5th Grade BLOG update for 10/22

Hi Parents, We've had a busy week of learning! This was the first week of a challenge from Dreambox that I signed our class up for! Starting this week until mid-November, any student who completes 5 lessons during a week will be qualified for a prize giveaway from the Dreambox company! If nothing else, students seem motivated to work towards this goal! We also have weekly goals for utilizing our Lexia reading app. Each student can see how they are progressing towards their personal goal when they login to Lexia on their iPad. I have been starting to do supplemental activities during intervention with students when skill needs are identified on Lexia. If you are interested in seeing your student’s progress, have them login to show you! Today, as with every Friday, we had “First Chapter Friday”! Here, I read the first chapter of a book to entice the kids to want to read the rest on their own! I also show a book trailer to “hook in” my visual learners! This week’s book was one with a spooky feel for Halloween titled Bunnicula by Deborah Howe! We also had Fluency Friday Poetry today that featured two Halloween poems. Each weekend, if students read these poems at home and get a parent signature, they are rewarded with a raffle ticket on the following Monday! Please encourage your student to take a few moments to read these poems to you, and improve their fluency! Here’s a quick update to let you have peek into the content we have been covering in each of the academic areas: Literacy This week we finished reading a historical fiction book titled Road to Freedom. The story was narrated by Emma, a young girl who was trying to escape slavery along the Underground Railroad. This story helped students understand how the particular point of the narrator, can affect how the story is being told. Through the viewpoint of Emma, students were able to see the unique perspective of a young girl facing such unimaginable challenges. Writing We have now moved onto the genre of analytical, nonfiction writing. We started the process by analyzing our prompt: “Should students be allowed to have cell phones in school?” After reading several nonfiction articles which have presented both sides of the argument, students have been using using graphic organizers to classify this information. Once they have chosen which side of the information they most support, students will develop a plan to compose an essay. They will be guided through the process of how to write an effective introduction, and then move onto body paragraph writing. Math We are nearing the end of our second unit in math which focuses on fractions. The unit 2 targets include addition and subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators and solving fraction story problems. Students have completed two checkpoints on these targets, and are receiving instruction based on needs identified in those assessments. The end of unit assessment for these targets will be given next week. In number corner, we've been weighing two carrots regularly to track the information on a double line graph. Our smaller carrot has lost a considerable amount of mass! Ask your student to describe its appearance! Yuck! Science We recently wrapped up our first unit on Ecosystems around the world and have started our next unit on the Earth’s four main systems. Throughout this unit, we will be learning about how the Biosphere, Geosphere, Hydrosphere and Atmosphere interact to affect weather, shape landforms, and support living things. Social Studies This week, we have been working hard to answer the question, What are the Responsibilities and Powers of the officials in the US after gaining independence? To do this, we have been studying the three Branches of Government (Executive, Legislative, Judicial) and have been exploring the checks and balances in place to ensure that one office does not have more power over the other. Upcoming Events Tuesday, October 26 th—Early Release @ 2:00 Friday, October 29th—Halloween parade and classroom parties Friday, November 12—Trimester 1 report period ends