Class Update 10/19/14

Important Reminders:

Parent-Teacher Conferences are October 27th and October 29th. If you have not signed up for your conference via the Sign Up Genius Link, please make sure to do so as soon as possible. If you need me to re-send you the link, please let me know. Thank you!

Report cards will be emailed home to families beginning on Tuesday.

Students have earned a class reward for working together and making good choices over first quarter! We will be having a pizza party on Wednesday. Please send in $2.00 to help cover the cost of pizza. I will be purchasing drinks and cookies for the children as well.  Thank you!

The book fair will be taking place this week and next week. Our class will be visiting to preview the books on Tuesday and purchases may be made beginning on Wednesday.

There will be no school on Friday, October 31st. Our Halloween party will be held on Thursday, October 30th.

Class Updates:

In math, we will be beginning Chapter 3 which covers division concepts. This week we will focus on fact families and relating division to multiplication. We will also review the basic steps to solving long division problems.  It will be helpful for students to review their basic facts in division, as they will be using them regularly throughout the chapter.

In reading, we are learning that good readers ask questions before, during, and after reading to aid in comprehending texts. We will continue to work on questioning by exploring the difference between literal and inferential questions. In writing, we will be doing a fall themed project that helps review synonyms and antonyms. Students will also celebrate finishing their personal narratives by having a "gallery walk" with the other fifth grade classes.  They will have the opportunity to read each's other published pieces and leave positive comments for each other. Our next big unit will be informational writing.

In social studies, we will be starting a project to wrap up our unit on Native Americans. Students will be working in partners to research a specific region or group of Native Americans. Students will use text books, library books, and websites to gather facts. Once they have finished researching, they will create an online book through a website called Story Jumper and present what they have learned to their classmates.

Last week, we met with our second grade buddies to continue to learn about the military. Students listened to a story about the Navy and recorded facts they learned to add to a display in the hall. Buddies also finished projects to see what they had in common with each other and to share some of their favorite things about themselves. Check out some of their finished work:

Chapter 2 Math Help

Here are a few links that are helpful for studying for our Chapter 2 Math Test on Thursday:

Turtle Head Method for Multiplication

Estimating Products Example

Distributive Property

Powers

Class Update 10/5/14

Important Reminders:

Parent-Teacher Conferences - I will be emailing a link for parent-teacher conference sign-ups this week.  We will be using the website Sign Up Genius for this process again this year.  Conferences will be held on Monday, October 27 and Wednesday, October 29.  Please sign up early to have the best selection of available time slots.  Thank you!

Fall Weather - The weather is beginning to change and fall is in the air!  Please make sure your child comes to school prepared for outdoor recess.  We will continue to go outside whenever possible, so a jacket may be needed on cooler days.

Class Updates:

In math, we have been working hard on writing powers to express repeated multiplication problems. The students are also learning how to use powers of ten to simplify the process of multiplying some larger numbers.  We are exploring a variety of methods to compute multiplication problems, including making area models and using the Distributive Property.  This week we will move ahead with estimating products and additional strategies for multiplying large numbers.  Students made prime factorization posters and are playing a variety of games to improve fact fluency.

In reading, we are reviewing all story elements in our reading groups.  In addition, the students are practicing visualizing skills and making connections to what they read.  We are especially focused on making meaningful text-to-world connections.

In writing, the children are finishing up revising their personal narrative drafts.  They have made changes to their stories to ensure they have leads that hook the reader's attention and introduce the setting and characters.  Students have also examined the endings of their writing to ensure they leave their audience with a lasting impression.  The children are utilizing sensory details, dialogue, and strong verbs to elaborate on important parts of the story.  This week we will begin editing for paragraphing and correct spelling and mechanics.

We are learning all about the Native American tribes of North and South America in social studies. So far, we have explored ancient Americans like the Aztecs and the Mound Builders.  Students have compared and contrasted the cultures of the peoples of the Northwest Coast and the Southwest.  We will continue to examine each region of the United States to learn about the homes, food sources, ceremonies, and traditions of the Native Americans of these regions.  Each student has been given a set of blue vocabulary cards to go with the chapter.  Students should be studying the definitions of these words regularly at home.  Please check the homework tab of the blog regularly to see which words students should currently be practicing.

Check out some of our completed My World Projects!