9/25/13

Next week we will begin our second Investigations unit on three dimensional shapes. Please take a moment to read the Family Letter that shares key information about our unit. A paper copy will be in Thursday folders next week.

Unit 2 Family Letter

September 22nd

Good Morning,

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend with your family. The weather has been perfect for both indoor and outdoor activities.

Last week students arrived at a stopping point in our explorers unit. Students wrote articles about the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. This study took us from the Vikings to the late 1500's. After the winter break, we will pick back up with the settlement of Jamestown and continue with the 13 British Colonies, and tensions that spark the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War.

This coming week we will use the many different theories of missing colonists at Roanoke to introduce the idea of researching the interdependence of different systems. Each theory consists of groups interacting in both positive and negative ways. We will use this idea of systems to launch our Life Science Unit. The two fifth grade standards are; all organisms have structures and systems with separate functions and human body systems have basic structures, functions, and needs.
This unit will begin by identifying the characteristics and life processes that all living things need. Then we will compare and contrast structures and systems
in different organisms. In this unit we will be going on a field trip to dissect a lamb's lung at the Museum of Nature and Science. Our day will be Monday, October 28th. More information will be coming about the specifics in early October.

In math we are using our conceptual understanding of multiplication to help us build division strategies. Students have been using multiple towers to create a visual representation of why using multiples of 10 helps them find the quotient efficiently. For example, if I was solving 232 divided by 21, I could use 21 x 10 to get to 210, and know that I have one more full group of 21. This investigation will be about a week and the purpose is to develop strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Later in the year we will have another division unit that will focus on other division strategies like partial quotients and the connection to traditional algorithms.

In reading this week, students will turn in a reading response letter with their reading log on Friday. We have practiced the format of letters in the classroom with books that we have read together. Letters should be a minimum of two paragraphs. The first paragraph should be a summary of the reading and the second paragraph should be their thinking in response to the text. It might be analyzing how a character has grown throughout the book, it might be a specific reading strategy used that helped them make meaning. The letters must include specific details from the text. Details could be used to determine a theme of a story, or identify a character's points of view, or drawing inferences. Letters will be stapled to their signed reading logs each week.

In writing this week, we continue to generate ideas within the genre of personal narrative. Because it is a short week this week, students will complete Grammar Week 6, but will not do the spelling words connected this week. Next week we will do a grammar review of weeks 1-6 and study week 6 words at that time.

Thank you for sharing your child with me,
Megan

Mark Your Calendar

·      Tuesday, September 24 @ 4:30-5:30 4^th & 5^th Math Parent Sessions

Friday, September 27^th – No School for Students/ Teacher Professional Day

Our classroom curriculum update will come out early next week.

I wanted to remind parents about our upcoming math curriculum night that has been mentioned on Mrs. Brown's weekly blog. Each grade level in the school has had a night to provide more communication between teachers, students, and parents. All 5th grade teachers and leadership will be available Tuesday, September 24th from 4:30-5:30 to model and discuss specific math strategies on multiplication and division in whole numbers, decimals, and fractions. In addition to exposing you to strategies, we will talk through a fraction game that can be adapted to meet the math needs of your child. At goal setting conferences you checked out a math reference book from me. During our math night, we would like to overview the resources inside, including games, vocabulary exposure, and examples. Materials for games will be uploaded on classroom websites by math night.

We hope to see you at curriculum night, but I am happy to send home resources that we pass out that may be helpful in understanding and supporting your child in their math homework. The format of the night is drop in, but if you know ahead of time that you will not be able to attend, please let me know.

Thanks,

Megan

Digger Dash Information

Good Morning,

The Digger Dash is quickly approaching, it will be Friday, September 20th. The schedule for the Digger Dash is listed below.

Digger Dash Schedule

9:20-9:35 Stretching (Preschool & K)

9:35-9:50 Race Time (Preschool & K)

9:40-9:55 Stretching (1)

9:55-10:25 Race Time (1)

10:15-10:30  Stretching (2 & 3)

10:30-11:15 Race Time (2 & 3)

11:05-11:20 Stretching (4)

11:20-12:05 Race Time (4)

11:05-11:20 Stretching (5)

11:20-12:05 Race Time (5)

Team Fleet has picked the name Flying Smileys. For race day, students came up with lots of different ideas that would make our team stand out and be unique. They voted and decided that we would have crazy hair and smiles painted on our face. Our smiles can be as a simple as a face paint pencil smile or as elaborate as students want. From the shoulders down students can dress for comfort and add their own creative spin to capture our team the Flying Smileys. Some students suggested wearing backpacks as jet packs, wearing wings, or long socks these weren't chosen as class wide flair, but can be worn by students if they want.

Please plan on coming to cheer us on and bringing an extra water bottle for your smiley! As we fly we will need to stay hydrated!

Thank you for sharing your child with me,
Megan

10 Questions Template Word Document

September 9th

Good Morning,

I can't believe we have been back in school for nearly a month. It is such a joy to teach this wonderful group of fifth graders. I wanted to take a few minutes to share some of the things we are working on in the classroom.

In reading, we are continuing with our study on activating schema and making connections. In fifth grade you will see a big push for kids to work on making connections between different texts. In class we have modeled this in a series of picture books. Students have done an incredible job identifying which connections and parts of their background knowledge help them make meaning and parts that can be distracting.

In writing, students have been digging ditches in their mind and searching for rivers filled with stones of meaning. In writing, sometimes the hardest thing to do is determine a topic to write about. Our figurative stones have provided us topics for us to explore the writing process in the genre of personal narratives. Last week, students should have received their name writing piece back in their Thursday folder. You may have also noticed a short constructed response on the back of each weekly spelling test. This year we will write for a variety of purposes and will look both at the ideas and content in our writing and our use of spelling and grammar rules.

In math, students have been using their understanding of multiplication facts to identify factors and multiples of given numbers. As students determined factors they began to see patterns that could be used to classify numbers as prime, square, and composite. We will continue to look at multiplication and develop multiple strategies to solve double digit by double digit multiplication problems. At home please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts. 

In social studies, students began the year by looking at landforms found in different parts of the United States. Using their observations, students began to identify why certain states are grouped together in specific regions. Our geography unit centered around the Five Themes of Geography, which are location, place, human/environment interaction, movement, & region. We will continue to use these themes of geography as we study the early explorers. Students will think critically about how interactions and movement motivated and impacted explorers.

Thank you for sharing your child with me each day,
Megan