Sunday, January 26, 2014

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 5th graders take on a leadership role. 

      See you all on Tuesday night!
      Lester Betor and class 

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for the updates. I look forward to them, especially when they come with pictures. My daughter bri loves being in your class and all the classroom antics.

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