Miss Pellin's Post
December 15th- December 19th

This is the last week before Winter Break! Everyone is excited, but we still have a few things to work on this week. Thank you to everyone who contributed to our cancer family project. Everyone was extremely generous! Your kindness is greatly appreciated!

On Monday, December 15th the students will be going on a bowling field trip. If students would like to buy snacks at the bowling alley, please send some money with them. Also, we will be seeing The Grinch at Tivoli Theater on Friday, December 19th. Please make sure that permission slips are turned in.

Ms. Stainman needs parent volunteers to help tie roller skates during PE classes for third grade. She needs help the week of January 8-January 22. You can come as many or as few of times as you want and can go into any other class or your child's own. We have gym from 11:05-11:30 everyday. You can email her at tstainman@ccsd66.org if you are interested. Thanks for your help.

The Sixteenth Week of 2008 at School:

Home Room
Science: We will begin to study lesson 3, the scientific method, in our introductory Science unit.

Social Studies: We will continue to study culture and we will begin to study immigration in chapter 3. There will be a chapter 3 test on Thursday, December 18th. Culture Day will be Thursday, January 8th and Friday, January 9th. Everyone was assigned a day. Each student should be prepared to share with the class something about his or her cultural heritage. You will find a packet on what to do in each students binder this week.

Language Arts
Spelling: There will be no Spelling this week due to the field trips.

Reading: We will study the concept of "making connections." We will work in our ISAT Reading book on this strategy. We will also work on writing an extended response on a question from the story The Mysterious Giant of Barletta.

English: We will finish our friendly letters to our favorite celebrity. The letters will be due on Tuesday, December 16th. Please use the friendly letter rubric in your child's binder as a guide for the letter as you help your child at home. I will use this rubric to grade the letters. We will have a test on letter parts and punctuation on Tuesday, December 16th.

Math: We will begin multiplication "x5" and "x10." There will be a mad minute "x5" and "x10" quiz on Thursday, December 18th. Please continue to use flash cards at home to help prepare your child for these multiplication quizzes. There will be a test on chapter 6 on Wednesday, December 17th. We will be working on Math book review pages in order to study for the test on Tuesday, December 18th.

Things to Remember:
Monday 12/15: We will have a bowling field trip.

Tuesday 12/16: Friendly letters are due. There will be a letter parts test.

Wednesday 12/17: There will be a Math Chapter 6 test.

Thursday 12/18: There will be two mad minutes quizzes. There will be a Social Studies Chapter 3 Test.

Friday 12/19: We will go to see The Grinch at the Tivoli Theater.

Contact Information:
E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
December 8th- December 12th

It was great to see all of my Language Art's parents this past week! I enjoyed talking to each of you!

On Wednesday, December 10th our holiday project will come to an end. So far we do not have any gifts. It would be great if we can help our family out in their time of need!

On Monday, December 15th the students will be going on a bowling field trip. Also, we will be seeing The Grinch at Tivoli Theater on Friday, December 19th. Please make sure that permission slips are turned in.

A Special Holiday Project!

Each year Prairieview runs a service project around the holidays. Our efforts will benefit two organizations: a cancer family and a family shelter. Each classroom at Prairieview has a family or an individual that is in need at this time. In addition to the cancer families, we will also be making cash donations and gift donations to the family shelter, a shelter for domestic abuse. This shelter is in the local area. This year our class has a very special family.

Our family includes:
~Alicia Maddox(cancer patient) -20 years old (Mom)
~Alanna - 1 year old (daughter)

Sadly, Alicia has cancer. Not only does this family struggle with the stress of treatments and illness, but they are less fortunate than us financially, too. In order to make this a special holiday, we have “adopted” them. If you could send in a NEW, not used, present for one or more of the family members that would be greatly appreciated.

Directions for our class family gifts:
*Please wrap the gifts if they are not food items.

*LABEL the item with what it is with a post it note.

*Label who it is for.

Some ideas for NEW (not used) gifts include, but are not limited to:
Alicia: (age 20) Bath and body, perfume, jewelry, candles, kitchen accessories, picture frames/albums, gift certificates, gift baskets, slippers, etc.

Daughter: (age 1) Baby Clothes, stuffed animals, toys, etc.

Gift certificates to consider:
Jewel, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, K-Mart, Sears, JC Penney’s, Carson Pierre Scott, Chili’s, TGIFridays, Subway, McDonalds, Burger King, ETC.

Gifts for the Family Shelter:
We are accepting Cash or checks (payable to Family Shelter Service) gift cards in any denomination. NEW toys, games, books, puzzles, sports equipment, jewelry/other accessories, warm gloves and hats. Unlike the gifts for our family, these gifts should NOT be wrapped.

***ALL DONATIONS NEED TO BE BROUGHT TO SCHOOL ON OR BEFORE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10th!

The Fifteenth Week of 2008 at School:
Home Room
Science: This week we will study the skills needed for inquiry such as infering and formulating. Students can use their new Science textbook online from the website http://www.thinkcentral.com/ to help understand the subject. In order to access the Science textbook at home go to the same website. The user name is your parent connect number. The password is ccsd66.

Social Studies: We will continue to study culture and we will begin to study immigration in chapter 3. There will be a chapter 3 test on Thursday, December 18th. The study guide will be passed out Wednesday, December 10th. Culture Day will be Thursday, January 8th. Each student should be prepared to share with the class something about his or her cultural heritage. You will find a packet on what to do in each students binder this week.

Language Arts
Spelling: There will be a Spelling "List 14" test on Friday, December 12th.

Reading: We will study the concept of "making connections." The three types of connections that we will be making are text to text, text to world, and text to self. In order to implement this strategy we will read the story The Mysterious Giant of Barletta. There will be a vocabulary quiz on words from this story on Friday, December 12th.

English: We will continue to study letter writing. Students will edit friendly letters helping them understand the format and punctuation of letters.

Math: We will begin multiplication "x4." There will be a mad minute "x6" quiz on Friday, December 12th. We will continue to study different types of graphs. Students have already collected data from other students and now they will construct their bar graphs to display the results. Look for a date for a test on chapter 6 in the week of December 15th in your child's assignment notebook sometime this week.

Things to Remember:
Wednesday 12/10: Gifts for our family service project are due.

Friday 12/12: There will be a mad minutes quiz. There will be a Spelling test. There will be a vocabulary test.

Monday 12/15: There will be a bowling field trip.

Thursday 12/18: There will be a chapter 3 Social Studies test.

Friday 12/19: We will go to see The Grinch at the Tivoli Theater.

Contact Information:
E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
December 1st- December 5th

I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving weekend. We will be having parent-teacher conferences Monday, December 1st and Tuesday, December 2nd with Language Art's parents. You should already have scheduled a conference. I look forward to talking to each of you. There will be no school on Friday, December 5th. Please plan accordingly.

A Special Holiday Project!

Each year Prairieview runs a service project around the holidays. Our efforts will benefit two organizations: a cancer family and a family shelter. Each classroom at Prairieview has a family or an individual that is in need at this time. In addition to the cancer families, we will also be making cash donations and gift donations to the family shelter, a shelter for domestic abuse. This shelter is in the local area. This year our class has a very special family.

Our family includes:

~Alicia Maddox(cancer patient) -20 years old (Mom)

~Alanna - 1 year old (daughter)

Sadly, Alicia has cancer. Not only does this family struggle with the stress of treatments and illness, but they are less fortunate than us financially, too. In order to make this a special holiday, we have “adopted” them. If you could send in a NEW, not used, present for one or more of the family members that would be greatly appreciated.

Directions for our class family gifts:
*Please wrap the gifts if they are not food items.

*LABEL the item with what it is with a post it note.

*Label who it is for.

Some ideas for NEW (not used) gifts include, but are not limited to:

Alicia: (age 20) Bath and body, perfume, jewelry, candles, kitchen accessories, picture frames/albums, gift certificates, gift baskets, slippers, etc.

Daughter: (age 1) Baby Clothes, stuffed animals, toys, etc.

Gift certificates to consider:
Jewel, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, K-Mart, Sears, JC Penney’s, Carson Pierre Scott, Chili’s, TGIFridays, Subway, McDonalds, Burger King, ETC.

Gifts for the Family Shelter:
We are accepting Cash or checks (payable to Family Shelter Service) gift cards in any denomination. NEW toys, games, books, puzzles, sports equipment, jewelry/other accessories, warm gloves and hats. Unlike the gifts for our family, these gifts should NOT be wrapped.

***ALL DONATIONS NEED TO BE BROUGHT TO SCHOOL ON OR BEFORE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10th!

The Fifteenth Week of 2008 at School:
Home Room
Science: We will study science inquiry skills and the tools used in experimental science. Students can use their new Science textbook online from the website http://www.thinkcentral.com/ to help understand the subject. In order to access the Science textbook at home go to the same website. The user name is your parent connect number. The password is ccsd66.

Social Studies: We will continue to study culture and we will begin to study immigration in Chapter 3. The concepts come together when we examine the culture of various ethnic groups in our community.

Language Arts
Spelling: There will be a Spelling "List 13" test on Thursday, December 4th.

Reading: We will study the concept of "point-of-view." Different characters in a story may have very different points-of-view. It is important for the reader to understand these differences in order to interpret the events of a story.

English: We will begin to study letter writing. This will include learning how to address an envelop, learning each student's own address, and the key parts of a letter.

Math: We will begin multiplication "x4." There will be a mad minute "x4" quiz on Thursday, December 4th. We will also begin the study of different types of graphs. Students will collect data from other students and construct their own bar graphs to display the results.

Things to Remember:
Monday 12/1: Yearbook orders are due. Parent/Teacher conferences will be held.
Tuesday 12/2: Parent/Teacher conferences will be held.
Thursday 12/4: There will be a mad minutes quiz. There will be a Spelling test.
Friday 12/5: There is no school.

Contact Information:
E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
November 23rd- November 28th

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! There will be no school from Wednesday, November 26th until Sunday, November 30th. Thank-you to all the parent volunteers who made our Downers Grove field trip lots of fun!

A Special Holiday Project!

Each year Prairieview runs a service project around the holidays. Our efforts will benefit two organizations: a cancer family and a family shelter. Each classroom at Prairieview has a family or an individual that is in need at this time. In addition to the cancer families, we will also be making cash donations and gift donations to the family shelter, a shelter for domestic abuse. This shelter is in the local area. This year our class has a very special family.

Our family includes:

~Alicia Maddox(cancer patient) -20 years old (Mom)

~Alanna - 1 year old (daughter)

Sadly, Alicia has cancer. Not only does this family struggle with the stress of treatments and illness, but they are less fortunate than us financially, too. In order to make this a special holiday, we have “adopted” them. If you could send in a NEW, not used, present for one or more of the family members that would be greatly appreciated.

Directions for our class family gifts:

*Please wrap the gifts if they are not food items.

*LABEL the item with what it is with a post it note.

*Label who it is for.

Some ideas for NEW (not used) gifts include, but are not limited to:

Alicia: (age 20) Bath and body, perfume, jewelry, candles, kitchen accessories, picture frames/albums, gift certificates, gift baskets, slippers, etc.

Daughter: (age 1) Baby Clothes, stuffed animals, toys, etc.

Gift certificates to consider:
Jewel, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, K-Mart, Sears, JC Penney’s, Carson Pierre Scott, Chili’s, TGIFridays, Subway, McDonalds, Burger King, ETC.

Gifts for the Family Shelter:
We are accepting Cash or checks (payable to Family Shelter Service) gift cards in any denomination. NEW toys, games, books, puzzles, sports equipment, jewelry/other accessories, warm gloves and hats. Unlike the gifts for our family, these gifts should NOT be wrapped.

***ALL DONATIONS NEED TO BE BROUGHT TO SCHOOL ON OR BEFORE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10th!

The Fourteenth Week of 2008 at School:

Home Room
Science: We will do our first experiment this week. The experiment will focus on observation and how to conduct the key elements of an experiment. Last week students explored the new Science textbook online from the website http://www.thinkcentral.com/. In order to access the Science textbook at home go to the same website. The user name is your parent connect number. The password is ccsd66.

Social Studies: We will continue to study Chapter 3.

Language Arts
Spelling: There will be no spelling list due to the short week.

Reading: We will work Illinois Reading Workbook on the reading strategy of self-questioning.

English: We will study contractions.

Math: On Tuesday, November 25th there will be a Chapter 5 Math test. Students should complete the even numbered problems on pages 138 and 139 in their Math textbook to prepare for the test.

Things to Remember:

Tuesday 11/25: There will be a Math test.
Wednesday 11/25 - Friday 11/28: Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Monday 12/1: Yearbook orders are due.

Contact Information:
E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
November 17th- November 21st

Friday, November 21st is the end of our first trimester. We have already completed 61 days of school! The Prairieview Roller Skating Party will be on Tuesday, November 16th from 4 to 6:45 pm after school. Sign up for the party is already closed.

The class will be going on a Downers Grove field trip on Tuesday, November 18th. Thank you for the four parents who volunteered to help! We will go to many places including the Downers Grove Historical Society and to Pierce Downer's Homestead and Well. We will also visit Prince Pond (at right).

Announcing Prairieview 2008-2009 Yearbook. Order your yearbook today!!! The cost of the yearbook is $10.00 and make payments to Lifetouch. Order deadline date is December 1, 2008. No orders will be accepted after that date. Parents just a reminder-- Prairieview yearbooks are not paid for at registration. Please place your order now. Yearbook order forms went home with your child on November 13th and there a few extra envelopes available; please try not to lose them. If your child loses it, you can send an envelope with the following information on it: student’s name, teacher’s name and grade level along with a check made payable to Lifetouch for $10.00. It is very important that you put the information on the envelope; Lifetouch does not know who your child’s teacher is. There will be a limited supply in June. Order Today!!!

The Thirteeth Week of 2008 at School:
Home Room
Science: We will be beginning a new unit on scientific method. This is the introductory unit in our new science book. The science book will be online. Students will receive usernames and passwords to allow them access.

Social Studies: We will supplement our unit on Downers Grove with a field trip on Tuesday, November 18th. We will begin Chapter 3 in our Social Studies book. The unit teaches customs and how people adapt when they move to the United States.

Language Arts
Spelling: There will be a Spelling "List 12" test on Friday November 21st.

Reading: We will continue to work on the reading strategy of "self questioning." We will continue studying and reading the story, The Keeping Quilt. Students will have a comprehension check on this story. Remind your child that it is important to constantly ask questions such as "Who, what, where, why, and when?" as they read a story. Constant questioning helps a reader comprehend the material they are reading.

English: We will continue the study of verbs. We will work to identify past and future tense verbs.

Math: This week students will study multiplying by 3. There will be a test on "*3" on Friday, November 21st. Students will receive two minutes to complete 20 multiplication by 3 questions. Practice sheets will be coming home throughout the week. Also we will continue to study how to use money in math problems using the change bags that you have sent with your child. Next we will begin to study time.

Things to Remember:

Tuesday 11/18: The Roller Skating Party will be from 4-6:45 pm.

Friday 11/21: There will be a Spelling Test. There will be a "mad minutes" multiplication "*3"

test.

Monday 12/1: Yearbook orders are due.

Contact Information:
E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
November 10th- November 14th

I was pleased at how well my science class did on their Health test. Students have been writing "spooky" haunted house stories about "their" Halloween night. In math class students worked very hard on "t" charts.

Tuesday, November 11th is Veterans Day and there will be no school. Please plan accordingly.

The class will be going on a Downers Grove field trip on November 18th. Please sign your child's permission slip. I am looking for 5 parent volunteers to join us on the field trip. If you are interested in volunteering please email me at mpellin@ccsd66.org. I will take the first five parents who email me. Thank you for your help!

The TwelfthWeek of 2008 at School:
Home Room
Science: We will be making pictographs this week. Students will learn how to poll the class on a topic of their choice and graph the results.

Social Studies: The test on Downers Grove has been moved to Friday, November 14th. Students should use the study guide they received on Monday, November 10th to prepare for the test.

Language Arts
Spelling: There will be a Spelling "List 11" test on Friday November 14th.

Reading: We will start to work on the new reading strategy of "self questioning." We will work on this strategy while reading The Keeping Quilt. There will be a vocabulary quiz on words from The Keeping Quilt on Friday, November 14th.

English: We will begin the study of verbs. We will begin to look for action verbs in sentences. Then we will work on plural and singular verbs. Finally, we will look at past and future tense.

Math: We will have a quiz on "T" Charts on Monday, November 10th. Students will be able to use one example to help them on their quiz. We will begin working on multiplication this week. Please look for a packet coming home on Monday, November 10th on multiplication. This week students will study multiplying by 2. There will be a test on "*2" on Friday, November 14th. Students will receive two minutes to complete 20 multiplication by 2 questions. Practice sheets will be coming home throughout the week. Also we will begin to study how to use money in math problems. If possible, I would like each student to bring in a baggie of change to work with. It should include quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. Five of each coin should be enough. The students will not be spending the money and it will be returned to you at the end of our money unit. Please send the bag by Thursday, November 13th.

Things to Remember:
Monday 11/10: There will be a "T" Chart quiz.
Tuesday 11/11: This is Veterans Day. There will be no school.
Friday 11/14: There will be a Spelling Test. There will be a "mad minutes" multiplication "*2" test. There will be a Social Studies test.

Contact Information:
E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
November 3rd- November 7th

We had a boo-tiful time at our Halloween Party and Halloween Parade last week. Thank-you to all the volunteers who helped make it possible.

Tuesday, November 4th is a Teacher's Institute Day. There will be no school. Tuesday, November 11th is Veterans Day. There will also be no school. Please plan accordingly.

The Social Studies committee is looking for two parents who have an education or history background to be involved in the adoption of new Social Studies textbooks. You would have to meet with the committee and provide input choosing our textbook for the coming years. The Social Studies committee will be meeting once every other month for the next two years. Please email me at mpellin@ccsd66.org if you would be interested in joining the Social Studies committee. Thank you!

The Eleventh Week of 2008 at School:
Home Room
Science: There will be a health test on Wednesday, November 5th . The health study guide is due on Monday November 3rd. This test will complete our health unit.

Social Studies: There will be a Downers Grove test on Wednesday, November 12th. Students should use the study guide they receive on Wednesday, November 5th to prepare for the test.

Language Arts
Spelling: There will be a Spelling "List 9" test on Friday November 7th.

Reading: The class will be working on "extended responses" to passages we read in class. Students will learn to use proof in the text of each story and expand on the text with their own ideas to effectively answer extended response questions.

English: We continue to work on descriptive writing. Students will write a descriptive story detailing their experiences in a haunted house. The writing process will include both a rough and a final draft of the story.

Math: We continue the study of "T" charts. We will have a quiz on "T" Charts on Monday, November 10th. Students will be able to use one example to help them on their quiz.

Things to Remember:
Tuesday 11/4: This is a Teacher's Institute Day. There will be no school.
Wednesday 11/5: There will be a health test.
Friday 11/7: There will be a Spelling Test.

Monday 3/10: There will be a "T" Chart quiz.

Wednesday 11/12: There will be a health test.

Contact Information:
E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
October 27th- October 31st

On Friday October 31st, we will have a field trip (to Robert Crown), a Prairieview School costume parade (beginning at 1:15 pm), and a class party (beginning at 1:30 pm). What a full day the class will have!

We will begin with homeroom for the first hour. The fun will continue with a trip to Robert Crown (without costumes) from ~9:00-11:30. The trip will broaden our current health unit in science. If you haven't already, please send in your permission slips! We return after our normal lunch time, so we will have lunch in the room. Please send a sack lunch to school this day. After eating, we will change into our costumes for our school wide parade. The whole school parade will be from 1:15-1:30 outside (weather permitting). If your child would like to dress up at school, please send their costume with them in a large bag labeled with their first and last name. After the parade, we will return to the room for a party.

Here are some guidelines to follow when choosing a costume:
1. We only have 15 minutes for costume changes. Please make sure your child can change into his/her costume easily and by themselves. If the costume can be worn over their clothes, then both the time to change and the chances of losing any clothes is minimized.
2. If the costume involves make up, please do not send your child with it on that morning. Remember that your child has to be able to apply it themselves.
3. Please do not send any weapons (guns, swords, etc.) as part of the costume. Save those for trick-or-treating.
4. We will not have time to change back into our clothes for dimissal. Your child will wear their costume home.

Tuesday, November 4th is a Teacher's Institute Day. There will be no school. Please plan accordingly.

The Tenth Week of 2008 at School:
Home Room
Science: There will be a health test on Wednesday, November 5th . A study guide will be passed out on Tuesday, October 28th. The study guide will be due on Thursday, October 30th.

Social Studies: We will continue to study Downers Grove and local government in our textbook. Look for a test on Friday, November 7th.

Language Arts
Spelling: This week will review all the words and spelling rules that have been covered over the past seven weeks. There will not be a pretest. There will be a sample test on Wednesday, October 28th. Student should use Spelling Workbook page 43 to help them review the rules for the test on Thursday, October 30th.

Reading: We will be study cause and effect. The students will begin learning about the concept while reading the story Give a Mouse a Cookie. We will also make a student book in class.

English: We continue to work on descriptive writing. Students will learn about sensory words, and will begin writing a paragraph about the haunted houses they made in class

Math: We will begin the study of "T" charts. We will begin with Make-a-Table problem solving. Tables are one strategy for solving math story problems. We will be learning the strategy by solving problems together in class. This type of strategy is one area of emphasis on the coming ISAT tests. Look for a packet and a letter of explanation in your students "bring right back to school" folder.

Things to Remember:
Thursday 10/30: There will be a Spelling test. The Health study guide is due.
Friday 10/31: Students will go to the Robert Crown Center. Have a "Boo"tiful Halloween.

Contact Information:
E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
October 20th- October 24th

My Homeroom class worked on learning about the history of Downers Grove this week. We learned about the underground railroad in our city that helped runaway slaves reach Canada. The picture at the right contains many of the secret signs used to help slaves find the safehouses on the railroad. My Language Arts class read the story Seal Surfer and finished our study of nouns. In math we worked on subtraction and problem solving. Also, every student passed the Subtraction Mad Minutes.

Wednesday, October 22nd is an early dismissal day. Please plan accordingly.

The Ninth Week of 2008 at School:

Home Room

Science: We will study germs. We will also study good drugs versus bad drugs. Part of this lesson will include drug vocabulary words.

Social Studies: On Tuesday, October 21st students will be assessed on their knowledge of Downers Grove history. Students have received a study guide to help them to prepare for the quiz. After the quiz we will begin to study the government of Downers Grove. While we are studying Downers Grove, we will also be studying local governments in Chapter 12 of our Social Studies textbook.

Language Arts
Spelling: Students will receive Spelling List #7 on Monday, October 20th. There will be a test on these words on Friday, October 24th.

Reading: We will continue to study the concept of "compare and contrast." Also students will be working on problems in their Illinois Reading Workbook in order to reinforce the concepts of "facts and opinions" and "compare and contrast."

English: We will begin our study of descriptive writing. We will begin by studying similes, sensory words, and the concept of "show don't tell." There will be a DOL quiz on Friday, October 24th. Students will receive a study guide on Tuesday, October 21st.

Math: We will practice subtracting across zeroes. There will be a Chapter 4 test on Friday, October 24th. Students can study pages 98 and 101 to prepare for the test.

Things to Remember:

Tuesday 10/21: There will be a Downers Grove history quiz.

Friday 10/24: There will be a Spelling test. There will be a DOL quiz. There will be a Chapter 4 Math test.

Contact Information:
E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org

Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post

October 13th- October 17th

My Home Room class finished their life sized bodies! Everyone did a great job on their test on the human body systems. My Language Arts class was thrilled to learn facts about pufflings this week. Everyone learned the difference between facts and opinions while reading The Night of the Pufflings. In math everyone subtracted large numbers.

Monday, October 13th is Columbus Day! Enjoy the long week-end!

Bring your whole family to Prairieview Elementary School's Fall Book Fair on Thursday, October 16, 2008 from 6:30 until 8:00 PM. The Book Fair has books for all ages and interests. There will also be taffy apples and Prairieview spiritwear available for purchase. Show your support for the school and its PTO!

The Eighth Week of 2008 at School:

Home Room
Science: We have begun studying the new (and old) food pyramid. One task will be to draw pictures of different foods in each food group. At the end of the week we will begin to study germs and their effects. Hopefully your student will wash there hands willingly after this chapter. We will be testing foods (chips, butter, carrots and potatoes) for fat content.

Social Studies: We will continue our study of the history of Downers Grove. On October 22nd students will be assessed on their knowledge of Downers Grove history. Students will receive a study guide on Wednesday, October 15th.

Language Arts

Spelling: There will be no spelling for this shortened week.

Reading: We will study the concept of "compare and contrast" while reading the story Seal Surfer. At home you might practice comparing and contrasting different things such as dinner meals, pets, or television shows. There will be a vocabulary quiz on words from Seal Surfer on Thursday, October 16th. Students will receive a vocabulary study guide on Tuesday, October 14th.

English: We continue our study of nouns. Students will be expected to recognize singular possessive nouns. Then we will review all the noun types we have studied thus far. We will complete a noun review sheet together in class on Wednesday, October 15th. There will be a noun quiz on Thursday, October 16th. Students can use their English book and the noun review to help prepare for the quiz.

Math: Subtraction work this week will focus on four digit numbers. We will be rounding and then subtracting. We will also be subtracting across zeros. We took one "mad minute" subtraction quiz on Friday, October 10th. If your child had no more than one incorrect answer during the 2.5 minute quiz, then they received a grade of 10 out of 10 already. If not, your child can still earn full credit. We will retake the subtraction "mad minute" quiz on Wednesday, October 15th. If your student has no more than one incorrect answer on that quiz, then they will still receive a grade of 10 out of 10. If not, your student can retake the quiz on Thursday, October 16th. This time if your student has no more than one correct answer they will receive a score of 9 out of 10. If not, then the test will be repeated Friday, October 17th, for a grade of 8 out of 10. This pattern will continue down to a grade of 5 out of 10. You can practice subtraction with your child using flash cards. It is also useful to examine the quizzes and work to correct consistent errors.

Things to Remember:
Monday 10/13: No school on Columbus Day.

Wednesday 10/15: There will be a second "Mad Minute" subtraction quiz.

Thursday 10/16: There will be a vocabulary quiz. There will be a noun quiz. The Fall Book Fair will be from 6:30 until 8:00 PM.

Wednesday 10/22: There will be a Downers Grove history quiz.

Contact Information:

E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
October 6th- October 10th

I learned a lot about my reading class this week! Each of them made an excellent presentation of their "Me" bag. My home room is hard a work preparing for their Science exam. My math students have been solving problems with large numbers. Perhaps you should increase their allowance.

The Seventh Week of 2008 at School:

Home Room

Science: There will be a Human Body Chapter 1 test on Tuesday, October 7th. Next we will begin study the new food pyramid.

Social Studies: We will continue our study of Downers Grove. We will learn about the history of our city up until present day. The picture on this blog is of our city founder's home!

Language Arts
Spelling: There will be a Spelling “list 6” will be handed out on Monday, October 6th. Thank you to all the students who study their words at home. It shows on their test scores. There will be a test on “list 6” on Friday, October 10th.

Reading: We will read the story The Night of the Puffling. Students will have a vocabulary quiz on the story on Thursday, October 9th. Students will receive a study guide on Monday, October 6th. A puffling is a baby bird. The picture on right is a puffin, an adult bird. We will be studying fact versus opinion in written material.

English: We will be studying nouns. Students will be expected to recognize singular/plural and common/proper nouns. Students will also be working on Daily Oral Language.

Math: Subtraction will be the focus of our math work this week. Students will learn how to subtract both with and without base 10 block. Students will also learn the concept Bottom, Bigger, Borrow.

Things to Remember:
Tuesday 10/7: There will be a human body test.

Thursday 10/9: There will be a The Night of the Pufflings vocabulary quiz.
Friday 10/10: There will be a Spelling "list 6" quiz.

Contact Information:
E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org

Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post

September 29th - October 3rd

My science class is working on making a full-sized model of the human body and all its systems. This work takes lots of "organ"izing. I was pleased with the results of my math class' Chapter 2 test. My language class did an excellent job writing a narrative about themselves.

Tuesday, September 30th my homeroom class will be having a "Goo, Glob, and Guts" presentation. Things may get sticky! This presentation goes well with our current science topic of the human body.

The Sixth Week of 2008 at School:

Home Room
Science: We will finish study of the respiratory and digestive system. Look for a test next Tuesday, October 7th. They will receive a study on Monday and they will be due on Thursday, October 2nd.

Social Studies: We will begin a new unit on Downers Grove. Students will learn about our town's location and history. This is an opportunity for students to relate to their studies. Walking around town and visiting the historic sites would be a fun thing to do on the week end!

Language Arts

Spelling: There will be a Spelling “list 5” will be handed out on Monday, September 29th. Students will study these words at school and should study them at home as well. It is very important to practice these words with your child because there is limited class time for practicing words. There will be a test on “list 5” on Friday, October 3rd.

Reading: The Mulan vocabulary quiz will be on Tuesday, September 30th. You can find the vocabulary words in their reading folder in their binder. It is a yellow sheet and we drew a picture of each word. We will also begin preparations for the ISAT test with study of predictions and of the parts of words (prefix/suffix).

English: Students will present their "Me" bag on Monday, September 29th and Tuesday, September 30th. Students will need to use eye contact and have good volume during their presentation! We will practice presenting in class.

Math: We will complete our Chapter 3 study which deals with estimating and addition of large numbers. There will be a test on Chapter 3 on Friday, October 3rd.

Things to Remember:

Monday 9/29: There will be a DOL quiz.

Tuesday 9/30: There will be a Mulan vocabulary quiz. Goo, Glob, and Guts is today!

Thursday 10/2: Science study guides are due.

Friday 10/3: There will be a Spelling "list 5" quiz. There will be a Chapter 3 math test.

Tuesday 10/7: There will be a human body test.

Contact Information:

E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
September 22nd - September 26th

Thursday, September 26th is picture day! Students need to bring their completed form by Thursday.

Friday, September 26th is Johnny Appleseed’s birthday. We will be having a celebration! A note was already sent home as a reminder. Your child will be asked to bring in a peeled, cored, and sliced apple to school on Friday to be used to make applesauce for the class. We are looking for donations of small bowls Friday. If this is something you are interested in helping with, please email me or send the items in any day before Friday. Thank you in advance for your help!

The Fifth Week of 2008 at School:

Science: We will continue to study the circulatory system. When we finish we will begin to study the nervous system. Students are working in groups to make a life size copy of the human body and each of its systems.

Math: There will be a Chapter 2 test on Monday, September 22nd. Students can look at pages 40 and 43 in order to study for this test. This is optional. Next we will begin Chapter 3 which deals with estimating and addition of large numbers.

Social Studies: We will study hemispheres (Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western). There will be a hemisphere quiz on Friday, September 26th. Students can study using their study guide which they will receive on Monday.

Spelling: There will be a Spelling “list 4” will be handed out on Monday, September 22nd. Students will study these words at school and should study them at home as well. It is very important to practice these words with your child because there is limited class time for practicing words. There will be a test on “list 4” on Friday, September 29th.

Reading: We will read the story Mulan. Students will have a comprehension check on that story on Wednesday, September 24th. The Mulan vocabulary quiz has been changed to Tuesday, September 30th. You can find the vocabulary words in their reading folder in their binder.

English: We will begin writing our first narrative. The topic will be "My Three Favorite Things!" To help generate ideas for their narrative students should bring to class their three favorite items. They will get their assignment sheet on Monday. Please no living items. Students will also present their narrative when it is completed.

Things to Remember:
Monday 9/22: There will be a Chapter 2 Math Test.

Wednesday 9/24: There will be a comprehension check for Mulan.

Friday 9/26: There will be a Spelling "list 4" quiz. There will be a hemisphere quiz. Johnny Appleseed’s birthday!

Monday 9/29: There will be a DOL quiz.

Contact Information:
E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org
Voice mail: (630)783-5065

Miss Pellin's Post
September 15th - September 19th

It was great to meet each of you at curriculum night. Everyone had a great week in class, I have been very pleased with the effort! My science class made skeletons (not the Halloween type) as part of our human body science unit.

This week we will have an 11:00 am early dismissal on Tuesday, September 16th. On Friday, September 12th the class will enjoy an all-school band concert assembly from 12:45-1:15. Also Monday, September 15th will be the kick-off for the schools magazine drive.

The Fourth Week of 2008 at School:

Science: Students will continue to study the muscles of the body. Students already know the difference between voluntary and involuntary muscles. These studies are part of our learning all the systems of the human body. The next system we will study is the circulatory system. It is exciting enough to really get your blood pumping!

Math: We will begin to study Chapter 2. We will study number order, how to compare numbers (>,<,=), and will begin to cover the concept of estimating by rounding. Expect the next math test early next week.

Social Studies: Our study of maps will continue with topics such as the continents, hemispheres, the equator, the prime median, and the poles. We will be sending a study guide home. Please complete it a return it by Tuesday, September 16th. There will be a continent quiz on Thursday, September 18th.

Spelling: There will be a Spelling “list 3” will be handed out on Monday, September 15th. Students will study these words at school and should study them at home as well. It is very important to practice these words with your child because there is limited class time for practicing words. There will be a test on “list 3” on Friday, September 19th.

Reading: We will begin to study the reading strategy called "prediction." When you read a mystery story you often ask yourself "What can happen next?" This is a good example of prediction. When a reader engages in a story using prediction, they encourage themselves to consider and remember every detail.

English: We will finish our study of subjects and predicates this week. We will also discuss run-on sentences. "Mr. Morton" from school house rock is a great guide to learning subjects and predicates!

Things to Remember:

Monday 10/15: Magazine Drive packets will be handed out.

Tuesday 10/16: We have an 11:00 am dismissal. Continent study guide is due.

Thursday 10/18: There will be a continent quiz.
Friday 10/19: There will be a Spelling "list 3" quiz. There will be a DOL quiz.

Contact Information:

E-Mail address: mpellin@ccsd66.org

Voice mail: (630)783-5065