Gallon Frog

The purpose for this lesson is to provide the students with a variety of opportunities to identify and to compare customary units of measurement (gallon, quart, pint, and cup) in regards to capacity. During this class the students built a gallon frog.

Starting Pre-Algebra!

If you remember Algebra as that daunting class in junior high that the “advanced” students took, you may be surprised to learn that children now begin studying algebra as early as kindergarten. Algebra is essentially the study of patterns, relationships, and variables. As soon as a child asks, “How many crackers can we each have for snack today, Mom?” or “How many more minutes of TV time left?” she is doing algebra.
In fifth grade, algebra goes from being an underlying element in math work to a main element in class. But algebra is still all around us, from the data in the news to real life situations such as shopping and sports.

Reminder- Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving break will be November 26-27-28. I hope this will be a time for thanksgiving for all our families.

Veterans Day

Veterans Day is observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

We appreciate our veterans.

Where in the World IS Mr. Wagnon???

Well he is at Hamilton Medical Center. He was home for a week fighting this and the Doctor decided he needed to be in the hospital to fight it more aggressively. Mr. Wagnon has Pneumonia He is doing better, but will even have to take it easy when he gets back to school. Any help when he gets back would be appreciated.

Fall Break

Fall Break starts at the end of the school day on October 9th and students will return on October 15th. I hope that the break will be a great break for us all and we all come back to school all ready to start a new nine week period.

Adding Fractions

Adding fractions is a pretty straightforward operation, if you follow the rules. But the key is to make sure the denominators are the same. That way, our point of reference is the same and we can now work the problem.
Here is the Rule for adding fractions:
If needed, we have to build each fraction so that the denominators are the same.
Then, we add the numerators.
The denominator of your answer will be the same denominator of the built-up fractions.
As always we have to reduce or simplify the answer, if required.
Note: We Do Not Add denominators!

At Workshop!

Cleo wants you to know that Mr. Wagnon is at a workshop this week and will be back Friday.

Hopefully the workshop will give my owner new strategies to use in the classroom and maybe give him some ideas on how to keep me engaged in doing something besides sleeping.

Constitution Day September 17th

Thirty-nine of the 55 Delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787. The Congress, by joint resolution, has designated September 17th as “Citizenship Day” and the week beginning September 17th and ending September 23rd of each year as “Constitution Week”. Public Law 108-477 contained in the recent Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005 states that “each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution.

Mr. Wagnon's Reading Class

Mr. Wagnon's reading class is reading "The Diver and the Dolphins" it comes from the book "Dolphin Adventures".
"Dolphin Adventure"A True Story is about a diver named Wayne Grover and how he helps a dolphin family. He was diving one day and a wild dolphin family came to him. Wayne saw that the baby dolphin was hurt. He helped get the hook out of the dolphin's flesh.
Then, sharks attacked. After the battle and the sharks were far away, the hook was out. Then, the dolphins swam away. Wayne wondered what would happen to the baby dolphin. Would the baby get tracked down and eaten by sharks, would it bleed to death, or would it survive? I liked the fact that it had dolphins and humans working together, and that Wayne Grover helped a dolphin.
Hopefully after completing this story students will have a better love for helping animals.

Math - What we are learning!

In math we are working on decimals. When we have completed our unit on decimals students will:
Ø Understand place value from thousandths to one million.
Ø Model and explain multiplication and division of decimal fractions
Ø Apply the rules for multiplication of decimal fractions.
Ø Use formulas to represent the relationship between quantities.
Ø Uses variables for unknown quantities.

You can review your child at night to make sure they are understanding what is being taught in math.

GO SOUTHEAST RAIDERS!!!

Our students support our feeder school "Southeast Whitfield Raiders"... We hope to see you all at the Southeast game on Friday nights. GO RAIDERS!

Early Dismissal September 17th

Early dismissal provides an opportunity for parent conferences and professional learning. September seventeenth will be designated as a professional development day.

We will schedule conferences at a later date.
Elementary students will be dismissed at 11:50 a.m.

Mind Boggling Year - Fifth Grade

Fifth grade is a mind boggling year, with middle school looming on the horizon. Although your child looks like a giant, compared to the younger set at their school, don't forget that they still are a work-in-progress. Enjoy watching your child rise to meet the challenges and eventually sail past them. Fifth Grade can be challenging and more difficult than previous grades. Just make sure that whatever pace they set, you're cheering along the way!

Mr. Wagnon New Foster Parent for Puppies

This is her sister. Are they not the cutest puppies you have ever seen?

Mr. Wagnon New Foster Parent for Puppies

At 10:00 p.m. last night the phone rings and it is my son wanting me to be a Foster home for two dogs. This is one of the dogs.

GO DAWGS!

Talking to your Fifth Grader... Good Article...

How to Talk to Your 5th Grader
by Chick Moorman

Are you and your fifth grader having a hard time coming to an agreement? Is he indecisive? Does he drag his feet or just refuse to agree with anything you say? Then now is the time to add the “tie-down” strategy to your talks.
Tie-downs are a way to get a positive verbal response from a resistant child. They are phrases that you attach to a question to increase your chances of getting an affirmative commitment. Some examples are:

“Aren’t they?”
“Can’t you?”
“Doesn’t it?”
“Haven’t they?”
“Isn’t that correct?”
“Won’t you?”
“Wasn’t it?”
“Couldn’t you?”
“Don’t we?”
“Don’t you agree?”

You should use tie-downs during important discussions with your fifth grader. They help build momentum towards an agreement. Here's an example of how it might work:
“So you left your books at school, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“That violates our agreement, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“You can guess what that means, can’t you?”

Tie-downs are a gentle way of reminding your child of her obligations and commitments. You'll get less resistance and fewer arguments, don't you agree?

Writing

Writing: As in the previous grades, writing parallels reading. Expect book reports and story writing; but also expect new attention to creating full paragraphs and short essays that use evidence to make a point, provide detailed comparisons and contrast, or explain research in science, math or social studies. Fifth Grade will put a heavy emphasis on the writing process: outlines, rough drafts, and final ones, and you can help at each stage.

Encourage your child to write.

Language

In language we are working hard on diagramming sentences.

Math

In math we are learning about adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying decimals. We are also looking at how to interpret graphs.

By the end of fifth grade, your child should have more or less automatic mastery of all math “facts”—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—of numbers from 1-12. Equally important, your child should understand how those “mathematical operations” work, along with the role of place value, fractions, decimals, and beginning geometry. Make sure you check with your teacher if you notice glitches in your child’s understanding; middle school teachers will expect that these foundations are securely in place, and if they aren’t, your child may struggle to keep up.