Ms. Chapin's Marvelous Monkey Jungle of Excellence 
        Week of November 17th-21st

Our ELA learning goals are:

I can identify the main idea of the text and supporting details.

I can identify the author's purpose and supporting evidence.

I can use context clues to identify the meaning of unknown words within the text.

I can identify the beginning, middle (problem), and ending of a passage.


We will be reading a variety of texts about money, budgeting and savings where we will practice many of our reading goals. 

We will also be reading a persuasive book where a boy named Alex is trying to persuade his mother to let him have an iguana as a pet.   We will focus on the story sequence goal with this book. 

Your child's reading log will be composed of many of these reading goals to practice with his/her library books at home this week!!

Your child will also be taking a Reading test on these skills this week since we start new Reading skills the week after Thanksgiving!!

Since we will be starting a new Reading unit after Thanksgiving, there is a list of historical figures coming home on Tuesday (11/18) for a at school/home project that we will start the week after Thanksgiving!!! :-)  Please make sure your child picks their top 5 selections and I will send home the information with the rest of project information after that is sent back :-)

Our Math learning goals: 

I can identify the value of coins and dollars.

               I can compute the value of any combinations of coins within one dollar.

Your child should be able to identify the characteristics of each coin by the head/tail, know the value of the coins and know the names of the coins.

Your child also will be learning how to combine the coins and compute the value of the coins. 

There are some great websites I posted on the Dojo website as great practice with coins.  You also can practice with real coins at home with your child :-)

Since we're learning about money in ELA and Math, we will be starting a budget plan where your child will receive an income for being on time, turning in homework, keeping desk clean and having great behavior.  Your child will also have expenses such as renting desk, chair, pencil, paper, and unexpected costs such as damage to playground equipment, etc.   Ask your child what he/she has in his/her savings this week :-)

Our Writing goal is:
I can create a plan on our needs of the classroom and pick one basic need for the classroom. 

 We will pick a way to advertise what we need for our classroom by using the website Donorschoose.org.  

We will learn how to add graphics and details as to why we need this item in our classroom.  

We will come up with a budget of how much we need to get the supplies we need.  

This will be posted for parents and other to contribute.  I will notify you on dojo once students have completed the project :-)

Our Social Studies Goal:

I can use a map to locate people and places around the world. 

Students will be tested this week on identifying the continents of the world:
We use this riddle to remember them : Nice Snakes Eat An Awful Apple Alone.
(North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia , Antarctica)

Students will also need to identify the oceans of the world where we use this riddle!!
A porcupine asks it politely!
(Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean)

Lastly, students will need to know the many symbols on a map, important capitals in the United States, the countries within North America and many others. 

Our Science goal:

I can identify the basic needs of plants and animals. 

We will finish creating our habitat dioramas and will present. We will also be tested on animal and plant needs. 


Other reminders:

Great American Teach-  This Wednesday November 19th!!! Students will learn about a variety of jobs and the requirements within the jobs!!

Library Day is Wednesday- Please make sure your child has his/her book read by then so they can pick another!!!

Sign your child's planner daily and sign any papers under the return to school folder.

NO SCHOOL- November 24th-28th (Thanksgiving Break) :-)


Our spelling words for the week are:
(or/ar sounds)

1.             park

2.             shark

3.             car

4.           start

5.          scar

6.          starve

7.          torch

8.          score

9.          storm

1     torn

1         force

1.    short

1        born

1        more

1.      Ford

   Have a wonderful week and a restful Thanksgiving break next week :-)

Ms. Chapin's Monkey Jungle of Excellence Week of November 10th

Our Learning Goals for the Week of November 10th-14th:

ELA:

I can identify the main topic of the text and supporting details.

I can use text features to better understand the text.

I can ask and answer questions during close reading of the text.

I can identify the author's purpose of the text using supporting evidence.  

Students will be doing a variety of practice activities on the computer using games, with teams and in many other contexts to show their understanding of these ideas. 

Students will also be sent home tomorrow (11-10) with an author's purpose project that will be due Friday!!! Be looking for it in your child's homework folder.   The information about the project will be posted on the project paper!!!

The following vocabulary words your child should know by the end of the week: budget, income, wants, needs, savings, afford, future, earn, expensive, allowance, regularly, businesses, members, total and donation!!! Ask your child to share his/her learning of these words!!!

Your child's reading log will include many of these reading strategies learned this week!!! :-)

Our Math Goals for this week:

This is a week of review since we have our test on Friday on 3 digit numbers!!!

I can compare 3 digit numbers using word problems and also using greater than/less than/equal to.

I can write my three digit numbers in at least 3 different ways. 

I can solve a variety of bundling word problems and write the numbers using just tens and ones or just hundreds and tens. 

I can skip count froward and backward by 5s, 10s, and 100s.

, ________, 477, 487, 497, _______, ___________

________, 517, 617, ______

I can add and subtract by 10s and 100s.   

407  -  10 =

792 + 10 =

Look for various review strategies in your child's homework folder this week :-)

Our Writing Learning Goal is:

I can identify the difference between wants and needs.

I can create a budget plan with a list of my wants and needs and tell why these both are in each category!!!

Our Science Goal is:

I can identify the habitat that belongs best for various plants and animals based on their basic needs. 

*We will continue building our habitat with that shows the plants and animals that live in these habitats and will summarize why they live in these habitats!!

Our Social Studies goal is: 

 I can identify all the continents of the world.  I can identify the countries of North America and state some countries within the other continents.  I can identify all the main oceans of the world!!!

We will be playing some fun jeopardy games, creating maps and many other activities to really show a great understanding of the continents of the world!!! :-)

Other Reminders:

*Library Day is this Wednesday!!!!*

*Author's Purpose Project is due this Friday!!!

*Math homework is due daily!!!*

*Make sure you're signing your child's planner and signing any papers under return to school!!*

*Have your child reading, logging reading and practicing his/her power goal/words listed on his/her bookmark for his/her reading level!!

Our spelling words for this week are:

                                                       Ea/ee/y (e sound)

                                             1. read

                                             2. bead

                                             3. peach

                                             4. leave

                                             5. squeal

                                             6. stream

                                            7. steal

                                           8. weak

                                           9. week

                                         10. steel

                                         11. need

                                         12. thirteen

                                         13. empty

                                         14. family

                                         15. sorry

                                         16. angry

Have a wonderful week :-)  Any questions, feel free and contact me via dojo message, via phone or  planner :-)

Ms. Chapin's Monkey Jungle Of Excellence Week of November 3rd-7th, 2014

Week of November 3rd-November 7th Learning Goals:

Our Reading Goals:

I can understand that questions help clarify and extend ideas the author is trying to portray. 

I can identify text features that are used in the text and understand how they help in locating information. 

I can identify the main idea of the text and supporting details.

Students will be doing a text feature scavenger hunt to identify important features within the book such as: the index, glossary, table of contents, heading, sub headings, etc.

Students will be filling out graphic organizers and discussing in teams the main idea of the text and of various parts of the text.  They will need evidence from the story to support their main idea (details).

Lastly, students will use questions and other details to better understand the message the author is trying to portray to the reader from reading the text. 

I encourage students to continue practicing these skills with their own independent books to improve their reading skills more,  I ask that students check out informational texts at the library this week to help them practice these skills more with their books.  Please have students follow the Reading log in order since many of those skills on the Reading log we're covering in class!!! :-)

The main goal with our readings this week is to help students understand that there are things we need such as in A Chair For My Mother, the girl needed the comfy chair since her family lost all their furniture in a fire.  Otherwise, in Alexander Used To Be Rich Last Sunday, Alex keeps buying toys and other things he truly does not need and loses all his money.    We will be learning ways too budget money so we don't spend it all at once to distinguish between wants and needs. :-)

Our Math Goals for this week:

I can read and write numbers to 1,000 using base ten blocks, number names, and expanded form.

I can compare two and three digit numbers.

*Your child will practice using greater than, less than, equal to signs!!

 768 _____ 786 

                                                                     712 _____ 721
                                                                    544 _____ 454 
                                                                     511 _____ 511 

Also, your child will practice with comparing word problems by looking at the question carefully!!!

POD:  Cody read 462 pages during the month of October.  Thomas read 464 pages.  Who read the more pages?

We will continue to practice our bundling problems, writing our 3 digit numbers in different ways and 100 more, 100 less, 10 more, 10 less ways to differentiate our numbers.  

Lastly, students will continue skip counting forward and backward by 5s and 10s!!!

489, 499, 509, ________, ___________

506, 496, ____________, __________

*Please encourage your child to practice as many bingo spaces on their homework board as possible to practice all of his/her Math skills!! :-)

Our Writing Goals for this week:

Students will be creating various opinion writings on the following topics:

*Which section of the story would be helpful in making financial decisions?

*Writing 3 questions about the text and why they have these 3 questions?

* Why is it important to consider wants and needs in a budget?

*How they would apply what they have learned about making financial decisions with $5.00.

*What's the author's purpose in this text and details that support your reasons?

Our Social Studies Goals are: I can identify and label important places on the map or globe.

·       SS.2.G.1.1 Use different types of maps (political, physical, and thematic) to identify map elements. ·        SS.2.G.1.2 Using maps and globes, locate the student's hometown, Florida, and North America, and locate the state capital and the national capital. ·        SS.2.G.1.3 Label on a map or globe the continents, oceans, Equator, Prime Meridian, North and South Pole.

 SS.2.G.1.4 Use a map to locate the countries in North America (Canada, United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands).

We will create our own map to identify the different continents!!!

We will also be creating riddles, so students can identify the continents by what can be found in these places and by knowing the countries that are within the continent.  There will be continent homework going home TOMORROW November 4th!!! Be prepared to hear about this from your child!!! It will be due on Friday November 7th for presentations so we can guess the continent!!! :-)

Our Science goals are:

SCIENCE

Benchmark  SC.2.l.17.1:  I can compare and contrast the basic needs that all living things, including humans, have for survival. Benchmark SC.2.L.17.2: Recognize and explain that living things are found all over Earth, but each is only able to live in habitats that meet it’s basic needs.

Students were placed in habitat groups where they will continue to research their habitat such as: rain forests, fresh water, oceans, arctic, deciduous forests, coniferous forests and deserts!!!  Students will present their wordles and detailed dioramas on Friday based on their continuous research!!!

Other notes/reminders:

Our Field Trip to Old McMickey's Farm is this Monday November 10th!!! We will be leaving right at 9:50 a.m.  Please make sure your child is on time to school especially that day!!

Also, I am still waiting for many students' $9.00 for the field trip, permission slip and lunch form!!! Please send your child with it asap!!! :-)

Scholastic Book Orders with money are due by this Friday November 7th!!! *

Please make sure your'e signing any papers under return to school, signing your child's time on his/her Reading log and signing his/her planner.

Math homework is given every night!!! For example, the homework that was given tonight is not due until this Wednesday November 5th!! :-)  I will give a new Math homework this Wednesday!!!

Encourage your child to practice his/her spelling words each night since this skill helps students with his/her writing and Reading skills!!!

Our words for this week are the ur/ir sounds!!!

1. purple

2. curl

3. turn

4. return

5. nurse

6. birth

7. thirty

8. circle

9. stir

10. bird

11. their

12. they're

13. there

( You can give your child other ir, ur words to continue to have your child practice these skills!!!)

Exciting news:  Students have pen pals they just learned about last Friday.  We were connected with a Language Arts 6th Grade class from Paul R. Smith Middle School in Holiday, Florida!!! Students are super excited to have these pen pals!!! We will be skyping with our pen pals at the end of the year!!! :-)

Our Class Library Day is this Wednesday!!! Please encourage your child to keep reading!!!

Last, your child will start getting sent home with power goals to practice within their own independent reading.   Please encourage your child to practice the skill/ power words on his/her reading bookmark :-)

Have a wonderful week :-)