Charlotte and Wilbur: Friends Till the End.

Dear Parents of Room 10,

What an exciting week we had in Room 10, despite the fact that we had Monday off.  It was really fun to hear the children practice for their winter concert.  Mrs. Rosselli has prepared an amazing program for both the fourth and fifth grade students.  I have the pleasure of being the page-turner again this year for Mrs. Summers.  Tuesday afternoon will be the school concert and Tuesday evening the children will be performing for their families at the High School.  The children will receive specific details concerning their arrival times, depending on whether they are in band, orchestra or choir only.  See you Tuesday night!

The respiratory system has been our focus for the last two weeks.  It will culminate with a quiz later this week.  I am excited to introduce the whale unit to the boys and girls.  In addition to learning about whale anatomy, behaviors and whaling history, we will also be watching “The Voyage of the Mimi,” starring a 10-year-old Ben Affleck.  It’s old but still relevant.

Spelling will be on hiatus for the next few weeks.  Instead, we will focus on vocabulary.  It’s never too early to prep for the SATs, so I have selected vocabulary words from a list of 100 Top SAT words.  The children will have activities related to their 10 vocabulary words each week, and they will take a vocabulary test on Fridays.  A cumulative test will be given at the conclusion of the unit.  You should see your child studying their vocabulary words nightly.

Last week the reading skill we focused on was Author’s Purpose.  It was a full-class lesson that outlined the three primary reasons an author writes: to inform, to entertain or to persuade.  Currently, we are learning about persuasive or argumentative essays.  The children have taken a position on whether chocolate milk should be served in the cafeteria, and they have begun to edit and revise their piece.

On Thursday, the kids worked with their Bacher Buddies to make their very own Wilbur that is now on display outside our room above their Charlotte projects.  The kids thoroughly enjoy working with their second grade buddies.  It’s always nice to see our 5^th graders take on a leadership role. 

      See you all on Tuesday night!
      Lester Betor and class 

Pajama Day 2014!

Greetings from Room 10,
        This was a particularly productive week as we moved head-on into our new writing unit.  The children have been exposed to a few articles that debate whether school cafeterias should serve chocolate milk.  I have been impressed by how well they can articulate their points and opinions.  Lots more reading about chocolate milk next week.
         We began our respiratory unit in health.  The children have been exposed to a considerable number of new vocabulary words as we investigate the breathing process.  It's an interesting unit, but then again, one of our topics yesterday was boogers.  I mean, can it get any better than that?
         The next Betor's Bulls-Eye project is due February 14th, which is the last day before min-winter break.  I have already been given many projects.  If your child has not yet completed his/her 3rd project, please make sure it is ready for the 14th.
         In grammar we have focused on the homophones your & you're, their, there & they're and its & it's.  I am pleased to say that they did very well.
         The Betor/Bacher Buddies got together on Thursday to make a Charlotte's Web project.  They are currently being displayed in our hallway.  I took lots of photos which should be included on the "One School, One Book" website.
         Bagel Thursday and Pajama Day 2014 both proved to be fun events.  I am attaching several pictures of the kids lounging around reading in their jammies and their stuffed animals.

         Have a wonderful long weekend!  Take care, Lester Betor & class

Happy New Year!!

                                                                                                                   January 1, 2014

Happy New Year!

          As we say goodbye to the year 2013, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished so far this school year.  We have published several writing pieces, learned about crayfish, performed many readers’ theatre plays, learned many new vocabulary words, completed Jeff’s Journey, focused on the geography of the Western Hemisphere, enjoyed four read-alouds and graduated from DARE.

          We also participated in philanthropic endeavors by making and selling Rainbow Loom bracelets to support breast cancers, collecting toiletries for our local food bank and Grassroots Givers and collecting donations for the people of the Philippines.  And we accomplished all of this and MORE in a mere four months.  Pretty impressive, right!

READING

          Moving into 2014 gives us all the opportunity for a fresh start and to renew our academic focus.  Establishing a nightly reading routine is very important.  In September we decided as a class that students must read a minimum of 30 minutes nightly in order to be able to finish at least 25 books this year.  For Betor’s Bulls-Eye, that includes a brief summary (2-3 sentences) of each book.  At his point, the children should have read and documented between 10-12 books.  During a recent Betor’s Bulls-Eye “state-of-the-class” I discovered that many students are NOT keeping up with this reading requirement; that is, not completing their nightly homework.  In looking over their Betor’s Bulls-Eye packets, I have found that far too many students are NOT keeping up with their nightly reading assignment.  When school resumes, please take a peek at your child’s Betor’s Bulls-Eye packet to get an idea of where he or she stands.  More importantly, please ensure that your child is reading at least 30 minutes every evening.

WRITING

          Starting this month, your child will be assigned writing homework a few nights each week.  This is based on a new writing program developed by author Lucy Calkins.  Our first unit is a research-based argument essay. Beginning the week of January 6^th we will be doing four preliminary writing exercises, and the children will be completing a writing pre-assessment.  The following week we will begin the new unit.  I am excited to get started with this program, and I am anxious to see the essays the children write.

REPORT CARDS

          As you recall, students will be receiving two report cards this year;  one in January and one in June.  I shared the format of the new report cards during our parent-teacher conference in the Fall.  They have been updated to reflect the Common Core curriculum.  I will let you know when the report cards may be viewed on BC@Home. 

         

          I am looking forward to the exciting times I will share with your children as we move through the remainder of their 5^th grade experience.  Next up…MUSICAL AUDITIONS!

                                                                                                Happy 2014!  Lester Betor

DARE Graduation!

Dear Parents of Room 10,

      Thank you so much to all of our parents who helped with the editing this week and last week.  It’s a huge undertaking since the children wrote extensive drafts.  My goal is for the children to turn in final copies by next Friday.  Today, many began writing their final copies.  If your child would prefer to type his/her final copy, they may do so at home.  I hope to begin our new persuasive unit when they return from the holiday break.  

       In reading this past week, our skill focus was main idea.  I began with a full-class lesson on Wednesday.  We will continue to work on this skill next week as we explore implicit v. explicit main idea during small group instruction.  Last week the children did really well with inferring.

     Betor's Bulls-Eye project #2 is due on Wednesday, December 18th.  Many children have already brought in their projects and have been ANXIOUS to present them.  

       Don’t forget that Monday, December 16th at 9:45 is our DARE Graduation.  The children are really excited to participate in this program and rite of passage.  See you then!  

         All are welcome to join us for our holiday party next Friday at 1:15pm!!

                                                                                             Lester Betor & class

               

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah!!!

Greetings from Room 10,

            Wow!  We had a vey busy week in Room 10!  I was out two afternoons this week and thankfully, Mrs. Landrigan was my substitute.  We have worked together for years, so it’s a very smooth transition from Betor to Landrigan.  The District offered two professional development opportunities, both of which focused on Common Core math standards.  I got good reports from Mrs. Landrigan both days.

            It was really nice having the opportunity to have so many of you stop into class on Monday.  The kids loved it!  I mentioned to them on Wednesday that they are wonderfully enthusiastic singers.  They LOVE going to the piano each morning to sing.  Of course, there is a method to my madness.  Reading lyrics to a song helps with reading fluency.  So doing readers’ theatre and singing songs strengthens my reading program!!

            This week in geography the children learned about latitude and longitude.  Ask your child how they were taught to remember the difference.  It is actually very effective but very annoying!  On Friday they worked in groups and, using globes, located various cities using latitude and longitude.  We also continued to play the cardinal direction game.

            As a part of our reading program, I taught the children how to read a textbook.  Reading non-fiction, especially a textbook, is quite different from reading a novel.  The children focused on the non-fiction text features as we maneuvered through the text.  Each year I focus on the skills required for reading a textbook so that the children can easily transition to this type of reading when they become middle school students.  In addition, Ms. Casucci worked on cause and effect in small, guided reading groups.  We bid Ms. Casucci farewell as she begins her career in education.

            By Tuesday of next week, I expect all of the children to have completed drafting their historical fiction story.  I have given them plenty of class time to work on their drafts, and some of the children have taken it upon themselves to work on it at home.  After Thanksgiving, I will need help in the classroom to edit the pieces.  Details will follow.

            Next week, because we will only be in class for two days, there will be no spelling, no weekly reflection and I will not update our class blog.    Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah to those of you who celebrate.  

American Education Week 2013

Greetings Parents of Room 10,

ON THE STORE FRONT…

         The school store is about to be opened and we need your help.  The store is generally open Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning from 9:10 to 9:30.  Are you available to help out for about a ½ hour one of these mornings?  I am looking for one parent per day to help manage the store (and children) from 9-9:30.  This includes set-up, sales and break-down.  5Betor will be in charge of the school store for the next month or so.  Please let me know if you can help us out.  Drop me an email with your availability.

ON THE SOCIAL FRONT…

We are looking forward to American Education Week and your visit on Monday, November 18^th.  Please stop by about 9:50am.  The children are excited to share readers’ theatre with you as they have been polishing their performances.  In addition, you may wish to join your children for lunch/recess which begins at 11:05am.

Eat, Shoot and Read is Thursday night from 4-7.  We are asking our 5^th grade families to send in a snack.  They may be dropped off anytime during the day to our rooms.

                                    A – H     Cookies

                                    I  – P      Brownies and Cup Cakes

                                    Q – Z      Fruit, Popcorn and Pretzels

Thank you again to those who volunteered to work at the pizza event in the cafeteria.  There is still time to order a whole pizza pie in advance.  Pizza slices and beverages will be sold the evening of this great family event!  Looking forward to seeing you all!

ON THE ACADEMIC FRONT…

         We began social studies this week with identifying vocabulary associated with geography.  We did a cut & paste activity, and the children finally had the opportunity to use the index cards they brought to school in September.  I also introduced them to a Cardinal Direction game I developed several years ago.  They seemed to enjoy the challenge, and they are looking forward to having me share it with you when you visit on Monday.

         Ms. Casucci, our Graduate Intern, has been working with the children for guided reading as a part of our literacy stations.  Author’s purpose has been her focus.  The children have enjoyed working with her.  This week will be her last week with us.  In addition to guided reading, I have been working with the children on fluency.  They even had the opportunity to hone their skills for their buddies on Thursday.  They are doing nicely.

         After researching a memorable time in history, developing three characters, coming up with at least three problems and deciding on their story’s point of view, the children started to draft their historical fiction pieces at the end of the week.  I will be looking for volunteers to help edit their pieces in a couple of weeks.  Think about helping out.  It’s pretty interesting to see how a student’s piece shapes up with a little bit of help.
        Looking forward to your visit tomorrow!                           Lester B. and Class