I'm going to camp....

My fifth graders love this game! I decide ahead of time what type of pattern my chosen words will have and then I tell the kids what I am taking to camp. They each get to say what they are taking to camp and I tell them, "yes" or "no" based on my pattern. The goal of the game is for the children to guess the pattern of the game.

Some suggested patterns:

Words with double letters--examples: bookeeper, school, cheese, moose
Words that begin with the first letter of that specific students first name--examples: Issaic can take ice cream, Kayla can take a kite, Alexis can take an alligator
Items that you buy in multiples--examples: rice (big bag of grains), earrings, shoes, 12 pack of cokes, box of pencils

Most commonly used words

http://candohelperpage.com/sightvocab_1.html#anchor_374

This link is to a page with Fry's List of most commonly used words.

Games

SMACK!
This game is simple and can be adapted to any grade. Students are given a number. They need to write down a secret word with that number of letters. Then the writer writes single letters on the board. As letters are written, students cross off any that are in their word. When they have crossed out all of their letters they "Smack" their table and say Smack. That student now gets to pick the number and be the writer.


* The key to this game is that it is a silent game. As the room gets loud the writer writes "Bad" letters like Q and X. This works really well right before or after a spelling test.

Great Lesson Plan Sites

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/

Carnivorous Plants

My son received these plants as a birthday gift and they were a HUGE hit with him. If you want to add some interest to your classroom, this is a great way to do it!

http://plantsforkids.stores.yahoo.net/venusflytrap.html

Helpful Homework Tip

You may want to hit some of the back to school clearance sales and pick up a pencil box/case for your child's backpack. You can put two pencils, a hand held sharpener, a box of crayons, a glue stick, a box of colored pencils and a pair of scissors in the box. Then zip the box up inside your child's backpack and they will always have the supplies they need to get started.

Easy Reader/Non Fiction Pumpkins!

Parents!

This link is for an easy reader about pumpkins. You and your child can read it together and talk about the process of growing a pumpkin. This will be great information for our upcoming field trip!
Pumpkin Easy Reader

Flu Mist

Today was the day that students who had returned their flu mist forms recieved the mist. However, if there were students who had health issues that prevented them from recieving the mist and they were sent home with notice of this. Please be sure to see your child's pediatrician for more information.