Mrs. R. White's Blog

Reminder

2010-04-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

Poster Due: April 22nd

How Can We Make "Being Green" A Way Of Life

2010-04-07T05:58:00.000-07:00

April 22 is Earth Day. The students are learning about "being green". All fifth graders will create a poster. The poster will be judged and graded on the following: neatness, color, theme (whole theme fits together), poster that stands out, creative, and orginal . Students can use foam or stiff plastic board on the back of the poster paper to make a collage . Three dimensional posters are acceptable. Tri folders can be made as long as the original poster size is poster board size when folded. Family partaicipation is encouraged.

Due for grading: April 22 -How Can We Make "Being Green" A Way of Life"
Ideas: Conservation, Not Littering, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Carbon Foot Prints

Each child was given a hand-out on April 7th with the necessary data to complete the assignment.

Poster Contest: How

2010-04-07T05:56:00.000-07:00

March 22, 2010 to April 9, 2010

2010-03-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

Spring Assessments

Science: Alabama Science Assessment-April 6th

Beginning on March 24th the students will participate in some type of assessment. Please have your child eat breakfast because the snack schedule will change. The students will be in various states of testing, and they will not have snack time at 8:40. Each child needs at least two sharpened #2 pencils each day.

No homework will be assigned until after the assessments. Also the students will not take any major tests until after April 9th. Classwork will be so important because grades will come from their daily activities.

Have a wonderful AEA break. (April 12-16)

March 15-April 2, 2010

2010-03-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

Feb.24 to March 12

2010-02-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

Science:

AMSTI-Flippers- Flip Stick Construction, Flip Out, Controlled Experiments, etc.

Alabama Science Assessment Preparations -Powerpoint Presentations and Practice Testing

ASA Test is planned for April 6th, 2010.

Expect a pop quizz at any time on material that has been taught from the text. ( Module A-F )

The short test are knowledge level questions as provided by the publisher of the text. Higher order thinking skills are taught and practiced throughout the units.

Too Good For Drugs:

"Drug Free Rock" - Students will present the ..Rock.. on

March 10th- Ceremony -Parents Invited -Tenative Date

February 10, 2010

2010-02-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

Too Good For Drugs - All fifth graders will participate in a T.G.F.D's program in March. The boys and girls must learn the "Rap" for the special occassion. Parents will be invited for the event. Please encourge your child to practice the "Rap". We are still accepting donations for the shirts and the special refreshments. Thanks for all your support and help. Officer Joe Franklin is in charge of the program. The date and time should be confirmed soon.

Science - Read and study Chapter 12 in the text. Prepare for a pop quiz!
After Chapter 12 is completed, we will start on Chapter 13.

AMSTI- The students have completed the units on "Swingers "and" Lifeboats".
We have made our FOSS planes and have been exploring flight. The children seem to enjoy the lessons while learning about controlled variables, systems, and flight, etc.

Alabama Science Assessment at Hayden Middle School-5th grade-April 6th

Sharpened pencils are needed for each class. They need more than one pencil in case a point breaks. Thanks so much.

Variables-AMSTI-Module D -2010-3rd nine weeks

2010-01-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

Too Good For Drugs: In March the students will have a celebration for T.G.F.D. Please send a contribution for the refreshments. Officer Joe Franklin will present a program and visit with the students while students pledge to stay drug free. If possible, each child should donate $2.00 for the special snack. If we receive enough donation money, the students will have pizza, cake, and a drink.

Officer Franklin will try to get enough sponsors to provide shirts for each 5th grader. If you would like to make a contribution for the shirts, you can contact Officer Franklin. We can not purchase shirts without contributions.

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AMSTI- 3rd Grading Period - Variables -Investigations using swingers, lifeboats, flight of planes, and flippers.

Concepts:
A system is a set of related objects that can be studied in isolation.

A variable is anything that you can change in an experiment that might affect the outcome.

In a controlled experiment all the variables are controlled except one, allowing the experimenter to observe the effect of that one variable on the outcome.

A two-coordinate graph displays the effect of a variable on a system.

Students will construct materials used in investigations.

Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations: observing, communicating, comparing, organizing, and relating.

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Text: Module Modules: C and D

Lessons will be selected based on the Alabama Course of Study and the upcoming Alabama Science Assessment that will be given in April.
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November 18, 2009

2009-11-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

The seeds are growing in the ecocolums and the students look forward to the next adventure. Thanks for the contributions of the bottles. We have studied acids and bases with some fun experiments. Now it is test time.

Test Time:

Study Chapter 5 for an upcoming test. Know everything on pages B 68- B 69 and the following data:

Map the Concept: Know 3 types of symbiotic relationships:
Parasitism- one organism benefits, another is harmed
Commensalism-one organism benefits, another is not affected
Mutualsm-both organisms benefit

Acids and Bases

Recognize that red(purple) cabbage juice as a common indicator turns bright pink in the presence of an acid and green or yellow in the presence of a base.

Recoginze that grape juice turns deep red in the presence of an acid and blue in the presence of a base.

Recognize that the color of black tea becomes lighter in the presence of an acid and darker in the presence of a base.

Recognize the characteristics of common items as indicatorscontained in acids like citrus fruits, vinegar, and carbonated cola soft drinks, as well as common bases like a bar of soap, ammonia, baking soda, and antacids.

Listen to the audio about acids and bases.

November 2, 2009 -November 24, 2009

2009-11-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

AMSTI- Ecosystems

In this unit, students explore the web of relationships that link organisms to each other and to their natural environment. From their experiences, they develop an understanding of the following concepts:

Concepts:
An ecosystem is a community of organisms and its interaction with its environment.

Organisms can be categorized by the functions they serve in an ecosystem, producers, or decomposers.

Organisms in an ecosystem have dependent and interdependent relationships, which can be illustrated by food webs.

Factors that affect growth and reproduction of organisms in an ecosystem include light, water, temperature, and soil.

Natural and human-made events can "disturb" an ecosystem.

A pollutant is anything that can harm living organisms when too much of it is released into an ecosystem. Pollution is the condition that results when pollutants interact with the environment.

Pollutants can affect the stability of an ecosysterm; solutions can be developed to minimize or alleviate the effects of pollutants.

Model ecosystems can be used to learn more abouth the complex relationships that exists on earth.

Explore: Construction of Ecocolumns
November 2nd- Instructions for column ecosystems discussed in class and diagram sent home with the students. Due date: November 9th.

Their are 5 keys to prepariang the bottles for building an ecocolumn:
Collecting 3 bottles for each ecocolumn.
Cleaning the bottles out.
Removing thier lables.
Marking the bottles for cutting.
Cutting the bottles.

Reading selections are provided by AMSTI. Each students should maintain a written journal in their Science folders of all data daily. ARI-PALS will incorporated into each lesson. For the unit grades will be determined based on folder grades and classroom participation. We will finish the unit after the ecocolumns are polluted.

If you have plastic crates that hold 2-liter bottles, please send them to school. The crates will help prevent the ecocolumsnf from being accidentally knocked over in the classroom.

Thanks for your help,
Mrs. White

October 9, 2009

2009-10-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

End of the first grading period! Enjoy your HOLIDAY!

If you can afford to purchase your child a new folder, I would appreciate it. The folders from the first nine weeks are so dirty and nasty. Some of the folders are torn and the children cannot keep their assignments in the fasteners. Let's start the 2nd nine weeks with fresh and clean folders. Thanks for being great parents.

For the week of October 13, 2009- "Energy Flow" *Study, Study, Study!
Lesson 3, Module B - Pages B 22- B33 -Text
Review and Test Prep, pages B 32-B33 (1-20) - Text

Map the Concept: Know
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biome

October 5, 2009

2009-10-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Week of October 5, 2009

Classwork:
Biomes: Module B, Lesson, Lesson 2 Pages B12-B19 and supplement activities:
Rainforest Coniferous Forest Deciduous Forest Desert

Continue to study "Cells" Module A-Chapter 1.....
I sometimes will give a "Pop Quiz" to check for retention of objectives that should be mastered.

September 22, 2009

2009-09-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

Read and study pages B6-B31 until we finish the section.

Classwork:
Tuesday-Wednesday- Zike graphic organizer B6-B31
Thursday- B6-B9
Friday-B12-B19

Next week we will continue with Module B. (Food webs-food chains)

Fall Festival is planned for November 14, 2009.

September 16, 2009

2009-09-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

*In class, we are working from AMSTI and Chapter 2. The live cultures arrived! We will look at them under the microscope.

*If you are absent or want to study at home, please read and study the vocabulary from
Chapter 2. The "Review" questions will help you understand the main concepts and key points. The "Test Prep" on pages A78 and A79 offer extra assessments .

*We will skip around in Module A to match the Alabama Course of Study for Science.

* I hope to be in Chapter 4 , Module B by the week of September 28 . We will continue with AMSTI each week to continue our study of Microworld.

Week of September 14, 2009

2009-09-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Due Friday in folder/binder- Review questions with answers on Pages A11, A19, A 29, and A41

Organize folder/binders by date (AMSTI requirement for recording data)

Fun-We will look at an onion or some other fun object under the microscope this week. Bring an onion for class on Thursday.

This week in class we are working from AMSTI material. AMSTI lessons are not in the text.

Thanks to all the parents that make sure their child has several sharpened pencils daily. I have already purchased 2 boxes of pencil. (288 pencils) I have burned out two electric pencil sharpeners. With 199 students, I can not provide sharpened pencils daily.

Progress reports go home September 14th.

Next week-Chapter 2 text

Week of September 14, 2009

2009-09-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

Chapter 1 Reviews on pages A11, A19, A29, and A41 - Due Friday in folder/binder

Organize folders/binders by date

Chapter 2 next week If you want to read ahead, we will study Chapter 2, Lesson 1 next week.

Fun- We will look at an onion under the microscope. This week in class we are working from AMSTI. AMSTI lessons are not in the text.

Reminder: Progress Reports went home today.

September 11, 2009

2009-09-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

Today Mr. Parker was able to connect my entries to the homework web site. I'm so happy that I'm now on the homework site because it will benefit students and parents.

Classwork:
All work should be left in their folder. The folder should be organized by date. The students who have completed folders will receive a grade of 100 points for each folder check. Organization is an important skill. This is an easy 100 points. If your child wants to use a binder rather than a folder, it is acceptable. The binder needs to be organized by the date with all data left in the binder.

Homework:
I usually do not assign homework, but most class assignments can be taken home. Daily each child has the opportunity to write in their planner or folder the objective for the day. This allows parents to review important concepts at home. Study!

Week of September 13, 2009
Chapter 2 and AMSTI - Lessons 1 and 2

September 15 0r 16
Deputy Grissom: T.G.F.D.

Coin Drive- Education Foundation - September 15-18 -

For Your Information
I have a total of 199 students that I teach each day.

Students need sharpened pencils, folder, planner, and text for each lesson. Crayons, colored pencils, or markers can be used in Science class. Pens are also acceptable for certain activities.

The boys and girls seem to enjoy having a variety of teachers rather than being in a self-contained classroom. Most of the children can open their lockers and get to class on time.
They sometimes forget their text or pencil.

I will send a note home to you if I see a problem that needs to be addressed. Because I have so many children, I can not alway use the computer or phone.

Progress reports will be sent home on September 13, 2009

"Tool Time"- September 13, 2009

Thank You,
As most of you already know, I was granted a leave of absence last year because of my husband's illness. Thank you so much for all the love and support that you gave to my family. The prayers, cards, flower, and thougtful comments are appreciated. Charles is still taking "chemo", and we are dealing with all sorts of concerns. Thanks again for being such an awesome community.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful year. Let me know how I can help your child have a wonderful year at HMS.

September 8, 2009

2009-09-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Test- Friday September 11, 2009
Chapter 1, Lessons 1-4 Module A Study

The Science classes this week started a program called T.G.F.D. !!! The students enjoy the officers and the program.

August 31, 2009

2009-08-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

Science
Module A, Chapter 1 and 2
Food Web
Read and study for upcoming testing.
AMSTI- Observing with a lens

The students should daily bring their Science folder, text, planner, and sharpened pencils, etc. to class. Grades are taken from their folder work, testing, and AMSTI. Each student has the opportunity to write the daily activities in their folder and planner.