Winter Break Test Prep

Students were given online assignments to help prepare for the State ELA Test. They can log on with their username and passwords (Username is FirstNameLastName -no spaces- and the passwords they created in class) at the following link:

http://schools.nyc.gov/beta

and click on Acuity Test Prep From Your Home Computer.

The link can also be found at the top of the right hand column of the Blog.

Chorus and Musical Theatre

Some photographs of the fabulous Winter Concert put on by our school's Chorus and Musical Theatre groups.

Thank You!!!

Dear Families of Class 5-307,

Thank you so much for all of your gifts and presents that you have bestowed upon us for the holidays! We are so grateful, and wish you and yours a fabulous break!

Love,
Mrs. Ussery and Ms. Fought

New Middle School Meeting Alert!

There will be a middle school fair for parents and students on Thursday, January 24th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. It will be held at M.S. 88 at 55 Seventh Avenue in Park Slope.

You can find out more information on the Department of Education Website: http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/Middle/default.htm

As you may have read, the middle school meeting we told you about on January 14th is NOT for parents, but for school staff. Please do not attend - but we will keep you updated on any other middle school meetings.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

More Middle School Meetings...

There will be a Middle School Choice Meeting on Tuesday, January 15th, at 131 Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn at 12:30 p.m. On the agenda will be discussions of Middle School fairs, Timelines and Deadlines, Special Education, Testing and Audition Schools.

** We highly recommend that you know as much as you can about the middle school admission process before applying!**

Test Prep Link!

Students will be assigned work on the Accuity Online website at school to practice strategies to help them during the ELA State Test. This site provides lessons for skills they have received during Reader's and Writer's Worskhops, and they can use the site online at home. Below are links to each site, and students will be receiving passwords and logins to access the site at home.

Accuity Online at School

Accuity Online at Home

Photos From 826NYC

In addition to our book "Disaster in Fairyland," we also have photographs from our "Choose Your Own Adventure" workshop at 826NYC.

ITA - Instructionally Targeted Assessments

On Wednesday, December 5th, and Thursday, December 6th, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students will take the ITA (Instructionally Targeted Assessment).

Information about the ITA can be found below and by visiting the Department of Education website.

Instructionally-Targeted Assessments

Aligned to standards and skills taught during a specific instructional period and developed collaboratively with educators, these match the scope and sequence / curricular maps used by many schools. These tests are customizable by school and classroom, provide insight into students’ understanding and misconceptions, and help inform next instructional steps. Schools will select up to 3 per year.

Our Next Trip!

Whew! So many field trips! We are excited to inform you about Class 5-307’s upcoming trip to 826NYC on Thursday, December 6th, 2007. Our students will be participating in a Choose Your Own Adventure bookmaking workshop. Each student will receive their own published piece at the end of the workshop. We will be either be walking or traveling via the subway system (depending on the weather) to 826NYC, which is located at 372 5th Avenue in Park Slope. We will depart from the school at approximately 9:15 a.m. and return to the school by 1:15 p.m.



Lunch will be held either be held in our classroom or in Prospect Park, depending on the weather. Students may either bring a packed lunch from home, or choose a boxed lunch prepared by the school. Be sure to check the appropriate box below.

We would appreciate any parent chaperones that could accompany the 5th grade to 826NYC. Please call us at 718-768-0057, email us at our addresses below or check the box below if you would like to join us.

For more information, please visit http://www.826nyc.org/

Looking at Our Government

Use the following link to learn more about our three branches of government and how laws are made.

Ben's Guide to U.S. Government

Our Next Trip!

We will be traveling to Sony Wonder Technology Lab in Manhattan on Tuesday, November 20th. This is a free trip! We will be arriving there via subway at about 10:30, and arriving back at school at 2:30 p.m. Please make sure the trip forms are signed and that students pack a lunch!



For more information about Sony Wonder, click here.

Landforms Review Websites

Click on the links below to learn more about world landforms:

1. Landform Definitions Part One

2. Landform Definitions Part Two

3. World Atlas Website - Look for Landforms Links!

The Museum of the City of New York

We had a great time reviewing the trade between the Europeans and Native Americans in early America, as well as lunching in Central Park. Thank you to Ms. O'Donnell, Ms. Vasquez and Ms. Smith for chaperoning our trip.

Below are some photographs from our trip:

Test Preparation Classes!

P.S. 154 will begin test prep classes this Saturday, November 1oth. The sessions begin at 9:00 am and end at 12:00 pm, and there will be 6 sessions total:

-November 10th
-November 17th
-December 1st
-December 8th
-December 15th
-January 5th

***We invite all students to join us for the sessions. Please fill out the form that went home or send in a note if you are interested!***

Election Day 2007

Just a reminder that this Tuesday, November 6th, is not only Election Day, but a Professional Development Day for NYC Teachers. Students will not be in attendance on Tuesday.

ELA Predictive

Any student who attends a middle school tour on Friday will be able to take a retest on Wednesday morning, November 7th.

ELA Predictive Questions

There have been some concerns about Friday's ELA Predictive since there is a middle school tour at the same time. We are trying to get the predictive test time moved back to 11:00 am, and if this happens, we will let you know. Either way, students will be given a chance to make up the test.

The ELA Predictive

On Thursday, November 1st, and Friday, November 2nd, the fifth graders at P.S. 154 will be taking the first ELA predictive, which is the city's new interim assessment. These assessments will take place at 9 a.m. and last approximately 45 minutes. Please be sure that students are well-rested and full of test-taking stamina!

If your student is absent, they will take a retest on a later date.

For more information on the predictive, click here.

Boo Bash 2007

Photographs from this year's Boo Bash. Click on the photos for larger images!

Global Warming Solutions

Visit the following links to learn more about preventing and finding solutions to global warming:

http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/kidspage.cfm

A global warming Webquest

EPA's Climate Change Website

Take Action against Global Warming

What We Can Do!

Getting Ready For The Social Studies Test

The 5th Grade Social Studies Test is coming up on Wednesday, November 14th and Thursday, November 15th (Yes, it starts the day after Parent-Teacher Conferences!). There are multiple choice, constructed response and document based essay sections. You can help prepare by visiting the websites below and reading more about the test and its format.

Multiple Choice Questions on Grade 4 Content

Multiple Choice Questions on Grade 3 Content

About the Exam

Affected Animals - Global Warming

During the Enrichment period, some students will be studying the causes of, effects of, and solutions to global warming. Below are some links we will be using in class to learn more about global warming's effect on our planet's creatures.

Threatened species

polar bears

pikas

pied flycatchers

elephants

Endangering the Arctic Creatures

More endangered animals

What Can We Do To Lessen Global Warming? part1

What Can We Do To Lessen Global Warming part 2

Museum of Natural History

Permission slips for the fifth grade trip to the Museum of Natural History will be going home this week. We would love for any parent volunteer to join us for this experience. Please email us if you are interested!

Our First Trip!

Class 5-307 will be visiting Manhattan's Museum of Natural History on October 16th. We are very excited about supporting our Social Studies Curriculum by observing the Global Peoples exhibits. We want to remind the students and parents that safe and respectful behavior is expected on this trip as well as all class trips.

We will be sending home notices shortly. You can read more about the museum on their website.

Stretching Out Our Small Moments!!

We are beginning to draft our Edge-of-your-seat Small Moments.

You can discuss these small moments at home. Here are a list of "small moment" qualities:

Small Moments:
- are personal narratives - stories about ourselves
- are written from the author's point of view
- describe one tiny piece of time
- use sensory details, similes, and personification

During drafting, students use timelines and other graphic organizers to sequence events and add details.

We will be publishing by Mid-October!!

Curriculum Night - September 26th!

P.S. 154 will be holding its annual curriculum night on September 25th at 5:30 p.m. There will be two half-hour sessions that describe our units of study and some of the fifth grade events.

Mark your calendars!

Middle School Fair!

Please join us on Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. for our Middle School Fair. An overview of the application process will be given, as well as a list of dates for school tours. We will also be establishing a fundraising committee for the fifth grade's special events.

We hope to see you there!

Our Units of Study

For the duration of September, class 5-307 will be studying the following in our core subjects:

Reading: Enriching Our Readerly Life / Book Reports
Writing: Edge-of-your-seat Small Moments
Mathematics: Number Theory and Estimation & Computation
Social Studies: World Geography



There are several links below that you can use to practice classroom skills and strategies:

Writing A First-Rate Book Report

Enhancing Reading Comprehension

Writing Units of Study

Math Games

Math Games - Flash

National Geographic Maps

Welcome to the Fifth Grade!

Ms. Fought and Ms. Ussery are very excited about the 2007-2008 school year! You can find important news, links, photographs here on the class website.