Monday, December 24, 2012

Happy Holidays to all of my kids!  Check out where Santa is :)

Santa Cam #19: France, Belgium, the Netherlands

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The Founding of New Netherland and New France (Core Lesson 4, Chapter 4)

Good morning,

      I hope everyone had a pleasant and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. I am attaching my lesson plans for this week and next week. I have also included on the lesson plans the homework for the next two weeks. I will be emailing PowerPoints for vocabulary, extra credit and the rotation schedule for the next few weeks later this evening.

      I also wanted to remind you of several events coming up in the next few weeks. First of all, on Thursday night, our school will be hosting Math Night from 6 until 8 pm at the Winn Dixie on New Berlin Road. Please consider joining us because we will be showing you ways to incorporate math into daily tasks such as shopping.
      On Saturday December 1st, students will be reading their own chosen picture book from 2:30 until 3:00 pm. I have 6 students signed up at this point to read. I would love to have more join us. If your child needs a book to read, I have a wide range here and at my home. Students just need to let me know which one they would like to read.
       Our students will also be going on a field trip on December 10th to the movies. We will be seeing Rise of the Guardians. The cost will be $7 which includes the ticket and the bus. Students will need to bring a bagged lunch. If you wish for your child to purchase lunch, they can purchase it at Regency's Food Court. Parents are welcome to attend this trip. However, you may need to provide your own transportation there, depending on how filled the buses are. Thank you again for all that you do and feel free to contact me at any time.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

November 5

Dear Parents,

     I apologize but I did not attach the correct homework for the week for Reading/Social Studies.  I have listed the correct homework below for this week.  I apologize for the error.

Homework:
Reading: Read 30 minutes nightly.  Students are to read The Golden Lion Tamarin.  
Social Studies: Students will read and answer the questions for Chapter 3, Core Lesson 5.  This will be due Friday.   They will also complete Chapter 4, Core Lesson 1 and it will be due Tuesday, November 12.
Vocabulary: Students should study their words for the week. Homework labels should include name, subject area, date, and assignment.  

     I also placed stickers with usernames and password in the agendas today for two of the classes and I will be placing stickers in the agenda of the third homeroom tomorrow.  The username and password I placed in the agenda are for Destination Success. 

https://success.duvalschools.org/lms

This is an excellent website that provides practice in both reading and math.  Mrs. Corey and I have both programmed activities for the students to use.  The activities that we programmed were based on individual student benchmark scores.  Again, this is just another resource available for you to have your child use.  Most of the activities do not take very long to complete and are very colorful and exciting. 
     I also wanted to let you know that I included the FAIR test results in the report cards yesterday.  The FAIR test is a statewide reading test given to students to determine reading level.  Included in the results were suggested activities that will help improve your child's reading comprehension.  The FAIR is given to students 3 times a year and you will get these results each time the test is given.  If you have any questions about them, please do not hesitate to call.  Thank you for all you do and have a great evening.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Halloween Light Show 2010 HD - Thriller ( Michael Jackson )



Danny Eifman - This is Halloween (just dance 3) HQ [WII]

Good morning,

    I just wanted to thank everyone again for all of their help with the Fall Festival.  Thank you for all of the goodies that you sent in.  Our Cake Walk was a huge hit!  A special thank you to Mrs. Shultz for organzing the booth for our classes and to all of the volunteers that helped out.  Thank you!!!

   I am attaching this week's lesson plans.  I am also attaching the vocabulary PowerPoint, the Weekly Reading Log, Monthly Reading Log, rotation schedule, extra credit and a powerpoint on monitoring and clarifying.  The monthly book log is due Thursday, November 1st for the month of October.  Students need to have read at least 300 pages to earn a C/70%.  All students should log The Reptile Room (190 pages) since we finsihed it in class this month. 

    I will also be sending the math lessons for Mrs. Corey in the next email.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Smithsonian National Zoo

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/default.cfm

Here is the link to the National Zoo Webcams.  Please check out the golden lion tamarin exhibit.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Good afternoon parents,

      Here are the plans for this week.  I will be sending the vocabulary PowerPoint later this evening along with some extra credit practice.  This week's words focus on the suffixes -er, -est, -ed, and -ing and the students will be tested next Monday and Tuesday.
      I also wanted to make you aware of several upcoming events.  First of all, the Fall Festival is Thursday evening from 6 until 9 pm.  Our team is sponsoring the cake walk.  Mrs. Shultz has been kind enough to set that up for us.  She has begun contacting parents with information and seeking volunteers.  We have signed up to do the Cake Walk.  For this event, we are asking for volunteers to run the booth in 30 minute increments.  Any time you can help us out would be greatly appreciated.  We are asking that parents send in a baked good donation to serve as the prize.  The baked good must be store bought.  It can be cakes, cookies, donuts, coffee cakes, and any other sweet treat you would like to donate.  This is one of the only fundraisers that the PTA will be doing this year so we need your help to make it a success.
      I also wanted to remind you that there is no school on Friday due to planning day.  This week also marks the beginning of the second nine weeks.  Tomorrow is our first celebration for meeting the reading goal for the first nine weeks.  For a student to have met goal, they were required to have turned in their monthly book log for September with at least 450 pages read.  Some had also turned in a monthly book log for August as well which helped to boost their total number of books read.  5th graders are expected to read 450 pages per month (the equivalent of 3 books) in order to meet the goal.  Most students met their goal but there were a few that did not.  I spoke with those students and discussed what they must do to meet the goal for next nine weeks.  The October book log will be due next week on November 1.  I will send it later this week.  Congratulations and thank you to those students that met their goal!  Keep on reading!
      I also wanted to let you know that I have programmed activities on Destination Success.

 https://success.duvalschools.org/lms

I will be programming several more activities in the next few weeks based on student benhcmark scores.  I will be giving the students until the end of March to complete all of the activities (which will indicate Ms. Snyder after them).  Those students that complete ALL activities will be allowed to particpate in an "Popcorn and Movie Social."  Again, this is only for the students that complete ALL activities that are programmed by me.  Their username is their network log on.  I will be printing stickers in the next few days and placing them in their agendas.
     Thank you again for all you do and feel free to contact me with any questions.
Dear Parents,
     Our Fall Festival is tomorrow evening.  Our classes are sponsoring the Cake Walk. We are in dire need of your help.  We need any store bought baked goods that you can send in.  It can be snack cakes, doughnuts, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and so on.  Just send them in to us and we will make sure they make it to the cake walk.  We have some but we are in need of much more.  We are also in need of volunteers, especially the later hours.  Please contact us as soon as possible if you are able to help.  We appreciate your help in making our Fall Festival a success.
Thanks,
Mrs. Corey, Ms. Fitzsimmons, and Ms. Snyder

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Several students also created a model of the printing press. The printing press was invented by Gutenburg in 1454.

Great job Arianna, Landry and Hannah!

Students also created models of the ships built during the Middle Ages. Notice the wind as well.

Great Job Annabelle and Lexi!

Students were creating a compass similar to those found during the Middle Ages.

Great job Tiffany and Jasmine!

Sent from my iPhone

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

This was a compass created by one of our students. This reflects our current Social Studies lesson on the Renaissance. It was one piece of technology that helped promote exploration.

Great job Gavin!

Sent from my iPhone

Monday, October 15, 2012

Lastest News

Good Evening Parents,

   I hope you had a restful weekend.  I am attaching the lesson plans for this week as well as the vocabulary PowerPoint, main idea PowerPoint, and additional practice for reading.  The additional practice for reading can be completed and turned in next Monday for extra credit.  We will continue to practice the same words from last week to allow for additional practice. 
   We have many exciting events coming up that I wanted to remind you about.  First of all, Wednesday is an Early Release Day.  Thursday is our Annual Science Night sponsored by 4H.  They will be selling spaghetti dinners for $5.00 that evening.  You may also pre-purchase tickets from a member of 4H.  The presentations will be from 6 until 8 pm.  A flyer with further details will be going home.  There are many new presenters this year and it is a wonderful opportunity to check out all of the exciting science projects that the classes have done.
    Our Annual Fall Festival is scheduled for next Thursday from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm.  PTA is looking for volunteers to help set up.  We are also looking for volunteers to help man our booth.  If you are able to volunteer, please let us know as soon as possible.  You can call or email us to let us know.  30 minutes of your time would be fabulous!!  We would greatly appreciate your help in making this event a success.
    I have also found a few links on-line that you may want to utilize.  The first link:

http://www.eduplace.com/ss/socsci/fl/books/bke/ilessons/index.html

contains summaries of each lesson in the Social Studies text.  You may print these up for your child to refer to.  You may also print them up for your child to practice reading from.  Non-fiction is an area of weakness that we will be working on all year.  These summaries provide an opportunity for your child to practice reading nonfiction.

The next link :

http://www.eduplace.com/ss/socsci/fl/books/bke/index.shtml

contains additional resources that can be used in conjunction with the Social Studies text.

The final link:

http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/

are many wonderful graphic organizers you can print for your child to use when reading.  For example, the Venn Diagram can be used when comparing two texts as we are doing this week with Night of the Twisters and Blizzard.  The KWL chart is an excellent tool for introducing new stories.  The story map is a great way to summarize a story that has been read.  These are just some additional tools for your use.
    I will be sending you the rotation schedule in the morning.  Thank you again for your continued support and feel free to contact us with any questions.

Thank You,
Ms. Christine Snyder

Monday, October 1, 2012

Good evening,

    I just wanted to let you know that I sent the plans out for the week.  I included the prefixes PowerPoint for the words that will be emphasized this week and tested next week.  I also included the vocabulary PowerPoint created by Ms. Keshen for Chapter 2 in Social Studies.  Also attached were the lesson 5 vocabulary words that will be introduced next week should you want to get a head start on them as well.  The more detailed PowerPoint will be included in next week's email.

     I also wanted to remind you of several things. First of all, if you are able, please sign up for Remind101.  It is a quick and easy way to get reminders. All you need to do is to text (858) 914-4235 and write @2021c in the subject line.  You will get a response back asking for your name.  Once you have given your name, you will be added to the list. It is that easy. :)

     Also, a flyer will be going home today regarding our "Fall Festival."  Please be on the lookout for it.  PTA will be asking for a parent volunteer from each homeroom to attend an informational meeting on October 8th.  They will also be asking for donations of large bags of candy.  Again, please be on the lookout for this information.

     Finally, our classes will be going to the Marine Science Center next week.  A permission slip went home today.  The cost for the trip is $5 to cover the buses.  Your child will also need to bring a bagged lunch on that day as well.  Again, details went home today.   The rotation schedule for the next two weeks was also sent home today.  Have a fantastic week and feel free to contact me with any questions.
chp._202_20vocab
Prefixes mid_ bi_ tri_ and semi
SnyderLessonPlansOctober1

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Reading Comprehension Strategies: Monitor and Clarify



This is a primary student using monitor and clarify.  However, this is an excellent example of how to use monitor and clarify when reading.  Please take a moment to check it out.

Monday, September 10, 2012

ReadingVocabularyLesson3
SnyderLessonPlansSep10

Friday, September 7, 2012

America the Story of Us: Gold Rush



This week's Scholastic News featured an article about the Gold Rush of 1849 and how that impacted US history today.  Below is a video we watched that gave a brief history of that historical event.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Social Studies:Core Lesson 4- People and Land



Today we began Core Lesson 4 in our Social Studies text.  We began discussing the effects people have on our land as well as the effect the land has on us.


Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Reading Vocabulary Lesson 2
SnyderLessonPlansSep3

Monday, August 27, 2012

Good morning!  Welcome to my new 5th graders!

Thursday, May 3, 2012


Lesson 20 -

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Monday, April 23, 2012

This was our afternoon treat in honor of Jelly Bean Day. Chocolate chip muffins with a bit of icing and a jelly bean on top. Awesome!

A look at the Jelly Belly Factory Tour

How Jelly Beans Are Made

National Jelly Bean Day!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Scholastic News Links

     Today we read the April 23 edition of Scholastic News.  There were quite a few interesting articles.  Below were some videos we viewed on space junk.  We also learned about Amelia Earhart, tornados, and Fenway Park.  Check out the links below:


APRIL 23, 2012
Close Call
Article

Learn more about space waste and how NASA works to track and dodge the debris.

Special Report
Explore the final frontier in this outer-space collection.


Play Ball!
Web Site

View a timeline for Fenway Park at this Web site.


Great Heights
Multimedia Collection

Learn about the first person to successfully climb Mount Everest, and view maps and photos of the famous mountain.

I Survived a Tornado
Multimedia Collection

Investigate tornadoes, learn how they form, and get even more details about these spinning storms from an expert and a witness.

Article
Read about tornadoes that recently touched down in the United States.

Web Site
Get tornado facts and safety tips, take a quiz, and play games at this interactive Web site.

Searching for Amelia
Multimedia Collection

Learn more about Amelia Earhart and another pioneer female pilot, view a timeline, and write a news story about an event in Earhart’s life.

Space Junk Reaching "Tipping Point"

Space Junk Predicted to Land in the Ocean

Space Junk Threatens Future Space Exploration

Friday, February 17, 2012

Reading Celebration Update

Dear Parents,
As you all know, the Reading Celebration is coming right after FCAT. Only students who have met their Million Word Campaign will be allowed to attend this exciting celebration. Most of the Reading Celebration will be outside fresh air and refreshing sun. So be sure to check your child’s reading log. Ms. Snyder has the monthly totals posted in the classroom.
By: Ryder

Book Logs

Dear Parents,
Your child is expected to have a little book log and a big one. The little book log, or weekly log, is due every MONDAY! They will have to read and log 30 minutes each and every day. Your child will need your initials in the last column. The big book log, or monthly log, is due the first day of each month. The big book log counts as a grade. It is to show how many pages you have read. To get an A, all you need to do is read 450 pages or more. We are having a million word challenge. The student in each home room that reads the most pages wins so keep reading!
By: Haley

Tutoring

Dear Panther Parents,
Is your child struggling in reading or math? Could they use a little extra help? If so, they are welcome to attend tutoring. Math tutoring is Mondays from 2:45 until 3:30 sharp in Mrs. Schermann’s room. Reading tutoring is Monday and Friday morning from 7:40 until 8:20 in Ms. Snyder’s room. I hope to see you there!

By: Emily