Mrs. Holzhauer's Blog Update 9/28/18

First full month of school: Check! Time sure flies by when we're having fun
learning! It is about that time of the year when the leaves are turning shades of red and yellow and all the comfy sweaters come out. Autumn is just around the corner, and there is still so much going on within our classroom! Continue reading to know all about what's been happening in fifth grade. 

Literacy

*We have been preparing for our Unit 1A assessments next week. We are working on quoting accurately from a text by providing evidence and comparing/contrasting characters and events within literary texts. We have been practicing these skills by using shared reading texts such as Night of the Spadefoot Toad and "Shells". The students have been analyzing the main characters in each text to compare and contrast them. This helps them dig deeper into the development of the main characters. Today we also started using a new app on the I-Pads that is being utilized district-wide called Successmaker. It focuses on many of the literacy skills we are emphasizing within the classroom. Students will be utilizing this engaging app both at home and at school. More information will be forthcoming. 

Writing

*Students are continuing to work on narrative writing. After utilizing graphic organizers to plan, students developed their stories through the use of a detailed sequence of events and effective character development. Encouraging students to infuse dialogue into their writing was also an emphasis. We are working on elevating their writing by adding higher level transitional words and figurative language. Ask your student to share with you their narratives! We have also been working on making sure that we are answering comprehension questions in a thorough and accurate manner. By fifth grade, students are expected to produce well-written, edited responses.

Math

*We just finished our first unit in math, which included order of operations and volume. Unit tests will be sent home next week for you to view, sign and return to school. We have recently started Unit 2, which includes addition and subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators and solving fraction story problems. 

Science

*We are continuing our focus on understanding the characteristics of various ecosystems around the world. We just completed our owl pellet investigation, which was so much fun and exciting. Using the owl pellet investigation, the students were able to learn more about producers, consumers, and the flow of energy within the ecosystem. Ask your child about what they discovered in the pellets!

Social Studies

*We plan on starting indentured servitude and its effect on the colonial economy in the coming days.  

Words Their Way

*We are starting our spelling program, Words Their Way, soon. District 96 utilizes this curriculum to implement spelling/word study. More information will be sent home shortly. We will also be using a site called Spelling City to support our learning in this area. 

Upcoming Events

October 1-3 (Monday-Wednesday): Book Fair

October 8 (Monday): NO SCHOOL (Columbus Day)
October 15 (Monday): Picture Retakes

October 23 (Tuesday): EARLY RELEASE DAY (Dismissal @ 2PM)

Friendly Reminders

**Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack.  Nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

**Please continue to have your child practice their multiplication facts up to 12.

**As the months get chilly, it may be a good idea to have your child bring a sweater/light jacket to keep within the room.

Mrs. Holzhauer's 5th Grade Blog 9/14/18

Happy Friday!

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been back in school for several weeks! Please read below to find out about all of the wonderful learning that is going on in 5th grade at Ivy Hall! Today’s Fun Run was fabulous! The weather could not have been better! 

Literacy

*We are finishing up our first shared reading book of the year—Night of the Spadefoot Toad by Bill Harley. We’ve used this text as a springboard for many reading and writing learning targets thus far.  This book has also connected nicely to our study of ecosystems in science. Be sure to ask your student about what he/she has learned about vernal pools and spade foot toads! We are having fun with a few culminating projects! Students are making posters to reflect important literary elements of the book. We are also working cooperatively to write comprehension questions based on the book that I will compile into a KAHOOT game that the kids will play on their I-pads! If you haven’t heard about KAHOOT, be sure to ask your child about it!

Writing

*Students are in the process of finishing their first narrative stories of the year! After utilizing graphic organizers to plan, students developed their stories through the use of a detailed sequence of events and effective character development. Encouraging students to infuse dialogue into their writing was also an emphasis.  We will be writing yet another narrative in order to apply what we’ve learned and produce an even higher quality sample.

Math

*Our students are continuing their work with writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses as well as demonstrating their understanding of how find the volume of rectangular prisms. We’ve been also been on focusing  basic multiplication strategies in preparation for more complex problems that will be headed our way soon! Be sure to ask your student about the following strategies: doubling and halving, the over strategy, and the 5 is half of 10 strategy. Our “Number Corner” routine which takes place each day for about 20 minutes outside of our regular math block, is well under way! Here, students practice skills in such areas as computational fluency and problem solving (in addition to several others) on a daily basis. We’ve been focusing on focusing our basic multiplication strategies in preparation for more complex problems that will be headed our way soon

Social Studies

*We plan on starting indentured servitude and its effect on the colonial economy in the coming days.  Please note that new current events calendars for the month of October will be sent home the week of September 24. Kindly help your student make a note of their presentation date in order to be ready and prepared! Thus far, students having been doing a great job!

Science

*We are continuing our focus on understanding the characteristics of  various ecosystems around the world. Our first science investigation involved “traveling” to virtual ecosystems and studying the interactions between living and nonliving organisms. Our learning throughout the week focused on learning about producers and the process of photosynthesis. Ask your child to tell you what a plant uses during the process, as well as what byproducts a plant gives off!

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, Sept. 18—PTO Special Lunch

Wednesday, Sept. 19 -No School/District Holiday

Tuesday, Sept. 25—Early Release at 2:00

Friendly Reminders

** Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack.  Nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

** Please continue to have your child practice their multiplication facts up to 12.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you for your continued partnership and enjoy the rest of your weekend!