Mrs. Holzhauer's 5th Grade Blog 3/23/18

Dear Families,

Spring has sprung and spring break has arrived!! As you know, we already started some of our 6th grade placement testing. Students have been working hard and I've been so proud of they effort they've been putting forth thus far! Next week would be an awesome time for students to work on their MAP goal work. Dreambox, Kahn Academy and Raz Kids are good programs to help with this. Have a great time enjoying your children next week. 

Also, this week we welcomed Mrs. Just into our class. She is taking over Mr. Halstead's Co-teaching role. She's jumped right in and is doing a fantastic job! We are so happy to welcome her!
Literacy

*We are are finishing up our "Exploring New Worlds" theme. While reading the books Explorers; Triumphs and Troubles and Pedro's Journal, we compared different points of view about exploration. When we return from break will be reading a fantastic novel entitled George's Secret Key to the Universe. This will lead us into our theme of space travel and science fiction. Interestingly,this book is co-authored by Lucy and Stephen Hawking. It will most likely be your child's favorite shared reading book of the year!

Writing

*We are in the beginning stages of composing an opinion paper about Christopher Columbus. After researching books, articles, and online resources, your student will decide of more evidence exists that Columbus is a hero or a villain. Today we conducted a classroom schoology discussion board sharing our opinions with peers. Yesterday, students were captivated by a book called "Encounter" which highlights the topic of Columbus' explorations from the unique perspective of a Native Taino boy. We had a great discussion throughout!

Math

*Within Unit 6 we are working on several math targets. We have worked on graphing ordered pairs and classifying polygons. We just began our work on finding Volume of a shape. Our most recent checkpoints were brought home yesterday for you to view and return to school.

Social Studies

We finished up our learning about goods and services and supply and demand this week. Be sure to ask your student about our game of musical chairs and how we used it to represent the rules of supply and demand! We had so much fun and learned a great deal from it!
Science

* We have been learning about the states of matter and how to determine whether a chemical reaction has taken place. Some of the indicators we learned were: change in color, a gas being formed, a change in odor, and whether or not the substance can be returned to its original form.


Upcoming Events

April 2, 2018 ~ No School Teacher Institute Day

• April 3, 2018 ~
• Spring Break Ends & School Resumes
• PARCC Window (3 Weeks) 5th grade will begin the 2nd week after Spring Break
• April 12, 2018 ~ Boys Night Out @ Twin Groves @ 6:30pm
• April 19, 2018 ~ 4th Grade Music Performance @ 6:30pm
• April 20, 2018 ~ Breakfast with your buddy @ 7:30am
• April 24, 2018 ~ Papa John’s Special Lunch
• April 30, 2018 ~ Parent Review Committee

Happy March Families!

March has certainly come in like a lion! With any luck, it will leave like a lamb! We are off to a fresh start with our final trimester. There is still much learning to be done in these final months of school!

We are looking forward to meeting with you next week for parent/teacher conferences to discuss your child’s progress!

Please be sure to refer to the important upcoming dates at the end of this blog. It includes the date of the 5th grade music performance and field trip.

Here’s what we’ve been working in this week:

Literacy:

In support of our new theme, Exploring New Worlds,  we are finishing up our first nonfiction shared reading text, Explorers: Triumphs and Troubles.  We’ve had some lively discussions about various explorers in our history, such as Marco Polo. We also gained insight about the motivations behind various explorations, as well as the positive and negative effects they had on  society. 

We have also been meeting in novel groups! The kids have been enjoying the various titles and discussions we've been having in small groups about each one!

Writing:

Based on the reading we’ve been doing about explorers, students are currently planning and writing an opinion paper about what they feel primarily influenced explorers. Was it fame, wealth, the desire to find new routes—or was it to find new land to conquer? Be sure to ask your student about the topic of his/her opinion paper!

Math

In math, our first learning target for the new grading period has involved locating points on a coordinate grid. We’ve done some engaging activities with cubes and tiles in order to predict patterns. plot ordered pairs on a plane, and even write equations to solve such patterns. The strategy discussions that have been taking place around such problems have been impressive! There has definitely been some higher-level thinking going on!

Social Studies

We have started our unit on supply & demand and trade. As we progress through the unit we will learn about the  history of the Columbian Exchange and the positive and negative effects which resulted from such trade. 

Science

In science we’ve been learning about the states of matter. The online reading through our TCI science program has included some engaging interactive graphics for the I-Pads. With these technology enhancements, students have been able to see what happens to molecules as they change states between solids, liquids and gasses!

Important Dates and Friendly Reminders:

Friday, March 2—Student Progress reports available after 3 pm

Monday, March 6—Casimir Pulaski Day/ No School

Thursday, March 8—Early Release @2:00, Parent/Teacher Conferences

Friday, March 9—No School, Parent/Teacher Conferences

Tuesday, March 13—PTO Special Lunch (Culver’s)

Wednesday, March 14—5th Grade Field Trip 

Thursday, March 15—5th Grade Music Performance  6:30 pm

Tuesday, March 20—No School, Teacher Institute Day/Election Day