WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 29

Reminder of 5th Grade Expectations
Please encourage your child to always do their best. I have been reminding students about quality work and following directions. I tell them that everything counts! If there is a word on a worksheet or in the textbook used to complete an assignment, spelling should be accurate. I spoke with the students about good habits now having positive rewards in the future!


Subject Update

Science and Social Studies (Homeroom)

• Science - We will be using our science time to read and discuss several issues of Time For Kids magazine. We will also be talking about the election process and the two candidates for U.S. President. Please discuss some of your views about the election with your child.
• Social Studies - The students will be reading about the lost colony of Roanoke. Then they will create their own theories about the "lost" colony. We will also read about and discuss the Battle of the Spanish Armada.

Language Arts Block

• Spelling - Lesson 5 will focus on the prefixes re, pre, and de and root words.
• English - The Unit 1 Sentences Test is scheduled for Tuesday, September 30th! There are "Extra Practice" textbook pages for each of the lessons we have taught found near the end of the unit. This "Extra Practice" should provide a nice review for the test. Students may also want to look over previously completed workbook pages and worksheets to help them prepare. Then we will skip ahead to Unit 5 about capitalization and punctuation.
• Reading - The students will be reading a story about a Japanese man who came to America. We will complete a story map to organize the main parts of the story, and then use the map to create a more concise summary. Don't forget, students have book projects due Tuesday, September 30th!! Students should practice sharing their Memory Bag items aloud to prepare for their book project presentation. Also, be sure to have students check over their work using the Memory Bag Grader sheet.

Math Classroom

• Math - The students will be tested over the material from Chapter 2 on Tuesday, September 30th! Students should use past work, notes, and the textbook to prepare. Then we will explore the inverse operation of multiplication,... division! We will use what we know about multiplication as we divide whole numbers by 1- and 2-digit divisors.

Mark Your Calendar:

Sept. 30 - Final Magazine Turn-in Day

Oct. 3 - Movie Night

Oct. 7 - 1st Trimester Midpoint - Check Student Progress on ParentConnect

Oct. 13 - No School (Columbus Day)

.

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 22

Kernels for Compliments
The students are close to earning another reward for all of the compliments they receive as a group. I am so proud of my class when I hear from another teacher or adult in the building that my students are showing good character. Great job, class! Any student who is reading this,... remind me Monday about this compliment and I will add more kernels to the bag!


Subject Update:

Science and Social Studies (Homeroom)

• Science - The students will be applying what they know about the scientific process by developing an investigation of their own about paper airplanes. On Monday, we will talk about the rules and expectations of the project, as well as instructions for making a paper plane. Students will have Monday and Tuesday evening to complete their experiments before sharing their results with the class on Wednesday. A test over the introductory chapter in the textbook about science tools, inquiry skills, and the scientific method is scheduled for Friday, September 26th!
• Social Studies - The students will be testing on Chapter 4 on Tuesday, September 23rd! Then we will do some work with latitude and longitude before moving on to Chapter 5 which begins with a look at the lost colony of Roanoke.

Language Arts Block

• Spelling - Lesson 4 focuses on the prefixes re, de, and pre.
• English - The students are working on a class book of subject/predicate poems. This book is providing a creative way to reinforce subjects and predicates while working on the conventions of writing. As we work to finish this book, we will also learn about the implied subject of "you" in imperative sentences, conjunctions, and correcting run-on sentences.
• Reading - We will begin working on the reading strategy of summarizing. Students will learn how to organize details from a story onto a story map before using the information to create a more concise summary. Don't forget,... students should be reading their book choices and completing the worksheet for the "Memory Bag" items that will be shared on Tuesday, September 30th!!

Math Classroom

• Math - The students will be reviewing multiplication using patterns, estimating products, and multiplying by 1-digit numbers. Then we will work on multiplying larger numbers. Students should still be practicing basic facts to become more fluent!

Mark Your Calendar:

Sept. 23 - Magazine Turn-in Day

Sept. 25 - Picture Day

Sept. 30 - Magazine Turn-in Day

.

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 15

Thank You For Coming!
Thanks to all of the parents who were able to attend 5th Grade Curriculum Night. Please remember that the Information Sheet and bottom section of the 5th Grade Policies needs to be returned to me as soon as possible. For those parents who were not able to attend, you should find information sent home with your child in his/her binder.

Box Tops For Education
Please continue to clip the Box Tops for Education and send them in with your child. The classroom that collects the most box tops each trimester will win a pizza party!


Subject Update:

Science and Social Studies (Homeroom)

• Science - We will do a few activities to review the inquiry skills discussed in Lesson 2. Then we will learn about the steps in the scientific method and how scientists apply them.
• Social Studies - We will be creating Aztec masks as we learn a little more about the Aztecs. Then we will read about the wealth gained by Spain from the settlement and growth of New Spain.

Language Arts Block

• Spelling - Lesson 3 will focus on the suffix -er and the singular possessive of words with that suffix.
• English - The students will work to identify simple subjects and simple predicates.
• Reading - Now that we understand how to make predictions based on details in the story and our personal knowledge, we will work with longer pieces of text to practice the skill. Students have been approved for their independent book project choices. They should now be reading these book choices in order to finish the book and project by the end of the month!

Math Class

• Math - The Chapter 1 Test is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16th! Then we will move on to Chapter 2 focusing on the multiplication of whole numbers. Don't forget that students should keep working on becoming more fluent with the basic multiplication facts!! I showed the students a fun card game called "Multiplication War" that they could play with someone. Also, a fun game called "Math Baseball" can be found online at funbrain.com. Just select "multiplication" and play ball!

Mark Your Calendar:

Sept. 15 - Magazine Kick-off

Sept. 16 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)


.

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 8

Curriculum Night Reminder
5th Grade Curriculum Night is Thursday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m. The evening will begin with a short welcome from Principal Schultz, followed by meetings in each of your child's classrooms (Homeroom, Math, and Language Arts). The teachers will talk briefly about the curriculum as well as expectations and important routines. Please remember that this event is for parents only!


Subject Update:

Science and Social Studies (Homeroom)

• Science - The students will continue learning about the tools of scientists. They will also complete activities to learn about the inquiry skills used in science.
• Social Studies - We will be taking notes while watching a video about Christopher Columbus. These notes along with information discussed in the text will help students compose a letter about his journey. Then we will read about the conflicts between the Aztecs and European settlers.

Language Arts Block

• Spelling - Lesson 2 will focus on the suffix -able.
• English - The students will identify subjects and predicates in sentences. This will get us ready to write a classroom collection of subject/predicate poems.
• Reading - We will continue to work on predicting outcomes by thinking about details in the text as well as our personal knowlege. A great way to practice this skill at home with your child is to share the reading of a newspaper article or chapter book before bedtime. Stop and ask your child to make predictions every few paragraphs or pages. Remember that your child should be able to support his/her predictions with information from the text and personal knowledge! Also this week, the students will be working with synonyms and antonyms.

Math Class

• Math - The students will start off the week with a Mad Minute. This timed multiplication facts "test" will help me identify students who are already fluent with their facts and those who will need to review at home. We will take a Mad Minute each Monday to ensure that students are practicing and improving their fluency - this will help in their success in later chapters with multiplying and dividing large numbers. Also this week, students will review estimation along with addition and subtraction of large numbers.

Mark Your Calendar:

Sept. 11 - 5th Grade Curriculum Night (PV 7:00 p.m.)

Sept. 16 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

.