St. Joseph Catholic School

Placeholder text, please change
Mrs. Tiffany Schiff » Home

Home

5th Grade Team
 

Hello and welcome back to school! I hope you had an incredible Summer filled with fun and adventures. My name is Mrs. Schiff and I am delighted to write to you as your child’s Math, Science and Social Studies teacher. We're going to learn, explore, and grow together in our wonderful classroom.

 

A little about myself: I have been married for 21 years and have lived in Libertyville for 23 years. I have four children: Amanda, who has been married for almost a year now; Olivia, who is a Freshman at Indiana University Kelley School of Business; Ty, who is a Junior at LHS and recently made the Sophomore Basketball team; and Audrina, who is in 4th grade here at SJCS.

 

Throughout my 12 years at St. Joseph Catholic School, I have been furthering my education. I earned my Education degree from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2019. Last year, I assumed the role of 5th - 8th grade Middle School Resource Teacher and worked with students who hold ISP’s and 504 plans. I am currently working towards earning my Special Education credential as well.

 

As this new school year starts, I will be working closely with each student to ensure their success. During my time as the 5-8 Resource Teacher, I gained a strong understanding of the Middle School Math, Science, and Social Studies curriculum. I will continue to work closely with these teachers to ensure the 5th graders are prepared for 6th grade.

 

I am grateful for your trust and support as their teacher, and feel free to contact me with any questions.

 

Many Blessings!

 

Also...I have created a new Amazon wish list of items that will help grow our library of knowledge and also improve my new way of teaching math and ensuring that each student continues to grow and learn in many different ways. We will also be learning study skills and I need supplies from my wish list to make this happen as well. Any donation is greatly appreciated. Link is here or under Amazon tab on the side... thank you!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share

 

 

Posts

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 Homework

As of 7:30am this morning, all comments and grades are posted in PowerSchool for Trimester 2.
 
Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
Please take a moment and take the 5 Essential Survey the Archdiocese is requesting. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  

The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted February 12 through March 22, 2024 and will take about 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey please visit:

 http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

 
Math - None - Math test this Friday (Today we worked on textbook pages 695-697 in class. The pages were review pages from Lesson 1 - Lesson 13....a little bit of everything. They were also given a Practice Test to work on as well either at school or at home. It is to their benefit to actually do these Practice Tests to prep for Friday's test. All work was done in class and turned into me.)
 
Science - None (We are caught up in Science, so I used our time to continue presenting our 3 Country's Projects....we learned about so many more country's and fun facts. I hope your kids are some info with you at home too. I'm loving the presentations and how hard they worked on their slides.)
 
Social Studies - None, but D.O.G is due by Friday  (Today we worked on a Timeline activity of the Constitution. They had to cut and glue the timeline in the correct order. Then we had a "pop quiz" on the Bill of Rights, but they were allowed to use notes, so they all did great. We also worked on a packet about Alexander Hamilton, a key person during the Constitution times and watched a short kid-friendly video about him afterwards.)
 
Reminders:
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group ENRICHMENT on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 Homework

Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
Please take a moment and take the 5 Essential Survey the Archdiocese is requesting. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  

The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted February 12 through March 22, 2024 and will take about 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey please visit:

 http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

 
Math - None - Math test this Friday (Today we worked on subtracting uneven mixed fractions or renaming...for example 3 1/4 - 1 3/4, which would be 2 5/4 - 1 3/4 and now we can actually subtract and solve. All work was done in class and turned into me.)
 
Science - None - Schiff Only  (Today we read in our textbooks and learned about how humans impact our ecosystems and environments. Miss Bubis's class did this lesson yesterday.)
 
Social Studies - None, but D.O.G is due by Friday  (Today we finished our Constitution books by reading chapters 8 & 9 and answering the questions that go along with these chapters. Here are some questions you can ask your child- What is the Bill of Rights?...It guarantees people's basic freedom.  What is the First Amendment?...The First Amendment protects 5 of our rights: religion, speech, press, assemble, and ask government to correct wrongs.  How many years have women been allowed to vote?...since 1920, so 104 years.  How many total amendments have been added to the Constitution?...They have added 27 amendments to the Constitution.)
 
Reminders:
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group ENRICHMENT on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.

Monday, March 4, 2024 Homework

Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
Please take a moment and take the 5 Essential Survey the Archdiocese is requesting. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  

The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted February 12 through March 22, 2024 and will take about 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey please visit:

 http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

 
Math - None - Math test this Friday (Today we did an enrichment worksheet on how to subtract mixed numbers with same and different denominators. We did this lesson last week and we are revisiting it. All work was done in class and turned into me.)
 
Science - None - Bubis Only  (Today we read in our textbooks and learned about how humans impact our ecosystems and environments. My class will do this lesson tomorrow.)
 
Social Studies - None, but D.O.G is due by Friday  (We started our presentations on our 3 countries today and learned about so many different countries and fun facts. Ask your child what they learned today. )
 
Reminders:
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group ENRICHMENT on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.

3/4/24 to 3/8/24 Week at a Glance

Math : Chapter 9 on Adding and Subtracting Fractions (one lesson per day) 

  • Chapter 9, Lesson 13 - Subtract fractions with renaming (learning objective: Students will use fraction equivalence to subtract with renaming)
  • Chapter 9, Review Pages in book - We will review all the lessons in class
  • Chapter 9 differentiated Math Practice tests will be done about 3 times prior to the actual test on Wednesday and Thursday
  • We will have the Chapter 9 Math Test on Friday, March 9, 2024

Science: Chapter 4 on Ecosystems (one lesson per week)

  • Chapter 4 on Ecosystems with Lesson 4
    • How do humans impact ecosystems? (learning objective: students will define a problem relating to human impact on ecosystems and will analyze the consequences of how people can affect the environment.)
    • How do living things interact with their environments?
  • On Thursday the students will have a graded Ecosystems packets they will work on in groups
  • Key words.... conservation, non-native species, and pollution

Social Studies: Finishing The Constitution

  • We will start presenting our google slides throughout the week on our 3 country’s projects. Can’t wait!
  • Reading chapters 8 & 9 of "What is the Constitution?" along with pages 6 and 7 in the packets that go with the books on Tuesday and turning in our packets for a grade
  • On Wednesday we will be doing a timeline of events activity that requires scissors and glue sticks along with learning about Alexander Hamilton and his role during the events being learned. There is also a kid friendly short video assigned to the students about him.
  • On Friday we will be taking a test on the "What is the Constitution" book we just finished reading and they will be allowed to use their packets as their notes for the test.

Learning Objectives of The Constitution: 

After this lesson, students will be able to:

  1. explain the origins of the Constitution
  2. describe the three branches of government and how they function
  3. apply understanding of the Constitution to the classroom

*Please note that The Week at a Glance is very broad. Please check my nightly Edlio posts to read about what we specifically did in class that day.*

Thursday, February 29, 2024 Homework

Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
Please take a moment and take the 5 Essential Survey the Archdiocese is requesting. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  

The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted February 12 through March 22, 2024 and will take about 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey please visit:

 http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

 
Math - None (Today we learned how to subtract mixed numbers with same and different denominators. We did the lesson in the book and an extra enrichment worksheet. All work was done in class and turned into me.)
 
Science - None (Today we had a Pop Quiz which was on Ecosystems. They had to read the informational text in the packet and answer the questions. I allowed them to work with one other partner if they wanted to. They did a great job!)
 
Social Studies - None (We had our State Capital test today in both classrooms. I was so pleased with all the scores. I'm so proud of these kids!)
 
Reminders:
 
- Trimester 3 ends on 3/1/24
 
- No School tomorrow - Friday, March 1, 2024 
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group ENRICHMENT on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024 Homework

Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
Please take a moment and take the 5 Essential Survey the Archdiocese is requesting. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  

The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted February 12 through March 22, 2024 and will take about 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey please visit:

 http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

 
Math - None (Today we learned how to add mixed numbers using models to help us. All work was done in class and turned into me.)
 
Science - None (Today we did our Lesson 3 Check quiz using our textbooks for help and guidance as well. Then the students watched a video on Ecosystem Disruptions that I assigned to them in Google Classroom Science. This video shows the effects of the ecosystem....very informative.)
 
Social Studies - None - STATE CAPITAL TEST IS TOMORROW (We continued working on our 3 country's google slides in class today and will again tomorrow. We should finish by tomorrow and start presenting in class by next Monday. I am so excited for the presentations. 
Then they worked on another State Capitals WS in class.
 Also...I have already provided many resources (songs, games, etc..) since early January in Google Classroom for students to start practicing their state capitals for our test TOMORROW - 2/29/24. Please practice and we will practice with worksheets in class as well.)
 
Reminders:
 
- Trimester 3 ends on 3/1/24
 
- No School this Friday, March 1, 2024 
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group ENRICHMENT on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024 Homework

Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
Please take a moment and take the 5 Essential Survey the Archdiocese is requesting. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  

The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted February 12 through March 22, 2024 and will take about 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey please visit:

 http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

 
Math - None (Today we worked on Check My Progress pages in our books and then I assigned an extension worksheet as well. This lesson check worksheet  was from Lesson 1 thru Lesson 9 of this chapter. All work was done in class and turned into me.)
 
Science - None - Schiff Only (Today we read and learned about how ecosystems change and are effected by our environments and answered all the questions along the way. Miss Bubis's classroom did this yesterday.)
 
Social Studies - None (We continued working on our 3 country's google slides in class today and will again tomorrow. We should finish by tomorrow and start presenting in class by next Monday. I am so excited for the presentations. 
Then they worked on another State Capitals WS in class.
 Also...I have already provided many resources (songs, games, etc..) since early January in Google Classroom for students to start practicing their state capitals for our test on 2/29/24. Please practice and we will practice with worksheets in class as well.)
 
Reminders:
 
- Trimester 3 ends on 3/1/24
 
- No School this Friday, March 1, 2024 
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group ENRICHMENT on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.

Monday, February 26, 2024 Homework

Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
Please take a moment and take the 5 Essential Survey the Archdiocese is requesting. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  

The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted February 12 through March 22, 2024 and will take about 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey please visit:

 http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

 
Math - None (Today we worked on estimating sums and differences of mixed number fractions. I taught them how to picture the fraction in their head and either keep the whole number the same or round up. All work was done in class and turned into me.)
 
Science - None - Bubis Only (Today we read and learned about how ecosystems change and are effected by our environments and answered all the questions along the way. My classroom will do this tomorrow.)
 
Social Studies - None (We read Chapter 6 & 7 in our Constitution books today. What are two jobs of Congress?...They can decide if we go to war and they can make laws.  What are two requirements to become president?...The president has to be at least 35 yrs old and born in the United States. What is the introduction of the Constitution called?....the Preamble.  What was the purpose of the celebration on July 4, 1788?....celebrating the United States becoming a nation and our new government.
Then they worked on another State Capitals WS in class and one given to take home. This sheet is very important as it will be the format of the test.
 Also...I have already provided many resources (songs, games, etc..) since early January in Google Classroom for students to start practicing their state capitals for our test on 2/29/24. Please practice and we will practice with worksheets in class as well.)
 
Reminders:
 
- Trimester 3 ends on 3/1/24
 
- No School this Friday, March 1, 2024 
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group tutoring on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.

2/26/24 to 3/1/24 Week at a Glance

Math : Chapter 9 on Adding and Subtracting Fractions (one lesson per day) 

  • Chapter 9, Lesson 9 - Estimate sums and differences (learning objective: use equivalent fractions as a strategy to add and subtract)
  • Chapter 9, Lesson 10 - Use models to add Mixed Numbers (learning objective: using visual models of fractions to represent and solve the problem)
  • Chapter 9, Lesson 11 - Adding Mixed Numbers (learning objective: adding fractions with same whole, including cases of unlike denominators)
  • Chapter 9, Lesson 12 - Subtract Mixed Numbers (learning objective: subtracting fractions with same whole, including cases with unlike denominators) 
  • We will also do a "Check My Progress" on Tuesday to recap from Lesson 1 thru Lesson 9

Science: Chapter 4 on Ecosystems (one lesson per week)

  • Chapter 4 on Ecosystems with Lesson 3
    • How do ecosystems change? 
      • Learning objective - students will investigate how ecosystems change and will construct an argument based on evidence that supports that some animals and plants adapt to survive changes to their ecosystems
    • How do living things interact with their environments?
  • On Thursday the students will have a graded Ecosystems Escape Room that is assigned to the in Google Classroom to solve
  • Key words.... competition, environment and resources

Social Studies: The Constitution

Geography - We will continue learning the Capitals of each State daily with worksheets and games, so there are ready for their test on 2/29/24

  • We will continue creating and designing our google slides from the notes taken on our 3 country’s projects on Tuesday and Thursday and possibly even start presenting some. Can’t wait!
  • Reading chapters 6 & 7 of "What is the Constitution?" along with pages 6 and 7 in the packets that go with the books
  • On Thursday we will be learning about Benjamin Franklin and his role during the events of the Constitution. The students will also be assigned a short video to watch about him on google classroom.

Learning Objectives of The Constitution: 

After this lesson, students will be able to:

  1. explain the origins of the Constitution
  2. describe the three branches of government and how they function
  3. apply understanding of the Constitution to the classroom

*Please note that The Week at a Glance is very broad. Please check my nightly Edlio posts to read about what we specifically did in class that day.*

Friday, February 23, 2024 Homework

Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
Please take a moment and take the 5 Essential Survey the Archdiocese is requesting. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  

The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted February 12 through March 22, 2024 and will take about 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey please visit:

 http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

 
Math - None (Today we did not have Math class as I surprised the students this morning and took both classrooms down to watch the Freedom Tea performance that 3rd grade put on about Martin Luther King, Jr. This 5th grade class never got to do it as it was pandemic year, so I thought it would be fun for them to watch and support the fellow 3rd graders. Great show!!!)
 
Science - None  (Today the students did their Lesson 2 Check quiz and were able to use their books with the pages I provided as a guide for answers. Then I had assigned two Brain Pop lessons for them to do and earn points on in PowerSchool...one was on Fungi (decomposer) and the other on Ecosystems in general.)
 
Social Studies - None (Today we read about James Madison and answered questions about him. He was a key person during the time of the Constitution. The students also watched a great video on him that I assigned on Google Classroom.
Then they worked on another State Capitals WS in class.
 Also...I have already provided many resources (songs, games, etc..) since early January in Google Classroom for students to start practicing their state capitals for our test on 2/29/24. Please practice and we will practice with worksheets in class as well.)
 
Reminders:
 
- Trimester 3 ends on 3/1/24
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group tutoring on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.

Thursday, February 22, 2024 Homework

Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
Please take a moment and take the 5 Essential Survey the Archdiocese is requesting. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  

The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted February 12 through March 22, 2024 and will take about 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey please visit:

 http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

 
Math - None (Today we started working on subtracting unlike fractions...finding the common denominator. Example: 2/3 - 1/6 is 4/6 - 1/6 = 3/6 = 1/2 ... we multiplied 2/3 by 2 top and bottom to get the common denominator of 6 for both fractions. Also, if possible, fractions need to be simplified to simplest form. They did a great job on this lesson and did all the work in class and submitted it to me.)
 
Science - None - Schiff Only  (My homeroom read about how organisms interact in ecosystems in our text books. We also learned vocab words such as; predator, prey, producers, consumers, decomposers, food chain and food web in this lesson. Miss Bubis's class enjoyed some Brain Pop fun by picking topics in Science they wanted to learn about.)
 
Social Studies - None (Today we continued working on our Google Slides for our 3 country's project. They are truly having fun with this and it brings me so much joy.
Then they worked on another State Capitals WS in class.
 Also...I have already provided many resources (songs, games, etc..) since early January in Google Classroom for students to start practicing their state capitals for our test on 2/29/24. Please practice and we will practice with worksheets in class as well.)
 
Reminders:
 
- Trimester 3 ends on 3/1/24
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group tutoring on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024 Homework

Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
Please take a moment and take the 5 Essential Survey the Archdiocese is requesting. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  

The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted February 12 through March 22, 2024 and will take about 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey please visit:

 http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

 
Math - None (Today we continued working on adding unlike fractions...finding the common denominator. Example: 2/3 + 1/6 is 4/6 + 1/6 = 5/6 ... we multiplied 2/3 by 2 top and bottom to get the common denominator of 6 for both fractions. Also, if possible, fractions need to be simplified to simplest form. They did a great job on this lesson and did all the work in class and submitted it to me.)
 
Science - None - Bubis Only  (We read about how organisms interact in ecosystems in our text books. We also learned vocab words such as; predator, prey, producers, consumers, decomposers, food chain and food web in this lesson. Tomorrow my homeroom will be in their textbooks reading this lesson as we had our monthly visit from Mrs. Han and Mrs. Walsh today. )
 
Social Studies - None (Today we read chapters 4 & 5 in our Constitution books and worked on pages 4 & 5 in our comprehension packets as well.  What was one issue the delegates discussed?....slavery. What do we know about the issue of slavery in the Constitution today?...it is against the law...the 13th amendment abolished it.
Then they worked on another State Capitals WS in class.
 Also...I have already provided many resources (songs, games, etc..) since early January in Google Classroom for students to start practicing their state capitals for our test on 2/29/24. Please practice and we will practice with worksheets in class as well.)
 
Reminders:
 
- Food Pantry collection is this Thursday, Feb. 22nd. Our class is in charge of donating Rice Boxed Sides, but any donation is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group tutoring on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 Homework

Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
Please take a moment and take the 5 Essential Survey the Archdiocese is requesting. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.  

The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted February 12 through March 22, 2024 and will take about 10 minutes to complete. To take the survey please visit:

 http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

 
Math - None (Today we started adding unlike fractions...finding the common denominator. Example: 2/3 + 1/6 is 4/6 + 1/6 = 5/6 ... we multiplied 2/3 by 2 top and bottom to get the common denominator of 6 for both fractions. Also, if possible, fractions need to be simplified to simplest form. They did a great job on this lesson and did all the work in class and submitted it to me.)
 
Science - None - Schiff Only  (We had some Brain Pop fun as I had them pick Science topics they wanted to learn about. Bubis's homeroom will do this on Thursday too to be fair. Tomorrow both classes will be in their textbooks reading the next lesson. )
 
Social Studies - None (Today we started creating our Google Slides for our 3 country's project. I can't wait to see the final product and all their creativity. Then they worked on another State Capitals WS in class.
 Also...I have already provided many resources (songs, games, etc..) since early January in Google Classroom for students to start practicing their state capitals for our test on 2/29/24. Please practice and we will practice with worksheets in class as well.)
 
Reminders:
 
- Food Pantry collection on Thursday, Feb. 22nd. Our class is in charge of donating Rice Boxed Sides, but any donation is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group tutoring on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.

2/19/24 to 2/23/24 Week at a Glance

Math : Chapter 9 on Adding and Subtracting Fractions (one lesson per day) 

  • Chapter 9, Lesson 4 - Use models to add unlike fractions (learning objective: use equivalent fractions as a strategy to add and subtract)
  • Chapter 9, Lesson 5 - Add unlike Fractions (learning objective: add fractions with unlike denominators by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions in such a way as to produce and equivalent sum or difference of fractions with like denominators)
  • Chapter 9, Lesson 6 - Use models to subtract unlike fractions (learning objective: use visual fraction models to represent the problem)
  • Chapter 9, Lesson 7 - Subtract unlike Fractions (learning objective: subtract fractions with unlike denominators by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions in such a way as to produce and equivalent sum or difference of fractions with like denominators)

Science: Chapter 4 on Ecosystems (one lesson per week)

  • Chapter 4 on Ecosystems with Lesson 2 
    • How do organisms interact in ecosystems?
    • How do living things interact with their environments?
      • Learning Objective: students will develop and use models that show the different ways that organisms interact in a ecosystem 
  • Key words.... producer, consumer, decomposer, predator, and prey

Social Studies: The Constitution

Geography - We will continue learning the Capitals of each State daily with worksheets and games, so there are ready for their test on 2/29/24

  • We will start creating and designing our google slides from the notes taken on our 3 country’s projects on Tuesday and Thursday. 
  • Reading chapters 4 & 5 of "What is the Constitution?" along with pages 4 & 5 in our comprehension packets that go with the books
  • On Friday we will be learning about James Madison and his role during the events of the Constitution. The students will also be assigned a short video to watch about him on google classroom.

Learning Objectives of The Constitution: 

After this lesson, students will be able to:

  1. explain the origins of the Constitution
  2. describe the three branches of government and how they function
  3. apply understanding of the Constitution to the classroom

*Please note that The Week at a Glance is very broad. Please check my nightly Edlio posts to read about what we specifically did in class that day.*

Friday, February 16, 2024 Homework

Dearest Parents - if anyone can send in some good old fashioned #2 pencils I would greatly appreciate it for the classroom. I am running out and replenish my cup holders for the students to use throughout the year. I thank you in advance. Many Blessings!
 
 
Math - None (In Math today we started to subtract like fractions and take them down to their simplest form. Example: 3/4 - 1/4 = 2/4 = 1/2. They did a great job on this lesson and did all the work in class and submitted it to me.)
 
Science - None (We took our Lesson 1 quiz today in class about how plants get and use energy. It was an open book quiz.)
 
Social Studies - None, but D.O.G. is due by Friday (Today we read about George Washington and answered questions about him. He was a key person during the time of the Constitution. The students also watched a great video on him that I assigned on Google Classroom. Then they worked on another State Capitals WS in class.
 Also...I have already provided many resources (songs, games, etc..) in Google Classroom for students to start practicing their state capitals for our test on 2/29/24. Please practice and we will practice with worksheets in class as well starting this week.)
 
Reminders:
 
- No School on 2/19/24....have a relaxing day!!
 
- Food Pantry collection on Thursday, Feb. 22nd. Our class is in charge of donating Rice Boxed Sides, but any donation is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!
 
- I offer office hours Monday - Thursday if your child needs me to reteach something in Math, Science or Social Studies. Please email me for assistance and we will meet via google meet link. 
 
- I offer afterschool Math group tutoring on Thursday's of every week until 3:15pm. Some weeks we review and some weeks we go ahead and learn the next lessons. We will also work on strengthening our math facts in multiplication. It is $30 per week if you'd like to join. You can come and go from week to week, but it is very beneficial. Contact me with any questions. 
 
- Amazon wish list, if you can donate to our classroom... https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RS691H76HBK0?ref_=wl_share
 
Upcoming events:
 
~ Field Trip on May 2nd to Kenosha Public Museum to learn about Native American tribes that lived in Wisconsin and also dissecting Owl Pellets. We also have another Field Trip on May 22nd to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha. More info to come for chaperoning by our Room Parent's. Field Trip forms to come home in April. So excited for these opportunities of enrichment. 
 
~ After much research on my end, I have decided to end this year in Science with a bit of Biology. I surprised the students and told them that we will be dissecting a crayfish and an earthworm in May sometime. I would say 99% of them were so excited about this. A couple were not thrilled with the idea. Please know that this will not be graded, nor would I make any student do something they do not want to do or feel comfortable doing. This is strictly for fun and is totally optional. If they choose to not participate, they can come to the Science lab with us and read a book in the hallway. I'm very excited about this opportunity for the students.