We have officially hit our 1 month mark of school! There has been a lot going on in our classroom this past month, and we are looking forward to what the school year still has in store for us. Please read below to find out about all of the wonderful learning that is happening in 5th grade at Ivy Hall!

Today, your student will bring home his/her Multiplication & Volume Checkpoint. Please take some time to review your student's graded assessment, sign the rubric, and return the assessment to school on Monday. 

Here are the concepts we are currently/planning to work on:

Literacy
We are finishing up our shared text, Night of the Spadefoot Toads. Using this text as a springboard  we have been working hard on this trimester's literacy learning targets. We continue to practice utilizing direct quotes from the text to answer comprehension questions, many which require students to "dig deeper" into the text and make inferences. As we progress through the book, we have been identifying important events within the chapters, in order to work on our summarizing skills. As we come to a close on the book, we will determine the theme (moral, life lesson) and analyze how the author portrayed the theme.

Writing
Currently, we are in the process of planning and writing our first narrative! Within Night of the Spadefoot Toads, a character named Frankie displayed many characteristics of a bully. Using our shared text as inspiration, students are writing a story that includes a "bullyish" character. In the midst of planning and writing their narratives, students are working on developing elements of narratives, such as plot, point of view, characters, and setting.At this point, most students have completed their planning sheets and have started to compose their stories!

Math
We are building up our knowledge of solving numerical expressions using the order of operations and writing numerical expressions. Using a variety of strategies, we are solving multi-digit multiplication problems. Multiplication strategies include the over strategy, doubling and halving, partial products, and five is half of ten. We are also finding the volume of rectangular prisms by using the volume formula (length x width x height) and math manipulatives (Omnifix cubes). In Number Corner, we are reinforcing skills regarding volume and practicing skills with fractions and decimals.

Science
We are continuing to learn about ecosystems. In the past weeks, we learned about the role of producers and how producers make their own food through photosynthesis. During an investigation, we explored the necessities that help plants survive. We learned that it is essential for plants to receive adequate sunlight, water, and air. However, we were surprised to find out that plants do not necessarily need soil to grow!

Social Studies
This week we began our Civics unit, which involves the responsibilities and powers of the government in different times and places. Currently, we are analyzing the reasons why the 13 Colonies wanted to gain independence from Great Britain. We will continue to explore important events and documents that were involved in the Colonies' independence, such as the Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. Because today, September 17, is officially Constitution Day, we completed several activities to celebrate!

Upcoming Events

• Monday, September 20th-Our class will preview the choices at the Book Fair!
• Tuesday, September 21st - PTO Special Lunch (Bagel & Bialy)
• Wednesday, September 22nd - PTO Book Fair @ 6:00 PM
• Wednesday, September 22nd - PTO Ice Cream Social @ 6:30 PM
• Friday, September 24th - Ivy Hall Fun Run (staff & students only)
• Tuesday, September 28th - Early Release (Dismissal @ 2:00 PM)
• Friday, October 1st - Half Day (Dismissal @ 11:45 AM)

Friendly Reminders

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night
• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!
• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12