Mrs. Coss's 5th Grade Class

Welcome to Our Class Blog

You are invited to visit our class blog regularly to read about what's going on in Mrs. Coss's 5th grade class.  Our 2009-2010 class is comprised of twenty-one amazing kids who have much to offer to their fellow fifth graders, the school, and the world! Thanks for checking in with us!

Hispanic Heritage: Mariachi Music

Download ITunes Library 2009-09-16

Week of August 31-September 4, 2009

Reading/English Language Arts:

• Students developed their "asking questions" strategy in order to make sense of what they read. As students think "I wonder....." they are anticipating events and information that they might learn from their reading. This helps their understanding!
• September 9th marks the mid-point of the grading period, so students should be at 50% of their AR Goals.
• In English, students took a summative evaluation on sentences and subject/predicate. Next we will begin our study of specific kinds of nouns: singular/plural, common/proper, abbreviations, and possessives. Students will have their summative evaluation on nouns on Tuesday, September 15!
• In Writing, students took a descriptive paragragh summative evaluation. We will next write descriptively in procedural (how-to) writing.

Mathematics:

Students multiplied decimals in model form (10x10) grid, but they also learned how to multiply using the algorithm (multiply as whole numbers, then place the decimal).  Mrs. Coss's Math Class will have their multiplying decimals summative evaluation on Friday, September 11th. Also, next week, we will gear up for the ITBS by reviewing math skills in testing format.

Social Studies:

Our students have learned what rights and responsibilities all citizens have and how their government is responsive to citizens, not the other way around! They understand the concepts of E Pluribus Unum, due process, checks and balances, among others!  Students took the summative evaluation on Citizenship/Government on Friday. We will begin our study of the American Civil War, but most lessons will be embedded in Language Arts time as students will begin their Science unit with Ms. Hurt next week from 11:30 - 12:05.

Science:

Students will learn Earth Science as they study about constructive (desposition [deltas, sand dunes], earthquakes, volcanoes, faults) and destructive forces of nature (weathering, erosion, impact of organisms, earthquakes, volcanoes).

Our Schedule for the 2009-2010 School Year

Download Mrs. Coss's Class Schedule

Muskan's Book Review

Book Review:

The Pentagon Spy

Written by: Franklin W. Dixon

By Muskan

 

     When a valuable antique {a weather vane} is stolen by a gang of thieves in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Frank and Joe Hardy are desperate to catch them. Meanwhile their hardworking famous detective father, Fenton Hardy is on another case. The Pentagon asks for Fenton to help find a missing navy document. The Hardies apparently join forces. From here on strange and mysterious things start to happen. Kidnapping, boxing, a bald headed granny! More clues turn up that might change their whole lives! The ruthless gang remains elusive while threating the young detectives wherever they go. Their room, their hotel, their parents and other relatives. What is the connection between these two mysteries? Who are the bad guys? Who is friend? Who is foe? The final chapters of this thrilling  mystery uncovers a stunning revolution as you read America’s young detectives do what they do best!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        WOW!!!! What a great mystery and the best one yet! I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt so excited that I couldn’t stop reading at all!!!! Especially the part when Frank catches his brother just in the nick of time when Joe was about to take a 1,000 feet drop! This book also had some unfinished questions in my mind. Personally I really think that Franklin W. Dixon is a great author, but he still left a big chunk of puzzlement in my mind. For example, what happened to Chet in archery competition? Why was a mysterious character named Mad Maggie ever in this book? I think she should not have been a part of this book, because she had a ghostly voice and was apparently the bald grandmother of the bad guy. People have different opinions about different things, and I disagreed about what Frank did in this book.  For example when he shouted out a random thing like, I think Mad Maggie is a robot!!!!!  Even his dad says” Frank think before you say “He kind of reminded me of a guy in my 5^th grade class named Kyle Wicker.  Next is, that I went to a trip to North Carolina for my spring break vacation ,and I saw weather vanes just like the ones in the book! Isn’t that amazing, because I didn’t know that the weather vanes mentioned in this book were real! Also, my favorite character in this book was Joe. It was him because he was always very sweet to his older brother, and he is always very brave, and he always cheers people up. Like when Frank lost his favorite bicycle Joe said, Frank its okay dad is going to buy you a new one this book taught me an important lesson. It was bravery Frank and Joe were really brave in this book when they had to go in the cave. Well you know I can’t tell you how the mystery of the Pentagon Spy gets resolved, and I do know how tempting it is, but that is your job to find out. By the way this book is number 51 in the Hardy boys series, and if you haven’t read books 1-50 you can’t read this book yet at all. After you read all of these Hardy Boys books you will find out that not only his is the most thrilling, mysterious, breathtaking, a book with cliff hanging suspense. It is a just a plain regular book that is enjoyed by many people, but has such strength to not only make us read them, but make us remember it for ever!!!

Bryden's Book Review

 

A book review of:

The People of Sparks
Written by: Jeanne DuPrau 

Review by: Bryden  5^th grade

 “Light comes from the sky!” Lina exclaimed with excitement. How would you feel if these were your first words in a new world? I know what you’re thinking, why would someone say this with excitement? Light has always come from the sky.  Maybe this will change your emotions, what if you’ve lived in an underground city all of your life? The dying city of Ember was supposed to serve as a protection for the people from the murdering terrors above ground. Many years later, two very clever children are born; every person in Ember loves their town, and wants to stay, all except Lina and Doon, those clever children. They know their city is dying, and they want to leave. Lina is a great grand daughter of one of the former mayors, which have carried a box?!?!?! This box is lost, and many years later, she finds an extremely peculiar box in her closet. With a paper inside of it titled, “Instructions for Egress”, which means Instructions for exit. In “The People of Sparks,” Lina and Doon

are taking their dying city out of its forever long darkness into the light. They arrive into a town of Sparks, and now, it’s up to Lina and Doon to teach the two towns that everyone’s differences are a wonderful gift, and keep them from going to war…….. 
           I would definitely recommend this book to young readers who have just finished reading “The City of Ember” or whoever is looking for excitement and adventure in a book. Many people just read the first book, and then just stop, but what I suggest you do is read the whole series. Here’s two suggestions, #1- The third book might be a little scary fir small children. #2-  Have fun reading all books.

Goal Achievers!

Congrats to the following students who met their reading goals this 3rd quarter.  You ROCK!

 

Hans               Savannah
Steven B.       Marco
Hayeon          Samantha
Emily              Maria
Jarrod            Muskan
Mauricio        Bowo
Cielo              Bryden
Francesca      Isaiah   

Hilarious PNN Footage!

The crew of PNN snuck this video of Agnew and Shiffman in without my knowledge!  What a hilarious surpise!  I went ahead and added some other funny moments including ones with Ms. Hanna, Bowo and Tyler!

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=06f74ff765deaaa5d453

Brainchild

 Students, be sure to login to brainchild.com for skills practice!  Students should spend at least 1 hour per week on this site.