Happy Leap Year!

Yikes, my apologies for lack of attention to this blog. We have been so busy that I have been lax about this site (well, that and Words with Friends).

In science we are learning about the weather; more specifically, clouds and weather instruments with storms on the horizon. Students are finishing up their weather instrument presentations and foldables and getting ready to begin writing a Weather ABC book.

Math involves multiplication. Many of the students are really "getting" the process, but a few are still struggling-many of them because they still don't know their multiplication facts.

The historical fiction literature project is due this Friday, February 10. The last literature project is due in March and is student's choice of genre (should be a chapter book though).

Students are required to earn 10 AR points this month.

Chef of the Week-Jerryd

Jerryd made ants on a log and fire ants on a log.
Ants on Log
Spread peanut butter on a celery stick. Garnish with raisins.
Fire Ants on a Log
Spread cream cheese on a celery stick. Garnish with dried cranberries.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Our class will be reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for the next few weeks. I still have a few copies available for purchase ($1.00) if anyone is interested. (No purchase is necessary!)

Chapter 1 vocabulary

contagious - Capable of transmitting disease; carrying a disease, catching, transmittable, infectious

Page 9 - "Right now?" Miss Hemphill stared. "Why, he shouldn't be in school with red spots! It could be measles or chicken pox . . . any number of things . . . contagious things."

penitentiary - a prison for those convicted of major crimes, correctional institution, joint, keep, lockup, pen, penal institution, prison, reformatory, slammer

Page 14 - We figured they were headed straight for %*!#, by way of the state penitentiary . . . until they got themselves mixed up with the church, and my mother, and our Christmas pageant.

Chapter 2 vocabulary

privet - any of various Old World shrubs having smooth entire leaves and terminal panicles of small white flowers followed by small black berries; many used for hedges

Page 16 - One of the neighbor women called out, "Helen, are you in much pain?" and Mrs. Armstrong yelled back, "Yes, terrible! Don't let those children tear up my privet hedge!"

sentiment - a thought, view, or attitude, especially one based mainly on emotion instead of reason, emotion, opinion, attitude, outlook, reaction

Page 21 - He shrugged. "I like all the other stuff but she said to write down what we liked best, and what I like best is no Herdmans."

"Not a very Christian sentiment," my father said.

Chapter 3 vocabulary

sacrilegious - grossly irreverent toward what is or is held to be sacred, disrespectful, profane, blasphemous, improper, godless, sinful

Page 35 - Alice's mother told the Ladies' Aid that it was sacrilegious to let Imogene Herdman be Mary.

barge - to intrude or interrupt, especially rudely, break in, burst in, collide, infringe, muscle in, push

Page 36 - Some people said it wasn't fair for a whole family who didn't even go to our church to barge in and take over the pageant.

Chapter 4 vocabulary

espoused - to take as spouse; to take to wife; to marry, betrothed, engaged

Page 41 - ". . . Joseph and Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child . . ."

vengeance - with great violence or force, punishment, revenge, settling of scores, retaliation

Page 45 - "Out of the black night with horrible vengeance, the Mighty Marvo---"

http://www.mce.k12tn.net/reading37/lesson_plans_for_the_best_christ.htm

Chef of the Week-Valerie

Valerie was our Chef of the Week on November 18. The banana-peanut butter-tortilla concoction she shared was delicious!

Banana in a Blanket

Ingredients: 1 whole wheat tortilla, 1 T reduced-fat smooth peanut butter, 1 medium banana, 1 t maple syrup or honey, 1 T cereal (optional)
Instructions: Lay tortilla on plate. Spread peanut butter evenly on the tortilla. Sprinkle cereal over peanut butter. Peel and place banana on tortilla and roll the tortilla. Drizzle maple syrup or honey on top.

Carlie-Chef of the Week

Carlie was our Chef of the Week on December 2. She made yummy fruit and nut mix.

Possessive Nouns

We are studying apostrophes and how they are used to make contractions and possessives.
Click here for a powerpoint explaining possessives. Click here for the BrainPop Jr. video on possessives. Below are some games to help practice the skills.
Possessive Noun Play
Exploring for Possessives
Practicing Possessives

BrainPop contractions
Contractions matching
Go for Grammar Gold

Its or It's?

Its is the possessive pronoun; it modifies a noun.

It's is a contraction of it is or it has.

Incorrect: The mother cat carried it's kitten in it's mouth.
(Possessive pronoun, no apostrophe)

Correct: The mother cat carried its kitten in its mouth.

Correct: I think it's going to rain today.
(Contraction of it is)

Correct: It's been a very long time.
(Contraction of it has)

CNE Elementary is presenting Disney's The Aristocats on November 10 and 12 at UC Clermont's Krueger Auditorium. Many of the cats, dogs and geese flocked to the K-5 classrooms to read cat books to the students and issue personal invitations to the show. Carlie, the highway worker cat, Valerie, the doctor cat, and Josh, Napoleon (the leader of the dog army) enjoyed their time with the younger students.

Angel and Peyton have each shared a yummy recipe with the class in their roles as Healthy Chef. Each Friday, a student who has volunteered to be a healthy chef shares a homemade healthy concoction made with at least one plant (fruit or vegetable). Peyton's home-canned salsa made with home-grown vegetables and Angel's homemade veggie pizza delighted their classmates and tastebuds alike!