Tuesday, March 9, 2011

Technology Tuesday --
20 minutes of typing practice.  We have several students typing 25+ words per minute with an error rate less than 5%!!!   The time putting into typing practice is really starting to pay off; I know this because of students that transfer from other districts that did not have software for kids to practice come in typing less than 10 words per minute and hunting/pecking style.  This time spent will, if not already, pay off in big dividends during middle school and beyond.

Math:
More practice with multiplying & dividing decimals and multiplying & dividing fractions.  Every student took a 36 question test today on these four concepts.  Upon completing the test, they will be assigned lessons to review again about these concepts.

2nd Trimester Reflections...
I was inspired by this recent blog entry:
CLICK HERE TO read the Daniel Pink article on student reflection
So I asked our students to give some thought to their effort and work in the 2nd trimester.  Here is the form that they completed today:
CLICK HERE TO see their self reflection survey

Math Integers...
More work with positive and negative integers.  
Tonight’s lessons are on greater than and less than between two integers.  
The key concept to emphasize with son/daughter is that -200 is far less than -5;  

Language Arts:
We reviewed the key vocabulary for the week.  So most people should have completed page 273;   
customs, reputation, inherited, raid, extended, vision, determination, and respect

We also reviewed grammar lessons for the week:
Subject and Object Pronouns
Should it be I or Me?
Here are some great resources about this week’s lessons:
CLICK HERE for grammar resources for theme 5

P.E.

Have a great evening,

Mr. Hubbard

Homework for the week:
Math
Page 344-345 1-39 all due on Wednesday
Page 346-347 1-21 all due on Thursday
Page 349-350 1-32 all due on Friday
CLICK HERE FOR Notes from today’s lesson:

Related Khan Academy Videos to this chapter’s lessons:
CLICK HERE for this chapters Khan Videos

Reading comprehension due by Friday:
A Boy Called Slow
Read 468-485
P.B. 275
Answer two masterpieces on-line in complete sentences, with complete thoughts and refer back to the book.
Take the AR quiz

Grammar due Thursday
Page 283, 284, and 285

Vocabulary Work all due on Wednesday
CLICK HERE FOR this week's spelling/vocab list
Sentences and definitions due Wednesday
P.B. 273, 278 and 282

Free-Write this week:
Take the edit feedback from peers, clean up your story and be prepared to have it 98% done.
CLICK HERE for all of the instructions and how to access every one's short-story

Famous American Report:
http://www.box.net/shared/4idhdcrbhs
Here are the high level due dates:Rough Draft due                                                                                   Friday, March 18,  2011
Final copy due                                                                                           Friday, April 15, 2011
**students should be making significant progress right now on this.  This is not something that can painlessly be put together in one or two evenings. **** 

2nd Trimester Reflections.....

CLICK HERE TO take your survey.......

Monday, March 7, 2011

We used today to catch up on our some of our “hanging” assignments.  With the trimester ending last Friday, we need to complete all missing assignments so the grade-books can be complete.  

Morning time consisted of completing Theme 4 tests, Chapter 17 math tests, prior math tests missed due to illness, and the DUSD 2nd trimester math assessment.  

At 9:30 we had our trimester character attribute assembly.  
Caring was T. Hitchan
Positive Attitude was a tie with K. Leclaire and A. Siebel
Trustworhty was R. Brown

After the assembly, more catching up and finalizing assessments and tests.

We then as a class reviewed multiplying fractions and dividing fractions.   The class as a whole missed too many problems on their chapter 6 & 7 tests, so we are re-reviewing and discussing why memorizing certain things would be in their best interest.  
Point of fact, they need to have memorized or can easily locate in their notebook the following fundamental fraction skills:
Mixed # into an improper fraction   
Improper fraction into a mixed #
Using the power of 1 to simplify fractions/ratios
How to convert any fraction into a decimal
**I still have most of our notes in math saved on www.box.net (see below for the math link)  
**Kahn Academy is another great resource

Integers --
We watched a brainpop on integers, we watched the chapter kick-off video on integers and we did a few verbal examples regarding positive/negative integers.

Prepare for the week.....
A big long discussion on how to clean up your short story and get it ready for next Tuesday’s mail off day.
An ever bigger discussion on the need to work on the Famous American report.  We hypothesized that even now, a solid 20 to 30 minutes per night should allow you to complete the rough draft on time.

Links that may be of interest:
CLICK HERE for the local discussion & article about homework in Tri-Valley schools
CLICK HERE for learning why you may want to just stand while riding BART

Next Tuesday, March 15th
We want to submit our photo art work to the Mayor of Dublin, Tim Sbranti.  
Our photo art was so expansive that we struggled in meeting our DPIE art deadline.  However our artist/project manager (Taylor Brakeman) would like our class to submit the final piece (it is amazing!) to Mayor Sbranti at the 3/15 City Council meeting.    
The meeting begins at 7:00 and we are the first item on the agenda.  So your son/daughter can help us present our artwork to the Mayor and then we can return home.
CLICK HERE for information on where the city Council Mtg will take place

Homework for the week:
Math
Page 342-343 1-28 all due on Tuesday
Page 344-345 1-39 all due on Wednesday
Page 346-347 1-21 all due on Thursday
Page 349-350 1-32 all due on Friday
CLICK HERE FOR Notes from today’s lesson:

Related Khan Academy Videos to this chapter’s lessons:
http://www.khanacademy.org/video/locate-integers-on-a-number-line?playlist=Developmental%20Math

http://www.khanacademy.org/video/sum-of-consecutive-odd-integers?playlist=Algebra%20I%20Worked%20Examples

http://www.khanacademy.org/video/absolute-value-of-integers?playlist=Developmental%20Math

http://www.khanacademy.org/video/adding-integers-with-different-signs

http://www.khanacademy.org/video/negative-numbers-introduction

http://www.khanacademy.org/video/adding-subtracting-negative-numbers

Reading comprehension due by Friday:
A Boy Called Slow
Read 468-485
P.B. 275
Answer two masterpieces on-line in complete sentences, with complete thoughts and refer back to the book.
Take the AR quiz

Grammar due Thursday
Page 283, 284, and 285

Vocabulary Work all due on Wednesday
CLICK HERE FOR this week's spelling/vocab list
Sentences and definitions due Wednesday
P.B. 273, 278 and 282

Free-Write this week:
Take the edit feedback from peers, clean up your story and be prepared to have it 98% done.
CLICK HERE for all of the instructions and how to access every one's short-story

Famous American Report:
http://www.box.net/shared/4idhdcrbhs
Here are the high level due dates:Rough Draft due                                                                                   Friday, March 18,  2011
Final copy due                                                                                           Friday, April 15, 2011
**students should be making significant progress right now on this.  This is not something that can painlessly be put together in one or two evenings. ****  

March 3, 2011

DEAR time -- students could complete science, read for enjoyment, study for their spelling test or study for their math test.  

Spelling Test

Math:   Last time to ask me questions about today’s test.  We reviewed equivalent ratios/fractions.  NO MATH HOMEWORK TONIGHT!!  PLEASE READ FOR ENJOYMENT.

Math test

Social Studies -- reading and discussing how we won the war.  Also discussing the various groups that were influential in us winning the war.

They ended the day with Mrs. Cargo’s and Mrs. Wilmott’s classes.   FYI - 5 students did not pass the most recent science test and guess which students were the only students to not complete the “optional” science study guide.   Students committed to learning science and developing the habit of excellence, should be completing the study guides.  

Tomorrow’s Read-In-Day
If your son/daughter did not complete this today, please have them complete this for homework.  It is their favorite book survey:
CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE FAVORITE BOOK SURVEY

Students must wear appropriate clothing for a school environment, appropriate for the weather conditions and shoes suitable for outside wear/play must be worn.   

Regarding blankets, stuffed animals and pillows.   A lower grade had an outbreak of lice.    Mr. Haar went around to all of the classes this afternoon and discussed with the students THAT NO PILLOWS OR STUFFED ANIMALS MAY BE BROUGHT INTO SCHOOL TOMORROW.      You do not want to be “bringing home” some friends at the end of tomorrow.

FYI -- the day ends at 12:30 on Friday  

Kind regards,
Mr. H
Homework for the week:

Famous American Report:
http://www.box.net/shared/4idhdcrbhs
Here are the high level due dates:Rough Draft due                                                                Friday, March 18,  2011
Final copy due                                                                    Friday, April 15, 2011

Short Story
Read 5 stories per day
CLICK HERE for all of the instructions and how to access every one's short-story

Keep on reading!!

Reading Survey for Read-In-Day

Please take this Read-In-Day Survey....

Do it now or it is homework.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE YOUR READ-IN-DAY SURVEY

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

All quiet before the rain/storm.....

Library

Theme 4 exam -- which took a large portion of our morning time.  For additional PE, we also helped put chairs up for tonight’s big band performance.

Math:
We put last night’s homework into the response devices.  The class absolutely aced  10 of the questions (95% or higher) and there were only  4 questions that they were in the 60% range.  So we spent time discussing and dissecting those 4 questions.  
Students can do the following  to be 100% ready for tomorrow’s test:
1.  do tonight’s homework they were given a hard copy but I also have it on-line.  You can find the answers on-line, correct and dissect on problems they got wrong.
CLICK HERE for version A and version A answers

2.  go to www.pearsonsuccessnet.com -- -finish the test that I gave them in the computer lab or rewatch lessons
3.  go to http://www.khanacademy.org/   and watch videos on ratio, percentage and equivalent fractions.

Since we worked so hard on our theme 4 and preparing for tomorrow’s math test, we watched these two inspirational videos:
CLICK HERE TO SEE the Mathemagician
CLICK HERE TO SEE what adults can learn from kids

We then rotated with Mrs. Cargo and Mrs. Wilmott.   Science does have some sort of homework.

Best of luck to all of my musician friends in C-5!!

Kind regards,
Mr. H
Homework for the week:
Math

Chapter 17 Version A all due on Thursday     
CLICK HERE for version A and version A answers
Chapter 17 test is on Thursday
342-343 all due on Friday

Famous American Report:
http://www.box.net/shared/4idhdcrbhs
Here are the high level due dates:
Rough Draft due                                                                Friday, March 18,  2011
Final copy due                                                                    Friday, April 15, 2011

Graph Project in Mrs. Cargo’s class due Thursday

Spelling Test in on Thursday
CLICK HERE for this week's spelling test

Short Story
Read 5 stories per day
CLICK HERE for all of the instructions and how to access every one's short-story

Keep on reading!!

Once again a beautiful day in the city of Dublin!

A typical technology Tuesday...

Technology lab
We did 20 minutes of typing.
We voted on our monthly attribute winners.
We read short stories and we worked on Famous American reports.

After recess, we returned to the lab and worked on the Chapter 17 test on-line.   

Math time:
We reviewed ratios and did more work with computation 10%.
Here are all of our notes from today:
CLICK HERE for all our math notes
CLICK HERE for the Kahn Academy video on percentages
CLICK HERE for the Kahn Academy video on ratio

We spent the last part of the day reviewing the large grammar packet and also the Theme 4 study guide.
The big theme assessment is tomorrow morning.

Kind Regards,
Mr. Hubbard

Homework for the week:
Math

Page 396-397 all due Wednesday
Chapter 17 Version A all due on Thursday     
CLICK HERE for version A and version A answers
Chapter 17 test is on Thursday
342-343 all due on Friday

Social Studies
Read pages 121-136 by Wednesday

Famous American Report:
http://www.box.net/shared/4idhdcrbhs
Here are the high level due dates:
Rough Draft due                                                                Friday, March 18,  2011
Final copy due                                                                    Friday, April 15, 2011

Graph Project in Mrs. Cargo’s class due Thursday

Theme 4 Test is on Wednesday
Theme 4 Study Guide      CLICK HERE FOR THE DOCUMENT
Students should spend time studying the concepts outlined on the study-guide and memorizing words, grammar rules or syllabication prior to next Wednesday’s theme test.

Spelling Test in on Thursday
CLICK HERE for this week's spelling test

Short Story
Read 5 stories per day
CLICK HERE for all of the instructions and how to access every one's short-story

Keep on reading!!

2nd Quarter Attribute Voting

Here is today's monthly attribute voting thing:  CLICK HERE TO VOTE AND WRITE