summer

summer

Friday, September 30, 2011

Friday, September 30th, 2011

Language Arts:

Today in Reader’s Workshop we were for 20 minutes.  Please remember to always have a chapter book with you in the classroom.

In Writer’s Workshop, we discussed what the “writing  workshop should look like and sound like. We continued to write on something we are an “authority on” and shared our writing.

Grammar: Both 5th and 6th grade received grammar packets.  They started them in class and they are due on Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Homework:  Read for 20minutes
                     Grammar packet due on Monday


Social Studies: Completed the reading notes of lesson  2, American Indians and Their Land.
            Quiz for lesson 2 is on Wednesday, October 5th

Homework:  Review for quiz.  Play game for lesson 2 on Learntci

Reminders:
  • Rouge River field trip is Monday, October 3rd.
  • Goal setting starts the week of October 10th.  If you are not able to come in please feel free to email in your goals.

Geography Bee Information:

I am so excited to tell you that BCS is going to hold a Geography Bee this year.  Students in grades 4-8 are eligible to participate.  We have scheduled the school-wide Bee for Tuesday, January 10th.  It will be held during the Choice Hour period.   The winner of the school bee will take a written test to qualify for the National Geographic State Bee.  

The National Geographic Society runs the National Bee and provides the materials for the school bee.  

Mr. Braisted has agreed to teach a Choice Hour class during 2nd Quarter for students in grades 4-8 who wish to learn more about Geography and prepare for the Bee together.  However, anyone in grades 4-8 can sign up for the Bee - students do not need to be in the Geography Choice Hour in order to participate in the Bee. 

There is also a very fun GeoBee Challenge app available for iPad, iPod touch, and other mobile devices that students can use to quiz themselves.  The website National Geographic Bee - National Geographic has a wealth of information and activities for students interested in the bee as well as study materials for students who want to prepare on their own.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Language Arts:

Today in Reader’s Workshop we went to the Media Center.  Please remember to always have a chapter book with you in the classroom.

We worked on test taking skills.

Grammar: Both 5th and 6th grade received grammar packets.  They started them in class and they are due on Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Homework:  Read for 20minutes
                     Grammar packet due on Monday


Social Studies: Began Lesson 2, American Indians and Their Land

Homework:  No homework this evening.

Reminders: Goal setting sign up is outside my door
  • Rouge field trip permission slips DUE: Monday, September 26th  
  • Rouge River field trip is Monday, October 3rd.



Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tuesday, September 27th,2011

Language Arts:

Today in Reader’s Workshop we read for 20 minutes.

In Writer’s Workshop, we made are “Authority List.”  From this list we will write pieces and share these with the class.

Grammar: Both 5th and 6th grade received grammar packets.  They started them in class and they are due on Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Homework:  Read for 20minutes
                     Grammar packet due on Monday


Social Studies: We took a quiz on Lesson 1

Homework:  No homework this evening.

Reminders: Goal setting sign up is outside my door
  • Rouge field trip permission slips DUE: Monday, September 26th  
  • Rouge River field trip is Monday, October 3rd.


I am excited to share that I have a student teacher who started on Friday. Andrea will be with us until December 16th and is excited to work with all of our students.
Here is some information from her:

Hello parents and students! My name is Andrea Leach and I am very excited to be student teaching in Mrs. Burns' classroom this fall. This will be the final semester of my BA in Elementary Education at Eastern Michigan University. My focus while at EMU has been Language Arts and Mathematics, and my certification will be for all subjects from kindergarten through sixth grade. I'm truly looking forward to working with all of you throughout the next few months as I make the transition from college student to professional teacher.

Let me know if you'd like me to make any changes to it.  I'm always open to constructive criticism (on this and anything in the future)!

Thanks again,
Andrea


5th Grader Newsletter
Dear Mrs. Burns,

            The week , 19-23 of September was different. On Monday we started doing Word Study. We got packets that are long and due next Monday. We also had a Spanish test. Tuesday was so cool! In Orchestra and Band we learned our first song. Writing Assessments were so much fun in L.A! On Wednesday we made Jeopardy cards for Thursday and got to share our writing pieces outdoors. That was a blast! Thursday we actually played jeopardy. We did pretty good. In Language Arts we wrote about our favorite things. Mine was my dog. Friday was definitely different. We had our regular day until the power went out. You’d think it only went out for a second because of the generator. But, no! It was off for a good hour or two. Anyway, this week has been fun and fascinating for all of us!


                                                     Sincerely,
                                                            Camilla



6th Grade Newsletter
Week of Sept. 18-23
Dear Classmates and Parents,
          On Monday, the weather was O.K, it was a rainy day and it was also very humid. We continued most things at school. In L.A we read. I read a book called, “Be a Perfect Person in just Three Days!” Mrs. Burns also continued reading aloud to the class a book called, “Flying Solo.” It is a really good book so far. In Science/Engage, we continued our “Towers” unit. We had to build the tallest, free-standing tower…….OUT OF NEWSPAPER!!!!!!! It was really hard because of how the newspaper wasn’t very stable. Instead of S.S, we did Word Study, so there wasn’t a S.S class today. It was also both 5th and 6th grade, Burdick homeroom and Burns. Both grades got their first grammar packet of the year. Lastly, in 6th grade Math (With Mr. Burdick) we came back to 1.10 because we skipped it when there was a sub.
          Tuesday, was much, much better. It was warm and sunny the high temperature was 72°F. In school my favorite subject was Science, because we only watched a video that was really good. In L.A we went onto www.criterionets.org to do a Fall Writing assessment. The topic was to write a letter to your teacher on whether kids should go to school in the summer or not. In Social Studies, we read in our Textbooks and went over the homework in our workbooks that was due the next day. Finally, in 6th grade Math, we have a test that was moved to Thursday instead of Friday. We are also going over the reviews that are due tomorrow.
          Wednesday was the nicest day of the week. It was mostly sunny and in the mid 70’s. We also finished the video we were watching yesterday in Science. We went to the Media Center in L.A and I checked out a book called, “The Dancing Slave.” In S.S, we decided to play jeopardy tomorrow so we had to write jeopardy questions on index cards. In Math we took a quiz and did a worksheet.
          Thursday was also a nice day just a little cooler. We had a math test and more tests coming up. In S.S we played jeopardy and everybody ended up with the same scores! L.A felt like déjà vu because we did the exact same thing on Monday!!!!!! It was still fun though. We took the Unit One Test in 6th grade Math. Lastly in Science, we had to do a worksheet that was about an Interactive Lab Game and what we saw.
          Friday, was really fun (even though the power went out!!!!!) We got to play games in the afternoon including, 7-UP, Silent Ball, Growl, and Nibbly Bibbles!! In L.A the power came back on and we wrote about “One Day at School the Power Went Out.” In Science we took a test that was really easy. In math we played a couple games and worked on the Journal Pages. This week was one of the worst in years for the Dow Jones Stock Market.
          Thank you for letting me share my week with you. 
                                                                              Yours Truly,
                                                                                        Anna V.
         

Monday, September 26, 2011

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Happy Monday!

I was out today for a meeting in the morning and I was testing reading with 5th grade students this afternoon.  Some of the lesson and homework may be confusing for the students.  Please now that I will be going over everything again tomorrow!  If they are confused please do not stress out, all will be fixed tomorrow!

Language Arts:

Today in Reader’s Workshop we read for 20 minutes.    
Time for Kids activity.  Students read the articles together and completed the given activities. 

Grammar: Both 5th and 6th grade received grammar packets.  They started them in class and they are due on Monday, September 26th, 2011

Homework:  Read for 20minutes
                    
Social Studies: No formal class today

Homework:  Go onto LearnTci and play “Geography Review” game by Tuesday, September 27th. This will help to review for our Lesson 1 quiz.

  • Lesson One Quiz on Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Reminders: Goal setting sign up is outside my door
  • Rouge field trip permission slips DUE: Monday, September 26th


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Language Arts:

Today in Reader’s Workshop we read for 20 minutes and responded to our reading by making a “text to self” connection.

In Writer’s Workshop, we  wrote and shared out  “small moment” with a special place and a special object.

Grammar: Both 5th and 6th grade received grammar packets.  They started them in class and they are due on Monday, September 26th, 2011

Homework:  Read for 20minutes
                     Grammar packet due on Monday


Social Studies: We played “Geography Jeopardy” using questions the kids created. 

Homework:  Go onto LearnTci and play “Geography Review” game by Tuesday, September 27th. This will help to review for our Lesson 1 quiz.

  • Lesson One Quiz on Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Reminders: Goal setting sign up is outside my door
  • Rouge field trip permission slips DUE: Monday, September 26th


Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

Language Arts:

Today in Reader’s Workshop we went to the Media Center and checked out books.
In Writer’s Workshop, we  wrote and shared out  “small moment” with a special place.

Grammar: Both 5th and 6th grade received grammar packets.  They started them in class and they are due on Monday, September 26th, 2011

Homework:  Read for 20minutes
                     Grammar packet due on Monday


Social Studies: We read section 1 in our textbook about geography. 

Homework:  Go onto LearnTci and play “Geography Review” game by Tuesday, September 27th. This will help to review for our Lesson 1 quiz.

  • Lesson One Quiz on Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tuesday, September 20th,2011

Language Arts:

Today in Reader’s Workshop we read for 20 minutes.
In Writer’s Workshop, we  wrote another “small moment” with a special place.

Grammar: Both 5th and 6th grade received grammar packets.  They started them in class and they are due on Monday, September 26th, 2011

Homework:  Read for 20minutes
                     Grammar packet due on Monday

Social Studies: We read section 1 in our textbook about geography. 
Homework:  Pages 6 and 7 in their social studies notebook.  Due tomorrow.

Reminders: Goal setting sign up is outside my door


Monday, September 19, 2011

Monday, September 19th, 2011

Language Arts:

Today in Reader’s Workshop we read for 20 minutes.
In Writer’s Workshop, we wrote another “small moment” with a special place.
We also reviewed our on-line writing that we did last week.  We went over the scores and asked for suggestions on how to improve our writing.

Grammar: Both 5th and 6th grade received grammar packets.  They started them in class and they are due on Monday, September 26th, 2011

Homework:  Read for 20minutes
                     Grammar packet due on Monday

Social Studies: No class today. We had integrated LA/SS and worked on our Towers unit/
Homework:  Cover text book for extra credit by Monday

Reminders: Goal setting sign up is outside my door

Weekly Newsletter:  Please take time to review the attached newsletters by 5th grader Noah and 6th grader James. 

6th grade Newsletter:

Monday was sunny and warm. Today was a starter grammar quiz in L.A and warned of a math quiz on Thursday. Today there was a lot of football playing at recess. In class we talked about 9/11 and how we thought of it.

Tuesday was as warm and sunny as Monday. We were talking about patriots week today and was given an assignment about we liked to be an American citizen. Still in math a big quiz was coming.

Wednesday was a lot cooler than the previous days. There was one day left till the math quiz. Also we had to run the 2/3 mile today.

Thursday was way cold today and was the quiz day for math. Today was also curriculum night. Tomorrow will be constitution day.

Friday was warmer and sunny.  Today we had a lot of stuff to do. We watched a video on 9/11, had a big paper about the constitution and that’s it for this week good bye.

Also the tigers keep their winning streak on Whoo hoo!

By : James


5th Grade Newsletter:

Newsletter, September 12th – 16th 2011
By; Noah

            This week in Burns 5th grade we finished up our “Me” posters and hung them in the hallway. In Spanish we started our Spanish-speaking countries unit, were taking our test Monday. On Tuesday in band we started playing our instruments, learning slowly, but steadily. We had Social Studies with Mrs. Cook’s class. We did a graph activity where she put items on a graph on the floor and we had to draw them on the graph in our interactive notebook. The ice cream social was Friday! On Wednesday we ran the 2/3 of the mile in gym. Mr. Manchester timed us then told us our must likely mile time.  Today was also the first popcorn day of the school year. The Tigers have won 12 straight! (Franchise best since 1934!) One more game and we clinch a playoff spot! Friday was the ice cream social!  Its also Constitution Day!
We watched a video on 9/11; people who were there and were firefighters at the time were about it in an interview. We did a report on the video in science class. Mr. Burdick was out so there was a sub. He told us his story about 9/11, because he was a volunteer for 9/11.  We also ran the mile in gym, everyone got under 15 minutes! In social studies we wrote and watched videos about the bill of rights and the other 17 amendments. And that’s what happened in Mrs. Burns’ 5th class this week!


Friday, September 16, 2011

Friday, September 16th, 2011

Happy Constitution Day!

Social Studies:
    We read over some of the articles from the Constitution and did activities based on the reading.
     We also watched a movie on the Constitution and created questions about the articles.

Homework:  Constitution packet and cover textbook

Language Arts: No class today.  Read over the weekend

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Language Arts:

Today in Reader’s Workshop we read for 20 minutes and completed a reading response on what we have been reading in class. 
In Writer’s Workshop, we wrote another “small moment” with a special person.

Homework:  Read for 20minutes
                     Complete reading response if you did not complete in class.

Social Studies: Completed our geography challenge

Homework:  Cover text book for extra credit by Monday


Reminders:  Ice Cream Social on Friday

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

Language Arts:

Went to the Media Center today. Students were allowed to check out books.
In class we worked with a group on our "small moment" writing piece.  The students shared their piece and and received contructive criticism from their peers.

Homework:  Read nightly

Social Studies:  Worked on our "geography challenge."  They were placed with a partner and placed information on the given maps based on the clues they received.

* The students had time in the media center today to register on Learntci.com

Homework:  No homework this evening!

Reminders:  Curriculum night: Thursday, September 15th at 6:00
                       Ice Cream Social on Friday, September 16th

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Tuesday, September 13th,2011

Social Studies:

Today we began our first unit in social studies. We will be studying U.S History this year and we are starting this with understanding geography.

Homework:  Go to LearnTci.com and log in. Remember to use your school log in and password as you set up your account.  Use my email to get started. It is on the top of the blog and on the sticker I placed in your planner.  Please make sure you put yourself in the correct homeroom social studies class.
THIS IS TO BE COMPLETE BY THURSDAY.

Cover your social studies textbook. This needs to be done by Monday, September 19th.

Language Arts:

Today we worked on your first writing piece in writer's workshop.  We are writing about someone that matters to us.

Homework:
Read nightly
Readers notebook decorated due TOMORROW!

REMINDERS:Picture Day tomorrow!!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Monday,September 12,2011

Happy Monday!

Language Arts:  Today we worked on the website Criterion.  On this website we are able to answer a writing prompt and get an instant score and feedback.  We also began grammar by taking a pretest on the parts of speech.  

Homework: 
Bring a chapter book everyday
Readers notebook due Wednesday

Social Studies:  We did not have class today

Weekly Newsletter:
Each week we will be posting a letter about the previous week. The students will be in charge of this letter. A 5th and 6th grader will be in in charge each week of taking notes about activities in the classroom and current events.  I wrote the letter for last week to show the students what will be expected each week. 

Burns/Burdick Newsletter

                                                                                                                September 12, 2011


Dear Parents and Students:

            Welcome back to school.  I just know that the 2011-2012 school year is going to be an amazing experience for everyone. It was great to see all those smiling faces enter BCS on Tuesday with students who were eager to learn.

Tuesday:  The students worked together as a 54 for most of the day. They got to know Mrs. Burns and Mr. Burdick. The students went over class procedures and expectations.  One of the best activities we did today was called “Famous People.”  They had a famous or not so famous person taped to our back. They had to ask yes or no questions to our peers to try to figure out who we were.  Some of the people included Jay Z, Oprah, Einstein, Mrs. Burns and Mr. Burdick. 

Wednesday:  The students gradually started to follow their “regular schedule.”   They went to our co-curriculars and began language arts and math.  As a group of 54 we created the “Burns/Burdick constitution.  This constitution sets the expectations the students will follow in the classroom.

Thursday:  The students started ENGAGE!  Our focus for this unit is Towers.  The students were placed in groups from both homerooms. Mr. Burdick talked with the students about working in groups.  The students interviewed each and talked about their strengths and weaknesses.  Once they completed that they were given their first task. They were to build a tower out of a deck of cards and see how high they could get their tower.  After a few tries they were given tape to give more support to get a higher tower.

Friday:  The students continued to build towers in ENGAGE. Today’s challenge was a little more difficult. They have to build a tower out of spaghetti and tape.  It was great to see how creative they could get. Let’s just say we had a lot of broken spaghetti noodles!  In language arts we were introduced to our writer’s workshop model and the expectations for that time were explained.

Current Events:  Some events that happened for the week of September 5-9 are the Tigers won against the Twins, the Stock Market continued to have good and bad days and there was a lot discussion about upcoming events for the 10 year anniversary of 9-11.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Burns

Friday, September 9, 2011

Friday, September 9th, 2011

Happy Friday! 

Social Studies:
  •  We read in Time for Kids and discussed Hurricane Irene and 9/11
  • Completed activites based on the reading.
  • No homework this weekend.
Language Arts:
  • Read our novels for readers workshop
  • Began our Writer's Workshop
Homework: 
  • Decorate your Writer's Notebook. Decorated book due Monday, September 12th
  • Decorate you Reader's Notebook. Decorated book due Wednesday, September 14th
  • Bring a CHAPTER book EVERYDAY!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

We are definitely getting into the "groove" of being backtat BCS!

Today we worked as a 54 and began our ENGAGE unit of building towers.  We got into groups and talked about the importance of teamwork.  Since we worked on our Engage unit today for 2 class periods we did not have social studies. We will begin social studies tomorrow.

Language Arts:

Today we set up our Reader's Notebook and began logging the novels we are reading.  We also wrote letters to Mrs. Burns so she can get to know us better.
Homework: 
  • Review expectations with parents and sign the sheet. Please return signed sheet by Friday, Sept. 9th.
  • Decorate your Writer's Notebook. Decorated book due Monday, September 12th
  • Decorate you Reader's Notebook. Decorated book due Wednesday, September 14th
  • Bring a CHAPTER book EVERYDAY!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

Wow!  We had such a productive day!

Language Arts 5th and 6th grade:
     Today we meet for the first time and went over procedures and expectations. 

Homework: 
  • Review expectations with parents and sign the sheet. Please return signed sheet by Friday, Sept. 9th.
  • Decorate your Writer's Notebook. Decorated book due Monday, September 12th
  • Decorate you Reader's Notebook. Decorated book due Wednesday, September 14th
  • Bring a CHAPTER book EVERYDAY!
Social Studies:
We will meet for the first time tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Tuesday, September 6th,2011

Welcome Back!

We had a wonderful day today. It was so great to see all the smiling faces.

The students do have two homework assignments:

Language Arts:  Bring a chapter book and pictures for your "ME" poster.