Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Harvest Festival Memories...

 Just over a week ago, on October 31st,  our school had an opportunity to learn about the Reformation from Pastor's presentation as Martin Luther.  We also participated in Harvest Festival activities in our classroom.  The games were put together by our two outstanding homeroom mothers.  At the end of the day, we had an all school costume parade, which was enjoyed by all!
Staff also got dressed up!  Mr. Parks even rode his horse into our classroom. The relaxed and positive atmosphere was truly a sight to see.

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, we must rejoice for the wonderful opportunities to learn socially and academically here at Bethlehem.  It is written:  Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 18).
 
 




God Bless!
Mr. P

Harvest Festival Memories...


 Just over a week ago, on October 31st,  our school had an opportunity to learn about the Reformation from Pastor's presentation as Martin Luther.  We also participated in Harvest Festival activities in our classroom.  The games were put together by our two outstanding homeroom mothers.  At the end of the day, we had an all school costume parade, which was enjoyed by all!
Staff also got dressed up!  Mr. Parks even rode his horse into our classroom. The relaxed and positive atmosphere was truly a sight to see.

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, we must rejoice for the wonderful opportunities to learn socially and academically here at Bethlehem.  It is written:  Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 18).
 
 




God Bless!
Mr. P

Monday, September 26, 2016

Growing Bacteria! Exploring the Monera Kingdom!

Last Thursday and Friday, our 5th grade students conducted a their first lab that studied a member of the Monera Kingdom:  Bacteria.  I read some background information on Bacteria, and spoke to the students about areas we would want to check for bacteria.  I also guided the students through a generated worksheet that asked them to develop a Hypothesis, Prediction, Procedure, Materials, Observation and Conclusion.

The procedure included labeling petri dishes of the sample each group of students were going to collect.  We were careful at attempting to maintain a sterile environment.  Students were instructed how to collect a sample using the cotton swabs and petri dishes that were provided by me.  The students were very eager to work in groups to collect the samples from the classroom and adjoining areas.  After the samples were collected, they were placed in an incubator, a plastic bowl with a light. Some of the samples included: rubber door mats, the area beneath a desk, the stage, the shower area in a locker room, and the inside of a student's mouth.

The pictured sample was from the door handle to the classroom.  Needless to say, I wiped down the door handle soon after.  On Monday, we further discussed our findings and implications.  The students did a great job!!  The students also realized anything that is commonly touched by students in the classroom (even the hand sanitizer dispenser) can have bacteria on it.  One of the things we took away from this lab is the necessity for cleanliness!!

5th Grade Newsletter

5th GRADE NEWS
Bethlehem Lutheran                                                  Monday, September 26th               apaveglio@bethlehemsaginaw.org


Hello Bethlehem Families!  Welcome to the first full week of Autumn!  Our 5th graders are in the 5th week of school!!!
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THIS WEEK:   
MAP Testing Continues! 
Homework:  Refer to this letter throughout the week in order to follow up with your child.
Memory: (Memory will be due on Wednesday and Friday)
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2a). “
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).”
Religion: This week we shall study “How do we find things in the Bible.”  This will review using the Bible Dictionary, Handbook, Concordance, and using Scripture to Interpret Scripture.  Following this lesson, we shall learn, “How do we learn about Bible places and people?” 
Math:   Problem-Solving Strategy:  Using the 4-Step Plan, Chapter Review and Test over terms such as: Place Value, Standard Form, Decimals, Expanded Form and Compare and Order Numbers. 
ELA:  We are reading “ Island of the Blue Dolphin.”  Genre:  Novel.  We study:  How do people survive in the Wilderness? The Literary Elements we are studying are:  Theme and Setting.  Conventions:  Independent and Dependent Clauses.   We shall also begin to talk about how people meet personal challenges.
Spelling: (Spelling pre-test on Thursday.  Final test on Friday)  supplied, supplying, denied, denying, decided, deciding, included, including, admitted, admitting, occurred, occurring, qualified, qualifying, identified, identifying, delayed, delaying, satisfied, satisfying, occupied, occupying, criticized, criticizing, omitted, omitting.
Science:    We are finishing our lab discussion on Growing Bacteria.  Students worked in groups last Thursday to collect samples from around the classroom and nearby school rooms, to check for bacterial growt . We grew the samples in a petri dish filled with broth, for 24 hours.  On Friday we began answering our lab sheet.  Monday we will wrap up our conclusion and get to Chapter 1 Review.  The Chapter Test shall be this Friday. 
Social Studies:   We continue to read about the ancient cultures of the Desert Southwest, followed by the Northwest Coast and the Artic cultures.