February Update

Classroom policies –
• Cell phones – Students have been bringing cell phones to school with more frequency. Ideally, cell phones should be left at home to discourage other students from taking them. However, I do understand that sometimes it is necessary for the students to bring them to school. In order to keep the cell phones from being a distraction students should:
o Turn off the phone
o Keep the phone in their coat or backpack
• Lip gloss – Girls bringing lip gloss and applying it throughout the day has been a distraction in the past. I have asked the girls to keep their lip gloss in their bags during the day. With the cold weather our skin can dry out, including our lips. I suggest bring Chap-stick or Vaseline to combat the dry lips. The lip gloss tends to be more fashionable than practical.

Poster board – I have asked that all students please bring a piece of poster board with them to school next week. We will be spending some time working on our science and reading portion of the exhibition.

Milestone #3 – Milestone #3 is due on Thursday, February 17th. Fun Friday will be on Friday, February 18th. We have been talking about the due date and the requirements daily in our Morning Meeting. The requirements for Milestone #3 are that ALL visual aids, for the interest (state) project, are completed and turned in. Examples have been sent home, and are on the classroom blog (mrslwmartinupa.blogspot.com) for assistance. If you have any questions about the requirements, please contact me as soon as possible.

Responsibility – We have been talking a lot in our class about taking responsibility for our actions. This is a concept discussed quite frequently in fourth and fifth grade. This conversation has mostly been centered on homework. We have had quite a few days where students have not completed their homework. We have also had some instances with students trying to sign papers for their parents. Please discuss with your student the importance of homework as well as not forging someone’s signature.

No School – There will be no school February 19th through February 27th. School resumes on Monday, February 28th. Enjoy your Mid-Winter Break!
Wax Museum – Students have been working on gathering information on poignant African Americans. The culminating activity is the students writing a paragraph about this person, memorizing it, and performing during the wax museum. The wax museum is scheduled for Tuesday, March 1st.

My Example

Here is my example of Michigan's Power Point.

Michigan - Example

Here is one of the brochures I created for one of my cities...Holland

Brochure Holland

Milestone #3 Examples

Here is a student's example of the State Project Power Point.

State New York

Milestone #3 Examples

Here are two student examples of the travel brochures for milestone #3. The Power Point for Michigan, my exhibition, will be uploaded shortly.

Brochure Examples

January is almost over!

Milestone #2 – I am so proud of all the hard work that all the students did to complete Milestone #2. It is, by far, the best work I have seen in a long time. I understand exhibitions can be tedious, however, if you work a little at a time to complete them, it doesn’t seem so difficult.

Milestone #3 – Milestone #3 is due on Thursday, February 17th. This milestone consists of ALL visual aids for the state project. This means that your Power Point or display board along with your billboards, brochures, etc. for each city. Examples of milestone #3 work will be posted on the wiki and sent home on Monday, January 31st.

Homework – Homework is assigned every day. It is important for students to complete each assignment with the best of their ability. Homework is assigned to help reinforce skills talked about and discussed in class. Please encourage students to complete their homework and turn it in daily.

Have a great weekend!

Milestone 2

Way to go! Everyone did a great job turning in their first milestone. Milestone #2 is right around the corner. Below you will find the information for the milestone.

State Project 1st Trimester


State Milestone 2-Reminder

Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe that we have started a new year. It is even harder to believe that we have finished the first week of school of the New Year. Wow!

No School – There is no school on Friday, January 13th and Monday, January 17th.

MAP Testing – We will be MAP testing next week Monday through Wednesday.

Milestones / Exhibitions – A reminder was sent home with the milestone dates as well as another copy of milestone #1. (All on the one sheet of paper). Just as a reminder, Milestone #1 is due on Wednesday, January 12th. Milestone #1 is a list of resources that will be used to complete the state project. Don’t forget a parent’s signature.

Book Order – Book orders are a great way to purchase books for a reduced price. There are a lot of interesting books offered by scholastic. The book order will be due on Tuesday, January 18th.