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A daily reader for Mr. Cunningham’s
5th-grade Homeroom Class
YESTERDAY’s NEWS
A daily reader for Mr. Cunningham’s 5th-grade Homeroom Class
In Science, a few of us presented our Biome Projects – woot!
For Math class, we studied our textbooks to learn and practice solving equations for variables.
We learned our latest poem, Chairs in Snow, by E.B. White!
For Language Arts and Writing, we wrote expository essays the “Dora” way!
Report Cards were sent home – oh noes!
10/29/09 - Thursday
In Science, we finished presenting our Biome Projects!
For Math, we completed extra practice on mental math, equations, and equalities.
We took our spelling pre-test, learned our new vocabulary words, and wrote them in our Vocab Scrolls!
We held our fundraiser PIE THROWING! And creamed Mr. Cunningham!
10/30/09 - Friday
The whole class (almost) came to school dressed in fantastic costumes!
We completed a math test on simple algebra!
We recited our eighth poem, Chairs in Snow, by E.B. White!
Our class honored Will Norris as the most RESPECTful student amongst us, at our monthly character Town Hall for Student of the Month!
At the end of our day, we sat around and learned about each others’ plans for the spooky weekend!
In Math, we completed a Check What You Know on graphing!
We practiced multiplication!
In Science, we worked in our practice workbooks to learn more about plants and traits!
We also were given our FCAT Explorer passwords WOO!
We studied our next poem, The Mist and All, by Dixie Wilson!
We read Leonardo’s Horse, and the Greek myth, Bellerophon (Bananaphone) and Pegasus, and completed our guided comprehension tests!
11/03/09 - Tuesday In Math class, we worked on understanding cumulative
frequencies for graphs of data!
For Science class, we wrote science vocabulary terms in our spirals; we also learned about niches and habitats!
We practiced our vocabulary to prepare for Wednesday’s test!
To help us recall important reference materials, we practiced determining the best places to find information about various things!
We studied about the Renaissance and how it led to Europe’s domination of the Americas.
Also in Social Studies, we learned about the Triangular Trade and what led European explorers to leave Europe.
11/04/09 - Wednesday In Math, we tried and succeeded at finding the mean!
For Reading, we completed our comprehension and vocabulary tests!
We learned THREE new CAFÉ strategies, two for helping our Fluency, and one for Comprehension!
We began reading Chapter 19 in Fever 1793, and had to leave off at a very crucial moment for Mattie and her Grandfather!
For our next FUNdrai$er, we learned all about our product and how to sell it. We also identified our GOALS for OWNING THE SCHOOL WITH OUR AWESOMENESS!!
For Math class, we studied mean, median, mode and range!
In Science class, we continued learning about adaptation and learned about symbiosis!
We completed our spelling pre-tests! We learned and practiced our Robust Vocab for
Week 10! The class read a most exciting chapter from
Fever 1793! Some students cried, some students laughed, but all students were properly thrilled by the events of Chapter 19!
We filmed our TENTH video newsletter!
11/06/09 - Friday
For Science class, we took notes about habitats,
niches, and symbiosis!
We continued studying graphing from our math
texts!
We held our ninth poetry recital for The Mist and
All, by Dixie Wilson!
We completed our spelling test for week 9!
We brainstormed as a classroom how to improve
upon the daily order of business!
11/09/09 - Monday
For Math, we worked on reviewing mean, median, and mode, and also graphing!
In Science, we understood what populations are!
For Social Studies, we learned about the Columbian Exchange – an exciting and irreversible change in the way humans live on the Earth!
We read a script called The Secret Ingredient, and we all took turns reading different parts!
Afterward, we completed the guided comprehension activity!
To understand habitats, niches, and populations, and to tie-in with our focus skill this month, we completed a cause and effect activity from our science text!
For Math class, we completed extra practice on graphing!
We reviewed Robust Vocabulary from Lesson 6 to Lesson 10 – over 50 words!
To complete our studies in Lesson 10, we finished our comprehension and vocabulary tests in Reading!
We demonstrated a level of achievement unknown to these parts when we knocked our theme tests out of the park!
We took a math test to determine how well we had mastered graphing concepts!
For Science class, we read about changing ecosystems.
In Reading, we read Chapter 20 from Fever 1793, which found Matilda once again stumbling around in unknown places, hungry, disoriented, without hope!
We practiced fluency reading, using Chapter 5 from Fever 1793 as our text.
To close the day, we watched a riveting presentation that brought home just what good citizenship means to the 6th graders in Ms. Gordon’s Middle School class!
11/12/09 - THURSDAY
In Math class, we surveyed a population, created
a tally chart of the results, and then made
graphs, finding the mean, median, range, and
mode of the data set!
For Science class, we completed all of Chapter 5’s
study guide material, A and B.
We completed our Social Studies unit packets for
exploration! YAY!
We completed our SPT and learned Robust
Vocabulary for Lesson 11!
The class filmed its 11th video newsletter! Woot
woot!
11/13/09 - Friday
For Math, we completed a Check What You Know to see
how well we understand elements of graphing!
In Science, we reviewed our Study Guide work from the
previous day for Chapter 5!
We recited our poem, Choosing Shoes, by Frida Wolfe!
We completed our spelling test!
We read Chapter 21 from Fever 1793, which saw Mattie
reunite with Eliza, who had been helping the city through
the Free African Society!
We aced our science tests on habitats, ecosystems, and niches!
For Math class, we reviewed scales and intervals! We read a story called Sailing Home, which was not about
sailing to a place called home, but about sailing a ship that was home to the family in the story!
After we read the story, we ate pizza! Actually, we just completed the selection test guided comprehension questions!
We watched as students delivered some fancypants BOOK TALKS for the month of November!
For Social Studies, we read a selection of pages reviewing why colonists came to the Americas!
11/17/09 - Tuesday
In Science, we completed an FCAT preparation activity to prepare for March’s Science FCAT!
For Math class, we practiced graphing to make sure we remember what we just learned!
We read some super-exciting chapters in Fever 1793, where Mattie and Eliza tried to resolve the problem of Nell’s appearance in their lives, and readers were taunted with the specter of Nathaniel Benson’s reappearance!
We learned some reasons in Social Studies why Europeans looked to settle in foreign lands!
We conducted some more awesome and fancypants book talks!
11/18/09 - Wednesday
In Science, we created Safety Posters to indicate those things around our homes that might poison us!
For Math class, we worked on creating line graphs!
In Social Studies, we learned about New France, France’s Canadian colony!
We finished all of this week’s Reading tests! Woot!
The students delivered some awfully fancypants book talks!
11/19/09 - Thursday
• We learned about histograms in Math!
• We learned our new Science vocabulary!
• Completed our spelling pre-test and learned all our new Robust Vocabulary words!
• We practiced making a Fever 1793 book review!
• Delivered MORE FANCYPANTS BOOK TALKS! Our book talks will conquer the EARTH!
Things 5th graders are thankful
for…• A place to sleep! Roof
over head!
• Family!
• Going to school instead of homeschooling!
• Vacations!
• Friends!
• Everything except for bad people!
• Video games!
• Numerous pets!
• Cures to cancers!
• Mr. Cunningham!
• Television!
• Women’s Suffrage!
• Good Food!
• Pies!
• Stores to shop at!
• Earth!
• Clothes!
• Soap!
• Good health!
• Being alive!
• For what Matthew said!
• Not being a squirrel!
Things 5th graders are thankful for…
• Family and Friends!
• Clothes!
• Eradication of yellow
fever virus!
• Being allowed to show
elbows in society!
• Being able to go to
school!
• Modern yummy foods!
• Low crime!
• Pets!
• Television!
• Toys!
• Having life!
• Books to read!
• Having a stable roof
over our heads!
• Modern medicine and
doctors!
• Candy!
• Amusement parks!
• Technology!
11/20/09 - Friday
• In Math, we played Yahtzee!
• We completed our spelling test for Week 11!
• To see how much poetry we remembered,
we read poems in small groups from
previous weeks!
• We delivered some of our last fancypants
book talks for November!
• All gathered in Town Hall to watch Eli be
anointed as our Student of the Month for
CITIZENSHIP!
11/30/09 - Monday
• For Math class, we chose graphs based on data sets and tried to figure out which graph would best represent our data findings.
• In Science, we completed a note-taking activity about features of the Earth, learning about things like plateaus, mountains, river-valleys, and the all-important mid-Atlantic ridge system!
• We learned our next poem, Lobster, by Anne Sexton!
• To further understanding of the poem and of the story, we watched a number of videos about lobsters!
• For Reading, we read a nonfiction informational narrative, that detailed the tidal landscapes around the Bay of Fundy, in northern Maine!
• We completed our weekly selection test for the Field Trip 3: Marine Biology Blah Blah!
12/01/09 - Tuesday
• In Math, we worked on extra practice for Chapter 6, about graphs and ordered pairs. We also had fun doing multiplication around the world!
• To learn more about erosion, weathering, and sediments, we read our Science textbooks.
• For Social Studies, we watched a history about the first English colonies in North America.
• In Reading class, we established our ONE THING that will keep us going to school and waking up each day and being great students.
• To prepare for an upcoming vocabulary test, we studied our Robust Vocabulary words.
12/02/09 - Wednesday• We aced math tests on graphing and graphs!
• For Science we completed a question and answer session about weathering, erosion, and sediment!
• In Math, we played the multiplication game and had many students perform outstandingly well!
• We continued to explore the history of Colonization of North America!
• We learned which of the 13 Colonies were Northern, Middle, or Southern colonies!
• We completed a vocabulary test for Lesson 12! Easy words!
• To practice making book reviews, we all read mini-books and completed a book review about what we read!
12/03/09 - Thursday• In Math, we completed a Check What You Know on
multiplication!
• In Science class, we learned about deposition
• For Social Studies, we watched a documentary on slavery, discussing the ins and outs of the early 13 Colonies and their differences!
• During the film, we worked to complete our Social Studies Colonization packets!
• After the film and discussion, we did some freestyle writing about slavery.
• We completed a spelling pre-test for Week 13, learning our new Robust Vocabulary words in the process!
• We filmed our weekly video newsletter!
12/04/09 - Friday
• For Math class, we worked on estimating answers to two-
digit multiplication problems!
• In Science, we worked on a note-taking activity learning
about forces and deposition!
• For indoor recess, because it was yucky raining weather
outside, we played Geography Bingo with the states and
capitals of the USA!
• We all performed at a high level of success on our weekly
spelling test!
• We recited our poem of the week, Lobster, by Anne Sexton!
• For Social Studies, we worked on completing our
Colonization packets by learning about African American
slave traditions, and the Triangular Trade!
12/07/09 - Monday
• In Math class, we worked on multiplying single-digit numbers with larger numbers, and estimating to check our answers.
• To review for our impending science tests, we filled out Study Guides A and B, about weathering, erosion, deposition, and the Earth’s surface!
• We learned the poem, Good and Bad Children, by Robert Louis Stevenson!
• To preface our tall tale story, we read a horrible tall tale about Paul Bunyon and his unending quest to chop down every tree in North America, rendering hundreds of thousands of acres of ecosystems totally worthless, and most likely killed untold scores of animal species in the process!
• We read the first half of a tall tale called Stormalong and watched as Stormy tried to fit in everywhere but just couldn’t make it work!
• We reviewed last week’s tests on Expository Texts and Generalizations and discovered how to spot the correct answer in an easy fashion!
12/08/09 - Tuesday• We rocked out on a science test about Earth’s
surface features and how they CHANGE!
• For Math, we worked on multiplying with double-digit multipliers!
• We finished reading the tall tale, STORMALONG, which was oh so interesting and enjoyable. Oh yes it was.
• While we were reading, we learned about the white cliffs of Dover, along the English Channel.
• In Social Studies, we watched a video about the Middle Colonies, and learned how they were a big melting pot where over 20 languages were spoken!
• We worked to complete our Colonization packets!
12/09/09 - Wednesday
• In Math, we answered questions using mental math!
• For Science class, we read about the structure of the inner Earth!
• In Reading, we completed our weekly test battery for Lesson 13!
• We read Fever 1793; chapter 24, where Robert, William, and Nell came down with the fever after Mattie and Eliza spent a day helping sick people. They plan to take the sick children to the Cook Coffeehouse where it is cooler and there are more windows and larger rooms.
• We watched as 4th grade presented for the character trait Understanding, singing a song many times over to teach us what it meant to them!
12/10/09 - Thursday
• Students completed FAIR assessment
number TWO!
• In Ms. Sparrow’s classroom, we watched a
number of movies!
• We also played a multiplication-around to
practice our facts!
12/11/09 - Friday
• We took a math test on multiplication and mental math!
• We completed a note-taking activity in Science, about plates and the layers of the Earth!
• We completed our spelling test for Week 13!
• We conducted our weekly poetry recital for Good and Bad Children, by Robert Louis Stevenson!
• We listened to a read aloud of Cat/Dog and Love That Dog, while enjoying COOKIES!
12/14/09 - Monday
• In Math class, we worked on reviewing decimals;
ordering them and multiplying them!
• For Science, we read all about earthquakes and
natural disasters which change the face of the planet!
• As our last poem of the year, we read and discovered
the meaning behind the poem Ozymandias, by Percy
Bysshe Shelley!
• We read Chapter 25 in Fever 1793, about Mattie and
Eliza taking care of three sick children at the Cook
Coffeehouse; at chapter’s end, Mattie falls asleep
while getting water out back at the well!
• In Social Studies, we watched a re-creation of what it
was like to arrive in the New World as a colonist in the
year 1628!
12/15/09 - Tuesday
• For Math, we worked on a review about how to add and subtract decimals!
• We also reviewed equations!
• In Science, we read about mountains and faults, and how faults can create mountains!
• We also worked on a note-taking activity about the former!
• To see examples of fact and opinion and our monthly character trait of understanding, we watched the first part of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!
• We also finished watching the first episode of Colonial House, to better understand life in the original 13 Colonies!
• We worked on completing our social studies Colonization packets!
To prepare for our test on Earth’s surface, we completed Study Guide A and B!
In Math, we reviewed multiplication with two or three digit multipliers!
We read two more chapters from Fever 1793; the book has finally reached its crisis point and we are exploring the falling action until the end of the novel!
We also watched more of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and explored the themes of the film!
We completed the first round of the Imagine Spelling Bee, here in the classroom, and promoted our winner, Anastasia, to the next round!
12/17/09 - Thursday
We scored awesomely on a science test about earth surface changes!
To practice and review multiplication skills, we did some extra practice!
We completed our movie study of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! And we wrote about it!
We finished reading our class novel, Fever 1793, when Mattie is finally reunited with her mother, Lucille! And we wrote about it!
12/18/09 - Friday
• We held our Ozymandias poetry recital,
the last poem of 2009!
• We held our second annual Winter Book
Swap!
• Our Spelling Bee winner was announced!
• We attended the Student of the Month
ceremony to honor Caitlynn and Bergine
from 5th grade!
1/04/10 - Monday
• In Science, we learned about nonliving things, nonrenewable things, and fossil fuels.
• In Math class, we worked on a multiplication review!
• We learned the next poem, DihydrogenOxide, by Bill Bryson!
• We read A Drop of Water.
• After completing the reading, we worked on three pages of comprehension questions in our FCAT prep books.
1/05/10 - Tuesday
• In Science we completed a note-taking activity about
resources, renewable and non.
• In Math class, we completed a page about multiplying
with decimals!
• We reviewed Lesson 14 vocabulary words in
preparation for today’s test!
• For Reading, we completed our guided comprehension
test about A Drop of Water!
• We also learned about water and its many fascinating
properties and we reviewed the meaning of the poem
Dihydrogen Oxide!
1/06/10 - Wednesday
• In Science, we learned about topsoil and subsoils!
• Also in Science, we completed our notetaking activity about copper, oil, and other fossil fuels!
• For Math, we practiced learning how to multiply decimals by 1, 10, 100, and 1000!
• We completed our reading test for A Drop of Water and our robust vocabulary!
• We held our YEAR 2 REVIEW where students were reminded of teacher expectations and introduced to new concepts!
• We learned all about SCHOLAR COLLARS wootwoot!
• We learned our first Rule of the Road: #1 Address adults as Sir or Madam!
In Math class, we learned about decimals and how to make models/graphs after completing a problem.
For Science, we completed a note-taking activity about soil!
We learned about maxims and wrote in response to one inspirational maxim for an upcoming character essay contest!
We worked on more Observation-based Inferences!
To add to our Rules of the Road, we learned the expectation for Rule 2: Make Eye Contact!
1/08/10 - Friday
For Science, we learned about reduce, reuse, recycle and worked on building something from recycled materials, repurposing an object so not to throw it away!
To see how much we’ve grown, we completed our spelling test!
We learned our poem for next week, The Swans, by Andrew Young!
We recited last week’s poem, Dihydrogen Oxide, by Bill Bryson with some help from Mr. Cunningham!
To learn our spelling and vocab words for the coming week, we completed our spelling pre-test!
In order to close our week, we filmed Newsletter SIXTEEN!
1/11/10 - Monday• In Math class, we continued to work with decimals and place value of
zeroes!
• In Science, we learned our vocabulary for RECYCLING and we carried on the discussion about Reduce Reuse Recycle.
• For Lesson 15, we completed learning about our vocabulary words (all 10 of them!)
• We established an acronym-based way of reminding us how to choose books, called I-P-I-C-K!
• We had students deliver some amazing BOOK TALKS!
• During the book talk section of class, we learned our THIRD Rule of the Road, CLAP FOR PEOPLE or Congratulate Classmates!
• We also established the method by which Mr. Cunningham will grab classroom attention during independent work times, called MR. SQUIGGLES!
• We brainstormed WHY WE READ!
• We learned about, created rules for, and practiced READ TO SELF because reading to yourself is valuable!
• We learned about, created rules for, and practiced READ TO SOMEONE as part of the DAILY 5!
• When we read to someone, we learned to do EEKK! Sit elbow-elbow, knee-knee, so we don’t have to speak loudly!
1/12/10 - Tuesday
In Math class, we reviewed for an upcoming test on decimals!
For Science, we completed a note-taking activity about recycling!
We read How Prairie Became Ocean, and read it using EEKK! (Read to Someone.)
We had more students deliver more incredible Book Talks!
1/13/10 - Wednesday
To learn more about the huge earthquake in Haiti, we watched BRAINPOP EARTHQUAKES and studied a map of the Earth’s tectonic plates!
To finish a unit on decimals in Math class, we took a test!
In Science, we completed two study guides in preparation for our upcoming test!
We completed our guided comprehension and robust vocabulary tests for How Prairie Became Ocean!
We attended an exciting Town Hall for the character trait of perseverance and listened attentively to our special guests, the local fire department!
We completed a science test about SOIL! For Math, we created our own board games! The class delivered more exceptional book talks
for the month of January! We also filmed our SEVENTEENTH! Video
Newsletter! Where does the time go? Working on practicing our reading skills, we did
Read to Self and Read to Someone… And we introduced Listen to Reading, which is
based at our new Listening Station! During our reading practice, we read mini-books
with partners, read them by ourselves, or listened to them at the listening station!
1/15/10 - FRIDAY
In Science, we watched An Inconvenient Truth to understand better how the climate of the Earth is rapidly changing! We also took notes during the movie.
For Math class, we finished our multiplication board games!
Our class held our weekly poetry recital for The Swans, by Andrew Young!
We learned The Talisman, by Marianne Moore, our next poetry study!
Spelling Week 15 concluded with our weekly spelling test!
