Class Dojo - If you have not signed up for a Class Dojo account yet, please consider doing so. You will receive weekly updates about your child's responsibility with homework. You can also check in at any time during the week to see if there have been any missing or late reading logs or homework assignments. Invitations on how to sign up were sent home with Curriculum Night materials.
Early Release Day - Our first Early Release Day of the year will take place on Wednesday, September 16th. Dismissal time will be 1:40. Please make sure your child knows how they will be going home that day if they will be doing something other than their normal routine.
Class Updates:
Welcome Back Activities - We have spent a lot of time these first weeks of school getting to know each other and creating a sense of classroom community. Students each created a Selfie Project where they drew a self-portrait and shared information about their summer and some of their favorite activities. All students collaboratively worked together to write our Classroom Mission Statement, which will guide us throughout the year. Students also made 5th Grade Bucket Lists of 10 things they want to make sure to accomplish by the end of the school year. We are in the process of selecting one of those items and making it into a focused goal for first quarter.
Math - Our first math unit covers place value for both whole numbers and decimals. Students have been working on writing numbers in three forms - standard, word, and expanded. Comparing and ordering numbers and using models to represent decimals are also skills the children are practicing. We will have a quiz on Thursday over the first four lessons of Chapter 1. A study guide was sent home with students on Friday. In addition to place value, we are reviewing our basic facts in multiplication. If you child does not have their facts 0-12 memorized, they should be practicing regularly at home. The ALEKS program has Quick Tables that can help students in this area.
Reading - Students have been building their reading stamina and reviewing the process of picking "good fit" books. We learned about the fiction and non-fiction genres of text and the children made genre posters. Finally, we are learning strategies for monitoring our reading to check for understanding. We will begin guided reading groups on Tuesday.
Writing - Our first unit in writing covers personal narratives. This week the students spent time brainstorming ideas for their narratives. They have done several quick writes about special people, places, and times in their lives. Ask your child what the difference between a "watermelon story" and a "seed story" is!
Social Studies - Chapter 1 focuses on geography of the United States, including how the climate and landforms change as you move across the country. We have also reviewed global geography basics, including the continents and oceans and major lines of latitude and longitude. Currently, we are learning about natural, capital, and human resources that our country uses.
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