehension. In addition to that, I'll resume reading the book, The Lost Prince.
This coming Friday is the Walk for the Arts. This has two aspects to it. The first part is asking families to donate out-grown, but still in good shape shoes that will be sent to Haiti. The second part is about raising money. The children have had a couple weeks now to gather sponsors for the Walk for the Arts. It is hoped that each child will raise at least $25 to help support the SPECTRA art program at our school.
When you're on campus and see David, our wonderful custodian, please thank him for raising the desks in Room 28. (They were too low for many students in the class, and I asked him to raise them for the kids that needed it.) I also asked him to check out the lights, and he replaced all the burned out lights in the classroom, so now the classroom is a lot brighter than it was. He also replaced the burned out light that is outside the door.
That's it for today. I'm looking forward to seeing the kids tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Friday, May 7, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Dear Parents,
TESTING IS OVER, except for the child who's been absent for a few days this week. The children did very well by staying focused and following directions.
Today the children watched "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler". This afternoon they enjoyed ice cream Drumsticks that Mrs. Calkins was able to go to the store and buy for me. One sad situation, that I didn't know the whole story about, was the child who's allergic to peanuts and can't even be around others who're eating something has has peanuts in it, or has had peanuts on shared equipment. Fortunately, Mrs. Calkins bought a package of ice cream sandwiches which didn't have a peanut allergy warning on it, so she was able to enjoy that. However, because all the other students were eating their Drumstick ice creams with peanuts or processed on the same equipment where peanuts are also processes, the one child had to leave the class. From now on I know that nothing with peanuts can be shared in the classroom again.
Next Thursday the students' ABC State Reports are due. Next Friday is the Walk for the Arts. On Monday I'll send the field trip permission slip for the May 28th Beach Trip. Please note there's a place on it to check if you DO NOT want your child to go into the water. We are paying for 7 State Certified life guards, just in case that's a concern for you.
I hope you receive the Mother's Day booklets your child made for you this week.
Happy Mother's Day!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
TESTING IS OVER, except for the child who's been absent for a few days this week. The children did very well by staying focused and following directions.
Today the children watched "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler". This afternoon they enjoyed ice cream Drumsticks that Mrs. Calkins was able to go to the store and buy for me. One sad situation, that I didn't know the whole story about, was the child who's allergic to peanuts and can't even be around others who're eating something has has peanuts in it, or has had peanuts on shared equipment. Fortunately, Mrs. Calkins bought a package of ice cream sandwiches which didn't have a peanut allergy warning on it, so she was able to enjoy that. However, because all the other students were eating their Drumstick ice creams with peanuts or processed on the same equipment where peanuts are also processes, the one child had to leave the class. From now on I know that nothing with peanuts can be shared in the classroom again.
Next Thursday the students' ABC State Reports are due. Next Friday is the Walk for the Arts. On Monday I'll send the field trip permission slip for the May 28th Beach Trip. Please note there's a place on it to check if you DO NOT want your child to go into the water. We are paying for 7 State Certified life guards, just in case that's a concern for you.
I hope you receive the Mother's Day booklets your child made for you this week.
Happy Mother's Day!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Dear Parents,
OOPS!! Yesterday I attempted to add a live link to the California State Standards in the blog, and today I discovered I hadn't even published it! I'm sorry about that.
Today the children finished the Science Test Part II! Tomorrow they will take the Mathematics tests both Parts I and II. They'll have plenty of time, and a nice long break between tests. (The state says to give them 10 minutes--I don't think that's enough time.)
Tomorrow is our first REWARD DAY! I'm so proud of this class. They have improved so much and in so many ways over the course of the last four weeks. Today they earned their fifth straight 10 in a row. They now act and feel (to me) like any of the good classes I've taught over my many years in the classroom, and that's great.
Tomorrow they will watch "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler", which was made from one of my favorite stories. It's from a Newbery Award Winning book by E.L. Konigsburg. After lunch they will each have a Drumstick ice cream cone to enjoy. Mrs. Calkins has agreed to go to the store to buy them for me since there's no time to do so during my short lunch period.
Today the students were also rewarded for all their good behavior and patience this week--testing takes patience!--by having extra P.E. They had quite a good kickball game.
Please don't forget that the ABC State Report is due one week from today. I'm expecting the children to work on them at home since they have no other homework during testing. (I've also collected all the math books, readers, and social studies books. However, that does not mean that there are no more lessons or assignments. They will be kept busy between now and the end of the school year for sure!)
Have a good evening!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
OOPS!! Yesterday I attempted to add a live link to the California State Standards in the blog, and today I discovered I hadn't even published it! I'm sorry about that.
Today the children finished the Science Test Part II! Tomorrow they will take the Mathematics tests both Parts I and II. They'll have plenty of time, and a nice long break between tests. (The state says to give them 10 minutes--I don't think that's enough time.)
Tomorrow is our first REWARD DAY! I'm so proud of this class. They have improved so much and in so many ways over the course of the last four weeks. Today they earned their fifth straight 10 in a row. They now act and feel (to me) like any of the good classes I've taught over my many years in the classroom, and that's great.
Tomorrow they will watch "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler", which was made from one of my favorite stories. It's from a Newbery Award Winning book by E.L. Konigsburg. After lunch they will each have a Drumstick ice cream cone to enjoy. Mrs. Calkins has agreed to go to the store to buy them for me since there's no time to do so during my short lunch period.
Today the students were also rewarded for all their good behavior and patience this week--testing takes patience!--by having extra P.E. They had quite a good kickball game.
Please don't forget that the ABC State Report is due one week from today. I'm expecting the children to work on them at home since they have no other homework during testing. (I've also collected all the math books, readers, and social studies books. However, that does not mean that there are no more lessons or assignments. They will be kept busy between now and the end of the school year for sure!)
Have a good evening!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
How about a 10+ Day: May 5, 2010
Dear Parents,
This afternoon, when we were doing our daily evaluation, one of the students said that he/she (I can't recall exactly who it was who said this first.), that the class was better than yesterday (which was a 10), and asked how we could indicate that. I totally agreed with the children and gave them a 10+!
This morning during ELA testing they handled everything perfectly; the transition from the testing to the next activity before recess they also handled very well. After recess they worked on a special project until it was time to go to the library. They entered the library in front of me, and I couldn't hear a sound as I followed them and they sat quietly waiting for Mrs. Galipeaux to get ready. Mrs. Higginbotham came in to observe them, and her only concern was how many overdue books the class had today. I said that a list of 12 overdue books (too many, for sure), was a lot better than the list that took 1 1/2 pages to print out three weeks ago.
For those of you curious as to what the content is that the children are being tested on, I've decided to give you the URL to the State Standards. You'll find all the standards for grades K-12 in all subject areas listed. You can go through them and find the fifth grade English-Language Arts Standards, the fifth grade Mathematics Standards, as well and the fourth and fifth grade Science Standards. Here is the URL:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/
Have a great evening!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
This afternoon, when we were doing our daily evaluation, one of the students said that he/she (I can't recall exactly who it was who said this first.), that the class was better than yesterday (which was a 10), and asked how we could indicate that. I totally agreed with the children and gave them a 10+!
This morning during ELA testing they handled everything perfectly; the transition from the testing to the next activity before recess they also handled very well. After recess they worked on a special project until it was time to go to the library. They entered the library in front of me, and I couldn't hear a sound as I followed them and they sat quietly waiting for Mrs. Galipeaux to get ready. Mrs. Higginbotham came in to observe them, and her only concern was how many overdue books the class had today. I said that a list of 12 overdue books (too many, for sure), was a lot better than the list that took 1 1/2 pages to print out three weeks ago.
For those of you curious as to what the content is that the children are being tested on, I've decided to give you the URL to the State Standards. You'll find all the standards for grades K-12 in all subject areas listed. You can go through them and find the fifth grade English-Language Arts Standards, the fifth grade Mathematics Standards, as well and the fourth and fifth grade Science Standards. Here is the URL:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/
Have a great evening!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Day of the Teacher Luncheon, May 4, 2010
Dear Parents,
Thank you to those of you who contributed and helped with the delightful luncheon today. I heard several teachers say that it was the best ever! I know that I certainly enjoyed a wonderful taco salad (without the tortilla).
Today the students completed the first part of the ELA test. Tomorrow they'll complete part II, and the two children who were absent yesterday will take the first part of the science test later in the morning.
Today the students earned the THIRD 10 on consecutive days! I think the reward will be Friday afternoon. They voted on what they wanted, and the consensus was a movie and ice cream. I will discuss this with the class some more tomorrow.
Tomorrow is library day, so all the library books are due back tomorrow. Last week we didn't have too many overdue books, so that was terrific!
The ABC State Report is due a week from Thursday, May 13th. I don't accept late reports. If a child is ill on that day, please send the completed report to school with a sibling or bring it by yourself. They've have 5 weeks to work on it. I know that most students have nearly completed their reports.
That's it for today. Enjoy this beautiful weather!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Thank you to those of you who contributed and helped with the delightful luncheon today. I heard several teachers say that it was the best ever! I know that I certainly enjoyed a wonderful taco salad (without the tortilla).
Today the students completed the first part of the ELA test. Tomorrow they'll complete part II, and the two children who were absent yesterday will take the first part of the science test later in the morning.
Today the students earned the THIRD 10 on consecutive days! I think the reward will be Friday afternoon. They voted on what they wanted, and the consensus was a movie and ice cream. I will discuss this with the class some more tomorrow.
Tomorrow is library day, so all the library books are due back tomorrow. Last week we didn't have too many overdue books, so that was terrific!
The ABC State Report is due a week from Thursday, May 13th. I don't accept late reports. If a child is ill on that day, please send the completed report to school with a sibling or bring it by yourself. They've have 5 weeks to work on it. I know that most students have nearly completed their reports.
That's it for today. Enjoy this beautiful weather!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monday, Monday..May 3, 2010
Dear Parents,
One half of one test(Science)is done, and 2 1/2 entire tests to go! We should complete the last test next Monday! Tomorrow morning the children will take the first half of the ELA test.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Only one child was tardy today!! I took roll while the children were lined up for the Monday morning assembly. It was terrific to have nearly everyone there (two kids were absent today), and only one child was tardy.
This morning my math group did a great lesson on figuring out the formulas with the function charts, and plotting the ordered pairs on the coordinate grid. We then did some review of geometry including figuring areas, volumes, and perimeters. Tomorrow we'll do a review of areas of triangles, and review the differences between radii and diameters.
In ELA we reviewed what predicates, prepositions, and synonyms are. We also went over how to combine compound sentences with either conjunctions or semi-colons. The children asked me to do more reviews with them tomorrow before they take the first half of the ELA test.
Mrs. Guiley said the kids were perfect during the science test. I made sure they had a complicated dot-to-dot to work on when they finished early, if they wanted one, or they were to have a good book to read when they finished early.
The one thing I forgot to do was tell Mrs. Guiley where I had the Blowpops and bubble gum which I always provide classes when they take the CSTs. (There's a lot of research that indicates that chewing gum can help students concentrate and relieve tension during tests. As long as they get rid of their gum before going out to lunch or recess, it's OK with me for them to have it during testing.) I let the children have the Blowpops or bubble gum this afternoon.
By the way, next Friday, May 14th, is the Run for the Arts event. We're hoping that each child will have enough sponsors so that each child can raise at least $25. This is an important way to fund the wonderful SPECTRA program we have at school. As you know, the school districts in this state are hurting. Teachers and other staff have been given pink slips and will not be returning next year. The school district has not had money to fund the SPECTRA program for many years, but the parents and teachers know how valuable it is, so we've set aside a day to do the Run for the Arts to raise the money.
THANK YOU again! We now have five drivers for the May 28th beach field trip!!
Have a good evening.
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
One half of one test(Science)is done, and 2 1/2 entire tests to go! We should complete the last test next Monday! Tomorrow morning the children will take the first half of the ELA test.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Only one child was tardy today!! I took roll while the children were lined up for the Monday morning assembly. It was terrific to have nearly everyone there (two kids were absent today), and only one child was tardy.
This morning my math group did a great lesson on figuring out the formulas with the function charts, and plotting the ordered pairs on the coordinate grid. We then did some review of geometry including figuring areas, volumes, and perimeters. Tomorrow we'll do a review of areas of triangles, and review the differences between radii and diameters.
In ELA we reviewed what predicates, prepositions, and synonyms are. We also went over how to combine compound sentences with either conjunctions or semi-colons. The children asked me to do more reviews with them tomorrow before they take the first half of the ELA test.
Mrs. Guiley said the kids were perfect during the science test. I made sure they had a complicated dot-to-dot to work on when they finished early, if they wanted one, or they were to have a good book to read when they finished early.
The one thing I forgot to do was tell Mrs. Guiley where I had the Blowpops and bubble gum which I always provide classes when they take the CSTs. (There's a lot of research that indicates that chewing gum can help students concentrate and relieve tension during tests. As long as they get rid of their gum before going out to lunch or recess, it's OK with me for them to have it during testing.) I let the children have the Blowpops or bubble gum this afternoon.
By the way, next Friday, May 14th, is the Run for the Arts event. We're hoping that each child will have enough sponsors so that each child can raise at least $25. This is an important way to fund the wonderful SPECTRA program we have at school. As you know, the school districts in this state are hurting. Teachers and other staff have been given pink slips and will not be returning next year. The school district has not had money to fund the SPECTRA program for many years, but the parents and teachers know how valuable it is, so we've set aside a day to do the Run for the Arts to raise the money.
THANK YOU again! We now have five drivers for the May 28th beach field trip!!
Have a good evening.
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Beautiful, Sunday morning, May 2, 2010
Dear Parents,
Tomorrow afternoon I hope you'll look over all the corrected papers your child should be bringing home. For three weeks now, I've been giving the students assignments that review all the standards in English-Language Arts(ELA) and Mathematics that they've been taught this year. You may see, however, that your child hasn't mastered certain concepts. If you go over the papers with your child it can help. I'll be going over many ELA concepts in class tomorrow.
For example, here is a typical sentence the children were supposed to correct by circling the first letter of each word that should begin with a capital letter and by then adding the correct punctuation marks:
donnas dog, skipper, ran across meyer ave to palm park
There are 9 errors to correct in that sentence. Many children missed a number of them; only a few children got 8 out of 9 corrections made.
Another area where I found many errors was in writing common contractions, such as they're for they are, or it'll for it will.
Still another area where students had difficulty in ELA was adding a second part of a compound sentence after a conjunction such as "and", "or", "for", or "but". The directions said the second part must contain a subject and a predicate. A number of students asked me what a predicate is. This word (concept){predicate} has been taught since 3rd grade at least, and is a word that all students should know and understand at the end of 5th grade.
Once again, please go over the corrected papers with your child. The diagonal mark means the answers are correct, the x means the answers are wrong. The numerator means the number correct, and the denominator means the number of items graded.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
Tomorrow afternoon I hope you'll look over all the corrected papers your child should be bringing home. For three weeks now, I've been giving the students assignments that review all the standards in English-Language Arts(ELA) and Mathematics that they've been taught this year. You may see, however, that your child hasn't mastered certain concepts. If you go over the papers with your child it can help. I'll be going over many ELA concepts in class tomorrow.
For example, here is a typical sentence the children were supposed to correct by circling the first letter of each word that should begin with a capital letter and by then adding the correct punctuation marks:
donnas dog, skipper, ran across meyer ave to palm park
There are 9 errors to correct in that sentence. Many children missed a number of them; only a few children got 8 out of 9 corrections made.
Another area where I found many errors was in writing common contractions, such as they're for they are, or it'll for it will.
Still another area where students had difficulty in ELA was adding a second part of a compound sentence after a conjunction such as "and", "or", "for", or "but". The directions said the second part must contain a subject and a predicate. A number of students asked me what a predicate is. This word (concept){predicate} has been taught since 3rd grade at least, and is a word that all students should know and understand at the end of 5th grade.
Once again, please go over the corrected papers with your child. The diagonal mark means the answers are correct, the x means the answers are wrong. The numerator means the number correct, and the denominator means the number of items graded.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Ruth Landmann
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