News From Mrs. Bucklin's Class

Week of January 30th

2012-01-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

Parents,
Argonne field trip permission slips will be sent home on Monday. They will be due back by Friday. The field trip for our class will be 2/15.
Information about chess club will also be sent home on Monday.

Important Dates:
February 1-- Six Flags Read to Succeed forms due
February 14-- Valentine Day party
February 15-- Argonne field trip
February 20 -- President's Day -- No School
February 28 -- Early Dismissal

Reading:This week we will begin to focus on the skill of cause and effect. The students will be reading Katie's Trunk which is another story that will tie in with what we are learning in social studies. We will go over the new vocabulary on Tuesday and a vocabulary quiz will be given on Friday.

English: In English we will work on writing. The students will continue to revise their newspaper articles. We will also be writing some Winter Haiku later in the week.

Spelling: Unit 19- Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Science: This week we will continue chapter 15, Energy. An open book/note quiz will be given on Monday. Later in the week we will read and learn about solar, chemical, and mechanical energy.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter eight, The Road to War. The students have been working on their Patriot/Loyalist project. This week we will learn how the British punished Boston severely for the Tea Party with what the colonists called The Intolerable Acts. On Wednesday we will have a classroom tea party as we work on our Patriot/Loyalist books.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will begin chapter four, Algebra. This week we will focus on writing and evaluating algebraic expressions and also the math properties. A quiz covering lessons 1-4 is tentatively scheduled for Monday, February 6th.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of January 23rd

2012-01-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

Important Dates:
January 25 -- School Improvement -- Early Dismissal
February 1-- Six Flags Read to Succeed forms due
February 20 -- President's Day -- No School
February 28 -- Early Dismissal

Reading:This week we will continue to focus on "Author's Viewpoint" as we read the story, And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? This story ties nicely in with what we are learning in social studies. We will also write an extended response and review the skill of prediction.

English: In English we will complete our unit "Pronouns. " We will learn how to use we and us correctly. The chapter test has been changed to Thursday. A review will be sent home on Wednesday.

Spelling: Unit 18- Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Science: This week we will begin chapter 15, Energy. We will learn that energy is the ability to cause changes in matter. We will specifically focus on kinetic and potential energy.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter eight, The Road to War. The students have been working on their Patriot/Loyalist project. Some of this will be assigned as homework. This week we will read how the events in Boston brought Britain and the colonies closer to war. The Boston Massacre, Boston Tea party, and Intolerable Acts are a few of the topic we will be covering.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will complete chapter 18, Geometry. A quiz on lessons 1-3 has been changed to Monday. We will also learn how to identify the parts of a circle and use a compass to draw circles. We will review similar and congruent figures along with symmetry. The chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Friday. A practice test will be sent home on Wednesday.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of January 16th

2012-01-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

Parents,

Just as a reminder please read the Parent Traffic Alert which was sent out.

This is for your child's safety.

Thank you for your cooperation

Congratulations to Kate and Jake in winning our classroom spelling bee. They will move on to the fifth grade spelling bee which will be held on Wednesday. We wish them luck!

Scholastic Book Orders will be sent home on Tuesday. Orders are due by Friday.

Important Dates:
January 16 -- M.L. King Holiday -- No School
January 25 -- School Improvement -- Early Dismissal
February 1-- Six Flags Read to Succeed forms due
February 20 -- President's Day -- No School
February 28 -- Early Dismissal

Reading:This week we will focus on "Author's Viewpoint" as we read the story, And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? We will also review how to write an extended response, which will go along with our story.

English: In English we will continue our unit "Pronouns. " We will learn how to use possessive pronouns, contractions with pronouns, and avoid using double subjects. The chapter 6 test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, January 25th. We will continue with the six traits of writing focusing on organization this week.

Spelling: Unit 17- Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Science: We will continue our physical science unit. In lesson three we will learn what a chemical change is and how matter is conserved when it changes chemically. A test will be given on Thursday, January 19th.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter eight, The Road to War. The students will be assigned a special project for this chapter. As we read the students will be writing journal entries from the point of view of a Patriot and a Loyalist. This week we will write how the colonists opposed the Stamp Act and the Townshend Act.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will begin chapter 18, Geometry. We will be studying points, lines, and angles. A quiz over lessons 1-3 will be given on Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of January 9th

2012-01-06T02:52:00.000-08:00

Parents,
This week the students will be taking the MAP reading test on Monday and the math test on Thursday.

Our classroom spelling bee will take place on Tuesday. Two winners from our class will move on to the grade level spelling bee which will be held on January 18th.

Prairieview Needs Market Day Help!
Please be advised that it is Prairieview's turn to volunteer for Market Day and this Saturday is our first time. If you can help, please report to Lakeview at 8:00 a.m. Thanks in advance!

The Six Flags READ TO SUCCEED program which rewards your child with a free pass to the amusement park needs to be completed and turned in on or before Wednesday, February 1st.
Participation is optional.

On Friday our "Too Good For Drugs" program began. A letter was sent home explaining the program. Deputy Seward from the DuPage County Sheriff's Department will be facilitating the program. There will be a weekly assignment that needs to be done with a family member. Please ask your child about this. All homework assignments should be completed and returned to your child's binder. I am asking for a parent signature on each assignment. Your child will be receiving a participation grade in science.

Important Dates:
January 16 -- M.L. King Holiday -- No School
January 25 -- School Improvement -- Early Dismissal
February 1-- Six Flags Read to Succeed forms due
February 20 -- President's Day -- No School
February 28 -- Early Dismissal

Reading:This week we will continue to focus on identifying main ideas and details and using them to summarize a text. The Golden Lion Tamarin Comes Home will be our story as we practice these important skills. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Thursday.

English: In English we will begin our unit "Pronouns. " Subject and object pronouns will be the first two lessons. We will also continue learning how use the six traits of writing. Word Choice and Voice will be the traits we are focusing on.

Spelling: Unit 16- Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Science: We will continue our physical science unit. We will read and learn what density is and how it is related to volume. We will also compare and contrast mixtures and solutions. There will be an open book quiz on Friday. A test is tentatively planned for Friday, January 20th.

Social Studies: In social studies we will begin chapter eight, The Road to War. We will learn how British taxes led to greater cooperation among colonies. We will also read and identify the causes of the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will complete chapter 24 this week. The chapter test will be on Friday. A practice test will be sent home on Tuesday. The students will be tested on lessons 2 ,4, 5 and 8. Due to MAPs testing we will not have math on Monday and Thursday.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of January 2nd

2011-12-16T05:35:00.000-08:00

Parents,
A special thank you to the PTO for providing us with a wonderful cookie exchange and a delicious lunch on Thursday. Thank you to all the parents who baked cookies and made appetizers.

This week the fifth grade "Too Good For Drugs" program will begin. Deputy Seward from the DuPage County Sheriff's Department will be coming to our class on Fridays to discuss various topics of drug prevention. A letter explaining more about the program will be sent home after our first session.

Important Dates:
December 19 -- Winter Break Begins
January 3 -- Classes Resume
January 16 -- M.L. King Holiday -- No School
February 1-- Six Flags Read to Succeed forms due

Reading:This week we will be focusing on identifying main ideas and details and using them to summarize a text. The Golden Lion Tamarin Comes Home will be our story as we practice these important skills.

English: In English we will continue focusing on the six traits of writing. The students will be writing a narrative telling of their proudest moment. We will also begin our unit on Pronouns this week. Subject pronouns will be the first lesson.

Spelling: Unit 15 Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Science: We will continue our physical science unit. Lesson two focuses on physical properties and changes. We will read and learn what density is and how it is related to volume. We will also compare and contrast mixtures and solutions.

Social Studies: In social studies we will spend a few days learning about latitude and longitude. The students will be completing an Around the World activity using coordinate points of latitude and longitude as destination clues.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will begin chapter 24 this week which focuses on the area of squares, rectangles, triangles, and parallelograms. We will also continue to work on problem solving and T-charts.

Have a wonderful and relaxing holiday!

Week of December 12th

2011-12-09T05:15:00.000-08:00

Parents,

On Friday, December 16th, the fifth grade is looking forward to turning our classrooms into cinemas to celebrate the start of our holiday vacation. As you know, students will be viewing a movie of their choice, and enjoying a snack of popcorn and water as well. To make our rooms a bit cozier, we are allowing students to bring in a pillow, cushion, or small blanket to sit upon while watching the movie. We ask that the items be no larger than a normal size beach blanket to ensure we have enough room for everyone to be comfortable. Thank you!

Important Dates:
December 19 -- Winter Break Begins
January 3 -- Classes Resume
January 16 -- M.L. King Holiday -- No School
February 1-- Six Flags Read to Succeed forms due

Reading: We will continue to focus on the skills of generalization and fact and opinion. The students will read a nonfiction story, The Grizzly Bear Family Book. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Wednesday.

English: In English we will continue focusing on the six traits of writing. The students will be writing a narrative telling of their proudest moment. They will add this to their newspaper article.

Spelling: Unit 14 Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Science: We will continue our physical science unit. This week we will learn that matter that's made of only one kind of atom is an element. We will also focus on the three states of matter.

Social Studies: In social studies we will complete Chapter 7, The Fight for a Continent. We will read and learn how the British, French, and Native Americans fought for control of a large part of America. There will be an open book test on Thursday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math we will complete 23 Perimeter. A practice test was sent home on Thursday and is due Monday. There will be a test on Tuesday. Later in the week we will do some plotting of coordinates on graphs.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of December 5th

2011-12-01T02:00:00.000-08:00

Parents,
Please send in bowling permission slips if you have not done so already. Students may also bring money for snacks to the bowling alley.

Important Dates:
Friday, December 9 -- Bowling field trip
Friday, December 9-- Movie Night (Permission slips due on Wednesday)

Reading: We will focus on the skills of generalization and fact and opinion. The students will read a nonfiction story, The Grizzly Bear Family Book. The story is set in the Alaskan wilderness. As we read the students will evaluate how the author uses his experience to help his writing.

English: In English we will continue with writing. We will focus on how to make our writing more interesting by adding more details using specific nouns. We will also continue to work on our newspaper articles.

Spelling: Unit 13 Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Science: The students are continuing to work on their story boards. They are due on Wednesday. Later in the week we will begin our physical science unit. Students will learn about the properties of matter in Chapter 14.

Social Studies: In social studies we will begin Chapter 7, The Fight for a Continent. In lesson one we will learn Spain's reasons for wanting a colony in Florida. We will also read about the early Spanish colonies and analyze causes and effects of the Pueblo Revolt.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math we will begin chapter 23 Perimeter. We will focus on how to find the perimeter of a polygon. We will also learn how to find the circumference of a circle. There will be a test on Tuesday December 13th.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of November 28th

2011-11-18T02:26:00.000-08:00

Important Dates:
November 23, 24, 25 -- Thanksgiving Holiday -- No School
December 2 -- Parent/Teacher Conferences -- No School

Reading: We will complete our novels of Crash and Kid in the Red Jacket. The students will be completing a Story Pyramid of their book. The following week we will learn how to determine the author's purpose.

English: In English we will work on writing skills. The students will be creating a newspaper article about themselves. We will focus on writing sentences that flow smoothly and vary in length and style.

Spelling: Week of November 28th Unit 12 test will be on Thursday.

Science: We will complete chapter 6, "Ecosystems and Change." The chapter 6 test is Tuesday, November 22nd. We will also create a story board based on the book The Great Fuzz Frenzy.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 6 "Life in the English Colonies." Lesson 4 focuses on how slavery expanded rapidly in the English Colonies during the 1800s. The chapter test is scheduled for Thursday, December 1st.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math we will continue with problem solving and T-charts.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of November 14th

2011-11-10T02:51:00.000-08:00

Parents,
Our classroom "Trade Fair" was a great success. I enjoyed seeing all the creative ideas the students came up with. Everyone worked very hard and did a great job!

Important Dates:
November 11 -- Veteran's Day -- No School
November 14-- Robert Crown informational meeting for parents 6:30
November 22--Robert Crown- Students need a sack lunch this day
November 23, 24, 25 -- Thanksgiving Holiday -- No School
December 2 -- Parent/Teacher Conferences -- No School

*Paper Recycling: Did you know that you can help our district earn money by recycling paper here at school? You can bring in any paper (no cardboard please) to the green and yellow bin marked Paper Retriever located in Lakeview's parking lot to be recycled. The more paper we collect, the more money we can earn. The provider of the bin uses the paper to make newsprint, which is then sold to other companies. That is how we are paid to recycle paper.

Thank you for your help (and for helping the environment at the same time!)

Reading: We continue applying the reading skills that we have learned this year to our novels, Crash and Kid in the Red Jacket. We will be finishing up the novels before the the Thanksgiving break.

English: In English we will complete chapter two, "Nouns." This week we will learn how to write singular possessive and plural possessive nouns correctly. There will be a chapter two test on Friday.

Spelling: Unit 11 - Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Science: We will continue chapter 6, "Ecosystems and Change." The students will learn how changes in ecosystems affect the organisms there and how these changes can cause the extinction of some animals. The chapter 6 test is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, November 22nd.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 6 "Life in the English Colonies." The students will learn how going to school, attending religious services and reading for news and entertainment were important parts of everyday life in the colonies.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math we will learn how to determine mean, median, and mode in a given set of data. We will also work on problem solving and T-charts.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of November 7th

2011-11-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

Parents,
On Monday I will be sending home two Scholastic book orders. There is a holiday issue along with the November Arrow order. There are many good books at great prices if you are looking for holiday gifts. Orders are due on Thursday. Please make checks out to Scholastic.

I will also be sending home conference confirmation slips this week.

Important Dates:
November 10th- Classroom Trade Fair
November 11th- No School- Veteran's Day
November 22nd- Robert Crown field trip

Reading: We will continue applying the reading skills that we have learned this year to our novels. This week we are focusing on making connections and summarizing. We will also review how to write an extended response.

English: In English we will continue chapter two, "Nouns." This week the students will review singular and plural nouns. There will be a graded review on Wednesday. It will cover lessons 1-4.

Spelling: Unit 10 - Homework is due on Wednesday. Test is Thursday.

Science: we will continue chapter 6, "Ecosystems and Change." The students will learn the three kinds of symbiosis and their characteristics. We will determine how symbiosis is different than competition. An open book quiz on lesson one will be given later in the week.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 6 "Life in the English Colonies." Just a reminder our Trade Fair is Thursday. The students should also have a sign to advertise their product. I am looking forward to seeing all the creative ideas. We will also learn this week of some of Benjamin Franklin's important contributions to the colonies.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math we will complete chapter six, "Add and Subtract Decimals." There will be a quest (quiz/test) on Thursday. It will cover lessons 1-3 in chapter 6.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of October 31st

2011-10-28T01:15:00.000-07:00

Parents,
THANK YOU to all the parents who helped in making our Halloween party a huge success. The games and snacks were wonderful!! The class had a great time!

On Tuesday a permission slip for the Robert Crown Center will be sent home. Please return by Friday, November 4th.

Important Dates:
November 3rd- Picture retake day
November 11th- No School- Veteran's Day

Reading: We will be applying the reading skills that we have learned this year to our novels. Please ask your child what they are reading and let them share the stories with you. They both deal with bullying and being the “new kid.” We will also focus on summarizing and the three types of questions.

English: In English we will begin chapter two, "Nouns." This week the students will review common and proper nouns. We will also share our Halloween stories with the class.

Spelling: Unit 9 - Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Science: On Monday the students will continue with dissecting their owl pellets. They have separated the bones and will determine what type of prey had been eaten. Later in the week we will begin chapter 6, "Ecosystems and Change." We will read how organisms compete and survive in an ecosystem.

Social Studies: In social studies we will begin chapter 6 "Life in the English Colonies." We will learn how people in the 13 Colonies produced a wide variety of goods and developed thriving trade routes. Look for information about our classroom "Trade Fair" coming home later in the week.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math we will complete chapter five, "Decimals." There will be a quest (quiz/test) on Wednesday. It will cover lessons 1-3 in chapter 5. We will then move on to chapter 6, "Add and Subtract Decimals."

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of October 24th

2011-10-21T03:24:00.000-07:00

Parents,
We will have our Halloween party and parade on Friday, October 28th! Please make sure your child brings an "easy to put on" costume for this day. They will change into their costumes after lunch. There will be no access to the bathroom for costume or make-up. There will be "girls" and "boys" classrooms assigned for changing of costumes. Costume parade will begin at 1:00; party at 1:30.

Important Dates:
October 27th- Early Dismissal 11:00
October 28th- Art to Remember orders due
October 28th- Halloween parties
November 3rd- Picture retake day

Reading: This week we will begin a novel study. The class will be split into groups and reading two different novels. Skills we will be working on during the novel study will be using context clues, summarizing and questioning. Some students will be practicing these reading skills using a book called, The Kid in the Red Jacket and some students will be using a novel called, Crash!

English: In English we will take a break from the textbook and write some creative Halloween stories. The students will be given a list of Halloween words to include in their story.

Spelling: Unit 8 - Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Science: We will continue learning all about the barn owl. The students will be dissecting owl pellets later in the week. Ask your child what type of animals were found in their owl pellet.

Social Studies: In social studies we will complete chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies." The test will be given on Wednesday. We will review for the test on Tuesday. The students should be reviewing their notes and workbook pages as well as the textbook.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math we will begin chapter five, Decimals. This week focuses on place value, equivalent decimals, and comparing and ordering decimals.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of October 17th

2011-10-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
October 18th- Picture packets will be sent home
October 20th- Book Fair 6:30-8:00
October 27th- Early Dismissal
October 28th- Halloween parties
November 3rd- Picture retake day

Reading: This week we will complete our focus on story structure. The students have been reading different stories to practice story mapping. We will also complete our study of analogies.

English: In English we will complete Chapter 5 "Capitalization and Punctuation." We will learn how to write abbreviations and titles correctly. The chapter test will be given on Friday. October 21st. Look for a review to come home on Wednesday.

Spelling: Unit 7- "Compound Words" Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Science: Look for chapter 5 tests to come home on Monday. Later in the week we will be learning all about the barn owl. Taking a close look at this interesting creature will preview some of the key concepts in Chapter 6: predator-prey relationships, structural and behavioral adaptations, and habitat.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies." This week we will learn how the Separatist, later known as the Pilgrims, left England to start a settlement where they could worship as they please.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math we will complete chapter three, Division. We will focus on problem solving using relevant and irrelevant information. The test will be given on Wednesday. A practice test will be sent home on Monday.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of October 10th

2011-10-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
October 10 -- Columbus Day -- No School
October 11-- Teacher Institute--No School

Reading: This week we will continue to focus on story structure. The students will be reading several different stories to practice story mapping. We will also learn how an analogy is a comparison of two sets of ideas.

English: In English we will continue Chapter 5 "Capitalization and Punctuation." We will learn how quotations marks can be used in three different ways. The chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, October 20th.

Spelling: No spelling this week.

Science: In science we will complete chapter 5, Energy and Ecosystems. There will be a test on Friday. We will review for the test Thursday. The students should be studying their notes and review the textbook. A How to Study sheet worth 2 bonus points will be sent home on Wednesday.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies." We will read how the search for a Northwest Passage led to the founding of French and Dutch colonies in North America.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math we will continue chapter three, Division. This week we will focus on estimating quotients and dividing with 2-digit divisors. The chapter three test is scheduled for Wednesday, October 19th.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of October 3rd

2011-09-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

Parents,

On Friday from 8:15 - 9:45, our class will be participating in the Farming for Fuels program brought to our school by the DuPage Children's Museum. This program is an inquiry-based learning lab that introduces the concepts connected with creating bio-fuels and the need to change to alternative energy sources for transportation. The ideas shared during the program will be explored in more detail later this year in Science.

Important Dates:
October 6--Leaves for leaf project are due
October 7-- Farming for Fuel in school field trip
October 10 -- Columbus Day -- No School
October 11-- Teacher Institute--No School

Reading: This week we will be focusing on story structure. We will read the story of Elena and map out the the character, setting, problem, and solution of the story. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday.

English: In English we will continue Chapter 5 "Capitalization and Punctuation." The students will learn all the different ways commas are used in writing. Later in the week we will complete a special project on how commas can change the meaning. There will be a graded English review on Thursday.

Spelling:Unit 6 Spelling homework is due Thursday. Test is on Friday.

Science: In science we will continue continue 5, Energy and Ecosystems. The students will learn how energy is passed through an ecosystem.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies." The students will read about the first successful colony of Jamestown. We will also read how the search for a Northwest Passage led to the founding of French and Dutch colonies in North America.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: In math we will continue chapter three, Division. This week we will focus on 0's in division and using basic facts and patterns to find quotients. There will be a quiz on lessons 1-5 on Wednesday. We will not be meeting for math on Thursday and Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of September 26th

2011-09-23T09:22:00.001-07:00

Important Dates:
Magazine Order Turn-in days: 9/27, 9/29
September 29th--Picture Day
September 30 -- Early Dismissal
October 10 -- Columbus Day -- No School

Reading: This week we will be focusing on drawing conclusions, homonyms and multi-meaning words, and an extended response which lines up with our anthology story A Boy Called Slow.

English: In English we will begin Chapter 5 "Capitalization and Punctuation." The students will review the four types of sentences and use correct beginning and end punctuation. We will also identify proper nouns and adjectives.

Spelling: This week we will have a review lesson. 15 words of all the review words will be given for the pretest on Monday. The final test on Friday will have 15 words but not necessarily the same 15 words. Spelling assignment is due Thursday.
Both regular and challenge word tests are on Friday.

Science: In science we will begin continue 5, Energy and Ecosystems. We will learn what chloroplasts are and why some plants change color in the fall. A lesson 1 open book quiz will be given on Wednesday. A special homework assignment involving collecting leaves will also be sent home on Wednesday.

Social Studies: In social studies we will begin chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies." The students will read about the lost colony of Roanoke and try to solve the mystery of this colony.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: This week in math we will begin chapter three, Division. We will focus on estimating quotients, divide by one-digit divisors and interpreting the remainder. Just a reminder the students should be practicing their math facts nightly.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of September 19th

2011-09-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
District Magazine Drive -- Magazine Order Turn-in days: 9/20, 9/27, 9/29
September 30 -- Early Dismissal
October 10 -- Columbus Day -- No School

Reading: This week we will be focusing on drawing conclusions, doing vocabulary activities, and an extended response as we read a selection in our reading anthology - "A BOY CALLED SLOW". A vocabulary quiz will be given on Thursday.

English: In English we will continue with the unit "The Sentence." Subjects in imperatives, conjunctions and run-on sentences will be the focus. The chapter one test will be given on Friday.

Spelling: Unit 4 pretest will be given on Monday. Homework is due on Thursday. The spelling test will be given on Friday.

Science: In science we will begin chapter 5, Energy and Ecosystems. We will read and learn about different plant structures that help make food. We will learn the steps in photosynthesis and why some plants change color in the fall. A special homework assignment involving collecting leaves will come home later in the week.

Social Studies: In social studies we will complete chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." The chapter test is on Wednesday. I will be sending home a "How to Study" sheet on Monday. It will be worth two bonus points if signed and returned by the day of the test. The students should be reviewing their notes and end of the chapter reviews. We will have a review game in class on Tuesday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: This week in math we will complete chapter two, Multiplication. Two and three digit multiplication along with the problem solving strategy of Find a Pattern will be the focus. There will be a test on Thursday. A practice test will be sent home on Tuesday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of September 12th

2011-09-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
District Magazine Drive -- Magazine Order Turn-in days: 9/20, 9/27, 9/29
September 30 -- Early Dismissal
October 10 -- Columbus Day -- No School

Reading: This is our final week with Tall Tales. The skills specifically targeted will be identifying story structure and distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic story elements. As a review, we will use our visualization skills and begin working with roots, affixes, prefixes, and suffixes. We will also discuss and practice using similes and metaphors, which can be used to write a tall tale of their own!

English: In English we will continue with the unit "The Sentence." Simple subjects and simple predicates will be the focus this week. I am asking the students to bring in a picture by Wednesday. They will use the picture to create a pyramid poem with simple subjects and predicates.

Spelling: A pretest will be given on Monday. Homework is due on Thursday. The spelling test will be given on Friday.

Science: In science we will continue with The Scientific Method. We will observe and measure variables in an experiment. We will also learn the steps of the scientific method and explain how scientists use the scientific method.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." This week's lesson will focus on how Spain gained great wealth from the settlement of New Spain. The chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, September 21st.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: This week in math we will complete chapter one, Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction. There will be a test on Wednesday. A practice test will be sent home on Monday. We will also continue with the problem solving strategy of Work Backwards. Later in the week we will begin chapter two, Multiplication.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of September 5th

2011-09-02T05:32:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
September 5th- Labor Day No School
September 6th - 4th and 5th grade Curriculum Night 6:30-7:30.
*Presentation begins in the gym with Mrs. Schultz.
*Sign up for 1st Trimester conferences with homeroom teacher.

Scholastic book orders will be sent home on Tuesday. Orders are due by Friday. Please make checks payable to Scholastic.

Reading:

We continue with Tall Tales. The skills specifically targeted will be identifying story structure and distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic story elements. As a review, we will use our visualization skills and define unknown words using context clues. We will also discuss and practice using similes and metaphors, which can be used to write a tall tale of their own!

English: In English we will continue with the unit "The Sentence." There will be a graded review on lessons one and two on Wednesday. We will then learn about subjects and predicates.

Spelling: A pretest will be given on Tuesday. Students who receive 100% or or one wrong will receive a challenge list and an alternative list of spelling activities to choose from. The spelling test will be given on Friday.

Science: In science we have learned the different tools scientist use and how they are used. There will be an open book graded review on Wednesday. We will then become familiar with The Scientific Method.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." This week's lesson will focus on how Columbus's expeditions paved the way for other European explorers. Just a reminder the students take many notes which will help them prepare for the test. These notes should stay in the social studies section of their binder.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: This week in math we will continue chapter one, Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction. Comparing and ordering numbers along with addition and subtraction will be the focus. We will also review estimating sums and differences.
On Mondays the students will be taking mad minute multiplication tests. Their goal is to complete 40 problems in one minute. It is important they practice their facts as part of their nightly homework.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of August 29th

2011-08-26T04:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
We have had a great first week of school! I have enjoyed getting to know the students and am looking forward to a wonderful year. Just a reminder…Curriculum Night for Fifth grade is Tuesday, September 6th at 6:30 at Prairieview. You will be able to sign up for conferences that evening. I look forward to seeing all of you!

MAP testing begins this week.

Reading: We begin our year with Tall Tales. The skills specifically targeted will be identifying story structure and distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic story elements. As a review, we will use our visualization skills and define unknown words using context clues. This week we will be reading about Bess Call and Paul Bunyon.

English: In English we will begin with the unit "The Sentence." Students are reviewing the four types of sentences along with how to find the subject and predicate of a sentence. We will also be working on autobiographical poems.

Spelling: A pretest will be given every Monday. Starting next week students who receive 95% or better will receive a challenge list and an alternative list of spelling activities to choose from. The spelling homework will be assigned on Monday and due Thursday. The spelling test will be given on Friday.

Science: In science we will begin our unit, "Getting Ready for Science" The students will become familiar with the tools scientists use.

Social Studies: In social studies we are beginning chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." The students will learn how Columbus's voyages led to a European settlement of the Americas and an exchange of people , animals, goods, and ways of life between East and West.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
Math classes will meet starting Tuesday. We will begin chapter one, Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction. The students will review place value through billions.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Welcome Back!

2011-08-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Prairieview and fifth grade! Just a reminder Open House is on Wednesday, August 24th. It will take place from 9-11. There will be various sign-up sheets available for holiday parties, field trip chaperones, and classroom helpers.
Students may bring their supplies that day. I look forward to meeting everyone.

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of June 6th

2011-06-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
I can't believe this school year is already over. The time has flown by. I would like to thank everyone for a wonderful year! I have enjoyed teaching your children very much. We have learned a lot this year and have many good memories.

Just a reminder the school picnic is on Monday. Hot dogs and chips will be served. If your child would prefer something else please send in a sack lunch. We are looking forward to a great day.

Yearbooks will be handed out to students on Tuesday, June 7th.

Report cards will be given out on Tuesday.

Thank you again for a wonderful year! Have a great summer.

Mary Bucklin

Week of May 30th

2011-05-27T02:42:00.000-07:00

Parents,
The raffle for Japan has just begun. A letter was sent home on Wednesday, with the list of raffle items and raffle tickets. If you wish to participate, just fill in the tickets, put them in an envelope with the money, and return it to your classroom teacher. All tickets must be turned in by June 3rd. We will have the raffle at the all school assembly on June 6th. Thank you so much for your support.

Important Dates:

June 1st-- Fifth grade bowling
June 3rd-- Robert Crown field trip
June 6th- School Picnic
June 7th--Last day

English: We will continue Adverbs and Prepositions. This week we will learn how to identify prepositions in sentences and identify prepositional phrases.

Science: We will complete chapter 12, Oceans. An open book quiz on lesson 3 will be given on Tuesday. A chapter test will not be given. We will play Ocean Bingo to review what we have learned throughout the chapter.

Social Studies: Chapter 11 tests were sent home on Friday. This week we will learn how in the 1820's and1830's the United States expanded its territory in North America and its power in the Western Hemisphere.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will complete the novel, The Wish Giver. We will read how the children in the story solved their wish problems. Did every thing go back to normal? What lessons were learned with their experiences. We will review character traits and complete a story map.

Spelling: No Spelling this week!

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: Math class will be meeting on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Chapter 17 tests will be handed back on Tuesday. We will end the year with a textbook scavenger hunt. The students will be taking a look back at what they have learned this year.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of May 23rd

2011-05-20T03:13:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
May 23rd-- Robert Crown parent informational meeting 6:30 PM
May 25th-- Last day for Life-Saving grams to be turned in.
June 1st-- Fifth grade bowling
June 3rd-- Robert Crown field trip

English: We will continue to work on persuasive writing. The students have been working on their school uniform essay. The next topic "Should the School Day be Longer?" We will also begin Adverbs and Prepositions. We will learn how adverbs describe verbs and how to compare with adverbs.

Science: We will continue chapter 12, Oceans. An open book quiz on lesson 2 will be given on Tuesday. Later we will read and learn about the different features of a shoreline and how they can change.

Social Studies: In social studies we will complete chapter 11, The Young United States. We will learn why the United States went to war a second time with Britain. We will also read about the main battles and the outcome of the War of 1812. The chapter 11 test has been changed to Thursday, May 26th. We will review for the test on Wednesday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will continue the novel, The Wish Giver. This week we learn of Adam Fiske's wish and the trouble it caused him. We will be completing a story map of each characters story.

Spelling: Unit 30. The test will be on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will continue Chapter 17, Probability. We will predict outcomes of probability experiments. We will also solve problems by using the strategy of make an organized list and tree diagrams. There will be a test on Friday. It will cover lessons 1,2, 4, and 5 in chapter 17. The students will have a practice test for homework on Wednesday.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of May 16th

2011-05-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Parents,
Our fifth grade celebration was a huge success. A special thank you to all the parents who volunteered their time in planning and organizing the day. The students enjoyed it very much!

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2 mile Walk Day on Tuesday, May 24^th at Prairieview School. All proceeds from the event will go to the American Red Cross to help the victims of the earthquake in Japan. There will also be a raffle to help raise money for the cause, and any donations would be appreciated. (gift cards, sport items, games, services, small goodies). Anyone who would like to volunteer on May 24^th, please e-mail Mrs. Cavoto ccavot@ccsd66.org or Mrs. Sulima Ssulima@ccsd66.org to let them know.

Important Dates:
May 16th- Fifth graders visit to Lakeview
May 23rd-- Robert Crown parent informational meeting 6:30 PM
May 25th-- Last day for Life-Saving grams to be turned in.
June 1st-- Fifth grade bowling
June 3rd-- Robert Crown field trip

English: We will work on persuasive writing. Should public school students wear school uniforms? The students will have to pick a side about uniforms and write a persuasive essay to support their opinion.

Science: We will continue chapter 12, Oceans. An open book quiz on lesson 1 will be given on Monday. Later we will learn the different ways waves form and how the sun and moon cause ocean water to move.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 11, The Young United States. We will learn how the Louisiana Purchase expands the size of the country and Lewis and Clark set out to explore the Louisiana territory. The test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, May 25th.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will continue the novel, The Wish Giver. The story is about three children whom each have a wish card. On Monday we will complete a story map of Polly Kemp's story and what happened when her wish came true. Later we will read about Rowena's wish and the trouble her wish caused.

Spelling: Unit 29. The test will be on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will continue Chapter 9, Data and Statistics. The students will be creating graphs on the computer. There will be a test on Wednesday. A practice test will be sent home on Tuesday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of May 9th

2011-05-06T01:19:00.000-07:00

Parents,
Thank you for making Teacher Appreciation Week so special. The lunches and breakfast were delicious. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Ask your child about the Life-Saving grams fundraiser sponsored by Project Challenge. It is for the American Red Cross to help victims in Japan. If a student would like to participate, the form(s) and donation need to be turned in before May 25th! Extra "grams" can be printed from our school website!

Thursday is our 5^th grade celebration. There will be games followed by a pizza lunch. After lunch, we will be heading over to Lakeview to catch a sneak preview/dress rehearsal of their musical, Fiddler on the Roof. It should be a great day!

Important Dates:
May 12th-Fifth grade celebration and Lakeview Musical
May 13th- Early release 11:00
May 16th- Fifth graders visit to Lakeview
May 23rd-- Robert Crown parent informational meeting. 6:30 PM
June 1st-- Fifth grade bowling
June 3rd-- Robert Crown field trip

English: We will complete our unit on Verbs. There will be a test on Wednesday, May 11th. It will cover lessons 9-15. There will also be a proofreading section which will include all lessons. Later in the week we will focus on persuasive writing.

Science: We will begin chapter 12, Oceans. We will read and learn about the characteristics of the ocean water and floor. Check binders for the chapter 11 test on Monday.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 11, The Young United States. We will learn why and how the United States expanded westward. We will also learn more about Thomas Jefferson as President. The students will be making a mini biography book of Thomas Jefferson.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will continue the novel, The Wish Giver. The story is about three children whom each have a wish card. Find out what happens when their wishes come true. Skills we are focusing on our character traits, figurative language and story mapping. Ask your child what colloquialisms are.

Spelling: Unit 28. The test will be on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will complete chapter 22, Measurement. The Chapter 22 test is Monday, May 9th. Later in the week we will begin Chapter 9, Data and Statistics. We will start out reviewing mean, median, mode, and range.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of May 2nd

2011-04-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
I will be sending home permission slips to the Robert Crown Center on Monday. A parent informational meeting will be offered on May 23rd.

Prairieview Talent Show
Talent show slips need to be turned in A.S.A.P. if your child is interested in trying out. Try outs begin Monday! Your child has been given a slip with all the information. It requires a parent signature in order for your child to participate.

Important Dates:
May 12th-Fifth graders to Lakeview Musical 1:15
May 13th- Early release 11:00
May 16th- Fifth graders visit to Lakeview

English: We will continue our unit on Verbs. This week we will focus on verb phrases with have and how to use the words leave, let, teach and learn correctly in a sentence. There will be a test on Tuesday, May 10th. It will cover lessons 9-15. There will also be a proofreading section which will include all lessons.

Science: We will complete chapter 11 Weather. The test has been changed to Friday. An open book quiz of lesson three will be given on Wednesday. We will review for the test on Thursday.

Social Studies: In social studies we will begin continue 11, The Young United States. We will learn how political parties emerged in the American government system. We will also read how President Washington organized the Executive Branch around the cabinet.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we will complete Jacob's Rescue. There will be a vocabulary quiz for chapters 17-21 on Tuesday, May 2nd. The students have a study guide to help prepare for the quiz. Later in the week we will begin the novel, The Wishgiver. Skills we will be focusing on our character traits, figurative language and story mapping.

Spelling: Unit 27. The test will be on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will continue chapter 22, Measurement. This week we will learn how to convert customary and metric capacity and weight. We will also review elapsed time and temperature. The Chapter 22 test is scheduled for Monday, May 9th.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of April 25th

2011-04-21T02:45:00.000-07:00

Parents,
MAPS testing is this week. Our class will be taking the reading test on Monday and math test on Thursday.

English: We will continue our unit on Verbs. This week we will focus on contractions, irregular and regular verbs. I will also introduce persuasive writing. The students will be given prompts that they will need to take a side on.

Science: We will continue chapter 11 Weather. A lesson two open book assessment will be given on Wednesday. Lesson three focuses on weather patterns. We will read and learn how weather conditions are measured and how these measurements can be used to predict the weather. The chapter 11 test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, May 4th.

Social Studies: In social studies we will complete chapter 10, Forming a New Government. The chapter 10 test is Wednesday, April 27th. We will review for the test on Tuesday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we will continue a historical fiction novel, Jacob's Rescue. We will focus on the reading skill of cause and effect and also determining the author's viewpoint. There will be a vocabulary quiz for chapters 9-16 on Tuesday, April 26th. The students have a study guide to help prepare for the quiz.

Spelling: Unit 26. The test will be on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will continue chapter 22, Measurement. This week we are continuing to learn how to convert linear measurements. There will be a quiz on lessons 1-3 on Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of April 18th

2011-04-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
April 20--TGFD graduation 8:30 a.m. Family is invited
April 21--Early dismissal
April 22-- No School

Center Cass District 66 - Eat Out - Panda Express http://www.ccsd66.org/PTO/FundRaisers/Panda.pdf
The fifth grade class made decorations. Maria Davilla, the manager of Panda Express will have them on display Thursday, April 21, 2011 for the District Eat Out.

Stop by and check it out

English: We will continue our unit on Verbs. This week we will focus on subject-verb agreement. The test for lessons 1-8 has been changed to Wednesday.

Science: We will continue chapter 11 Weather. A lesson one open book assessment will be given on Monday. Lesson two focuses on what conditions affect the water cycle. We will describe the changes in the water cycle and learn how the water cycle relates to weather.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 10, Forming a New Government. How is your child doing on memorizing the Preamble? They will receive credit before the test if memorized early. This week we will read how after a long debate the states ratified the Constitution and later the Bill of Rights. The chapter 10 test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, April 27th.

Spelling: No Spelling this week.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will continue chapter 22, Measurement. This week we will focus on estimating and measuring using appropriate metric units. We will also identify and convert linear units of measurement.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of April 11th

2011-04-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Parents,
Just a reminder Open House is on Thursday. I look forward to seeing you then.
Important Dates: April 14--Open House
April 20--TGFD graduation 8:30 a.m.
April 21--Early dismissal
April 22-- No School

A field trip for the Robert Crown Center has been scheduled for Friday, June 3rd. There will be an informational meeting for parents on May 23rd. Permission slips and more information will be sent home in a few weeks.

Scholastic book orders will be sent home on Monday. Orders are due by Friday. Checks may be made payable to Scholastic.

English: We will continue our unit on Verbs. We will focus on verbs in the past, present, and future. I will be dividing the chapter into two sections for testing. A test on lessons 1-8 is tentatively scheduled for next Tuesday, April 19th.

Science: We will continue chapter 11 Weather. We will learn how the sun affects weather conditions and the difference between local and prevailing winds.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 10, Forming a New Government. On Monday the students will learn the Preamble. They will need to memorize this introduction to the constitution for the test. Students may memorize it earlier and receive credit. We will also learn the three branches of the government and the power each branch has.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we will continue a historical fiction novel, Jacob's Rescue. This story takes place during the Holocaust. Vocabulary is being introduced for each chapter. The students should be reviewing their study sheets. A vocabulary quiz will be given on Thursday. It will cover vocabulary words from chapters 1-8.

Spelling: Unit 25 Homework is due on Thursday. Test is Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will complete chapter 12, Fractions. This week we will focus on the problem solving strategy Using a Model and how to convert fractions into decimals. The Chapter 12 test is Thursday, April 14th. A practice test will be sent home on Tuesday.

Thank you and have a great week! Mrs. Bucklin

Week of April 4th

2011-03-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

Parents,
On Friday, April 8th we will be having our Geo Space presentation. I am looking for two parent volunteers to help with the program. The time would be from 9:30-11:15. If you are interested, please let me know.
Important Dates:
April 5--No school
April 8-Geo Space in the classroom 9:15-11:15
April 14--Open House
April 20--TGFD graduation 8:30 a.m.

English: We will continue our unit on Verbs. The students will learn how to identify verbs in a sentence and label them as main verbs and helping verbs. We will also learn that a linking verb links the subject in a sentence to a word or words in the predicate.

Science: We will begin chapter 11 Weather. We will learn how the sun heats the Earth's atmosphere and how this affects temperature of land and water.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 10, Forming a New Government. We are learning that at the Constitutional Convention, a group of leaders wrote the Constitution, a new plan for a stronger national government. The students will be memorizing the "Preamble." They will learn the meaning of these words and how it set the Constitution's major goals.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we will begin the novel Jacob's Rescue. We will be reviewing the reading skills of cause and effect, identifying author's purpose, and drawing conclusions.

Spelling: No spelling this week

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will continue chapter 12, Fractions. This week we will focus on ordering and comparing fractions. We will also learn how to convert fractions in to decimals. The Chapter 12 test is tentatively planned for Thursday, April 14th.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of March 21st

2011-03-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

Parents,
Just a reminder our Naper Settlement field trip is on Wednesday. Please make sure your child has a disposable sack lunch. I am looking for large paper shopping bags with handles. If you have any and would like to donate them please send them in by Tuesday. Also, many of the activities are outside so your child should dress appropriately for the weather.

Mark your calendars for the TGFD graduation. It will take place on Wednesday, April 20th. Invitations will be sent home next week. The students will be given a final assignment to write a "Promise Letter." This will be assigned on Monday and due April 6th.

Important Dates:
March 23--Naper Settlement field trip
March 28 -- Spring Break begins

English: We will begin our unit on Verbs. The students will learn how to identify action verbs and name the direct objects.

Science: We will complete chapter 15 Energy. The test is Tuesday, March 22nd. We will not begin the next science unit until after the break.

Social Studies: In social studies we will begin chapter 10, Forming a New Government. We will We will learn how the new nation struggled to govern itself under the "Articles of Confederation."

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we complete our study of China. We have gathered the information for our China brochures and are in the process of completing the final project. Much of class time will be spent working on the brochures however, some will be homework. The brochures will be due on Friday. Please ask your child how they are doing on this project.

Spelling: Lesson 24- Review week. The test is on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will continue chapter 12, Fractions. We will learn how to find equivalent fractions as well as writing fraction in simplest form. We will also learn how to rename fractions as mixed numbers. There will be a quiz on lessons 1-4 on Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of March 14th

2011-03-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

Important Dates:
March 23--Naper Settlement field trip
March 28 -- Spring Break begins

English: We will continue working on our "Me Front Page" articles. The students will be collecting some famous quotes from friends and family. We will also write short term and long term goals to add to the article. Students will need to have their 8x10 or 5x7 photo here by Friday.

Science: We will continue 15 "Energy." We will continue to learn about the movement of heat. We will also learn the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources. The chapter test is scheduled for Tuesday, March 22nd.

Social Studies: In social studies we will complete chapter 9, Winning the Revolution. We will review for the test on Tuesday and the chapter 9 test is Wednesday, March 16th.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we continue our study of China. We are focusing on identifying main idea and supporting details using research materials. The students have been using non-fiction China books from our Prairieview library, the Internet, and other sources. The students are using clarifying and monitoring skills as they dig into the information! We will be completing an outline for our travel brochures this week.

Spelling: Lesson 23- homework is due on Thursday and the test is Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will complete chapter 11, Number Theory. Finding the greatest common factor is the focus this week. We will also work on some problem solving. There will be a quiz on Lessons 1-4 on Thursday. There will not be a chapter test.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of March 7th

2011-03-03T04:18:00.000-08:00

Parents,
ISAT tests are now over. The students did a great job. Thank you to the parents who sent in snacks for testing week. The students enjoyed them very much.

Important Dates:
March 7 -- Casimir Pulaski Day -- No School
March 23--Naper Settlement field trip
March 28 -- Spring Break Begins

English: We will review expository writing. Information will be sent home on Tuesday explaining the essay contest we will be working on in class. This is not homework. We will also work on our "Me Front Page" newspaper articles. I am asking that each student bring in an 8x10 or 5x7 recent photo of themselves. These will be returned unharmed.

Science: We will continue Continue 15 "Energy." We will learn how some materials conduct heat better than others. We will also describe the three ways heat can be transferred.

Social Studies: In social studies we will complete chapter 9, Winning the Revolution. We will read how other nations helped the Continental Army. Along with note taking the students will be creating a circle book to go along with lesson three. Check assignment notebooks for homework in this. The chapter 9 test is scheduled for Wednesday, March 16th.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we begin the study of the fascinating country of China. We will focus on identifying main idea and supporting details using research materials. As we read our non-fiction China materials, we will be using our clarification and monitoring skills. Later in the week the students will begin a project of creating a travel brochure for China.

Spelling: Lesson 22- homework is due on Thursday and the test is Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will begin chapter 11, Number Theory. The students will learn how to identify multiples and the least common multiple of a set of whole numbers. We will also focus on divisibility rules.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of February 28th

2011-02-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
We have now officially started the 3rd Trimester of fifth grade. During the third trimester, the late policy will be the same as Lakeview's policy. This will help the students realize the importance of getting work completed on time and the penalty that will affect their grades for late work. It will also help make a better transition to Lakeview.

Third Trimester Late Policy:
1 day late - minus 25%
More than 1 day late until test is taken - minus 50%
After unit test is taken - a zero is entered in the grade book

ISAT TESTING: The 5th grade schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Math 8:15 - 9:30 & Reading 9:45-10:30
We will have a snack break between testing times.

Important Dates:
March 1 -- Report Cards
March 4 -- Parent Teacher Conferences -- No School
March 7 -- Casimir Pulaski Day -- No School
March 28 -- Spring Break Begins

English: We will review expository writing. The students will be writing an expository that will be entered in a contest which they can earn a monetary prize. Information will be sent home later in the week. We will also work on our "Me Front Page" newspaper articles.

Science: We will continue Continue 15 "Energy." We will focus on how to identify and describe different forms of energy. We will also learn how energy can be changed from one form to another.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 9, Winning the Revolution. We will read the book, When Washington Crossed the Delaware and write a letter from the point of view of a soldier. We will then learn how with help from France and Spain the Continental Army won the American Revolution.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: On Monday we will continue to focus on making our writing more interesting with the use of personification. The remainder of the week the students will be taking the ISAT tests.

Spelling: No spelling this week.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will complete chapter 4 "Algebra." There will be an open book quiz on Monday. It will cover lessons 5-8. The remainder of the week the students will be taking the ISAT tests.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of February 21st

2011-02-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

Important Dates:
February 25 - End of Trimester
March 1 --Report Cards

English: We will complete a unit on Adjectives. The test is scheduled for Thursday, Febreuary 24th. We will then write adjective poems later in the week.

Science: We will continue Continue 15 "Energy." On Tuesday there will be an open book quiz over lesson one. Later in the week we will read lesson two which focuses on solar, mechanical, electrical and sound energy.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 9, Winning the Revolution. We will learn how the contributions of a wide variety of people helped the Continental Army win important battles. We will read the book, When Washington Crossed the Delaware and write a letter from the point of view of a soldier.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we will explore and learn to properly use figurative language, like onomatopoeia and idioms! We will be using a variety of instructional level materials. We will also take a practice ISAT test to help prepare for ISAT testing next week.

Spelling: Lesson 21- Spelling homework will be due on Thursday. Test on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will continue continue 4 "Algebra." This week we will focus on how to write and solve equations along with how to represent a function using a table and an equation. Check assignment notebooks for a possible quiz on Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of February 14th

2011-02-11T04:19:00.000-08:00

Parents,

There are a few important announcements regarding our Argonne field trip on Wednesday. Please remember to send your child with a sack lunch and drink (no lunchboxes.) Everything must be disposed of after we eat lunch. Also, students must be in long pants and closed-toed shoes.
Important Dates:
February 14 - Valentine's Day parties
February 16 - Argonne National Laboratory field trip
February 17- Six Flags Reading Forms due
February 21- President's Day - No School
February 25 - End of Trimester
March 1 --Report Cards

Valentine's Day- Students may bring in cards for the Valentine's Day party.
Just a reminder, candy will not be allowed.

English: We will continue a unit on Adjectives. The students are making an adjective alphabet book. We will also learn how to use adjectives to compare and how to use the special forms of good and bad for making comparisons. The Adjective test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, February 23rd.

Science: We will begin Chapter 15 "Energy." The students will learn that energy is the ability to cause change in matter. We will also focus on how kinetic energy differs from potential energy.

Social Studies: In social studies we will begin chapter 9, Winning the Revolution. We will learn how Congress chose George Washington to command the American army and the American colonies declared independence from Britain in July 1776.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we will be writing an extended response using a fictional piece. We will also be identifying character traits using a variety of instructional materials. Our textbook story is James Forten. There will not be a vocabulary quiz this week.

Spelling: Lesson 20- Spelling homework will be due on Thursday. Test on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will begin continue 4 "Algebra." This week we will focus on identifying and using the properties of addition and multiplication. Check assignment notebooks for a possible quiz over lessons 1-4 on Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of February 7th

2011-02-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

Important Dates:
February 14th-Valentine's Day parties
February 16th- Argonne National Laboratory field trip
February 17th- Six Flags Reading Forms due
February 21 - President's Day - No School
February 25 - End of Trimester
March 1 -Report Cards

Valentine's Day- Students may bring in cards for the Valentine's Day party.
Just a reminder, candy will not be allowed.

English: We will begin a unit on Adjectives. The students will learn how to identify adjectives and the nouns they describe. We will also focus on using adjectives in our writing to make it more interesting.

Science: We will start the week reading articles from Time For Kids. Later in the week we will begin Chapter 15 "Energy." The students will learn about potential and kinetic energy.

Social Studies: In social studies we will complete Chapter 8 "The Road to War." We will read about the Battle of Bunker Hill. The test has been changed to Thursday, Feb. 10th. Patriot/Loyalist books will also be completed this week.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We are practicing writing an extended response using a nonfiction genre. This will help us succeed when taking the ISAT tests! We will also be identifying cause and effect relationships using the story of Katie's Trunk. A vocabulary quiz will be given on Friday.

Spelling: Lesson 19- Spelling homework will be due on Thursday. Test on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: The chapter 18 "Geometry" test has been rescheduled for Monday. The students should study their vocabulary packet. They will be expected to know the symbols. We will then complete some problem solving activities and review T-charts. Later in the week we will begin chapter 4 "Algebra."

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of January 31st

2011-01-27T04:56:00.000-08:00

Important Dates:
February 14th-Valentines' Day parties
February 16th- Argonne National Laboratory field trip
February 17th- Six Flags Reading Forms due
February 21 - President's Day - No School
February 25 - End of Trimester
March 1 -Report Cards

English: We will review expository writing. The students will be writing an essay to add to their newspaper article. They will be writing about a major accomplishment. We will also begin a unit on Adjectives.

Science: We will complete our unit "Properties of Matter." The test has been changed to Wednesday. An open book quiz on lesson three will be given on Monday. The students should be reviewing their notes and quizzes to help prepare for the test.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue Chapter 8 "The Road to War." This week's focus will be how the American Revolution began with the battles at Lexington and Concord. We will also learn about the Battle of Bunker Hill. The students are doing a nice job on their "Patriot/Loyalist books. We will be completing these books this week. The chapter 8 test is scheduled for Wednesday, February 9th.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We are practicing writing an extended response using a nonfiction genre. This will help us succeed when taking the ISAT tests! We will also be identifying cause and effect relationships using a variety of instructional materials.

Spelling: Lesson 18- Review lesson-Spelling work will be due on Thursday. Test on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will complete chapter 18 "Geometry." This week we will focus on similar and congruent figures along with symmetry. The chapter test will be given on Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of January 24th

2011-01-21T03:29:00.000-08:00

Parents,
Permission slips for a field trip to Argonne National Laboratory will be sent home on Monday. Please return the slip by Friday. Thank you.

Congratulations to Jake and David in winning the fifth grade spelling bee. They will be moving on to the district spelling bee on Tuesday. We wish them luck!

Important Dates:
February 14th-Valentines' Day parties
February 16th- Argonne National Laboratory field trip
February 17th- Six Flags Reading Forms due

English: We will complete our unit on Pronouns. This week we will focus on using we and us with nouns and how to use homophones correctly. The chapter 6 test is scheduled for Friday, January 28th.

Science: We will continue our unit "Properties of Matter." We will learn the difference between mixtures and solutions. We will also read and learn what a chemical change is and how matter is conserved in this process. The chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, February 1st.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue Chapter 8 "The Road to War." We will continue our point of view activity in which the students will retell the event as a "loyalist" and a"patriot." This week's focus will be how the American Revolution began with the battles at Lexington and Concord.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will continue to understand the author's viewpoint and to distinguish between fact and opinion using instructional level materials. We will also focus on writing extended responses to questions from the story And Then What Happened Paul Revere? A vocabulary quiz will be given Wednesday, January 26th. The students should have a list of words to study in their binders.

Spelling: Lesson 17- Spelling work will be due on Thursday. Test on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will continue chapter 18 "Geometry." This week we will learn how to measure and draw angles using a protractor. We will also identify, classify, and draw polygons. There will be a quiz on lessons 1-3 on Thursday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of January 17th

2011-01-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

Important Dates:
January 17 -- M. L. King Birthday -- No School
February 17 Six Flags Reading Forms due

T.G.F.D. Too Good For Drugs continues this week with Deputy K. Please ask your child about their assignment last week.

English: We will continue with "Pronouns." This week we will focus on possessive pronouns, using pronouns in our writing, and contractions.

Science: We will continue our unit "Properties of Matter." We will learn how matter changes state. We will also discuss how most substances have densities that don't change along with the difference between mixtures and solutions.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue Chapter 8 "The Road to War." We will be continue our point of view activity in which the students will retell the event as a "loyalist' and a"patriot." This week's focus will be the Boston Tea Party and Intolerable Acts.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we will be determining the author's viewpoint as we read And Then What Happened Paul Revere? in our literature books. We will also be focusing on the differences between fact and an opinion. A vocabulary quiz will be given Wednesday, January 26th.

Spelling: Lesson 16- Spelling work will be due on Thursday. Test on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will spend a few days on graphing ordered pairs. The students will learn how to graph and name points on a coordinate grid using ordered pairs. We will then begin chapter 18 "Geometry."

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of January 10th

2011-01-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

Important Dates:
January 17 -- M. L. King Birthday -- No School.

Scholastic book orders will be sent home on Monday. Orders are due by Friday. Please make checks payable to Scholastic.

Our class will be taking the MAPS test on Wednesday this week.
We will be having our classroom spelling bees on Tuesday and Wednesday. Ask your child about this.

T.G.F.D. Too Good For Drugs began this week with an officer from the Dupage County Sheriff's Department. The students will be given a weekly assignment. Please go over this with your child and return it with a parent signature.

English: We will continue with "Pronouns." This week we will focus on object pronouns and using I and me correctly. Check assignment notebooks for a possible quiz on Thursday. We are also working on a writing activity entitled "Picture of the Year." The students were given an assignment on Friday to bring in a memorable picture from 2010. Pictures are due on Tuesday.

Science: We will continue our unit "Properties of Matter." We will learn about atoms, molecules and the periodic table. There will be an open book quiz on lesson one on Thursday.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue Chapter 8 "The Road to War." We will be doing a point of view activity in which the students will retell the event as a "loyalist' and a"patriot." We will learn about the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, and the Committees of Correspondence.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will be working on story structure using a story map template while reading various literature selections from our basal and other short passages. A vocabulary quiz over words from the selection Elena will be given on Monday, January 10th.

Spelling: Lesson 15- Spelling work will be due on Thursday. Test on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will complete chapter 24, Area and Volume. This week we will focus on how to measure volume using the correct formula. The chapter test will be given on Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of January 3rd

2010-12-17T15:20:00.000-08:00

Important Dates:
December 20 -- Winter Break Begins
January 3 -- Classes Resume after Winter Break
January 17 -- M. L. King Birthday -- No School.

This week we will begin MAPS testing again. Friday we will be testing from 1:00-2:00.

T.G.F.D.Too Good For Drugs begins this week with an officer from the Dupage County Sheriff's Department.This is a substance abuse prevention curriculum. There will be a total of 10 lessons that focus on the dangerous substances that are used widely by young people. A letter will be sent home explaining this program in more detail after our first session on Wednesday. At the end of the program, we have a graduation ceremony!

English: In English we will continue with Expository Writing. I have been meeting with the students to help revise their essay. The students are continuing to learn how to add voice in their writing. A final graded essay will be given later in the week. We will then begin a unit on pronouns.

Science: The students will be sharing their "Story Boards" with the class. Later in the week we will begin a new unit "Properties of Matter." This week's focus will be learning that matter has mass that takes up space and what matter is made of.

Social Studies: In social studies we will begin the week learning longitude and latitude. Later in the week we will begin Chapter 8 "The Road to War." Lesson 1 "Trouble over Taxes" We will learn how British taxes led to greater cooperation among colonies. The students will also participate in a role playing activity which will simulate how the colonists felt about unfairly being taxed....NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!!

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: When we come back from break, we will be learning more about the structure of a story through story mapping! Our class will read the story Elena, from our anthology. We will also be having a vocabulary quiz on words from this selection on Monday, January 10th.

Spelling: Lesson 14- Spelling work will be due on Wednesday. This week the test will be on Thursday due to no reading class on Friday

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will begin chapter 24 Area and Volume. This week we will focus on how to measure area using the correct formula.

Happy Holidays!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of December 13th

2010-12-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

Important Dates: December 13--Holiday Service Project items are due December 16--Bowling in the morning December 20 -- Winter Break Begins January 3 -- Classes Resume after Winter Break January 17 -- M. L. King Birthday -- No School. English: In English we will continue with Expository Writing. The topic of the week will be to write about an accomplishment which you are proud of. We will focus on adding details to make the writing more interesting. Science: We will not begin a new unit in science until after the break. This week we will catch up on some reading in Time For Kids magazines. We will also end our study of Ecosystems with a storyboard project. Social Studies: In social studies we will complete chapter seven, Life in the English Colonies. The chapter test is Wednesday, December 15th. Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we will continue to practice summarizing and predicting with skill pages and fiction reading material. The students will also complete an extended response question from the story A Boy Called Slow. The students will need to use the IEIEIE format in answering the question. Spelling: Lesson 14 - We will not have a spelling test this week. We will review previous spelling words along with some holiday words with a spelling bee on Friday. Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will finish chapter 23 Perimeter. There will be a test on Wednesday. A practice test will be sent home on Monday. Happy Holidays! Mrs. Bucklin

Week of December 6th

2010-12-02T04:45:00.000-08:00

Scholastic book orders were sent home last week. Orders are due on Monday.
Important Dates:
December 13--Holiday Service Project items are due
December 16--Bowling in the morning
December 20 -- Winter Break Begins
January 3 -- Classes Resume after Winter Break
January 17 -- M. L. King Birthday -- No School.

English: In English will continue a unit with Expository Writing. This week the students will learn how to use voice in their writing to make it more interesting. Their topic will be to write an essay on a special person who has made a difference in their life.

Science: We will continue chapter 6, Ecosystems and Change. We will focus on how people affect ecosystems. There will be a test Friday, December 10th.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter seven, Life in the English Colonies. Lesson two focuses on how French exploration of the Mississippi River led to new French colonies in North America. We will also learn details of the French and Indian War. The chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, December 15th.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week, all fifth graders will review the skill of drawing conclusions. They will also be introduced to the skill of Author's Purpose. Students will learn how to read a text and decide if it was written to persuade, inform, or entertain. They will use the acronym PIE to help them remember these three important terms. We will also read the story A Boy Called Slow.This story is about the boyhood of Sitting Bull, a leader of the Lakota Sioux people. Look for new vocabulary words to come home on Monday. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday.

Spelling: Lesson 14 - A pretest will be given on Monday and the test will be Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will finish with mean, median, mode and range this week. There will be a short quiz on Monday. We will then begin chapter 23, Perimeter.

*Paper Recycling Fundraiser Comes to Prairieview: We are happy to announce we can now raise money for our district by recycling paper! You can help us out, too! Please collect any paper you are going to throw away or recycle (office and school paper, newspaper, magazines and catalogs, and construction paper---no cardboard!) and send it in with your child to school or drop it off at the green and yellow Paper Retriever bin in the Lakeview parking lot (near the fence by the Prairieview playground). The bin is available for drop offs 24/7. The more paper we recycle, the more money we can make! "NO" cardboard boxes please -- there are many that we had to remove from the bin. Thank you!

Week of November 22nd and 29th

2010-11-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

Important Dates:
November 23--Report Cards
November 23--Picture retakes
November 24, 25, 26 -- Thanksgiving Holiday -- No School
December 3 -- Parent/Teacher Conferences -- No School
December 20 -- Winter Break Begins

The students of Project Challenge grades 3-5 are participating in a Lion's Club Holiday Drive. We are looking for donations such as new toys, new games, toiletries, and food for the needy families in the Darien area. If you wish to participate you will need to bring the donations in by December 13. Remember that some of these families live right here in Darien. So let's help these families have a happy holiday season.
PLEASE DONATE!

English: In English will complete chapter two, Nouns. The test is on Tuesday. Next week we will begin a unit on Expository Writing. The students will learn how to write a five paragraph essay. This week we will focus mainly on the introductory paragraph and getting our ideas down in an organizer.

Science: We will continue chapter 6, Ecosystems and Change. We will focus on how groups of animals depend on and compete with each other in an ecosystem. We will also learn how an ecosystem changes and how this change affects organisms that live there.

Social Studies: In social studies we will begin chapter seven, Life in the English Colonies. Lesson one focuses on New Mexico and how The Pueblo leader Pope leads a revolt against the Spanish.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will continue to review summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferencing, identifying author generalizations, visualizing, and word work with vocabulary words using our realistic fiction novels until December 2nd. Next week, we will review main ideas and details using our skills workbook. Our work with extended response will continue as well. The students will be given a question from the novel Kid in the Red Jacket to respond to. There will also be a vocabulary quiz on Monday, November 23rd.

Spelling: No Spelling the week of Nov. 23rd.
Nov. 29th -Lesson 12 - A pretest will be given on Monday and the test will be Thursday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will finish up with some Thanksgiving problem solving as we continue to work on T-charts. Next week we will focus on learning how to find the mean, median, mode and range in a given set of data.

*Paper Recycling Fundraiser Comes to Prairieview: We are happy to announce we can now raise money for our district by recycling paper! You can help us out, too! Please collect any paper you are going to throw away or recycle (office and school paper, newspaper, magazines and catalogs, and construction paper---no cardboard!) and send it in with your child to school or drop it off at the green and yellow Paper Retriever bin in the Lakeview parking lot (near the fence by the Prairieview playground). The bin is available for drop offs 24/7. The more paper we recycle, the more money we can make! Do something good for our schools AND the environment! Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of November 15th

2010-11-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
We have officially ended the 1st trimester grading period. Here are some helpful reminders for success during the 2nd trimester:
Please remember that here at Prairieview, we suggest that students set a personal goal for the grades they would like to earn each trimester, and then work towards that goal the entire trimester. Therefore, students are NOT given opportunities for extra credit assignments. However, teachers may provide bonus points on various assignments throughout the year.

*Late homework - Trimester 2
1 day late - minus 15%
More than 1 day late until unit test is taken - minus 25%
After unit test is taken - a zero is entered in the grade book

Important Dates:
November 23 -- Report Cards
November 23--Picture retakes
November 24, 25, 26 -- Thanksgiving Holiday -- No School
December 3 -- Parent/Teacher Conferences -- No School
December 20 -- Winter Break Begins

Tuesday, November 23rd, Fullersburg Woods will be coming to talk with the 5th graders about ecosystems. They will focus on the concept of food chains and the energy pyramid and how everything in our world is connected. This fits in great with our science chapters 5 and 6.

English: In English will continue a unit on Nouns. There will be a quiz on lessons 1-4 on Monday, Nov. 15th. We will then move on to singular and plural possessive nouns. The chapter test is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 23rd.

Science: We will continue chapter 6, Ecosystems and Change. This week we will focus on how groups of animals depend on and compete with each other in an ecosystem.

Social Studies: In social studies we will complete chapter six, Life in the English Colonies. Lesson four focuses on "Slavery in the Colonies." We will learn how slavery expanded rapidly in the colonies during the 1700s, especially in the Southern Colonies. The chapter test will be given on Friday, Nov. 19th.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will continue writing extended responses this week, using questions from our realistic fiction novels. Furthermore, we will continue to review all the skills we have studied so far this school year, specifically, summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferencing, identifying author generalizations, and visualizing. We are also continuing our word work with vocabulary words.
New vocabulary words for the The Kid in the Red Jacket will be reviewed on Tuesday. Friday's vocabulary quiz will be sent home on Monday. Please ask your child about this.

Spelling: Lesson 10 - A pretest will be given on Monday and the test will be Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: Over the next two weeks we will work on problem solving strategies with written explanations. The students will review the steps to problem solving and be able to complete a chart explaining what they did in each step and why they did it.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of November 8th

2010-11-05T03:02:00.000-07:00

Parents,
I will be sending home conference reminders this week. Please confirm your time and return to school by Friday, November 12th.

Our Junior Achievement program begins this week. Mr. Lichtenbert will be starting on Wednesday with the "Our Nation" program. We are looking forward to having him come.

Our classroom Trade Fair was a success. I enjoyed seeing all the creative products the students brought in. Everyone did a great job!

Important Dates:
November 11 -- Veteran's Day -- No School
November 12 -- End of Trimester
November 23 -- Report Cards
November 24, 25, 26 -- Thanksgiving Holiday -- No School
December 3 -- Parent/Teacher Conferences -- No School
December 20 -- Winter Break Begins

English: In English will continue a unit on Nouns. The focus this week will be singular and plural nouns. There will be a quiz on lessons 1-4 on Monday, Nov. 15th.

Science: We have had a great time dissecting owl pellets. An open note quiz is scheduled for Tuesday, November 9th. Later in the week we will begin chapter 6, Ecosystems and Change.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter six, "Life in the English Colonies." Lesson three focuses on "Everyday Life in the Colonies." We will learn what it was like going to schools in the colonies along with identifying foods that were popular in the colonies.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will begin writing extended responses this week. This skill is taught using a short story called The River and a technique with the acronym IEIEIE which stands for Idea, Evidence, Interpretation, Evidence, Interpretation, Extension. Fifth graders should be familiar with this technique.

Furthermore, we will continue to review all the skills we have studied so far this school year, specifically, summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferencing, identifying author generalizations, and visualizing while reading a realistic fiction novel, The Kid in the Red Jacket. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday, Nov. 12th. Students should be reviewing the definitions which were given to them on Friday.

Spelling: Lesson 10 - A pretest will be given on Monday and the test will be Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will complete chapter six, Add and Subtract Decimals. There will be a graded review on Monday over lessons 1-3. The chapter 6 test will be given on Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of November 1st

2010-10-29T03:00:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
11/1 Trade Fair permission slips due
11/2-No School-Institute Day
11/3 TRADE FAIR
11/11- No School -Veterans' Day
11 24, 11/25, 11/ 26 - No School Thanksgiving Holiday

Thank you to all the parents who planned, organized, sent in drinks and snacks, and attended our classroom Halloween party. The students had a great time!

Scholastic book orders will be sent home on Monday. Orders are due Friday.

English: In English will begin a unit on Nouns. The focus this week will be how to identify nouns in a sentence and common and proper nouns. We will also learn how to combine sentences to make one sentence with a compound subject.
We are continuing to type our "Lead Story" articles. Some students may need to complete these as homework.

Science: We will preview some of the Chapter 6 concepts such as predator-prey relationships and adaptations by studying the barn owl. We will first complete a virtual owl pellet dissection before the actual owl pellet dissection later in the week. An open note quiz is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, November 9th.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter six, "Life in the English Colonies." Lesson two focuses on "Cities, Towns, and Farms." We will learn of the many important contributions Ben Franklin made to the colonies. Just a reminder the Trade Fair is on Wednesday. The students may bring items in on Monday to keep in their locker.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week, we will review all the skills we have studied so far this school year, specifically, summarizing, drawing conclusions, inferencing, identifying author generalizations, and visualizing while reading The Kid in the Red Jacket, a realistic fiction novel.

Reading response rough drafts are due on Monday and final posters are due Friday.

Spelling: Lesson 9 - ou, o, and oi sounds A pretest will be given on Monday and the test will be Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will begin chapter six, Add and Subtract Decimals. We will learn how to round decimals and then go on to adding and subtracting decimals.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of October 25th

2010-10-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
10/29 - Halloween parties 1:00 Costume parade
11/2-No School-Institute Day

Students may bring their costume to school on Friday. The costume might need to be simplified for school purposes since students need to be able to change in a short amount of time. Changing will take place in the classrooms. The fifth grade will have designated classrooms for girls to change in and for boys. Washrooms will not be available for costume changing. No weapons, even fake, are allowed at school.

English: In English we will focus on a writing activity. The students will be creating a newspaper about themselves. We will be working on this project throughout the year. Later in the week we will begin a unit on Nouns.

Science: We will complete chapter 5, Energy and Ecosystems. for the week. The test has been changed to Wednesday, October 27th. We will be reviewing on Monday and Tuesday. Later in the week we will begin our unit on Owl Pellets.

Social Studies: In social studies we will begin chapter six, "Life in the English Colonies." Lesson one focuses on "Working and Trading." We will learn how people in the 13 colonies produced a wide variety of goods and developed thriving trade routes. Look for some information on our classroom trade fair to come home on Wednesday. We will have a "Trade Fair" the following Wednesday, Nov. 3rd.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: During our CORE instruction we are continuing to make analogies. We are also drawing conclusions and making inferences from non-fiction text. The students will be reading two short stories, Brinker's Isle and Cat the Curious. As we read we will use clues in the story and what we know on our own to draw conclusions.
How is your child doing on their independent book project. Rough drafts should be completed by next Monday, November 2nd. The poster project will be due November 5th. They may be brought in earlier.

Spelling: Lesson 8- A pretest will be given on Monday and the test will be Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will begin complete chapter five, Understand Decimals. We will finish up with learning how to order decimals. There will be a quest (quiz,test) on Thursday covering lessons 1-3.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of October 18th

2010-10-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

The children are doing a nice job during MAP testing! We will have one more day of testing for this week. Math will be tested on Thursday.

Important Dates:
10/20-Early Dismissal 11:00
10/21- Book Fair 6:30-8:00
10/29 - Halloween parties 1:00 Costume parade

English: In English we will complete chapter five, "Capitalization and Punctuation." The chapter five test is Tuesday Oct. 19th. Check assignment notebooks for pages to study. We will be reviewing in class on Monday. Later in the week we will focus on a writing activity.

Science: We will continue chapter 5, Energy and Ecosystems. The Energy Pyramid is the focus for the week. The chapter five test will be next Tuesday, October 26th.

Social Studies: In social studies we will complete chapter five, "The Struggle to Found Colonies." We will finish up with learning about the 13 colonies. The test will be Friday, October 22nd.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: Our CORE reading skill this week is analogies. All fifth grade students will learn how to analyze and complete various types of analogies. In addition, all students will begin focusing on the important skills of drawing conclusions and making inferences while reading My Side of the Mountain. We will be going over the new vocabulary on Monday. There will be a quiz on Friday.
How is your child doing on their independent book project. I am asking that all students let me know which book they have chosen on Monday. The project will be due November 5th. They may be brought in earlier.

Spelling: Lesson 7- Compound words. A pretest will be given on Monday and the test will be Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We will begin chapter five, Understand Decimals. The students will learn how to write decimals in word form, standard form, and expanded form. We will identify and write equivalent decimals along with comparing decimals.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of October 11th

2010-10-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
10/11-No School Columbus Day
10/15 Movie Night
10/20-Early Dismissal 11:00
10/21 Book Fair 6:30-8:00

There is a new testing system being employed by the district this year. MAP testing stands for Measures of Academic Progress. These tests will be taken beginning next week, in the areas of Reading, Language, and Math. Students will take a series of multiple choice tests in each area on the computer. The program computes a score, which is then placed along a continuum to show each student's individual progress. It will even be able to show what particular areas each student excels at, and what areas they may need some additional support with. We are hopeful that this new system will help make our instruction for our students even better!

Our class will taking the MAPS test on Tuesday and Friday this week.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will continue to work on finding the main idea and supporting details as we read various types of texts. Ask your child about the independent reading assignment which was given out on Friday. The students will be responsible for reading a book of their choice and completing a reading response web poster. The students have in their binder a sample web, a blank web to complete a rough draft and the grading sheet which explains what it is needed. I will provide each student with the poster to create the final project after they have finished the rough draft. The project will be due November 5th. Posters may be brought in earlier.

English: In English we will continue chapter five, "Capitalization and Punctuation." We will focus on writing initials and abbreviations correctly. The students will also learn how to write titles correctly by using quotations, underlining, or italics. The chapter five test is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 19th.

Spelling: We will be taking a break from spelling this week due to MAP testing.

Science: We will continue chapter 5, Energy and Ecosystems. We will learn different types of food chains and food webs. The students should be preparing their leaves for a project we will be doing on Friday. They may bring them in early.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter five, "The Struggle to Found Colonies." This week, we will learn how the first colonies came to be. We will learn of the difficulties encountered by the Pilgrims on their journey and in establishing Plymouth colony.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: We have completed chapter three division. The test will be sent home on Tuesday. There will be a quick review of some of the important concepts we have learned in these first three chapters. Ask your child to see this review sheet on Wednesday. A check of these concepts will be given on Thursday. We will then begin chapter five, Understand Decimals.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of October 4th

2010-10-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
10/11-No School Columbus Day
10/15 Movie Night
10/20-Early Dismissal
10/21 Book Fair

Core Reading: (in homeroom) Homonyms/Homographs and multiple meaning words will be our focus.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will be reading a non-fiction text called The Golden Lion Tamarin Comes Home. As we read we will concentrate on finding the main idea and supporting details in the selection. The students will be introduced to the vocabulary on Monday. They should be reviewing their vocabulary words as part of their nightly homework to help prepare for a quiz on Friday.

English: In English we will continue chapter five, "Capitalization and Punctuation." There will be a quiz on lessons 1-4 on Wednesday. Check assignment notebooks for pages to study. We will then focus on interjections and quotation marks. The chapter five test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday Oct. 13th.

Spelling: Lesson 6- The pretest will be on Monday. Homework will be assigned on Monday and due on Thursday. Final test on Friday.

Science: We will continue chapter 5, Energy and Ecosystems. The students will learn how leaves use carbon dioxide and give off oxygen along with how the parts of a plant make food by means of photosynthesis. The students will be bringing home an assignment to collect leaves and prepare them for a special project we will be doing next week.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter five, "The Struggle to Found Colonies." This week, we will learn how the search for a Northwest Passage led to the founding of French and Dutch colonies in North America.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: This week in math we will complete chapter three, "Division." We will be working with 2-digit divisors and estimating quotients. The chapter 3 test is scheduled for Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of September 27th

2010-09-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
9/28-Last Day for magazine turn in
9/30 - Picture Day!

Scholastic book order forms were sent home last Thursday. Orders are due this Friday.

Core Reading: (in homeroom) : We will be understanding generalizations in text and recognizing the difference between fact and opinion.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: This week we will focus on the skills of generalizing and fact vs. opinion. We will enjoy a story from our textbook entitled Grizzly Bear Family Book. Author generalizations will be identified by the students as they read the various selections this week.

English: In English we will continue chapter five, "Capitalization and Punctuation." The students will learn the many uses of commas. We will be creating a classroom book on how commas really do make a difference.

Spelling: Lesson 5 (review words;) pretest will be on Monday. Homework will be assigned on Monday and due on Thursday. Final test on Friday.

Science: The science test will be on Tuesday. We will be reviewing again on Monday. Ask your child to see their "How to Study Sheet." Later in the week we will begin chapter five, "Energy and Ecosystems."

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter five, "The Struggle to Found Colonies." This week, we will learn about the first successful British colony, Jamestown. We will analyze the problems the first Jamestown colonists encountered and how they solved them.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: This week in math we will continue chapter three, "Division." Estimating quotients, short division and long division will be the focus. Check assignment notebooks for a possible quiz on Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of September 20th

2010-09-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
September 24th- No School -Teacher Institute Day
September 30th - Picture Day!

Reading: (in homeroom) : This week our core reading group will continue word work with prefixes, suffixes, and roots.

Mrs. Bucklin's Reading Class: We will continue learning the elements of a tall tale. The students will read the tale of Old Stormalong and complete an organizer to go with the story. Also, they will be planning and writing their own tall tale. Check assignment notebooks for possible homework in this.

English: In English we have completed the unit "The Sentence." The chapter one test is Tuesday, September 21st. A "How to Study" sheet was sent home Friday. We will also review for the test on Monday. Later in the week we will begin chapter five, "Capitalization and Punctuation."

Spelling: A pretest will be given on Monday. The spelling homework will be assigned on Monday and due Thursday. The spelling test will be given on Thursday this week.

Science: In science we will continue our unit, "Getting Ready for Science" Lesson three focuses on the scientific method. There will be an open book quiz on Thursday on this lesson. The test is scheduled for Tuesday, September 28th.

Social Studies: In social studies we will begin chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies." We will learn about the lost colony of Roanoke and Jamestown, the first permanent settlement in North America. We will analyze the problems the Jamestown colonists encountered and how they solved them.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: This week in math we will complete chapter two, Multiplication. The test is Wednesday, Sept. 22nd. A practice test will be sent home on Monday. We will also continue with the problem solving strategy of finding patterns.

PE: The PE study guide for the soccer test went home on Thursday. Have you seen it yet? If not, please ask your child about it. The PE soccer test will be on Wednesday. Please help your child review for this test.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of September 13th

2010-09-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
September 13th- Magazine Kick off
September 24th- No School -Teacher Institute Day

We are collecting BOX TOPS this year which is a great fund raiser for our school. The class, per grade level, that brings in the most wins a pizza party and an extra recess.

Reading: This week, our core reading group will focus on the skill of affixes and roots. An affix is a small word part that can be added to the beginning, middle, or end of a root word. Students will learn the meaning of various affixes and how to put them together with a root word. They will then apply this skill to find the definition of both familiar and unfamiliar words in context.

Our skill - based reading groups will begin on Monday. Students will find out Monday morning who their skill - based reading teacher is.
During skill based reading, we will be using Tall Tales to practice visualization and to look at story structure.

English: In English we will continue with the unit "The Sentence." The students will be introduced to subjects in imperatives and conjunctions. They will also learn how to separate run-on sentences. The chapter one test is scheduled for Tuesday, September 21st.

Spelling: A pretest will be given on Monday. The spelling homework will be assigned on Monday and due Thursday. The spelling test will be given on Friday.

Science: In science we will continue our unit, "Getting Ready for Science" Lesson two focuses on what inquiry skills scientists use. The students will learn the difference between an experiment and investigation.

Social Studies: In social studies we will complete chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." There will be a test on Friday, September 17th. The students will be receiving a "How to Study" sheet to help them prepare for the test. This sheet will need to be returned with a parent signature the day of the test.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: This week in math we will continue chapter two, Multiplication. The students will learn how to use the Distributive Property when multiplying. On Mondays the students are taking multiplication timed tests. Their goal is to complete 40 problems in one minute. Ask your child how they are doing on this.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of September 7th

2010-09-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
September 6th- Labor Day No School
September 7th - 4th and 5th grade Curriculum Night 6:30-7:30.
*Presentation begins in the multipurpose room with Mrs. Schultz.
*Sign up for 1st Trimester conferences with homeroom teacher.
September 24th- No School Institute Day

Reading:

This week in reading we will be focusing on context clues. The students will learn how to identify words within the context of a story.

English: In English we will continue with the unit "The Sentence." The students will be introduced to simple subjects and simple predicates. They will be creating a Pyramid poem using the picture they brought in from home. There will be a quiz on lessons 1-4 on Friday.

Spelling: A pretest will be given on Tuesday. Students who receive 95% or better will receive a challenge list and an alternative list of spelling activities to choose from. The spelling homework will be assigned on Monday and due Thursday. The spelling test will be given on Friday.

Science: In science we will continue our unit, "Getting Ready for Science" We will finish lesson one, Using Inquiry Tools. The students will learn how microscopes and balances are used. There will be an open book quiz on Wednesday.

Social Studies: In social studies we will continue chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." This week's lesson will focus on how Spanish conquistadors established new colonies in North America and South America. Just a reminder the students take many notes which will help them prepare for the test. These notes should stay in the social studies section of their binder.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class: This week in math we will complete chapter one, Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction. We will also work on the problem solving strategy of "Working Backwards. A graded homework sheet will be sent home on Tuesday. Please ask your child about this. The chapter one test has been changed to this Thursday.
On Mondays the students are taking mad minute multiplication tests. Their goal is to complete 40 problems in one minute. It is important they practice their facts as part of their nightly homework.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of August 30th

2010-08-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Due to the number of peanut allergies in fifth grade we are asking that all snacks be nut free. Thank you for your help.

Reading: This week we will review and discuss the following reading strategies: predicting, inferring, decoding, clarifying, questioning, evaluating, and summarizing. The students will listen to a read-aloud story entitled The Pumpkin Box to apply these strategies.

English: In English we will begin with the unit "The Sentence." Students are reviewing the four types of sentences along with how to find the subject and predicate of a sentence. They will also be introduced to simple subjects and simple predicates. We are in need of old magazines for a project later in the week. If you have any please send them in.

Spelling: A pretest will be given every Monday. Students who receive 95% or better will receive a challenge list and an alternative list of spelling activities to choose from. The spelling homework will be assigned on Monday and due Thursday. The spelling test will be given on Friday.

Science: In science we will begin our unit, "Getting Ready for Science" The students will become familiar with the tools scientists use. We will also learn what inquiry skills scientists use.

Social Studies: In social studies we are beginning chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." The students will learn how Columbus's voyages led to a European settlement of the Americas and an exchange of people , animals, goods, and ways of life between East and West.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
This week in math we will begin chapter one, Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction. The students will review place value through billions. We will also learn how to compare and order whole numbers along with rounding and estimation sums and differences. The first chapter test is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept 8th.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Welcome Back!!

2010-08-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Prairieview and fifth grade! Just a reminder Open House is Monday, August 23rd. It will be held from 9:00-11:00. Our room number is 206. You may bring your supplies that morning. I look forward to meeting you.

Week of May 31st.

2010-05-28T10:47:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,

Wow! I can't believe this school year is already over. The time has flown by. I would like to thank everyone for a wonderful year! We have learned a lot this year and have many good memories. They are a wonderful class and I will miss them.

Just a reminder the "Summer Olympics" school picnic is on Tuesday. Hot dogs and chips will be served. If your child would prefer something else please send in a sack lunch. We are looking forward to a great day.

Yearbooks: Will be handed out to students on June 2nd. Any students who did not purchase a yearbook may do so on a first-come-first-serve basis on June 2nd; they will go on sale after morning announcements. The cost will be $10.00 and children wishing to purchase should have exact amount. Checks can be made out to Prairieview. There is a limited supply. Prairieview yearbook orders were not paid for at registration. A flyer was sent out on November 12, 2009 and orders were due by Tuesday, December 9, 2009.

Report cards will be given out on Wednesday. Prairieview dismissal time is at 9:30.

Thank you again for a wonderful year! Have a great summer.

Mary Bucklin

Week of May 24th

2010-05-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
5/27 - 5th grade celebration (afternoon)

5/28 - 5th graders go bowling –Please have your child bring a sack lunch.

5/31 – Memorial Day/No school

6/1 – All school picnic

6/2 – Last Day Report cards issued and 9:30 dismissal

The students will be working on their "Memory" books this week. Ask your child to share it with you later in the week!

Reading
We have finished reading Castle in the Attic. This week we will be doing some extension activities to go along with the story. We will review the reading strategies we have been focusing on all year. We will also be playing the many games the students made for their third trimester book project. They did a great job!

English
We will continue our unit on Adverbs and Prepositions. The students will learn how some words can be used as either an adverb or a preposition. We will also learn how to use prepositional phrases to elaborate sentences.

Spelling -No spelling this week.

Science
Science test will be passed back on Tuesday.

Social Studies
We will begin Chapter 12, "Times of Change." Andrew Jackson is elected seventh president of the United States. In the 1820s and 1830s the United States expanded its territory in North American and its power in the Western Hemisphere. We will also learned how the Industrial Revolution changed the way Americans lived and worked.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue to review many of the math concepts we have learned throughout the year. We are revisiting adding, subtracting and simplifying fractions. Our last day of math is Thursday, May 27th.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of May 17th

2010-05-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday the fifth graders will be going over to Lakeview to meet the sixth grade teachers and have a tour of the building.

May 17- Lakeview Parent Night
May 18- Lakeview visit in the afternoon
May 28- Bowling 9:00-11:30 Students should bring a sack lunch
May 31 - Memorial Day -- No School
June 1- School Picnic

Reading
We are continuing to review all the strategies previously covered in reading as we continue our novel, Castle in the Attic. We will be completing another book club discussion sheet. The vocabulary quiz will be given on Monday. The students should be reviewing these words nightly.

English
We will continue our unit on Adverbs. There will be an open book test on Wednesday. It will cover lessons 1-4 in the textbook. We will then move on to prepositions. Check assignment notebooks for a possible preposition quiz next Monday.

Spelling -Unit 35- Review week of lessons 27-34. This will be the last spelling unit.

Science
We will complete chapter 13, Earth, Moon and Beyond. The students will learn and read about objects that make up our solar system as well as other objects in the universe. The chapter test will be given on Friday, May 21st.

Social Studies
We will complete Chapter 11, "The Young United States." The chapter 11 test will be given on Tuesday, May 18th. We will review all lessons on Monday with a Jeopardy game. The students should be reviewing their notes and end of the chapter review to help prepare for the test.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will complete chapter 24, Area and Volume. This week we will learn the formula for finding volume. There will be a quiz on Thursday. The students should know the formulas for finding the area of squares, rectangles, triangles and parallelograms. They should also know the formula for finding volume.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of May 10th

2010-05-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Parents,

Thank you for making Teacher Appreciation Week so special. The breakfast and lunches were delicious. Your thoughtfulness is very much appreciated.

All this week Prairieview is collecting gym shoes in any shape and all other shoes that still have some life in them. We want to help cut down on the amount going into landfills. The shoes will be either donated to places that help people or will be sent to Nike's recycling center where they recycle gym shoes into a variety of objects including floor mats. Please tie the shoes together or put them in plastic grocery bags so that they do not become separated. Thank you for your support. At Prairieview School – Character Counts!

On Thursday the fifth graders will be going over to Lakeview to see the dress rehearsal of the musical "Oklahoma." We are looking forward to it very much.

Important Dates
May 14 - Early Dismissal
May 18- Lakeview visit in the afternoon
May 28th Bowling
May 31 - Memorial Day -- No School

Reading
We continue to practice the reading strategies and skills we have learned this year while reading Castle in the Attic. Summarizing, and predicting is the focus this week. The students will be completing book club discussion sheets and meeting in groups to discuss the book. Check assignment notebooks for a possible vocabulary quiz later in the week.

English
We will begin our unit on Adverbs. The students will learn how to identify adverbs that tell how, when, and where. We will also review comparing with adverbs using er,est, more and most. Check assignment notebooks for a possible quiz next Wednesday.

Spelling -Unit 34 silent letters g and h

Science
We will continue chapter 13, Earth, Moon and Beyond. The students will learn and read about the objects that make up our solar system as well as other objects in the universe. We will also learn about the sun and other stars in our solar system.

Social Studies
We will continue Chapter 11, "The Young United States." We will continue to learn more about the Lewis and Clark expedition. We will also focus on how the United States fought Britain in the War of 1812 to gain freedom of the seas and to end British interference with United States expansion westward. The chapter 11 test will be given on Tuesday, May 18th.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue chapter 23, Perimeter. There will be a test on Tuesday. The students should be reviewing lessons, 2, 3, and 5 in the chapter. We will then begin chapter 24 "Area and Volume."

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of May 3rd

2010-04-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

Parents,

Students from Project Challenge have started a fundraiser for the ASPCA, a foundation to stop animal cruelty. The kids will be selling Smencils® (scented pencils) for a 1.00 each. The pencils will be sold each morning in the grade level areas. The sales will start Friday April 30th and goes through May 28th.
We will track our sales on the bulletin board by the multi-purpose room. For every twenty dollars we raise, one food bowl will go up on the bulletin board. So please help save our animals. Buy Smencils.

Important Dates
May 14 - Early Dismissal
May 18- Fifth graders visit to Lakeview
May 31 - Memorial Day -- No School

Reading
We continue to use the reading comprehension strategies and skills that we have learned throughout the year. This week we will begin the novel, Castle in the Attic. We will review the three types of questions and refer to them as we begin book club discussion sheets. Making connections will also be reviewed.

English
We will complete our unit on "Pronouns". The students will learn about double subjects and how to use we and us correctly with nouns. The test is scheduled for Friday, May 7th.

Spelling -Unit 33- The letter y in words.

Science
We will continue chapter 13, Earth, Moon and Beyond. This week the focus will be how the moon and Earth are alike and different. We will also learn how the phases of the moon and lunar and solar eclipses happen.

Social Studies
We will continue Chapter 11, "The Young United States." The students will learn more about Thomas Jefferson and his presidency. They will create a mini biography book describing his life. We will also learn how the new nation doubled its size and expanded settlement westward.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will complete chapter 22, Measurement. The chapter test is on Tuesday. The students should be reviewing their quizzes and the end of the chapter review. Later in the week we will begin chapter 23, "Perimeter." Finding the perimeter of polygons by using formulas will be the focus.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of April 26th

2010-04-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

Important Dates
May 14 - Early Dismissal
May 31 - Memorial Day -- No School

Reading
We are reinforcing all the strategies previously covered in reading as we complete our novel, Night of the Twisters. There will be a comprehension quiz on Monday and vocabulary quiz on Tuesday. The students will be assigned a final book project on Tuesday. Time will be given in class on Wednesday and Thursday to work on it. It will be due on Friday. We will also compare the book with the movie later in the week.

English
We will share our persuasive writing essays on whether or not schools should have uniforms. The students have come up with many good arguments for both sides of the topic. There will be a final essay assigned on Wednesday. We will also continue our unit on "Pronouns." This week we will focus on possessive pronouns, pronouns with contractions and using we and us.

Spelling -Unit 32

Science
We will continue chapter 13, Earth, Moon and Beyond. This week the focus will be on seasons. There will be an open book quiz on Wednesday.

Social Studies
We will begin Chapter 11, "The Young United States." George Washington becomes the first president and organized the executive branch around the cabinet. We will also learn how the location and design of the nation's capital was decided upon.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue chapter 22, Measurement. Elapsed time and temperature are the focus this week. There will be a quiz on lessons 4-8 on Friday. The chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, May 4th.

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of April 19th

2010-04-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

It was great seeing everyone at Open House on Thursday. I hope you enjoyed the book fair and seeing all your child's hard work displayed in the classroom. Thank you for coming.

Due to early dismissal on Thursday we will be celebrating Earth Day on Friday. Students may wear their Earth Day shirts or green shirts. We will discuss other ways in class to celebrate the day.

Important Dates

April 22- Early Dismissal

April 23 Earth Day Celebration

May 14 - Early Dismissal

May 31 - Memorial Day -- No School

Reading
We are reinforcing all the strategies previously covered in reading as we complete our novel, Night of the Twisters. There will be a vocabulary quiz next Tuesday, April 27th. The students should be reviewing their vocabulary packets to help prepare for the quiz. A comprehension quiz and final project will also be assigned next week.

Third trimester reading projects are due May 21st. Students need to choose a date to present their project by this Wednesday.

English
We will complete persuasive writing. We will also begin our unit on "Pronouns." This week we will focus on subject and object pronouns along with learning the correct way of using I and me.

Spelling -Unit 31

Science
We will begin chapter 13, Earth, Moon and Beyond. We will learn how Earth, the moon and the sun interact with each other. We will also learn why we have day and night.

Social Studies
We will complete chapter 10, Forming a New Government. This week's focus will be
how the states ratified the constitution. We will be making "Important Books" to map out the main idea of the lesson. The Chapter 10 test is on Friday. The students should be reviewing their notes and textbook to help prepare for the test.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue chapter 22, Measurement. Customary and metric capacity and weight are the focus this week. We will also continue to review adding and subtracting fractions.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of April 12th

2010-04-09T04:20:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder, Open House is this Thursday. The time is 6:30-8:00.

We are also looking forward to the Geospace program on Monday.

Important Dates:
April 12th- Geospace in the classroom.
April 15th- Open House
April 22nd- Early Dismissal

Reading
We are reinforcing all the strategies previously covered in reading as we continue our novel, Night of the Twisters. The students have a journal they will be writing in as well as working in their vocabulary packet.

English
We will continue persuasive writing. The students will write an essay on whether students should wear uniforms to school. We will also begin a unit on "Pronouns." Subject pronouns and object pronouns are the lessons for the week.

Spelling -Unit 30

Science
We will complete our unit on "Earth's Oceans." There will be a test on Thursday. The students should be reviewing their notes and quizzes. We will play Ocean Bingo as a review game.

Social Studies
We will continue chapter 10, Forming a New Government. This week's focus will be how at the Constitutional Convention, a group of leaders wrote the Constitution, a new plan for a stronger government. The students will be expected to memorize the Preamble for the final test. We will practice it several times in class. They should also continue to practice it at home.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue chapter 22, Measurement. Math classes will only be meeting on Thursday and Friday this week due to the Geospace programs. There will be an open book quiz on Friday covering customary and metric length.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of April 5th

2010-03-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

I am looking for two volunteers to help out in the classroom with our Geo Space program. The program is Monday morning, April 12th. The time would be 8:30-10:30. If you are interested please let me know.

Important Dates:
April 9th Too Good For Drugs Graduation 9:00 in the Prairieview Gym
April 12th- Geospace in the classroom.
April 15th- Open House

Reading
This week we will focus primarily on summarizing, and touch on the other reading strategies while complete our study of the country of China. We will learn from each other as the students share their China brochures with the class. Later in the week we will begin the novel, Night of the Twisters.

English
We will begin persuasive writing. The students will learn the characteristics of a well written persuasive essay. We will focus on stating a position and supporting goals with strong reasons.

Spelling -Unit 29

Science
We will continue our unit on "Earth's Oceans." There will be an open book quiz on lesson 2 on Wednesday. We will then read and learn about the different features on a shoreline and how they can change.

Social Studies
We will begin chapter 10, Forming a New Government. We will learn the main goals of the Articles of Confederation and identify the weaknesses. We will also learn the causes of Shay's Rebellion and the purpose of the Northwest Ordinance.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will begin chapter 22, Measurement. The students will learn how to estimate and measure length using appropriate customary and metric units. We will also focus on converting linear units of measurement. During this chapter we will also continue to review from chapter 14, adding and subtracting fractions.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week on March 22nd

2010-03-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder the students need to bring a sack lunch for our field trip on Tuesday. Please make sure your child dresses for the weather. Many of the activities are outside.

On Friday we completed The Too Good For Drugs program. The students have a final assignment from Deputy K. Please ask your child about this. The letters are due on Wednesday.
Invitations to the gradualtion were also sent home on Friday.

Important Dates:
March 23rd- Naper Settlement field trip
March 24th Geospace money is due
March 25th Spring picture money or packets due
March 29th- Spring Break begins
April 9th Too Good For Drugs Graduation 9:00 in the Prairieview Gym
April 12th- Geospace

Reading
As we continue our study of China, we will focus on using non fiction text to practice the reading strategy of clarifying. The students will be putting together their brochures. They will have class time to work on these. Some may be homework. The final copy will be due on Friday.

English
We will finish with our "Me Front Page" projects. The students will be writing an acrostic poem describing themselves. We will also continue to work on final copies of long and short term goals. Quotes assignment is due on Monday.

Spelling -Unit 28

Science
We will continue our unit on "Earth's Oceans." We will learn different ways that waves form and how the sun and moon cause ocean water to move. We will also learn what causes currents and tides.

Social Studies
The students will complete chapter 9, Winning the Revolution. The test is on Thursday. We will be reviewing for the test on Monday and Wednesday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will begin chapter 14, Add and Subtract Mixed Numbers. The students will learn how to find the sums and differences of mixed numbers. There will be a quiz on lessons 3-5 on Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of March 15th

2010-03-11T15:16:00.000-08:00

Please look for information about an in-school field trip "GEOSPACE" to come home later in the week.

Important Dates:
March 16th -Roller Skating Party
March 23rd Naper Settlement field trip
March 29th Spring Break begins

Reading
We will continue clarifying using nonfiction text throughout this week with our focus on China. We will learn about the celebrations and festivals along with the plants and animals found in China. We will complete our note taking and begin typing the information for our brochures.

English
We will be finishing our chapter on Verbs. The quiz is Tuesday. It will cover lessons 9-15.
We will then continue with our "Me Front Page" project. The students will be writing their short and long term goals. Photos for the project are due Thursday, March 18th.

Spelling -Unit 26- This is a review unit. The students should review the spelling rules for lessons 19-25.

Science
We will continue our unit on "Earth's Oceans." This week the students will create a diagram of the ocean's floor. There will be an open book quiz on lesson one on Thursday.

Social Studies
The students will continue with chapter 9, Winning the Revolution. France joins the war against Britain, Americans defeat British at Yorktown, and The Treaty of Paris ends the American Revolution. The students will be creating circle books as they take notes for this lesson. The Chapter 9 test is tentatively scheduled for March 25th.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will begin complete 19, Plane and Solid Figures. There is a quiz on Tuesday. We will then begin chapter 13, Adding and Subtracting Fractions.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of March 8th

2010-03-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

This week is conference week. All confirmations have been sent home to those who have requested a conference. I look forward to meeting with everyone.

Scholastic book orders will be sent home on Monday. Orders are due on Thursday. Please make checks payable to Scholastic. Thank you.

Important Dates:
March 8th-12th- Conference week
March 9th -Report Cards
March 11th- Naper Settlement field trip forms due
March 12th- No School
March 16th -Roller Skating Party

Reading
This week we will be focusing on clarifying by identifying the main idea and details of nonfiction text. The students will be learning about China. They will be creating a travel brochure which will involve reporting on certain topics and adding interesting details.

English
We will complete the second half of our "Verbs" chapter. The focus will be on verb phrases with have, using the terms teach, let, and have in sentences correctly along with sit, set, can and may. There will be a quiz on these lessons next Tuesday, March 16th.

I am asking the students to bring in a recent 8x10 or 5x7 photo of themselves. They will be returned unharmed. The photo is for part of our "Me Front Page" projects.

Spelling -Unit 25- silent letters. The test is on Thursday this week.

Science
We will begin our unit on "Earth's Oceans." We will investigate whether salt water freezes at the same temperature as fresh water. We will also read and learn about the characteristics of ocean water and the ocean floor.

Social Studies
The students will continue with chapter 9, Winning the Revolution. Congress chooses Washington to command the American Army, Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense and Congress approves the Declaration of Independence are a few of the topics for the week. We will also read the book When Washington Crosses the Delaware and write letters home from a soldiers point of view.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will begin chapter 19, Plane and Solid Figures. The students will learn how to classify types of triangles and quadrilaterals and find unknown angles. We will also identify, describe and classify solid figures.

Thank you and have a great week.

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of March 1st

2010-02-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

This week the students will be taking the ISAT tests. All tests will be given in the morning. Please make sure your child has a healthy snack every day.

I will be sending home conference times on Tuesday.
Field trip forms for Naper Settlement were sent home on Friday. Please ask your child about this.
Important Dates:
March 1st- No School, Pulaski Day
March 2nd-5th-ISAT Testing
March 8th-12th- Conference week
March 11th- Naper Settlement field trip forms due
March 12th- No School

Reading
We will be reviewing all the reading strategies used in reading for preparation during the ISAT's. The reading tests will be given on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. We will also continue with figurative language. On Friday we will have our second trimester reading celebration. We will have a movie and lunch in the room. If anyone would like to send in a healthy snack for the class to help with the celebration that would be great. Just send me an e-mail.

English
We will wrap up expository writing in English. The ISAT writing test will be given on Friday. The students will be completing one more in class essay on their favorite thing to do. We will also continue with our "Verbs" unit. Regular and irregular verbs are the topic. The test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, March 11th.

Spelling -No spelling this week

Science
Due to testing this week we will begin our new unit in science next week. Chapter 11 science tests will be handed back on Tuesday.

Social Studies
The students will complete Patriot/Loyalist books. We will be creating the covers for the books on Tuesday. They will be due on Thursday. There may be homework in this. Ask your child how are they are coming on their book. We will begin chapter 9 later in the week.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will be taking the ISAT tests in math this week. We will also continue with problem solving and T-charts. Please continue to help your child at home with this. Next week we will continue with "Geometry."

Thank you and have a great week.

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of February 22nd

2010-02-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Conference forms were sent home last Wednesday. Please return them as soon as possible so that I may schedule times. Thank you.

Thursday, February 25, 2010 is Spring Picture Day. Your finished portrait package will be sent home for your review. Simply return any un-used portrait sheets with your payment. All students will be photographed. Please notify your student's teacher if you do not want an individual portrait taken of your child. A flyer will be sent home with your child on Tuesday, February 23, 2010. Please check their backpacks.

Important Dates:
Feb. 25th -Picture Day
Feb. 26th- Conference forms due
March 1st- No School, Pulaski Day
March 2nd-5th-ISAT Testing
March 12th- No School, Conference

Reading
In reading this week we will continue with ISAT practice. The students will be taking a practice test and answering an extended response question. Please go over this with your child later in the week to see how they did. We will also continue to learn more about figurative language. Personification, onomatopoeia, and idioms will be the focus.

English
We will continue to work on the expository essay of becoming president. We will also continue our verbs unit with learning how to identify the correct forms of be and have. We will then review contractions.

Spelling -Unit 24 - Test on Friday

Science
In science we will complete our unit on Weather. There will be an open book assessment on lesson three on Monday. On Wednesday and Thursday we will review for the test. The chapter 11 test is Friday, Feb 26th.

Social Studies
We will complete chapter 8, "The Road to War". The test is on Tuesday. The students are still busy working on their Patriot/Loyalist books. Check assignment notebooks for the due date.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will focus on preparing for the ISAT tests. Homework this week will be problem solving and T-charts. The students will be taking a practice test on Thursday. They will be bringing it home on Friday. Please go over this with your child.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of February 16th

2010-02-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Important Dates:
Feb. 15th -No school, Presidents' Day
Feb. 19th- Six Flags reading forms due
March 1st- No School, Pulaski Day
March 12th- No School, Conference
Reading
In reading this week we will work in our Illinois books. This book helps the students prepare for the ISAT tests. We will be taking practice tests and learn strategies on how to answer multiple choice questions. We will also work on the the strategy of making connections as we read. We will continue to work on extended responses.

The trimester reading projects are due Friday, Feb. 19th. Ask your child when they will be sharing their project. Many students have already presented their project.

English
We will continue expository writing. We are working on improving our writing by elaborating more and using adjectives. The first graded expository writing piece will be sent home this week. I will be conferencing with each student individually to go over their essay. Our next assignment will be to write an essay on what you would do to for the country if you were president. This is actually an essay contest sponsored by Citizens Bank. One winner from grades 4-6 may win $260.00 in prizes. More information will be sent home during the week.

Spelling -Unit 23 - Test on Friday

Science
In science we will continue our unit on Weather. This week's lesson will focus on how weather conditions are measured and how weather can be predicted. We will also learn the six types of weather instruments and the function of each of these instruments. The chapter 11 test is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Feb 26th.

Social Studies
We will continue chapter 8, "The Road to War". The students are busy working on their "Patriot Loyalist" books. They will be typing the final copy and next week illustrating the events. We will also learn of the effects of the first battles of the American Revolution. This would include the battle of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill. The chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday February 23rd.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will complete chapter 18, "Geometry". Symmetry and congruency are the topics. The chapter 18 test is scheduled for this Friday. We will also work on problem solving and T-charts.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of February 8th

2010-02-05T12:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Just a reminder the Valentine's Day party is this Friday. A class list was sent home on Friday so that students may address cards for their classmates.
Important Dates:
Feb. 11th Family Book Night
Feb 12th -Valentine parties
Feb. 15th -No school, Presidents' Day
Feb. 19th- Six Flags reading forms due

Reading
In reading this week we will complete the novel, The Wish Giver. We will be creating a character chart to compare the different characters in the story. As a final project the students will work in groups and create their own song telling the story of The Wish Giver. We will also continue with ISAT practice.

English
We will continue expository writing. We will learn how to write with fluency and show voice in our writing. Our "Verbs" unit will continue with verbs in the past, present, and future. Check assignment notebooks for a possible quiz this Friday. It will cover lessons 1-8.

Spelling -Unit 22 - Test on Friday

Science
In science we will continue our unit on "Weather". This week's lesson will focus on the different types of clouds and factors that affect the water cycle. There will be an open note quiz on Thursday.

Social Studies
We will continue chapter 8, "The Road to War". The students are busy working on their "Patriot Loyalist" books. We will also learn about the Boston Tea Party. We will be having our own tea party in class as we write our patriot and loyalist views on the event. This will take place on Wednesday. We will also learn about Paul Revere and his famous ride.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue chapter 18, "Geometry". Angles and circles are the topic. The students have a geometry vocabulary book to help them understand all the concepts in this chapter. Check assignment notebook for a possible quiz on Thursday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of Feb 1st.

2010-01-29T15:09:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Thank you so much for all the donations to the "Help for Haiti" project. We have already collected over $1600.
Important Dates:
Feb. 2nd- No school, Teacher's Institute
Feb. 11th Family Book Night
Feb 12th -Valentine parties
Feb. 15th -No school, Presidents' Day
Feb. 19th- Six Flags reading forms due

Reading
In reading this week we will continue our novel, The Wish Giver. The students are completing journal questions as they read. This week we will learn how Rowena's wish has changed how she feels about Henry Piper. We will then learn the trouble that Adam Fiske gets into with his wish. The students will also continue to work on answering extended response questions.

English
We will continue expository writing. The writing prompt this week will be to write an expository essay explaining how extracurricular activities can be beneficial. We will learn how to develop thorough ideas and information. There may be homework in this. Our "Verbs" unit will continue with linking verbs.

Spelling -Unit 21 - Test on Friday

Science
In science we will continue our unit on "Weather". This week's lesson will focus on what conditions affect the water cycle.

TGFD- The Too Good For Drugs program is part of our science curriculum. The students do have assignments from Deputy K every week. Please initial the assignment so that your child receives a point for their participation grade.

Social Studies
We will continue chapter 8, "The Road to War". The students will be given a project outline on Wednesday. They will be creating a "point of view" book. As we read each lesson the students will write a summary of the events from the point of view of the loyalist and the patriot. This week's lesson will focus on the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea party.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will complete chapter 12, "Fractions". The chapter test has been changed to Wednesday. We will review on Monday. We will then begin a unit on Geometry.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of Jan. 25th

2010-01-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

Parents,

Important Dates:
Jan. 29th- Last day for donations to the "Help for Haiti" project.
Feb. 2nd- No school, Teacher's Institute
Feb. 11th Family Book Night
Feb 12th -Valentine parties
Feb. 15th -No school, Presidents' Day
Feb. 19th- Six Flags reading forms due

Reading
In reading this week we will continue our novel, The Wish Giver. The students are completing journal questions as they read. We will be completing an extended response question later in the week. We will also continue with the ISAT practice book. This week's lessons focus on text features and graphs along with graphic organizers.

English
We will continue expository writing. The students will finish their rough draft. I will be conferencing with each students to give helpful hints and they will revise them to a final draft. Our "Verbs" unit will begin with learning about action verbs and direct objects.

Spelling -Unit 20 -Words ending with ary- Test on Friday

Science
In science we will continue our unit on "Weather". We will continue to learn about the atmosphere. Check assignment notebooks for a possible quiz later in the week.

Social Studies
We will begin chapter 8, "The Road to War". Lesson one, "Trouble over Taxes" will focus on how British taxes led to greater cooperation among colonies. The students will be given a special project to complete for this chapter. Details will be given later in the week.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue chapter 12, "Fractions". A quiz on lesson 1-3 will be on Tuesday. We will then continue to learn about mixed numbers and how to compare fractions and mixed numbers. The chapter 12 test is scheduled for Monday, Feb 1st.

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of January 18th

2010-01-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

Important Dates:
Jan. 18th- No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 2nd- No school Teacher's Institute
Feb. 19th- Six Flags reading forms due

Congratulations to Brianna and Phillip who will be representing our class in the fifth grade spelling bee. We wish them luck on Thursday.

Reading
In reading this week we will begin a new novel, The Wish Giver. This story is about three children whom each make a wish. Much trouble follows as their wishes come true. As we read this story we will continue to focus on the reading strategy of clarifying. We will also learn what colloquialisms are as there are many in the story.

English
We will continue expository writing. The students will be given a prompt to write about a person that has made a difference in their life. The main focus will be on main idea and supporting details. Later in the week we will begin a new unit on "Verbs."

Spelling -Unit 19 -VAC words- Test on Friday

Science
In science we will begin our unit on "Weather". The first lesson the students will identify the causes of weather, describe the atmosphere, and recognize how winds form.

Social Studies
We will continue chapter 7, "The Fight for a Continent". We will continue to analyze the major effects of the French and Indian War. The chapter 7 test is scheduled for Thursday, January 21st.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class

We will begin chapter 12, "Fractions". The students will learn how to find equivalent fractions and fractions in the lowest form. A quiz on lesson 1-3 will be on Tuesday, January 26th. Last Friday's chapter 11 quiz will be sent home on Monday

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of Jan. 11th

2010-01-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Just a reminder this week the students will be taking the IOWA tests. I have talked to the students about making sure they get a good night sleep and eat a healthy breakfast every morning. All tests will be given in the morning.

Also, this week the fifth grade will begin the "Too Good For Drugs" program. This program will last for ten weeks. Deputy K. will visit our classroom on Friday. He will send information home with the students explaining more about the program.

Book orders will be sent home on Monday. Orders are due on Friday.

Important Dates:
Jan. 11th-15th IOWA Week
Jan. 18th- No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 2nd- No school Teacher's Institute
Feb. 19th- Six Flags reading forms due

Reading
In reading this week we will continue with the strategy "clarifying". Other skills we will be working on are cause and effect and main idea and details. Later in the week we will begin the novel, The Wish Giver.

English
We will begin expository writing. The students will learn how to complete an outline of their essay before writing a final copy.

Spelling -Unit 17. This week's spelling is a review lesson. The students should be reviewing the spelling rules from lessons 10-16. A multiple choice test will be given on Friday.

We will also have our classroom spelling bees this week. There will be two practice spelling bees during the week. The winner of our third spelling bee on Friday will go to the grade level spelling bee Jan. 21st. They will compete for a spot in the school spelling bee on Feb. 4th. The word lists were sent home before the break.

Science
In science we will complete our unit on Owl Pellets. We will be dissecting pellets to find out what kind of prey the owl has eaten. We will do this by by assembling the skeleton of the prey. There will be an open note assessment on Wednesday.

Social Studies
We will continue chapter 7, "The Fight for a Continent". This week's lesson we will learn how the French exploration of the Mississippi River led to new French colonies in North America. We will also analyze the major effects of the French and Indian War. The chapter 7 test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, January 21st.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue chapter 11, "Number Theory". The students will learn the how to identify factors and tell whether the number is prime or composite. We will also be taking the Math IOWA tests during math class on Wednesday and Thursday. There will be a quiz on Friday over the first four lessons in chapter 11.

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of Jan. 4th

2009-12-18T12:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. I would like to thank everyone for the wonderful digital camera. I have been wanting one for a while now. I have already put it to use over the holidays and look forward to using it in the classroom. Thank you so much.

Here is a look of what will take place after the break!

Important Dates:
Jan. 11th-15th IOWA Week
Jan. 18th No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Reading
In reading this week we will work on the strategy "clarifying". We will be reading a non-fiction passage, "Volcanoes." Other skills we will be working on are cause and effect and main idea and details. We will also continue with extended response writing.

English
We will continue a unit on adjectives. The students will learn how to use the special forms of good and bad when making comparisons. We will also learn how to identify and form proper adjectives. The test is scheduled for this Friday, Jan. 8th.

Spelling -Unit 16 -The silent h

Science
In science we will begin our unit on Owl Pellets.

Social Studies
We will begin chapter 7, "The Fight for a Continent". This week's lesson we will learn how during the 1500's and 1600's New Spain expanded by establishing colonies in Florida and New Mexico.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will work on long division and begin chapter 11, "Number Theory". The students will learn how to find multiples and the least common multiple.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of Dec.14th

2009-12-11T06:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
I would like to thank you for all the generous gifts and gift cards which were sent in for our "Holiday Service Project." We were able to collect 10-12 gifts for each member of the family. Thanks so much in helping to make this family's holiday a brighter one.

Important Dates:
Thursday, Dec.17th- Bowling in the morning.
Friday, Dec. 18th- Tivioli Theater, Winter Break begins!

Reading
In reading this week we will work on answering extended response questions. The students will need to state the main idea, give evidence from the text and interpret the meaning of the evidence. They will also need to extend the answer with a final statement or thought. An example of an extended response question is " Do you think Warren would face any danger to get a spectacular storm shot?" Use facts from the selection to support your answer. We will use the story "Eye of the Storm" to answer this question.

English
We will continue a unit on adjectives. The students will learn how to use articles and demonstrative adjectives correctly along with comparing adjectives. We will also continue to learn how to improve our writing with adjectives. We will test on this chapter the week after the break.

Spelling -Unit 15

Science
In science we will complete our unit "Ecosystems and Change." This week's lesson will focus on how people affect ecosystems. Reclamation, conservation, and acid rain will be some of the vocabulary words in this lesson. The students have quizzes and notes to help prepare for the upcoming test. The test is Thursday, December 17th.

Social Studies
We will take a break from social studies this week and begin chapter 7 after the break.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will work on problem solving and T-charts this week. We will also review many of the concepts that we have learned this year. Please continue to have your child practice their facts over the break.

Thank you and have a great week! Happy Holidays!!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of December 7th

2009-12-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

It was great seeing all of you at conferences. Please remember to contact me at anytime throughout the year when you have questions or concerns.

Thanks to all of you who have sent in gifts for our adopted family. I appreciate all your generosity. We will still be collecting until Tuesday.

Important Dates:

Tuesday, Dec. 8th -Holiday Service Project Gifts are due. They may be sent in earlier.
Thursday, Dec.17th- Bowling in the morning.
Friday, Dec. 18th- Tivioli Theater

Reading
In reading this week we will continue the strategy of "self questioning." We are also working on main idea and details. We will continue with the story "Eye of the Storm."

English
We will begin a unit on adjectives. We will also work on narrative writing. The students will add to their newspaper article with a story of one of their great achievements.

Spelling -Unit 14

Science
In science we will continue our unit "Ecosystems and Change." This week's lesson will focus on how ecosystems change and how this change affects organisms that live there. The test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, December 17th. .

Social Studies
In social studies we will complete chapter 6, "Life in the English Colonies. The test is Wednesday, Dec 9th. There will be several essay questions on the test. The students should be reviewing their notes nightly. The end of each lesson review is also a good way to study.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will complete chapter 6 "Adding and Subtracting Decimals." There will be a test on Thursday. We will continue to take multiplication timed tests.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of November 30th

2009-11-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I look forward to meeting with you at conferences this week.

Important Dates:
Tuesday, December 1st - Report Cards and Yearbook orders due.
Friday, December 4th- No School
Tuesday, Dec. 8th Holiday Service Project Gifts are due They may be sent in earlier.
Dec. 18th Tivioli Theater

Reading
In reading this week we will begin the strategy of "self questioning." We will read the story "Eye of the Storm." We are also continuing to work on extended response writing.

English
We will complete our "Nouns" chapter. The test is Thursday, December 3rd. We are also continuing to work on writing.

Spelling -Unit 13. The test is Thursday

Science
In science we will continue our unit "Ecosystems and Change." The students have been working on their story boards. They are due on Wednesday. We will also learn about symbiosis this week.
Social Studies
In social studies we will complete chapter 6, "Life in the English Colonies. The students are working on "Circle Books" to learn more about colonial life. We will also learn how slavery expanded rapidly in the English colonies during the 1700's. he chapter 6 test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Dec 9th.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will begin chapter 6 adding and subtracting decimals. There will be a quiz on lessons 1-3 on Thursday. We will continue to take multiplication timed tests.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of November 23rd

2009-11-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Important information about our Holiday Service Project went home on Friday. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I will also send you the information about our adopted family through e-mail.

Important Dates:
Wednesday- Friday Nov. 25th-27th- No school- Thanksgiving break
Tuesday, December 1st - Report Cards and Yearbook orders due.
Friday, Dec. 4th - No School
Friday Dec. 18th Tivioli Theater

Reading
In reading this week we will complete the strategy of "making inferences." We are continuing to work on extended response writing.

English
We will continue our "Nouns" chapter. The focus this week is singular and possessive nouns. A test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, December 3rd.

Spelling -No spelling this week.

Science
In science we will continue our unit "Ecosystems and Change."We will learn how organisms compete and survive in an ecosystem. The students will be creating a story board as we learn about adaptation.

Social Studies
In social studies we will continue chapter 6, "Life in the English Colonies."We are learning more about colonial life.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
Ask your child how they did on their chapter 5 decimal test. We will be spending Monday and Tuesday on problem solving.

Thank you and have a great week!
Happy Thanksgiving

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of November 16th

2009-11-13T05:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,
Our classroom Trade Fair was a success. It was great to see all the creative products the students came up with. Everyone did a great job.

We are once again going to be involved with the holiday service project helping families who have a child with cancer. Information will be coming home very soon.

Important Dates:
Tuesday, Nov. 17th -Roller Skating party
Thursday, Nov. 19th - Picture retakes
Wednesday- Friday Nov. 25th-27th- No school- Thanksgiving break
Friday, Dec. 4th - No School

Reading
In reading this week we will continue the strategy of "making inferences." We will read the story "A Boy Called Slow." As we read the students will use prior knowledge and clues from the story to make inferences. We will also work on writing extended responses. This involves a question asked about a particular story and the students need to write a response using evidence from the story and their own personal knowledge to help answer the question.

English
We will continue our "Nouns" chapter. The focus this week is singular and plural nouns. There will be a quiz on lessons 1-4 on Friday.

Spelling Unit 12-suffix ous

Science
In science we will begin our unit "Ecosystems and Change."We will learn how organisms compete and survive in an Ecosystem. Population, community, competition and adaptation are the vocabulary words for the lesson.

Social Studies
In social studies we will continue chapter 6, "Life in the English Colonies."
We will learn of some of Ben Franklin's important contributions to the colonies. We will also learn how the colonies had big cities, small towns, and farms of all sizes.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue a unit on decimals. This week we will learn how to compare and order decimals. This is a very short chapter. The test is tentatively scheduled for Friday. Please check assignment notebooks for any changes.

YEARBOOK: Now’s the time to place your orders. Yearbooks are $10.00 and the deadline for your order is Tuesday, December 1, 2009. No orders will be accepted after that date. Please make checks payable to Lifetouch. Please make sure your student’s name, teacher’s name and grade level are marked on the order form. If you have multiple students, please fill out one for each child. Yearbook order forms went home with your child on November 12th. If your child loses it, you can send an envelope with the following information on it: student’s name, teacher’s name and grade level along with a check made payable to Lifetouch for $10.00. It is very important that you put the information on the envelope. Lifetouch does not know who your child’s teacher is. Prairieview Yearbook orders are not paid at registration!

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of Nov. 9th

2009-11-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

Parents,

I will be sending conference forms home on Monday. Please confirm the time and return them to me by Friday, Nov. 13th.

Scholastic book orders for November and December will be sent home also on Monday. This will be the last order until after the holidays. Books make great Christmas gifts and they have some great deals.

Each student received a book from the Robert Crown trip. Please ask your child about this.

Important Dates:
Wednesday, Nov. 11 - No School- Veterans' Day
Tuesday, Nov. 17th -Roller Skating party
Thursday, Nov. 19th - Picture retakes
Wednesday- Friday Nov. 25th-27th- No school- Thanksgiving break

Reading
In reading this week we will begin the strategy of "making inferences." We will read the story "A Boy Called Slow." As we read the students will use prior knowledge and clues from the story to make inferences. How is your child coming on their trimester reading project? All projects are due by November 18th. Ask your child what day they are presenting.

English
We will begin our "Nouns" chapter. The focus this week is common and proper nouns. We will also continue with writing. The students are working on their newspaper articles about themselves.

Spelling Unit 11-the suffix ly

Science
In science we will complete our unit "Energy and Ecosystems." The chapter test is Tuesday.

Social Studies
In social studies we will continue chapter 6, "Life in the English Colonies." We will be having our own trade fair in the classroom. It will take place Friday, November 13th. Information which requires a parent signature was sent home on Friday. Please e-mail me if you have any questions about this activity.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will complete chapter 4 "Algebra." Part two of the test which will cover lessons 6-8 will be given on November 10th. We will then begin a unit on decimals.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of November 2nd

2009-10-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

Parents.

A special thank you to the parents who helped out with our Halloween party and to those who sent in snacks and drinks. Everything was great! I enjoyed seeing all the creative ideas the students had in decorating their pumpkins.

On Friday we will be attending the Robert Crown Center. Please make sure your child has a sack lunch on that day. Due to unpredictable traffic we may not make it back in time for the hot lunch program.

Junior Achievement will be starting this Wednesday. We are looking forward to learning about the business world from our representative Mr. Lichtenbert.
Important Dates:

Friday, Nov. 6th -Robert Crown Field trip
Wednesday, Nov. 11 - No School- Veterans' Day
Tuesday, Nov. 17th -Roller Skating party

Thursday, November 19th - Picture retakes.

Reading

In reading this week we will complete the strategy of "visualizing." We will learn how to find metaphors, hyperboles, and similes in a tall tale. We are also continuing word work with the focus being on homophones and analogies. How is your child coming on their trimester reading project? All projects are due by November 19th. Ask your child what day they are presenting. Many students have completed their presentations.

English

We will continue to work on writing. The students will be creating their own tall tales. Their tall tales must contain hyperbole's, metaphors, and similes. Some of this may be homework.

Spelling Unit 10- Final y words and suffixes

Science
In science we will continue our unit "Energy and Ecosystems." The chapter test has been changed to November 10th.

Social Studies

In social studies we will begin chapter 6, "Life in the English Colonies." The students will learn how people in the 13 colonies produced a wide variety of goods and developed trade routes. We will be having our own trade fair in the classroom. Look for information about this to come home on Friday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue chapter 4 "Algebra." This week we will learn how to solve problems using inequalities. The chapter 4 test will be divided into two sections. We will be taking part one which will cover lessons 1-5 on Thursday. Part two which will cover lessons 6-8 will be given on November 12th.

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of October 26th

2009-10-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:

Wednesday, October 28th- Parent Night for Robert Crown, 6:30 in the multi-purpose room.
Thursday, October 29th -Halloween parties
Friday, October 30th- No School- Institute Day Friday,
Thursday, Nov 5-Picture retakes
November 6th -Robert Crown Field trip. Please send in a sack lunch in case we do not make it back in time for the hot lunch program.

Just a reminder our Halloween parties will be this Thursday. The students will be decorating pumpkins which the PTO will provide. Please have your child bring in supplies they may need to decorate their pumpkin. I am looking forward to seeing all the creative ideas.

Students may also bring their costumes on Thursday. We will be changing into them in the afternoon for the parade and activities planned.

On Friday we went through binders and cleaned them out. The students should be emptying out their "Keep at Home" pocket nightly. This will help the students keep papers organized for test review and homework.

Reading
In reading this week we will continue with the strategy of visualizing. We will read tall tales that have exaggerated character traits and events. Paul Bunyan and John Henry are just two of tall tales we will be reading. We will also learn more about metaphors and simile's.

English
The test for "Capitalization and Punctuation" will be given on Monday. We will then work on writing. The students will be creating their own tall tales.

Spelling No spelling this week.

Science
In science we will continue our unit "Energy and Ecosystems." Food webs and the energy pyramid is the focus for the week. The chapter test is tentatively scheduled for November 5th.

Social Studies
In social studies we will complete chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies."The test is on Wednesday. The students should be studying their notes and end of the chapter review. We will review for the test on Monday and Tuesday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue chapter 4 "Algebra." We are learning how to write equations for word problems. A graded quiz was sent home last Friday. Be sure to ask your child about this.

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of October 19th

2009-10-16T01:32:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
Tuesday, October 20th- Art to Remember packets due
Wednesday, October 21st- Early Dismissal-11:00
Thursday, October 22nd- Book Fair
Wednesday, October 28th- Parent Night for Robert Crown field trip
Thursday, October 29th Halloween parties
Friday, October 30th- No School- Institute Day
Friday, November 6th Robert Crown Field trip.

Reading:
In reading this week we will continue to work on our pyramid summaries. We will then begin the reading strategy of "Visualizing." The students will be reading the tall tale of Paul Bunyan. We will be looking at the exaggerated characteristics of tall tales.

English
In English we will continue the unit "Capitalization and Punctuation." We will focus on how to use quotation marks, abbreviations and write titles correctly. The chapter 5 test is scheduled for Monday, October 26th.

Spelling- Unit 8- Review week. A multiple choice test will be given on Friday. It will cover words taken from lessons 1-7. The students should review the spelling rules for each lesson to help prepare for the test.

Science
In science we will continue our unit "Energy and Ecosystems." This week we will learn how energy is passed through an ecosystem.

Social Studies
In social studies we will continue chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies."The thirteen colonies is the topic for the week. The chapter test will be given on Wednesday, October 28th. The students should be reviewing the first three lessons this week.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue chapter 4 "Algebra." The students will learn how to identify the properties of addition and multiplication ." There will be a quiz on lessons 1-3 on Wednesday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of October 12th

2009-10-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:
Monday, October 12th- No School - Columbus Day
Friday, October 16th-Movie Night
Wednesday, October 21st- Early Dismissal-11:00
Thursday, October 22nd- Book Fair
Wednesday, October 28th- Parent Night for Robert Crown field trip
Thursday, October 29th Halloween parties
Friday, October 30th- No School- Institute Day
Friday, November 6th Robert Crown Field trip.

A permission slip for the Robert Crown field trip will be sent home on Tuesday. A parent night workshop which will provide an overview of the program will be held on Wednesday, October 28th. Please return the permission slip by Friday, October 16th.

Reading:
In reading this week we will complete the novel. "The Kid in the Red Jacket" A vocabulary quiz for chapters 7-10 is scheduled for Friday. The students will make a final project which involves a story pyramid. The story pyramid will summarize the whole book. We will also continue word work using homonyms and multiple meaning words.

English
In English we will continue the unit "Capitalization and Punctuation." There will be a quiz on lessons 1-4 Thursday, October 15th. We will then continue to learn how to use interjections and quotation marks in our writing.

Spelling- Unit 7- Soft and hard g

Science
In science we will continue our unit "Energy and Ecosystems." This week we will learn how energy is passed through an ecosystem. Just a reminder the students need to have their leaves here by Friday. They may bring them in earlier.

Social Studies
In social studies we will continue chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies."
We will learn the difficulties encountered by the pilgrims on their journey and in establishing Plymouth colony.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will continue chapter 3 "Division." The quiz has been changed to Wednesday, October 14th. We will then begin chapter four, "Algebra."

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of October 5th

2009-10-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:

Monday, October 12th- No School - Columbus Day
Friday, October 16th-Movie Night
Wednesday, October 21st- Early Dismissal-11:00
Thursday, October 22nd- Book Fair

Reading
In reading this week we will continue to focus on summarizing with the novel. "The Kid in the Red Jacket" The students will be making a summary book for this story. A vocabulary quiz for chapters 1-6 is scheduled for Thursday. We will also continue word work using roots and affixes.

English
In English we will continue the unit "Capitalization and Punctuation." We are learning how the many ways we use commas can change the meaning of a sentence. There will be a quiz on lessons 1-4 Wednesday, October 14th.

Spelling- Unit 6- Plurals formed with e

Science
In science we will begin a new unit "Energy and Ecosystems." This week we will learn how leaves use carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. The students will be doing a special leaf project next week. They will need to collect leaves from home and prepare them for the project. Information will be sent home on Wednesday.

Social Studies
In social studies we will continue chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies."

This week we will learn how the search for a Northwest Passage led to the founding of the Dutch and French colonies in North America.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will begin chapter 3 "Division." We will only touch on a few lessons this chapter. There will be a quiz on lessons 2-4 on Friday. Last week's math tests have been put in the grade book. Check your child's assignment notebook for their grade.

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of Sept. 28th

2009-09-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

Important Dates:

Tuesday, September 29th- Magazine Turn-in Day
Thursday, October 1st - Picture Day
Monday, October 12th- No School - Columbus Day

Scholastic book order forms went home on Thursday. Orders are due this Wednesday.

Reading

In reading this week we will continue to focus on summarizing. We will begin the novel. "The Kid in the Red Jacket" The students will be making a summary book for this story. As we read we will use context clues to learn new vocabulary. The students will be taking a vocabulary quiz from chapters 1-6 next week.

English
In English we will begin the unit "Capitalization and Punctuation."We are learning correct punctuation on the four types of sentences. Grades have been posted for the chapter one English test. We will also dive in to some writing this week. The students will be writing a newspaper article about themselves. We will continue to add to this article throughout the year.

Spelling- Unit 5- prefixes and roots

Science
In science we will complete "Getting Ready for Science." The students will become familiar with the steps in the scientific method and how scientists apply them. The test has been changed to Thursday, October 1st. Look for a study sheet to come home on Tuesday. The students should be reviewing their notes and end of the chapter reviews.

Social Studies
In social studies we will continue chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies." We are learning about Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America. We will also learn how John Smith and John Rolfe had an impact in making Jamestown a successful colony.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will complete chapter 2 "Multiplication." The chapter test will be on Thursday.

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of Sept. 21st.

2009-09-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

On Friday we will be having a Character Counts assembly. The fifth graders will be representing the different pillars. Our class will represent the pillar of "Caring."

Also, look for information to come home this week about a lunch in the library reading program.

Important Dates:
Tuesday, September 22nd- Early dismissal at 11:00
Tuesday, September 22nd- Magazine Turn in Day
Friday, September 25th- Magazine Turn in Day
Friday, September 25th Wear Red for Character Counts assembly
Tuesday, September 29th- Magazine Turn-in Day

Reading
In reading this week we will continue to focus on summarizing. We will be reading the story of Elena. Towards the end of the week we will begin the novel. "The Kid in the Red Jacket" The students will be making a summary book for this story.

English
In English we will complete the unit "The Sentence." We will work with run on sentences along with how to write better sentences using conjunctions. The chapter test is scheduled for Thursday, Sept 24th. The students should be reviewing the lessons in their text and end of the chapter review.

Spelling- Unit 4-Prefixes and base words

Science
In science we will continue "Getting Ready for Science." The students will become familiar with the steps in the scientific method and how scientists apply them. A test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Sept 30th.

Social Studies
In social studies we will begin chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies." We will read about the lost colony of Roanoke. We will also learn about Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America. On Monday the chapter 4 social studies test will be passed back. The tests will not be sent home. Please check your child's assignment notebook for the grade they received on this test. It will also be posted to Parent Connect by Monday.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
This week the students will learn how to multiply 2 digit numbers. The students really need to know their multiplication facts for this chapter. Please continue to use flash cards and review these facts with your child. Multiplication will be used often throughout the year.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of Sept. 14th

2009-09-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Just a reminder your child's science textbook can be viewed online. I will be sending home instructions on how to access the online textbook on Monday. The students should keep these directions in their science binders.

Important Dates:
Tuesday, September 22nd- Early dismissal at 11:00
Tuesday, September 22nd- Magazine Turn in Day
Thursday, September 24th- Magazine Turn in Day
Tuesday, September 29th- Magazine Turn-in Day

Reading
In reading this week the students will complete the reading skill of preview and predicting. We will be reading "Sandman to the Rescue."We will also continue work on word work which includes synonyms and antonyms. Later in the week we will begin focusing on summarizing.

English
In English we will continue the unit "The Sentence." We will learn how to identify the simple subject in declarative and imperative sentences. We will also work with conjunctions. I have asked the students to bring in a photo from home. It is due on Tuesday. They will use this photo to create a pyramid poem. The chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Sept 24th.

Spelling- Unit 3 "The suffix er"

Science
In science we will continue "Getting Ready for Science." The students will continue to learn how inquiry skills organize the way in which people gather data.

Social Studies
In social studies we will complete chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." The students will learn how Spain gained great wealth from the settlement and growth of New Spain. The chapter test is scheduled for Friday, September 18th. The students will be bringing home a "How to Study" sheet on Tuesday. Ask your child about this.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
This week in math the students will review addition and subtraction problems. We will also work on some problem solving strategies, The Chapter one test will be given Wednesday, September 16th. A practice test will be given for homework on Monday. Ask your child how they are doing on their multiplication timed tests.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of Sept. 7th

2009-09-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

I enjoyed seeing many of you at Curriculum Night. Just a reminder to please send in the student information sheets and signed 5th grade policy forms. Thank you.

Important Dates:
Monday September 7th- No School Labor Day
Friday, September 11th- Magazine Kick-Off
Tuesday, September 22nd- Early dismissal at 11:00
Tuesday, September 22nd- Magazine Turn in Day
Thursday, September 24th- Magazine Turn in Day
Tuesday, September 29th- Magazine Turn-in Day

Thank you to all of you who are sending in boxtops. The class with the highest amount will receive a classroom party.

Science
In science we will continue "Getting Ready for Science." There will be a possible quiz on the tools scientist use on Friday. It will be open book. The students will also learn how inquiry skills organize the way in which people gather data.

Social Studies
In social studies we are continuing chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." The students will learn how the Spanish conquistadors established new colonies in North and South America. The chapter test will be next Friday, September 18th.

Reading
In reading this week the students will continue practicing the reading skill of preview and predicting. We will continue reading "The Fear Place" and "Sandman to the Rescue."We will also work on word work which includes synonyms and antonyms.

English
In English we will continue the unit "The Sentence." This week we will learn how to find simple subjects and simple predicates. There will be a short quiz on Friday on these two lessons only.

Spelling- Unit 2 "Silent e and Suffixes"

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
This week in math the students will review estimating addition and subtraction problems. We will learn how to add and subtract larger numbers. A chapter test will be given Wednesday, September 16th. Multiplication timed test are given everyday. The students will be given 1 minute to complete each fact. Reviewing these facts should be part of their nightly homework.

Thank you and have a great week!

Week of August 31st.

2009-08-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

We have had a great first week of school! I have enjoyed getting to know the students and am looking forward to a wonderful year. Just a reminder…Curriculum Night for Fifth grade is Thursday, September 3rd at 6:30 at Prairieview. The evening will begin with an introduction by Mrs. Schultz, followed by a meeting in our classroom, during which we will review topics such as curriculum, expectations and daily schedules. You will also have the opportunity to sign up for parent conferences. We will conclude the evening with a visit with your child’s math teacher. I look forward to seeing all of you!

Book orders will be sent home this week. If you would like to order please make checks payable to Scholastic. Orders are due this Friday.

4th and 5th grade intramural games will be starting the week of September 14th. Permission slips will be handed out next week. Forms are due to Ms. Stainman by Friday, September 4th.

Reading
In reading this week the students will practice the reading skill of preview and predicting. We will be reading the story, "The Fear Place" along with other activities to practice this skill. I will also go over our classroom independent reading program.

English
In English we will begin with the unit "The Sentence." Students are reviewing the four types of sentences along with how to find the subject and predicate of a sentence. They will also be introduced to simple subjects and simple predicates. We are in need of old magazines for a project later in the week. If you have any please send them in.

Spelling
The first spelling test will be this Friday. Students should have a list in their binder. The students will be tested on 20 of the words on this list. A pretest will be given every Monday. Students who receive 95% or better will receive a different list of spelling activities to choose from. I will go over this more at Curriculum Night.

Science
In science we will begin our unit, "Getting Ready for Science" The students will become familiar with the tools scientists use. We will also learn what inquiry skills scientists use.

Social Studies
In social studies we are beginning chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." The students will learn how Columbus's voyages led to European settlement of the Americas and an exchange of people , animals, goods, and ways of life between East and West.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class

This week in math the students will review place value through billions. We will also learn how to compare and order whole numbers. We will begin multiplication timed tests on Wednesday. The students will be given one minute to complete each fact. Reviewing these facts should be part of their nightly homework.

Thank you and have a great week!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Bucklin

Welcome Back

2009-08-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to Prairieview and fifth grade! I am very excited to start the new school year. I hope to see you at Open House on Monday, August 24th. It will be held from 9:00-11:00. Our room number is 206. Your child may bring their supplies that morning. There will be sign up sheets for class parties and classroom help in other areas. I will be sending out an e-mail to all parents every Monday with a link to my blog. Please feel free to respond or ask any questions. I am looking forward to meeting you and your child. Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Bucklin

Week of June 1st

2009-05-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
I am sure you heard about our 5th grade celebration last Thursday. The students had a surprise performance by the Jesse White Tumblers. The performance was wonderful. We enjoyed it very much. We also had snacks and drinks afterwards. A special thank you to all the parents who helped in this event.

YEARBOOKS: will be handed out to students on June 5th. Any students who did not purchase a yearbook may do so on a first-come-first-serve basis on June 5th; they will go on sale after morning announcements. The cost will be $10.00 and children wishing to purchase should have exact amount. Checks can be made out to Prairieview. There is a limited supply. Prairieview yearbook orders were not paid for at registration. A flyer was sent out on November 13, 2008 and orders were due by Monday, December 1, 2008.

Here is what is going on this week in our classroom.
Mrs. Bucklin's Homeroom

This week we will finish up our chapters in science and social studies. There will not be any tests.

We will also work on our fifth grade scrapbooks. The students may bring things from home to help decorate their books.

The students will be bringing home all their supplies on Wednesday.

On Thursday is the school picnic and field day. Hopefully the weather will be nice.

Friday the last day of school the students will receive their report cards. Prairieview is dismissed at 9:30.

Mrs. Bucklin's Language Art's Class

We will be meeting Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The students will be writing creative stories and sharing them with the class. We will have our reading party on Tuesday. If anyone would like to send in a healthy snack that would be great. Snacks need to be individually wrapped.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will finish up the year reviewing many things we have learned throughout the year. Please keep your child reviewing their math facts throughout the summer.

Thank you for a wonderful year and all your help with parties, field trips, and classroom activities. Have a great summer!

Sincerely,
Mary Bucklin

Week of May 25th

2009-05-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Just a reminder on Wednesday and Friday all fifth grade students should bring a sack lunch due to the Robert Crown and bowling field trips.

Important dates:

May 25th-Memorial Day No School
May 27th-Robert Crown Field Trip
May 29th-5th grade bowling trip
Mrs. Bucklin's Homeroom

Science
We will continue chapter 13 "Earth, Moon, and Beyond. We will learn about the similarities of the Earth and moon, the phases of the moon, and how an eclipse happens. There will be an open book quiz on Thursday.

Social Studies
We will continue chapter 12, "Times of Change." We will learn how The Industrial Revolution changed the way Americans lived and worked. The students will be constructing a book showing all the changes that occurred.

Mrs. Bucklin's Language Art's Class
Reading

We will continue to do book clubs. The students are reading a book of their choice and meeting in groups to discuss their book. Just a reminder many students need to present their third trimester book projects. Their reading goal must be met also by Friday, May 28th. We will have our trimester reading party on Tuesday, June 2nd.

English

We will complete our unit on "Adverbs and Prepositions." There will be a test on prepositions on Thursday. Check assignment notebooks for pages to study.

Spelling- No spelling this week.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class

We will learn how to find the volume of a rectangular prism. We will then relate perimeter, volume and area. Math class will only meet Tuesday and Thursday this week due to morning field trips.

Thank you and have a great week!

Mrs. Bucklin

Week of May 18th

2009-05-15T04:19:00.000-07:00

Important dates:
May 18th-Fifth graders visit to Lakeview in the afternoon
May 18th Parent night at Lakeview 6:30
May 22nd- Ginger Zee meteorologist from NBC visits the fifth grade
May 25th-Memorial Day No School
May 27th-Robert Crown Field Trip
May 29th-5th grade bowling trip

Mrs. Bucklin's Homeroom
Science
We will complete chapter 12 "The Earth's Oceans. The test is Tuesday May, 19th. We will then begin chapter 13 "Earth, Moon, and Beyond. We will learn how Earth's orbit affects the seasons.

Social Studies
We will begin chapter 12, "Times of Change." We will focus on how in the 1820' and 1830's the United States expanded its territory in North America and its power in the Western Hemisphere.

Mrs. Bucklin's Language Art's Class
Reading
We will complete our novel Castle in the Attic. The vocabulary quiz has been changed to Wednesday, May 20th. We will then begin book clubs. Ask your child later in the week which book they selected to end the year with. We will also begin a poetry unit. The students will be writing several different types of poems.

English
We will continue our unit on "Adverbs and Prepositions." This week we will focus on prepositions and prepositional phrases. The students will also write some preposition poetry.

Spelling- Unit 31 -This will be the last spelling unit.

Mrs. Bucklin's Math Class
We will begin a unit on area. The students will learn how to find the area of rectangles, squares and parallelograms. There will be a quiz on Friday.

Thank you and have a great week!
Mrs. Bucklin