Happy Thursday Families!

It's hard to believe that the first half of the school year has come to a close. It has been so rewarding to watch how the students have continued to grow and change as learners. I can't wait to see what 2023 brings! 

Here are the concepts we are focusing on as we continue to work after Winter Break:

Literacy
Our students just wrapped up reading our shared text, "Angel Island".  The text told about the history and hardships surrounding immigrating through Angel Island in the early 20th century.  As we worked through the text, we practiced identifying the author's point of view and the evidence the author used to support the points that were made throughout. When utilizing non-fiction, because it can be more challenging to analyze, we have been practicing using inferencing skills and strategies within the text to help identify the author's point of view. 

Writing
Our students are working to wrap up their current analytical essays.   The prompt given was "Which classroom pet would be best for the classroom?". As we work towards their end product, we will continue to focus on students' organization, explaining how the evidence in their papers support the key ideas and the overall thesis, and writing effective and engaging lasting impressions within their conclusions.  

Math
Students have worked hard to master the standard algorithm of multiplication for both 2-digit by 2-digit and 3-digit by 2-digit problems. Throughout the unit, a variety of multiplication strategies have been practiced and emphasized. I am constantly amazed by the thinking processes that are demonstrated by students and their ability to explain their thinking. For those students who were ready to extend their learning in this area, many challenges have been available to stretch their thinking! By the end of the unit, students will be required to demonstrate their proficiency if using the standard multiplication strategy on three digit by two digit multiplication problems. 

Social Studies
When we return from break, we will shift our focus to the Colonial Era.  Through reading various texts, discussions, and activities, our students will work to answer how facing the complexities of America's past could help us to meet the challenges of the present?

Science
We are starting to wrap up our studies about the Earth's systems.  Recently, we analyzed how farming and industries negatively impact Earth's four systems (biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere).  We also discussed ways people could protect the Earth, which involved the conservation of resources, such as fossil fuels.  In our investigation yesterday, we took on the role of engineers and used various materials to design a water filter that could remove dirt and produce clean water.Through this investigation, we explored the consequences of pollution and ways to protect the Earth's systems. Be sure to ask your student how effectively their group's filter was in cleaning the "polluted" water!

Upcoming Events

December 22nd - January 9th(Thursday): WINTER BREAK

January 16th: No School (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

Friendly Reminders

*As winter weather approaches, please make sure your student is properly dressed for recess.

*Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night.

*Orchestra & Band Parents: Please make sure your students have their instrument on assigned days.

*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.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Winter Break and that you are able to take time to rest and be surrounded by Peace, Love and Joy!

5th grade Blog update for 12/2/22

 Dear 5th Grade Families, 

Included within this week's email, there is a family letter regarding our upcoming unit in math, which focuses on multi-digit multiplication. We will be starting this new unit next week. In 5th grade, we expect students to demonstrate mastery of multi-digit multiplication using the standard algorithm (the one we all learned in school!) This is a change from fourth grade, where students were introduced to methods such as partial products and the area model. In 5th grade, we build upon those 4th grade "building block" skills, and transition students into using the standard algorithm. Those students who demonstrated mastery on the reassessment will be given other extension opportunities to supplement our learning.

Please also see the important dates below and take note of the fact that Winter MAP testing will take place on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Testing will take place first thing in the morning on both days.

 

As we begin to wrap up 2022, here's what's going on within our classroom!

 

Literacy

This week, our shared text featured an excerpt of the novel, Hatchet. The text tells the story of Brian, a thirteen-year-old boy, who encounters a completely unexpected and unfortunate event that leaves him stranded in the Canadian wilderness to survive by himself with nothing but a hatchet. Using Hatchet, we discussed Brian's thoughts, actions, and feelings in order to analyze the challenges he faced and determine the overall theme. We also practiced our summarizing skills by identifying the main events and character responses in the text.

 

Writing

Our analytical writing focuses on the students' opinions of what type of class pet we should get. After researching, students have been utilizing graphic organizers to organize information into reasons and evidence that support their animal. We will be practicing more with writing an engaging introduction, keeping our body paragraphs clear and organized, and writing strong conclusions. Ask your student which class pet they chose and why!

 

Math

We wrapped up our math unit on decimals and place values by reviewing learned concepts and taking the end of unit assessment. The Unit 3 targets included reading/writing decimals, comparing decimals, rounding decimals, and adding/subtracting decimals. Our upcoming unit encompasses mulit-digit multiplication. Students will be learning how to use the standard algorithm to multiply. In Number Corner, we will measure our height and feet length within inches. Throughout the month of December, we will regularly plot the data onto a line plot. We will also be plotting the data onto a scatter plot to analyze the correlation between height and foot length.

 

Science

We are beginning deeper into our unit about the Earth's systems. We have learned about Earth’s four systems (biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere). We will be analyzing how farming and industries negatively impact those four systems. We also discussed ways that people could protect the Earth, which involves the conservation of resources, such as fossil fuels.

 

Upcoming Events

Monday, December 5th- MAP Testing

Tuesday, December 6th- MAP Testing

Tuesday, December 13th -  Early Release (Dismissal @ 2:05pm)

Friday, December 23rd - Sunday, January 8th - Winter Break

 

Friendly Reminders

• As winter weather approaches, please make sure your student is properly dressed for recess.

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night.

• Orchestra & Band Parents: Please make sure your students have their instrument on assigned days.

• 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.

5th Grade Blog Update for 11/11/22

Happy Friday Families!

I hope everyone has been enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures! As midwesterners, we know these mild conditions are not likely to last! The kids have loved their time at recess with these Spring-like conditions!

Kindly read below to find out about what we are learning!

Literacy

We are currently reading a shared text titled Washed Up, a story about three families who encounter various challenges while trying to win a survival reality show.  Within the text, students are working hard to use close reading skills to analyze important events, character responses and theme. This text is rich with figurative language and vocabulary, which will also continue to be a focus of our learning.

Please try to monitor your child's at-home reading. During our weekly check-ins I am finding that a number of students are not reading enough at home. I know lives are busy with lots of activities, however, self-selected reading is crucial to your child's success as a reader. The homework students get on a weekly basis is minimal, and most should be able to carve out twenty minutes a day to read for pleasure. I am always available to share and recommend books! 

Our students recently finished their first analytical paper, discussing the most important reasons that cellphones can actually enhance learning  in schools—if used effectively. Their focus was to write engaging introductory and concluding paragraphs, as well as working to add evidence to support their key ideas. Be sure to ask your child to share it with you! They made quite the compelling arguments! 

Math

Our students are continuing their work with decimals. They are currently refining their skills in the area of using expanded decimal notation, comparing decimals, adding and subtracting decimals, and rounding decimals. Earlier in the week we took a checkpoint in order to gauge how ell students are understanding these concepts. Next week, learning about metric conversions will also be a focus of instruction. Students are also learning about the metric system during our November number corner collection. Be sure to ask your student about our “meter a day” activity!

Social Studies

Students have continued their inquiry based activities focused on exploring the rich history of the Indigenous people of America. We’ve been looking closely at the cultural traditions, such as storytelling, which was an important part of their way of life. Students have been working cooperatively in groups, researching and presenting information they’ve been discovering.

Upcoming Events

**Monday, November 14th  Band concert @ 7:00

**Wednesday, November 16th Orchestra Concert @ 7:00

**Thursday, November 18th Family Reading Night

**Friday, November 19th Report Cards available online to view

**Wednesday, November 23rd - Friday, November 25th: No School (Thanksgiving Break)

Tuesday, November 29th Early Release @ 2:05

It's hard to believe that Halloween is almost upon us! We've enjoyed some fun class meetings this month that had a Halloween flair! In fact, today we decorated virtual jack-lanterns and did a gallery walk to view everyone's creations!  Next week, we're heading full speed into November and starting to wrap up Trimester 1. It's crazy to believe that we're almost through a third of the 22-23 school year! Included in this update, you will find the family letter for our upcoming unit in math on place value and decimals, which we just started at the end of this week. 

Here are the targets we are currently/planning to work on throughout the next couple of weeks:

Literacy

This week, we started reading a nonfiction text titled Explorers: Triumphs and Troubles. This text highlights the details and impact of various explorers' expeditions throughout history. As we read the text, we are working on identifying the author's main point/s while determining reasons and evidence as support. To practice determining the author's main point/s, we ask ourselves, "What does the author MOST want us to know or believe about what was written?" We will continue our work on this learning target using various texts.

Writing

We have been continuing our writing on the positive effects of cellphones for children in school. After collecting and organizing their research, students have been working to draft their extended response. During instruction, they were guided through the process of writing an extended response, which includes an engaging introduction, well-supported body paragraphs, and effective conclusion. When students have completed a rough draft, they will work on revising and editing their writing, making sure that they included all necessary components of an analytical response. 

Math

We wrapped up our second unit, which focused on adding and subtracting fractions, and we have started our next unit on decimals. This unit includes building students' knowledge of place value, powers of ten, reading/writing decimals, and adding/subtracting decimals. Although a portion of this unit is instructed in Trimester 1, the learning targets will be reported out on the report cards for Trimester 2. In Number Corner this month, we've been weighing two carrots regularly to collect and plot data onto a double line graph. Both of our carrots have drastically changed in appearance and weight since the beginning of the month! To extend our investigation on the carrots, we decided to put them back into water to see what will happen! Be sure to ask your student about how the carrot changed after submerging it in water! Today we played a fun game called "Eyeballs in the Cauldron" which combined action and fraction skills! Be sure to ask your student about it!

Social Studies

During our first unit, we have been engaging within inquiry-based learning by participating in discussions and research. We've been focusing on the essential question, "How does a relationship to the land shape culture and way of life?" by learning about Native American tribes based on cultural areas and regions. Within groups, students were tasked to collect information and create a slideshow presentation on how different aspects of Native American life (e.g. food, shelter, tools, clothing, etc.) were influenced by the environment they inhabited. Groups are starting to present their presentations to their classmates in order to share their knowledge and practice their oral language skills.

Upcoming Events

• Friday, October 28 - Wildcat Wizardry PTO Event (@ 6:00-8:00 PM)

• Monday, October 31 - Halloween Parade & Classroom Parties

• Tuesday, November 1 - PTO Special Lunch

  Thursday, November 2--50th Day of school! Dress in your best 50's clothes!

  Friday, November 11 - Trimester 1 Reporting Period Ends

• Friday, November 11 - School Spirit Day (PJ Day)

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

• If your child participates in orchestra or band, please remind him/her to bring their instrument on their lesson day

5th Grade BLOG update for 10/14/22

 

Happy Friday Families!

It was great seeing you at conferences last week to discuss your student's academic and social emotional progress.  I loved that I was able to learn more about each student through the conversations we shared!  Now that we're deep into the first grading period, I am excited to see how much more our students will grow throughout the year.  There is so much to teach and so much to learn, but so little time!

Here are the concepts we will focus on as we work through over the next couple of weeks:

Literacy
Our students started our new shared text, The Road to Freedom. The story is narrated from the point of view of a young girl, Emma, who is traveling on the Underground Railroad with her mother in hopes of making it North to freedom. Our students are highly engaged throughout text and are having many great discussions related to topics raised within the story.  Using this shared text, we will work on literacy skills such as summarizing and identifying narrator's point of view.

**As a part of our Thursday Fun Fluency each week, your student ALWAYS has homework every Thursday evening to read the poems we worked on to someone at home with good fluency. Kindly sign the poems after your student has read them aloud. Students in the upper elementary grades still greatly benefit from fluency practice.

**Also, every Tuesday, students check in with me about their independent reading. Students are expected to be reading 20-30 minutes per day. I am happy to suggest titles and make recommendations as I have a substantial classroom library and I love when students borrow books!

Writing

After spending a learning cycle with a focus on narrative writing, next week will will begin to shift to nonfiction analytical writing. We will start to plan our first analytical paper, focusing on the topic of “The Benefits Of Cell Phones In Schools”. Students will work through the writing process step by step, writing the introduction, working on body paragraphs, and then conclusion. They will end with editing their work.

Math

We are continuing to focus on fractions as we make our way through our second unit in math. Our students are starting to move away from utilizing money and time to model the operations and are learning how to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators by finding common denominators and equivalent fractions (5.NF.1). Over the next two weeks, we will apply and stretch our knowledge in order to solve fractions story problems (5.NF.2). Those students who have already demonstrated their ability to add and subtract fraction with unlike denominators will participate in other activities to extend their knowledge of fractions in other areas.

Science

We wrapped up our discussions about ecosystems.  Over the last couple of weeks, we learned about consumers and the flow of energy through an ecosystem.  We learned that consumers must eat other animals in order to survive.  We also learned that the flow of energy starts at the sun and flows to the producers and then to the consumers.  Various discussions, activities, and investigations allowed us to create food chains that show the flow of energy from the sun to the owl.  

Social Studies

This week, we started our new Social Studies program!  The program focuses on students' voices and choices and the ability to connect to their own experiences and interests.  Through the inquiry-based learning model and engaging investigations, our students will build knowledge in history, civics, geography, and economics.  Our first discussions have focused around the perceptions of Indigenous American Cultures and learning how to formulate questions to help guide our students' learning on how to better honor the cultural heritage of this land. We used a process of visual note-taking as we learned new vocabulary in order to get a firmer grasp of the concepts and ideas being presented.

Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, October 25th - Early Release

Tuesday, November 8th - No School (Election Day)

Friendly Reminders

**Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night.

**If your child participates in orchestra or band, please remind him/her to bring their instrument on their lesson day.

**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.

5th Grade Blog for 9/15/22

 How can it already be mid-September? The first month of school has gone by so quickly! Students are now comfortable with classroom routines and expectations! They are especially enjoying our daily featured routines: Math Problem Monday, Tell me What You're Reading Tuesday, Word Ladder Wednesday, Fun Fluency Thursday, and First Chapter Friday! And... I'm not sure who enjoys our "Book of the Day" routine more--myself or the kids! :) We even had a "special reader" for Monday's book: our very own principal, Mr. Senatore! He read us the book What the Road Said, which is a basis of this year's school-wide theme!

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

 

Literacy

Last week, we finished our first shared text, Night of the Spadefoot Toads. Using this text, we practiced utilizing direct quotes from the text to answer comprehension and inferential questions. By identifying important events within the chapters, we worked on our summarizing skills. At the beginning of the week, we read about Cesar Chavez and his work to help labor unions and practiced finding the author’s main point and reasons that they use to support it. We have now shifted back to fiction and have started a short story called Shells, by author Cynthia Rylant. This text provides a springboard for giving us more practice in quoting, identifying theme, and describing characters’ challenges.We have been building on skills learned last year in 4th grade by practicing using the RACE method to write complete cohesive, short responses. Be sure to ask your student what the letters in RACE stand for!

 

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 a springboard, 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.

 

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). We will be taking our Post Assessment for Unit 1 next week! Yesterday we started our review with a fun and challenging digital escape room! Students were challenged to solve problems and puzzles in eight different escape room! In teams of three, they used collaboration, perseverance, and great problem-solving skills! Today we played "Show down!" Ask your student for the details!

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! I even brought in a bamboo stalk from home to show how it grows perfectly without soil!

 

Upcoming Events

• Monday, September 19th- PTO Book Fair, Conference sign up email will be sent to parents

• Tuesday, September 20th- Early Release (Dismissal @ 2:05 PM)

• Tuesday, September 20th- PTO Book Fair

• Wednesday, September 21st- PTO Ice Cream Social & Book Fair

• Friday, September 23rd- PTO Special Lunch (Papa John’s)

• Monday, September 26th- No School (District Holiday)

• Wednesday, October 5th- No School (District Holiday)

• Thursday, October 6th- No School- Conferences

• Friday, October 7th- No School- Conferences

• Monday, October 10th- No School (District Holiday)

 

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. We eat a LATE lunch and the kids get quite hungry!!!

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12

• Our class will be going to the Book Fair Preview on Monday.

First Blog post for 2022 School year!

 Good Afternoon Families!

Our school year is off and running! It was an absolute pleasure meeting many of you at curriculum night last week. I hope you found it to be an informative and useful evening.  Your involvement and support is greatly appreciated! Welcome to the first installment of our bi-monthly blog post! It is my goal to keep you informed and up-to-date about the learning that is taking place in the classroom, as well as making sure you know about important dates and and events. If you have a Twitter account be sure to follow me at  julie_holzhauer  to hear about some of our educational adventures!

In addition to becoming comfortable with all of our organizational and academic routines, we have been doing a variety of teambuilding activities in order to establish a level of trust between classmates! Each Friday, we try to end the week with a team builder in order to start the weekend on a positive note. Last week I introduced the card game Spoons to the class. They played in groups and really enjoyed it! Be sure to ask your student about it!!

Also, the Stevenson Math Team would like you to know about a special opportunity for 5th graders! Here is the message they wanted us to pass along:

Hello parents! The Stevenson High School Math Team is excited to invite you to their annual Math Carnival on Thursday, October 13 from 6 - 8 pm. Students from 3rd to 5th grade will have the opportunity to play fun and engaging math games to win prizes ranging from candy to Stevenson Math Team t-shirts. Admission is FREE upon registration. For more info and to register, visit the event webpage at this link.

Here are the targets we are currently / planning on working to master over the next couple of weeks:

Literacy

 Our students are currently working on finding the theme of fictional stories and passages. This will lead to learning about how to summarize important events and noting the reactions and responses of important characters. We are also working on “quoting accurately” within a text which involves students supplying text support for their answers. We are greatly enjoying our shared reading book, Night of The Spadefoot Toads. Because some of the chapters are quite lengthy, students are being required to read portions at home. They are able to use their print copy of the text, or read the story on their I-Pads. Students are welcome to use this reading towards their daily required reading of 20-30 minutes. Once we are finished with the book, students are expected to use their own self-selected books for at-home reading.

This week we also had our first “status of the class” where students let me know what book they are currently reading, and what page they are on. This helps me keep track of progress from week to week. I will also be “conferencing” with students individually about what they read. This is a fun way to informally chat and make sure that their reading is progressing along! Students also have the opportunity to volunteer to do book talks and share what they are reading with their peers!

Writing

Our current instruction has involved “laying the groundwork” for students to plan and write an original narrative story. As we progress through this instruction, students will compose original story with the goal of including an effectively written introduction, well-developed body paragraphs, and an effective conclusion. 

Math

Our students are currently working on writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses. The first few weeks have also involved getting used to our math routines. In fact, since September started yesterday, we also started our daily Number Corner routine. 

Science

Instruction utilizing our TCI science curriculum is well underway!  Our current focus is on understanding the makings of a various ecosystems around the world. We’ve learned about how members of an ecosystem interact and depend on each other. Currently, we are also learning more specifically about the producers, consumers and decomposers who make up our ecosystem. We have a very engaging science investigation to look forward to at the end of our current lesson! Fortunately, our ecosystems unit in science ties nicely into the reading we are doing with The Night of the Spadefoot Toad book we are reading during our literacy block.

Upcoming Events

** Monday September 5th - No School (Labor Day)

**Friday, Sept. 16—Ivy Hall Fun Run (more details to come!)

**Wednesday, September 7— PTO sponsored ice cream Wednesday

**Tuesday, September 20th- Early Release @ 2:05

**Monday, September 26th—No School District Holiday

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.

Have a great long weekend!

Blog Update for 5/20/22

 Happy Friday families!

Now that the weather is finally cooperating, it actually feels like Spring, almost Summer! It’s hard to believe that we are in our final two weeks of school! Although we will be engaged in academics  until the last day of school, we will also have many fun class-building activities as well! As the end of the year approaches, I want all of the students to feel that they've had ample time to reflect and process their elementary school experience. Big changes are ahead for these wonderful 5th graders, and I want them to leave 5th grade feeling excited and confident!

Here’s what our students working on over the last two weeks of school:

Literacy:

Our students are currently reading short, fictional stories from various genres, ranging from realistic fiction to science fiction.  Based on stories from the day's genre, students are continuing their work on comparing and contrasting how each author approached the shared theme.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will discuss the requirements for 6th grade summer reading. The project that accompanies the reading will be due during the first week your child returns to middle school in the Fall. There are a variety of great titles to choose from on the provided list, and students should have no trouble finding a book that matches their interests!

Writing:

Our students just wrapped up their informative choice essays. They chose from the following topics: a special holiday, preparing for a marathon, preparing for a new pet, and preparing for middle school. Students utilized multiple resources to research their topic, planned their introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions. The end result of their hard work was excellent written pieces!

Math

We are very close to wrapping up Unit 7 in Math, which focused on division and decimals. During this unit we worked with powers of ten and then moved into the multiplication and division of decimals.  Our students will take the Unit 7 post assessment next week.  

We are continuing to work hard to make sure that all students are able to solve long division problems using the traditional method. Students who just recently learned this method will need to practice periodically over the summer to ensure retention heading into 6th grade.  

Social Studies

As we start to wrap up our economics unit, our students are learning about how to critique news articles. As they learn what a critique entails, they are gaining a stronger understanding of what makes a strong and effective news article.

Important Dates and Friendly Reminders:

Friday, May 27th - Half Day (Teacher Inservice)

Monday, May 30th - No School (Memorial Day)

Thursday, June 2nd- 1/2 day (Last Day of School)

Thank you for your continued partnership and have a wonderful weekend

 Happy Friday!

It is crazy to think we have already reached our last month of the school year! Students have worked hard this week and finished our last round of MAP tests for the year! We are looking forward to many fun activities in the final weeks of school to make sure that our 5th graders leave with fond memories of Ivy Hall! We will be busy, busy, busy!!!

Read below to see what we have been working on!

Literacy

We finished reading our shared text, Jess and Layla’s Astronomical Assignment. It is a science fiction book about two girls who get a homework assignment by their teacher and they end up going back in time to understand more about astronomy and famous astronomers. We started reading another story, Mayday on the Moon of Jupiter, another science fiction story. Next week, we will compare and contrast how the authors of each approached the shared theme that they have.

Writing

We began work on our next informative writing assignment. Students had their choice from a list of topics this time: preparing for a marathon, a special holiday, a new pet, etc. Students started by using multiple resources to research their topic. They have now moved on to planning out their introductions and conclusions, and finally their body paragraphs. They are enjoying getting to pick a topic and doing their own research for it! Students have become quite self-sufficient as they engage in the planning and writing process!

Math

We are in our last unit, Unit 7, already! This unit teaches us multiple strategies for dividing whole numbers and fractions. We will be learning more about how the powers of ten affect place value in numbers. Finally, we will be learning multiplication and division of decimals. Although it is not a requirement to be able to solve division problems using the traditional method, I am doing my best to meet with small groups and individual students who are not confident with the process. It is my goal to have everyone in the class familiar with the process before leaving 5th grade.

Social Studies

We have begun our final unit of study in social studies- analyzing why and how individuals, businesses, and nations around the world specialize in trade. We will be diving into why and how countries need each other for certain goods or services.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, May 11th- 5th Grade Music Show (starts at 6:30--students arrive at 6:15)

Thursday, May 12th- 5th graders visit Twin Groves for tours and transition presentation during the school day

Friday, May 13th- 5th Grade Spring Fling- 6:30-8:30 (car parade starts earlier--see flyer)

Tuesday, May 17th- Early Release

5th grade BLOG for 4/22/22

 Happy Friday! 

The month of April is really flying by and students have been working hard to show what they know! This week we took several assessments. In math, we ended our geometry unit with an assessment to demonstrate all that we’ve learned throughout the unit. We also took the district CFA and writing assessment, which will be used to evaluate written expression skills for 6th grade placement. Next Wednesday, students will take their final 6th grade math placement test. No worries, though! Although we’ve been taking a number of assessments, we’ve had time for lots of fun and learning in between!

Literacy

Next week we will continue to focus on comparing fictional texts of  similar content and/or topic. We will begin to read a science fiction story called Jess and Layla’s Astronomical Adventure.  The two main characters of the story travel back in time and meet many of history’s famous philosophers and scientists!  As we read, we will continue to practice literacy skills such as comparing and contrasting characters and settings, analyzing themes and using quoted evidence from a text to support responses. Eventually we will read another science fiction story of the same genre called Mayday on the Moon of Jupiter, so that we can compare and contrast how the two stories approach their respective themes.

Writing

Now that our analytical papers about tablets vs. books have been completed, we will be moving on to another genre within analytical writing. Students will have the opportunity to write an expository paper on how to best prepare for certain activities, such as traveling or adopting a pet. We know that the students will find the topic choices highly motivating!

Math

After finishing unit 6 earlier the week, we spent the last few days engaged in some fun review activities in order to solidify previous learning from earlier in the year. Next week we will start our final math unit of the year, which includes skills such as long division and decimal multiplication and division. 

Science

This week we finished a series of lessons within our matter unit about how to know when new substances are created. We ended with an investigation where students mixed substances such as water, vinegar, baking soda and calcium chloride together in different combinations and observed whether new substances were formed! 

Upcoming Events

**PLEASE NOTE: The PTO Book fair will be open throughout next week for students to purchase books

Tuesday, April 26 —Early Release @ 2:00

Wednesday, April 27—PTO Pizza Bingo Night 6-7:15

Monday, May 2 -- Reading MAP test

Tuesday, May 3-- Math MAP test

Tuesday, May 12—5th Graders visit Twin Groves for tours and transition presentation