Thursday, December 7, 2017

Friday-Morning Work


Watch the following video on Supermoons and be prepared to discuss. When you finish watching the video, begin typing club or read quietly

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Fifth Grade Science Camp
Wednesday, April 4th - Friday, April 6th

Program: Northwest Outdoor Science School is a multi-day, overnight experience for elementary students.  Participants live in and learn about the natural world in an outdoor setting. Curriculum is tied to Oregon Standards and Benchmarks for grade 5 in Science and also includes selected benchmarks in Mathematics, English, Social Science, Health Education, Physical Education, and the Arts.

Trained volunteers -- high school and college students -- stay with students in cabins and help teach on field studies. This program has served over 200,000 elementary students and over 50,000 high school students since 1968.

Our Site: Trickle Creek Outdoor School- 5390 4 H Rd NW, Salem, OR 97304.
Trickle Creek Outdoor School takes place at the Oregon 4-H Center. The camp is located 8 miles outside of Salem. It is about a 90 minute bus ride from Lewis Elementary.

Trickle Creek's food is nutritious and delicious! It includes alternatives for all dietary needs.
*If your child has special dietary needs or allergies, please contact your classroom teacher.  

*To read more about Trickle Creek, please visit

Cost: $160 per student. Please take a moment to fill out the following form so we know how to best approach fundraising. https://goo.gl/forms/0TpFzTUx5rjnjs0q2 A link to this form can be found on each classroom teacher’s blog.

Frequently Asked Questions:
  • Is there a Nurse on site? Yes. There is a full time, Certified Nurse on staff and all staff members are First Aid and CPR certified.
  • Can my child bring a cell phone? No. It’s time to unplug and enjoy nature! If you need anything while we are at camp, you can contact Lewis Elementary and Tracy will connect you with us.  We will also give you a camp phone number that should only be used in case of an EMERGENCY.
  • Are parents chaperoning? The camp is providing all necessary staffing, so we will not be bringing parents. Don’t forget that your child’s classroom teacher will be there for emotional support :)
  • How do we know what to pack? As we get closer to camp, we will send out a packet of information that includes a packing list. We are attaching a sample packing list so you can start planning for what you need.

Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher for individual questions.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Science Camp Volunteers Wanted

Fifth grade Science Camp will take place late this Spring. As we wait for them to announce our official dates, we want to get fundraising organized. If you are interested in helping us with fundraising, we'd love the support. There are many ways to be involved so please add your name to this
online form if you are interested in hearing more. Thank you! And more info to come...

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

What's New in Room 21?

A few updates from Room 21… Students are presenting their state research slides along with their beautiful state floats. Students are welcome to take their state floats home once they receive their grading rubric. Thank you for supporting your children throughout this project. The floats turned out great!  In writing, students are beginning a new writing unit “ “. We will be using this unit to guide our work with Native American studies. This group of students loves to read :) so our Reading Workshop is the most sacred part of the day. Students are feeling confident about independently selecting a “Just Right Book”. Yay! We are now focusing on tracking our thinking while reading, working hard with our Word Work groups, and exploring new comprehension strategies. In math, we are reviewing how to find factors of any given number. We are also identifying if a number is prime, composite, or “Uno no?” (Ask your kids what that means) We are also squeezing in as much art as possible. We just completed some ‘animal obsessed’ art that we are going to use for the PTA fundraiser. We are currently working on a still life piece that will be displayed this month. Stay tuned for an update.

A few other reminders--
-RUn for the Arts is this Friday so please make sure your kiddos are wearing appropriate clothing and shoes.
-Students have two more geography regions to study for so please make sure they are practicing at home.
-Students need to have multiplication assessments complete by the end of the month so don’t forget to quiz them.
*Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @LewisRoom21 and visit our classroom blog for weekly updates http://lewisroom21.blogspot.com/.

Please work with a partner to record research questions that your group created...


Native American Research Questions

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Classroom Updates

Happy Wednesday!  It was so great seeing all of you at Back-to-School Night!  If you were unable to make it, don’t forget to stop by the classroom to sign up for conferences.  Conferences are in November this year so they’ll be here before you know it. We are hard at work here in 5th grade so here are a few updates...

Social Studies-- As we begin our study of U.S. geography, students are memorizing U.S. States and Capitals. Students will have weekly quizzes dedicated to a particular region and then a final test on all 100!  Last week students memorized the Western Region and this week they are studying the Southwest Region. If you have questions about the regions, please reference the map located in the S.S. section of their binder.  *State Float Project is due next Tuesday, September 26th.  You can find examples on our classroom blog.

Math--We are learning to use Google Sheets to create classroom graphs. Students worked with a partner to measure their current height and they are now graphing the results. We also began some work with multi-digit multiplication and I noticed that several students do not have their multiplication facts memorized. Uh oh!
This can be tricky for students, especially when their multiplication facts aren’t fully memorized.  Please spend time at home practicing those facts with your children.  They need to be MEMORIZED!

Writing-- Students worked with a partner to create a Partner Poem.  These poems are posted under their self portraits this week so stop by and check those out.  We are now working on a Tour of the States Project.  Students are researching the same state that they are using to create their State Float.  They will then create a presentation using Google Slides to “show off” their state and attract travelers.

Literacy--This week we continue setting up routines for Reading Workshop. We are focusing on selecting “just right” books and building our reading stamina. We are also running through our Word Work routine as a class so students have experience with all aspects before they move into small group work.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @LewisRoom21 and visit our classroom blog for weekly updates http://lewisroom21.blogspot.com/.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Welcome Back!

I am very excited for this school year and I look forward to getting to know all of you.  Last week we spent time learning names, reflecting on the previous school year, and discussing hopes for fifth grade.  We also spent a great deal of time learning the ins and outs of our daily schedule and setting clear expectations for fifth grade academics and behavior.  I have no doubt that this is going to be an amazing school year!

This year you can follow us on Twitter @LewisRoom21 for weekly photos. Also, look for regular updates at http://lewisroom21.blogspot.com/. Here you will find our classroom calendar with important events.

Don't forget to return the registration packets and parent surveys as soon as possible.  And most importantly, don't forget to mark your calendars for Back-to-School Night on Tuesday, Sep. 19 at 6:30 pm.  

We do have a few students with nut allergies in our classroom so please be mindful of this. It is fine to bring a lunch that contains nut products but please do not send a snack that contains any traces of nuts. We usually eat our snack in the classroom so please read labels and send an appropriate snack.

I hope you have a wonderful week and try to stay cool! Please let me know if you have any questions or wonderings.  

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Start With a Hook

Start your introduction with a sentence that gets the reader interested in the topic. To pique the reader's interest, you can begin with a quote, a personal story, a surprising statistic or an interesting question. For example, if you are arguing that smoking should be banned from all public places, you can start your introduction by referencing a statistic from a verified source: "Tobacco use kills more than five million people every year -- more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, according to the World Health Organization." This strategy grabs the reader's attention while introducing the topic of the essay.

Include Background

Providing readers with background on the topic allows them to better understand the issue being presented. This information provides context and history that can be crucial to explaining and arguing your point. For example, if you are arguing that there should never be a military draft in the United States, your introduction can include information about the history of the U.S. draft and the events that led to it being abolished.

State Your Thesis

The thesis is the essence of an argumentative essay. In a single, clear sentence, it sums up what point you are trying to make. The thesis statement should assert a position on a particular issue -- one that a reader can potentially argue against. Therefore, the thesis cannot be a fact. For example, if a professor assigns the general topic of war, you can formulate the following thesis statement: "The United Nations must be redesigned because it is currently incapable of preventing wars." The rest of your essay serves to explain and provide evidence in support of your thesis statement.

What to Leave Out

A good introduction should not be describing arguments or providing analysis that belong in the body paragraphs. Your introduction should introduce and set up your point, rather than lay out evidence to support it. Also, while your intro is a road map for the rest of the essay, you shouldn't explicitly announce what and how you will be arguing: "I am going to prove to you that ..." This type of setup does not add any pertinent information and only serves as filler.


http://education.seattlepi.com

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Valentine Names

*Make sure you have a valenitine for everyone*
Lilly
Marco
McKenna
Reed
Milla
Helen
Isiah
Channing
Koi
Luca
An
Gracie
Quinten
Bella
Maddox
Vincent
Sasha
T.G.
Arlo
Eliot
Erik
Genevieve
Nico
Rose
Jakey
Aviva
Sam
Luca
Scarlett
Tyra

Monday, February 6, 2017

Classroom Notes 2/6/17

On Tuesday, February 14th our class will be having a celebration in honor of Valentine’s Day.  If your child would like to bring valentines to pass out, please make sure each child in the class receives one. They are welcome to bring valentines anytime next week and I will hold them until Tuesday when we will pass them out. Valentines need not be fancy, or store-bought. If you need help with supplies, please let me know.


There is a sign-up for snacks outside the classroom. Please have those items to me by Monday morning, 2/13. You are welcome to bring items earlier (We have a refrigerator).


*Students will need to decorate a “Valentine’s Day Box” at home as part of their homework.  I will discuss this assignment with students and there are photo examples on our classroom blog… http://lewisroom21.blogspot.com/



Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Classroom Notes January 23, 2017


Welcome back! I hope you and your family had a relaxing winter vacation and an even better snow “vacation” too.  I am excited to be back at work spending time with your wonderful children!  The first week was a bit of a whirlwind- lots of emotions for me and not much sleep :) I really do appreciate all of your support and thoughtfulness.  Since our return from the snow days, we have hit the ground running, beginning several new units of study.  In Math, we are wrapping up long division then moving to fractions.  In Writing, we are beginning a graphic novel unit.  We are exploring the life and culture of Native American groups in Social Studies.  This will include a home project which will be due in February. Details and instructions went home last week.  I also sent home a parent survey and I am hoping to have those all back by Friday.  Since my schedule before and after school will vary depending on daycare, the best way to contact me is via email.  My email is nspeer@pps.net.  Please feel free to check our blog weekly http://lewisroom21.blogspot.com/ and follow us on twitter @Lewisroom21.    

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Black History Timeline

Step 1: Please Select a Person or Event
Step 2: Check in with Ms. Natalie
Step 3: Begin research...See next post