ART FIELD TRIP!!!

Friday June 3rd the 5th grade classes will be going to the Works: Detroit gallery to see an exhibit staring Ghamba! Who is the paper mache elephant that the 5th grades classes all created together. We will be boarding the busses at 11:00 a.m. and returning for lunch at around 12:25 p.m.  

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail Ms. Seikaly Dseikaly@uprep.com


Danielle Seikaly

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION....

Our Newbery Medal podcast/movies are almost complete!  I hope your child has shared this exiting project with you over the past month.  The students read a Newbery Medal or Honor book, choose one scene from the story, wrote a story board, and then a script.  They learned so many skills from this project and sharpened others, such as revising!  They also discovered how to adapt a story into a movie script, adding dialogue, stating the story from a character's point of view, and interpreting what the author might think is the important point within the scene.  We then did podcasts, found pictures that represented the scene or characters, and are now in the process of putting them into iMovie.  Below is Nadia's finished movie.  Take out some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy!!  (I'll be posting other movies under the "Student Work" tab.

                                                                                              

FAMILY GAME NIGHT - THANK YOU

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Family Game night was a lot of fun and I enjoyed spending extra time with many families.  But I need to give a special THANK YOU to the following students who stayed after school, learned the math games, made signs, and taught the games to others:

Shanna Lawrence

Nadia Bailey

Khalif Hampton

Lance Johnson

Katilynn Palmer

Hailey Edgar

Joshua Stephens

Faith Harper

EXHIBITION REMINDER

MILESTONE #3

Due Thursday, May 12^th 

In order to pass Milestone 3, your child will need THREE different types of visual aids to capture and retain the attention of their audience.  Please refer to the Do Something packet that you received at your child's learning team meeting for examples of completed power points.  

1.    Pictures and/or Video:

a.    Everyone must include pictures or videos as evidence of them “doing something”

b.    If students volunteered at a location, it is expected that they have pictures for every visit. They were supposed to visit the location at least 2 different times

2.    Flyers/Posters/or Pamphlets:

a.    Any flyers, posters, and/or pamphlets that were created to advertise their event or effort

3.   Power Point or Glogster:

a.    This should be used to help organize and present all of the information from Milestone 2 (vocabulary, statistics, history, interview questions/answers etc…) and their RELFECTION in an interesting manner

FAMILY GAME NIGHT!

REMINDER:  FAMILY GAME NIGHT IS THIS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27TH FROM 5:00-6:30.


Come learn fun math games you can play with your family to help improve students' math skills while having fun at the same time. Mr. Curran will be hosting an Internet safety workshop at 5:00 in his room. Math games start at 5:30. There will be a giveaway of numerous math games and flashcards at 6:30. You must be present to win. Snacks and drinks will be provided. We hope to see you all there.

NOTE FOR MILESTONE #2 - DUE THURSDAY, APRIL 28TH

Students are expected to have:


1.  Notes in an outline with facts about the problem they want to fix for their Do Something Project


2.  Interview questions and answers from the interviewee (minimum of 10 questions - YES/NO questions are not allowed.


3.  Completed words and stats sheet (5 words form their resources and definitions and at least 3 statistics about the problem.


All sheets of the project can be found at http://www.scribd.com/doc/50823607/Do-Something-Project-Updated-Version-2011

FAMILY GAME NIGHT!

The third floor is sponsoring a Family Game Night on Wednesday, April 13^th at 5:30 p.m. We will be focusing on math games that the family can play as a whole. This will not only support the benefit of family time, but also enhance academic knowledge.

I hope to see all of my families there, especially since OUR floor is sponsoring it. Snacks will be provided and we will be raffling off the games that are played that night. Be one of the lucky winners to leave with a FREE game!

Exhibition Reminder

Milestone 1

Due THIS Thursday, April 14^th 

In order to pass Milestone 1, THREE things are needed in addition to 

filling out the Milestone 1 form:

1.    3 Books:

a.    the actual books need to be brought in

2.    3 Websites:

a.    printed off pages from the actual websites

3.    Interview:

a.    Interviewee ‘s Contact Information- on the Milestone 1 form

b.    Interview Questions- at least 10

*The actual interview does NOT have to be conducted until Milestone 2. However, the interview questions and the interviewee’s contact information are due for Milestone 1.

“Do Something” Proposal:

Due THIS Thursday, April 7^th 

Write your design proposal on the proposal form. Once you submit your proposal it is FINAL!

Proposals are due THIS week and it is CRITICAL that each student spend enough time conducting research to ensure that they have the following items solidified BEFORE they turn in their proposal on April 7^th:

1.    A location for their “Do Something” project confirmed

AND

2.     Contacted an expert who has agreed to an interview

MEAP Reports

Look for the MEAP reports in your child's Friday folder tomorrow, April 1st.  As always, please contact me if you have any questions and/or concerns.

FREE DRESS

Free Dress is tomorrow, Friday, April 1st.  We had discussions today in class regarding dress for tomorrow's performance.  Their clothing needs to be nicer than what they would typically wear on Free Dress day, and shirts should not have any wording or graphic designs on them.  

Anne Frank play

On Friday, we'll be going to see the Anne Frank play. Everyone in the class said they didn't need a lunch from the school. So, there will be no school lunches for our class--we had to submit numbers of lunches today. Please make sure your child has a lunch on Friday. In addition, lunch will be much later in the day (at approximately 1:00). We will not have any time for snacks, so it is imperative that all students eat a hearty breakfast that will hold them over until 1:00.

Students must be on time for school both days! We will be leaving around 8:30.

Anne Frank Play Field Trip

On Friday, April 1, 2011, the fourth and fifth graders will be traveling to the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn to see the play, The Diary of Ann Frank. The cost for the play is $5.00, and is due by Thursday, March 24th.

Please have your student to school on time, as we will be leaving school at 9:00 a.m., and returning around 1:00. There will be bag lunches for those students who normally get school lunch. All other students should still bring their lunch. 

Field trip to UPA Middle School

On Thursday, March 31st, we will be taking a field to UPA Middle School from 9-11:00.

This weekend please encourage your child to spend some time researching an area of concern in regards to their “Do Something” project.

Proposals are due in three weeks and it is CRITICAL that each student spend enough time conducting research to ensure that they will have the following items solidified BEFORE they turn in their proposal on April 7^th:

1.    A location for their “Do Something” project confirmed

AND

2.     Contacted an expert who has agreed to an interview

It is extremely important to have these two items secure BEFORE their proposal submission because remember, once your child submits their proposal it is FINAL!

That is why I am giving them more than THREE weeks to complete this task.

Any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS

Take a look at what the students are writing these days!  Click on the STUDENT WORK tab at the top of the page to read their writing.  Both are from weekend writings and they showcase how much the students have grown in their writing with specific examples and details.  The writings also give you an idea of how our kids view and understand what is happening in the world around them.

HOMEWORK ALERT

Students are responsible for Book in the Bag every week. They are due on Mondays. They are too read, summarize with one or two sentences, the number pages that have been read, and a parent's initials.  Students have NOT been turning these in and many are missing recess and lunch privileges.  Please monitor your student's reading and support their reading growth.  Thank you.

Shanna's UM Elite Experience

Nadia, Jalib, and Shanna have experienced workshops at U of M three times this year.  They have learned about different engineering programs, computer labs with statistics, and explored the animation studio.  They have also been involved with diversity workshops with students from other schools at U of M.  Shanna has written an interview piece that describes how she experienced U of M.  Please click on the Student Work tab at the top of the page to read this fabulous interview.

DO SOMETHING PROJECT

Here are a couple of notes that I want to mention about the third trimester exhibition project.

1. The project needs to be something that the child cares about and can do something about. It is not a project where they can just say, "I'm going to pick up trash on the street with my friend."

2. For Milestone #1, if students are unable to find books on their topic (if it's too new or obscure), they can use newspaper articles or magazine articles to substitute for the books. Chances are, if your child thinks it is a problem, someone else has too and has written about it somewhere. Try going to news websites and checking their archives for old articles/stories.
The websites listed below are good places to start looking.

• www.cnn.com
• usnews.com
• http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids

3. Stay away from money fund raising. Those projects are difficult to manage, but if they are interested in helping with relief to some place like Haiti or Japan, they can do a project getting people to donate needed items (do an online search for items disaster relief locations need if that is going to be your child's focus on the Do Something Project.

4. This project should be kid-focused and based on things that your child can actually do.

5. Creativity and action are key to this project!

Do Something Project

Students will be choosing a service project for their 3rd Trimester Exhibition.  Please view the presentation for examples and ideas.

Do something project presentation

Exhibition Rubric 2nd Trimester 2010-2011

Below you will find the rubric that will be used to score your student's exhibition.  Notice that there are changes to the visual aid scoring and to the delivery.  Students will be scored on neatness and speed.

2nd Trimester Exhibition Rubric

Rubric Tri. 2 3-11docx

Exhibition Schedule

Wednesday, March 9th          9:00  Larry


Thursday, March 10^th           9:00  Joshua

                                            10:00  Jalib

                                              1:15  Alexus

Monday, March 14^th             9:00  Tailor

                                            10:00  Lance

                                             1:15  Hailey

Tuesday, March 15^th            9:00  Kaitlynn

                                            10:00  Khalif

                                              1:15  DeShawn

Wednesday, March 16^th              1:15  Faith

                                                 2:15 Kacie

Thursday, March 17^th           10:00 Shanna

                                                1:15  Brandi

                                                2:15  Renardo

                                     

                 

                                                       

To all families who donated electrical tape, poster boards, and aluminum foil for our outstanding and fun science and math quiz boards.  If you haven't seen it in action, ask your student how it works!  

To Hailey's family for suppling much needed tissue and hand santizier.  To Khalif's family for the valuable pencils!

WOW!! What awesome performances at our Wax Museum on Tuesday!  We heard from Sidney Poitier, Levi Watkins, Rebecca Crumpler, Thurgood Marshall and many other African American doctors, educators, inventors, and law makers.  View the slideshow to see how your child was transformed into their person! 

FIELD TRIPS

Friday, March 25, 2011

The fifth graders will be traveling to Motown Museum with Mrs. Ritter.

On Friday, April 1, 2011

On Friday, April 1, 2011

The fourth and fifth graders will be traveling to the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn to see the play, The Diary of Ann Frank.  The cost for the play is $5.00.

We will be learning more about Ann's life prior to the field trip.  This past week, students read about Mies Giep, the woman who hid the Frank family, as well as other families from the Nazis.  Ask your student about what makes a person courageous.

EXHIBITION SIGN UP FORM

You will find the sign up form for your child's exhibition under the "Permission Slips & Forms" tab.  Please choose 3 days and 3 times.  I will do my best to give you your first choice.  We are starting exhibitions a few days early as the students and I decided that 4 exhibitions a day was too much, so we are going for 3 each day.  The students have been given time in school to complete many of the requirements on the checklist.  

MILESTONE 4 DUE MARCH 3RD

Below you will find the Checklist for Milestone 4.

Exhibition Checklist Trimester 2, 2011

WOW!! WHAT AN AMAZING 3 DAYS!

Sledding, disc golf, cross-country skiing, making fires, holding snakes and lizards, being challenged to work as a team on the ropes course, and experiencing cabin life are all the amazing things students did at camp.  I am so proud of how they acted and enjoyed themselves, and adapted to a new experience.  The only issue that came up was that I was not in on the girls' night talk and fashion show!    I took many pictures and videos and will have them up on the blog over the break.
I am sending home a note from the camp with dates for free Sunday activities at camp.  Once a month until June, you and your family can go and experience camp life.  I encourage you to take advantage of this as it is a beautiful camp and there are many activities offered.

CAMP FINAL INFORMATION

DEPARTURE:              Monday, 2/14

·         Students need to be at school, in the gym, by 7:45 a.m.

RETURN TO SCHOOL:            Wednesday, 2/16

·         Students will call from the bus when we are on the way back from camp

MEDICINE:

·         If your child needs to take medicine while at camp, the bottles need to be prescription medicine with the original label from the pharmacy with your child’s name on the label.

·         Asthma inhalers need to be labeled. Please use a marker to write on the inhaler.

·         If there is more than one medication, the child needs to have all medications in a Ziploc bag with his/her name on it.

·         There will be a teacher collecting the medicine prior to departure.

CHECK BAGS:

·                Please check your child’s bag before they leave the house!

·           No cell phones, toys, iPods/music players, food, electronics, money, gum, makeup, hairdryers, matches, curling irons or anything that cannot get dirty.  Bringing these items will result in being excluded and having to return home early.

·         Teachers will be checking bags before departure.

·         Students have to be able to carry their own bags to and from the bus.

·         Check the “What to Bring List” for information detailing necessary items.

SCIENCE EXHIBITION

During this science unit the students have been learning about different sources of energy, how energy transfers, and building electrical circuits with batteries, light bulbs, and wires.  As a culmination of this unit the students will be making electrical quiz boards for their exhibition this trimester. Using the batteries, light bulbs, and wires, the bulb will light when a paperclip, or other metal object, is touched to items that match (questions and answers will be on the board). 

The above supplies will be available for the students, but they will need to bring a poster board in to school.  We will be making these boards during school on Thursday and Friday, February 17^th & 18^th, so please have the poster boards at school by Thursday.

I have also asked the students to donate electrical tape for holding down the wires on the back of the board.  We will probably need 4-5 rolls.

Thank you for your continued support.  Please call or email me with any questions or concerns.

Mrs. Wagner

swagner@uprep.com

HOMEWORK

Home for this weekend has been posted on the "homework tab" at the top of the page.  Please review with your student in order to support the completion of their work.

African American Wax Museum

We have been exploring the genre study of BIOGRAPHIES this month. We have spent our time reading and analyzing the biographies of Wilma Rudolph and Barack Obama. We have also created three different biographies: one on Barack Obama and two others on extraordinary people that the students know.

The 4th and 5th graders will be participating in an African American Wax Museum as a culminating project to conclude this genre study. The theme for the museum is “Unsung Heroes.” The museum will be highlighting those African Americans who made great contributions to America, but often go unrecognized.

In preparation for the wax museum, your child will be creating a timeline and writing a 5-paragraph essay about their famous African American. In addition, they will condense their essay into a one-paragraph speech that they are required to memorize for the museum. Majority of the work will be done in class and will take place during the month of February.

The Wax Museum will be on March 1^st. More information regarding the time will be forth coming. I hope to see you all there.

Milestone #3 Reminder

IMPORTANT REMINDER!! 

MILESTONE #3 

Due Friday, February 11, 2011 

All visual aids for your interest project are due!!

Please have sign and return by Monday, January 31st.

You may use several different types of visual aids for your exhibition.  This will only enhance your presentation and retain your audience’s attention.

·        Visual aids can be:  Power Point Presentations, video clips, poster boards, posters, overhead projector transparencies, models, handouts, mobiles, diorama, and/or demonstrations.

o   For your “How-To” interest project you need to bring 2 items for each Roman numeral.  For example, if you are showing us how to bake chocolate chip cookies, you may want to bring in the pan, something to mix the dough with or, a poster, power point, etc., showing the history of your topic.

·        The visual aids should be large enough to be seen from the back of the room.  Something written on 8 ½ x 11 piece of paper is NOT a visual aid.

·        Do NOT bring pieces of paper that will become the visual aids.  They need to be already assembled.

·        All visual aids must be relevant to your interest project.  You CANNOT use generic or random pictures.  EX:   if you described the planet Neptune, you cannot use pictures about another planet.

You are required to have at least one visual aid per Roman numeral, but you are not limited to just one.

Student signature

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Parent signature

Permission forms

On the Permission Slips and Forms page (click the tab above), there are two forms that need to be filled out regarding behavior expectations and conduct. Please read them and fill them out. Then click submit.