Thursday, December 14th

Reminders and Announcements 

• Tomorrow is a 2 hour early dismissal; we dismiss at 1:45.
• Tomorrow is also Midterm for Quarter 2.  Midterm Reports will be sent home next week.
• Winter Break starts Saturday, December 23 and goes till Monday, January 1.
• Classes resume on Tuesday, January 2.

Math 

We have covered all of the standards in Unit 4.  This past week I gave a mid unit check to see what skills students needed to review.  Some students have their review in their Thursday Folder today.  The rest will come home as I have a chance to sit with them to reteach or set up small group review.  Overall, we did very well.  We may wrap up this unit ahead of schedule!

This unit includes Order of Operations, Multiplying Decimals, Powers of 10, Exponents, Metric Conversions, and Division of Whole Numbers.

Writing 

Focus Standard:

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

We have been researching explorers this week and will use our notes to write an informational essay next week.

Reading 

Book Clubs are going well.  Most students are actually finishing up their books ahead of schedule!  I love to see kids interested in a good book.  Club rotations will continue for the next week or two (for longer novels).  After this round, students will be able to choose another novel.  Book Clubs will continue to run for the remainder of  the year.

In addition to book clubs, small leveled instruction will focus on informational text.  We are looking at main idea and detail first.  We will then look at text structure to see how the author's choice of organization helps the reader understand the message of the text.

Science/Social Studies

We will begin our next integrated units on Exploration and Space by looking at why explorers traveled and searched for new lands and how they navigated to get from one place to another.

Thursday, December 7th

Announcements and Reminders 

• Students should be getting their agendas signed nightly Monday - Thursday after they have done at least 20 minutes of reading and talked to an adult about their reading.  Not sure what to ask or talk about?  Click here!
• Students also have a math worksheet that comes home Monday and needs to be completed by Friday.  
• School will dismiss 2 hours early on Friday, December 15th.
• We are desperate for 2 liter bottles!!!  Please send them in by tomorrow.  Thanks!!

Math 

We will continue to work with multiplying decimals this next week by applying the skill to real life situations.  Please refer to last week's post if your child needs help understanding the skill.

Writing 

This next week we are moving into informational writing.  The first couple of days we will focus on creating a strong informative paragraph.  As the week progresses, we will start the process for our informational writing on Space Exploration.

Reading 

The novels are a huge hit!!  Ask your child about their reading.  We will continue with book clubs next week.  In small groups, we will be reading informational text.  and learning how to determine the organizational structure of a text and how the structure helps the reader understand the writer's message.

Science/Social Studies

We are wrapping up our units on Earth's spheres and Early Americans next week.  We will begin to study explorers of the world and sky next!

Thursday, November 30th

Announcements and Reminders:

• Roo Hop is Friday night!  I hope to see you all there.  Remember it is not too late to donate.
• Grandparent's Day is Friday morning.
• Picture Retake is Friday as well.

Math
Focus Standards:

•  Use parentheses, brackets, or braces in numerical expressions, and evaluate expressions with these symbols.
• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.

We will continue to review the order of operations in small groups as needed.  As a whole class we will begin to learn how to multiply decimals.  For students who are ready, I will introduce the algorithm. For those who are still working on place value, we will stick to concrete models as the standard states.

Order of Operations
Multiplying a Decimal by a Whole Number
Multiplying a Decimal by a Decimal


Writing
Focus Standard:

• Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Before starting informational writing, we are taking some time to improve our response writing.  Students are asked to explain/justify math thinking and reading understandings in writing on a regular basis.  We are using rubrics and sample writing to help us see what a proficient response looks like.

Reading
Focus Standards:

• Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

We will finish our novel, Sign of the Beaver, on Tuesday.  Ask your kiddo about the novel; it has been a great read.  In small groups we have been reading short informational texts.

A Reading Announcement:  I am trying something new.  We are starting book clubs in our class.  Students had an opportunity to sign up for a novel of their choice.  Groups will meet once a week during Silent Reading Time after recess.  This round of novels includes Hoot, The Magician's Elephant, Miss Spitfire, and Stormbreaker.  Students can bring their novels home to read there.  They will also have time during class.


Science/Social Studies
We will be studying the Biosphere and creating our own sustainable biosphere (Send those 2 liter bottles in soon!).  We will also be looking at interactions between all four spheres as we wrap up this science unit.  Our study of Native Americans is in the final stages as well.  Soon, we will create a museum to share what we have learned about interactions between the spheres and Native Americans.

Thursday, November 16th

Announcements/Reminders

• Conferences start tomorrow, Friday 11/17.  School dismisses at 12:15.
• Monday Conference Schedule:  School in session 12:45 - 3:45
• Tuesday Conference Schedule:  School in session 8:45 -  12:15
• Wednesday - Friday School Closed for Thanksgiving Break 
• Conference Sign up
• For those interested in seeing Wonder as a group - Saturday, November 18th at 4:45  Regal Westview 16
• Report Cards issued Tuesday, November 21st

Math 

Focus Standard:

• Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.

I will continue to pull small groups for standard review.  During whole group and independent time, lessons will focus on the metric system and converting between unit measurements.

Writing 

Focus Standards:

• Conventions of Standard English: Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions.
• Conventions of Standard English: Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.

We will learn about using verb tense in our writing and how to recognize and fix shifts in verb tense in our own writing.

Reading 

Focus Standards:

• Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

We are continuing to read The Sign of the Beaver and look for signposts that help us understand the author's message and/or infer character motivations.

Science/Social Studies

We will be starting to look at the Biosphere and how it interacts with other Earth spheres.  We will continue to study the Native Americans and learn more about how they used the resources they had to survive and to express themselves.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Reminders and Announcements 

• No School Tomorrow (11/10)
• Don't forget to sign up for conferences:  click here.
• This was our first week of official homework.  Please praise your student if they were responsible in completing their assignments as well as getting the required signatures.

Math 

Focus Standards:

• Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents to its left.
• Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers of 10, and explain patterns in the placement of the decimal point when a decimal is multiplied or divided by a power of 10. Use whole-number exponents to denote powers of 10.
• Use parentheses, brackets, or braces in numerical expressions, and evaluate expressions with these symbols.
• Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers, and interpret numerical expressions without evaluating them. For example, express the calculation "add 8 and 7, then multiply by 2" as 2 x (8 + 7). Recognize that 3 x (18932 + 921) is three times as large as 18932 + 921, without having to calculate the indicated sum or product.
• Fluently multiply multi-digit whole number using the standard algorithm.

As you may have noticed, Unit 4 begins with a review of some concepts taught in Units 1-3. Students who need the review will have an opportunity to get some reteaching.  For those who have mastered these skills, there will be a chance to apply their understandings to real situations on a deeper level.

Writing 

Focus Standard:

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

We will begin our new writing unit on informational writing.  Students will learn how to fully develop a topic and organize the information they are sharing in a way that is clear and entertaining for the reader.

Reading 

Focus Standards:

• Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact.)

We will continue reading The Sign of the Beaver as a class. The students will also have an opportunity to choose from several shorter texts for literature circles which will begin on Monday.

Science/Social Studies

Focus Standard

Through observation, we will infer information about time, place, and culture in which a work of art was created and develop a model that describes how the hydrosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere interact.

We will continue to study the Native American culture as we focus on the Plains Tribes and how they interacted with the geosphere.  The students will have an opportunity to experiment with different mediums to create a work of art.

Study Topics for Quarter 1 Math Assessment

Today we reviewed for tomorrow's Quarterly Benchmark Assessment in Math.  These videos will review topics that we studied this first quarter.

place value

expanded form

comparing decimals

adding decimals

subtracting decimals

adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators

multiplying by double digit numbers

division with remainders

Friday, November 3, 2017

Reminders and Announcements 

• Art Night is tonight from 6-8 PM.  I hope to see you there!
• Unit 3 Math Test (Fractions) Tuesday, November 7th 
• Math Quarterly Assessment - Thursday Nov 9th
• End of Quarter 1 - Thursday Nov. 9th
• School Closed - Friday, Nov. 10th
• Conferences begin Friday, November 17th; sign up information went home in yesterday's Thursday Folder.
• For those interested in seeing Wonder as a group - Saturday, November 18th at 4:45  Regal Westview 16 

Math  

Focus Standards:

• 5.NF.A.2- Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions referring to the same whole, including cases of unlike denominators,  Use benchmark fractions and number sense of fractions to estimate mentally and assess the reasonableness of answers. For example, recognize an incorrect result 2/5 + 1/2 = 3/7, by observing that 3/7 < 1/2.
• 5.MD.B.2- Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Use operations on fractions for this grade to solve problems involving information presented in line plots. For example, given different measurements of liquid in identical beakers, find the amount of liquid each beaker would contain if the total amount in all the beakers were redistributed equally.

We are finishing up the quarter and will wrap up Unit 3 next week.  Check out the videos below if your child is still working on creating equivalent fractions to add or subtract.

Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Unlike Denominators

Practice Adding Fractions

Fractions on a Line Plot

Writing  

Focus Standards:

• W.5.10 - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
• L.5.1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

We are finishing up our Personal Narratives and will spend a few days reviewing how to write strong responses to writing prompts for reading.

Reading  

Focus Standards:

• RL.5.1 - Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• RL.5.5 - Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
• RL.5.10 - By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

We have started reading the novel, Sign of the Beaver.  We will be looking to review and use literary signposts to help us gain a deeper understanding of the text.

Literary Signposts

Science/Social Studies:

We are continuing to study how Earth's spheres interact with each other as we learn about the geosphere and biosphere.  As we continue with these science concepts, we will also be learning about Native American culture.  Ask your child about totem poles and their design for their family totem pole.

Thursday October 26th

Reminders and Announcements  

• The 5th grade Smore came out today; check it out!
• Halloween is Tuesday; our school schedule is unchanged next week.
• Unit 2 Math Test is Friday, October 27th

Math 

Focus Standards

Wrapping up:

• Add and subtract decimals to hundredths and explain the reasoning used.
• Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.

Introducing:

• Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8).

Line Plot Using Fractions

Writing 

Focus Standards

• Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their function in particular sentences.
• Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

As we continue to add details to our personal narrative, we will be making edits along the way to fix sentence structure, verb tense, and conventions.

Reading 

Focus Standards

• Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
• Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

We will continue to study narrative/literary texts to discuss character actions and motives, as well as compare characters in the same text or between two texts.  When students are discussing a text they should be backing up their opinions or statements with specific events quoted from the text.

Science/Social Studies

Focus Standards

• Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.
• Describe the impact of location on the Native American Way of Life.
• Compare ways Native American societies used the natural environment for food, clothing, and shelter.
• Explain how geographic characteristics affect how people live, work, and the population distribution of a place or region
• Describe how native societies expressed their culture through music, oral traditions, art, and dance.

We will be looking at the Native American culture as we continue our studies of the interactions between Earth's spheres in the past and present.  In the week to come we will focus on the atmosphere and geosphere.

Thursday, October 19th

Reminders and Announcements

• No School Tomorrow, October 20th  
• Book Fair is Next Week (online information is in Thursday Folders)
• This week's Leadership Skill:  Put first things first.  Ask your kiddo about it.
• Graded Science Work is coming home in the Thursday Folder today. Check out their terrarium observations and their Exit Ticket for understanding of the Earth's Reservoirs.  If your child's folder is not in their folder, they need to complete the assignment.  Encourage them to get that done.
• Check Newsela and TenMarks for current reading and math grades as well.

Math

Focus Standards

• Compare two decimals to thousandths based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.
• Use place value understanding to round decimals to any place.
• Add and subtract decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used. 

Video Support for Comparing Decimals

Adding Decimals

Subtracting Decimals

Writing

We are working on revising our beginnings to our personal narratives to grab the reader's attention.  We will also look at bringing forth the story arc.  If you are wondering about story arcs, you can check out this helpful article:  https://blog.reedsy.com/narrative-arc/  .

Reading 

Focus Standards

•  Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
•  Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

We are continuing to work with narrative text and strategies to help with narrative comprehension.  Your child should be reading at least 20 minutes a night.  You can check their understanding by talking to them about their reading.  We are working on summarizing narrative text using the "Somebody Wanted But So" strategy. 

Somebody Wanted But So Reading Strategy

Science/S.S.

We will wrap up our studies of the hydrosphere next week and begin looking at the Atmosphere.

Thursday, October 12th

Reminders and Announcements

• Picture Day is tomorrow.  Our pictures will be taken at 12:20
• Friday, October 20th is a Teacher Development Day.  There is no school for students.
• Remind your student to practice their math facts regularly.  Several students are working on personal goals to master their math facts.  Does your child have their facts memorized?  If not, what are they doing nightly to make progress to memorization?

Math 

Focus Standards:

• Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.
• Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.
• Read and write decimals to thousandths using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form, e.g., 347.392 = 3 × 100 + 4 × 10 + 7 × 1 + 3 × (1/10) + 9 × (1/100) + 2 × (1/1000).

The link below from Khan Academy has practice and videos for all of the focus standards in our current math unit.  Feel free to explore with your student if he/she is struggling with these concepts.  When you click on a topic you will see practice problems.  In the practice, there is a link for hints or videos very similar to TenMarks.

Khan Academy and Decimals

Writing

We have started our rough draft for the personal narrative that we would like to publish.  I am in the process of meeting with each student to determine the "heart" of their story (the message or theme they want to share with their readers).  Our lessons will focus on how to develop a personal narrative that reads like a story and engages the reader by bringing them into the story.  You can take a look at your student's work by asking them to show you their working document.  At this point, we are NOT deleting anything.  While we may choose to start over, further down the document, as part of the revision process, I want students to keep all writing to refer back to for good parts or essential ideas.

Can your child share the heart of their story with you?

Reading 

Focus Standards:

• Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

We will learn strategies to determine the main idea or message of the text and how to quote specific text to support our conclusions.  

Are you looking to engage your student in discussion about their reading but do not know where to start.  Try some of the questions from the link below.  Remember to ask for specific events/details from the text to check your child's understanding.

Open Ended Literary Questions

Science/S.S.

We will work on and revise our abstract art piece to represent the distribution of water on earth in the beginning of the week.  Later, we will start looking at Native American Culture and what role water played in the lives of different tribes.

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Announcements:

• Friday, 10/6 is a 2 hour early dismissal (1:45).
• Please come see us perform The Rainmakers with Synetics Theater Group on Wednesday 10/11 at 2:45.  We will start promptly in the cafeteria.  Our performance will last for about a half hour.
• Picture order forms are coming home today.  Picture day is next week.
• Please note if you checked for your child to be on the Do Not Publish list, then they will not have their picture put in the yearbook.  If you have questions about this contact me or the office.
• Take the time to sit with your student and review their Newsela work, TenMarks work, and Google Classroom Assignments so that you have a clear picture of their progress.

What's Up Next Week?  

Math: 

Focus Standards:

5.NBT.A.1- Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.
5.NBT.A.2- Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers of 10, and explain patterns in the placement of the decimal point when a decimal is multiplied or divided by a power of 10. Use whole-number exponents to denote powers of 10.

5.NBT.A.3- Read and write decimals to thousandths.
5.NBT.A.3a- Read and write decimals to thousandths using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form, e.g., 347.392 = 3 × 100 + 4 × 10 + 7 × 1 + 3 × (1/10) + 9 × (1/100) + 2 × (1/1000).

We will be working with these standards over the next two weeks.  I will also continue to support students who are still working on multiplication and division of multi digit numbers.  You can download and print worksheets for your student if they need practice with the processes.  I would also recommend Khan Academy as a great reference/review.

Multiplication Process

Division by 1 Digit

Division of Multi Digit w/o Remainder

Writing: 

Focus Standards: 

SL.5.1.b - Comprehension and Collaboration: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.

W.5.3.b - Text Types and Purposes: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.

We will get back to our seed ideas and begin to develop them into a piece to be published as we learn narrative techniques and work with our writing partner to improve our use of these techniques.

Reading: 

Focus Standard:
RL.5.2 - Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

We will continue to work on strategies to help with literary comprehension next week as we read some new Native American legends and myths.

Science/Social Studies:

Focus Standards:

Provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth

Describe the hydrosphere and interactions using a variety of models.

We will be using abstract art next week to create a model to represent the distribution of water on Earth.

Thursday, September 28th

Reminders:

• The AttenDANCE is tomorrow!
• Picture Day coming October 13th
• Graded papers are in Thursday Folders.  Students are always welcome to redo or fix assignments if they are not happy with their performance.  ALWAYS!!  😊
• Max Bent returns tomorrow for his last lesson.
• Senetic Theater will be working with the students next week.
• Watch for a flyer about a Hands on Math Club coming home tomorrow!  More information here:  https://crazy8s.bedtimemath.org/home/what

What's Up?

Math:

Focus Standard 

5.NBT.6 - Find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.

For help with multiplication or division, check out Khan Academy tutorials!

Writing:

This week the students chose the "seed" idea or small moment that they will take through the revision and editing process to publish.  Ask your child what they are writing about!

Reading:

Focus Standards

RL.5.2 - Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

We have made the switch over to Literary Text and will be using drama to help determine the theme of a story and understand the characters' actions and motives.

Science and Social Studies:

Our lessons will focus on the hydrosphere next week.  Students will be able to describe the hydrosphere and how water is distributed on Earth.  They will use abstract art  and create models to represent the distribution of water on the planet.

Friday, September 22, 2017

Reminders:

• Band has started and lessons are on Wednesdays.
• Chorus Sign Up was extended.  Mrs. Woods is looking for a few more chorus participants for the Winter Concert.  This year features Broadway hits.
• We are wrapping up our lessons with Beat Boxer Max Bent and look forward to working with Synetec Storytellers the week of October 2nd.
• Students should be practicing math facts in addition to reading 20 minutes each night.  Check your student's agenda for math fact goals.  If your child has mastered their facts, they should still practice a few days a week.  Check out our Math Facts Classroom for additional practice websites.
• The wrong newsletter was sent home for 5th grade last week.  Here is the link that has the newsletter that should have gone, rather than our draft for next week.
• A permission slip is coming home for class science walks in today's Thursday Folder.

What's Up?

Math:

Focus Standards:

5.NBT.5 - Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.

5.NBT.6 - Find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.

We will begin the week with multiplication of multi-digit numbers and move into division as students are demonstrating readiness during the week.  The blog linked below gives three great examples of strategies that will be used to help students progress towards using the traditional algorithm to divide.  I will be focusing on using the distributive property first and will try others if needed.

Long Division Strategies

Writing:

We will continue working to develop personal narrative writing as we work with a partner to learn about quality writing conferences and conversations.  The blog entry below helps illustrate how effective writing partners work in the classroom.

Effective Writing Partners

Reading:

Focus Standards:

RL.5.2 - Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

We have been developing strategies for comprehending informational text up till this point.  Next week, we will start to look at narrative text and talk about ways to best understand this type of text as we begin reading Native American Legends.

Science/Social Studies:

We will begin to investigate the Hydrosphere and study interactions between this sphere and the other spheres in Earth's System.

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Reminders:

• Chorus letters went home this week.  If your child is interested in joining Winter Chorus, please make sure you fill out and return the blue form.
• I sent home math letters with directions for you to access your student's math accounts that we use here in class.  If you did not get that information, check your child's backpack.
• Max Bent, a beat boxer and resident artist, will be giving a performance tonight at SRES from 6:00-7:00.  I hope you can make it!  We will be working with Mr. Bent over the next couple of weeks.  Check out our Twitter feed for some live streaming of today's performance too!!
• I will be out tomorrow, Friday the 15th.  My son is having oral surgery that day.  I will not get to emails till late in the day if you try to contact me.  Sorry about that.
• Next Thursday, September 21st, FCPS has closed schools in honor of Rosh Hashanah.  It is also Fair Day.  

What's Up?

Math:  

Focus Standards

5.NBT.5 - Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.

5.NBT.2 - Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers of 10, and explain patterns in the placement of the decimal point when a decimal is multiplied or divided by a power of 10. Use whole number exponents to denote powers of 10.

We will continue to clean up our strategies for multi-digit multiplication as we progress to using the traditional algorithm.  We will also look more closely at powers of 10 and how multiplication and division by a power of 10 changes a number.

We will also be working with Beat Boxer, Max Bent, to graph data using coordinate pairs and explore exponential growth and powers of ten.

Writing:

We are continuing to work on creating drafts of significant memories, people, and places in our lives as we study well crafted stories and author's work.

Reading: 

 Focus Standard

RI.5.2 - Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

We have learned two reading strategies to help us comprehend informational text this week, Sketch in Chunks, and Shrink a Text.  We will continue to practice these strategies in our reading.

Sketch in Chunks Steps

• Stop after every paragraph or short section.
• Think, “What am I picturing?”
• Draw a quick sketch.

At the end of the article, look back over your sketches and ask yourself, “So, what’s this whole article mostly about?”

Shrink a Text Steps

• Read a chunk of text with your partner.
• Decide together what the main idea of the text is.
• Try to shrink everything you just read into one sentence.
• Think critically, and be sure you can back up your idea with details from the text.
• Read and repeat!

Science: 

We will discuss our unit driving question:  How do human and natural interactions affect the Earth past, present and future?
We will begin to take a look at Earth's Systems and build our understanding of this concept. Look forward to seeing and hearing about our class terrariums!

This best of science this week:  Amazing Shadow Art

First Week!

Announcements

• Summer Menus are due Tomorrow, September 8th.
• The Back to School Power Point is loaded on my website.  Use the link below to access it.   https://classanzick.wikispaces.com/Back+to+School+Information
• First PTA Fundraiser of the year will be Tuesday, September 12 at Rita's.  Look for the flyer in your child's Thursday Folder.

Coming Up

Math:

We will be working on Standard 5.NBT.B.5- Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.

The students in our class are in various stages of understanding and computing multiplication problems.  We will start with the box or array method shown in the video below and progress towards using the traditional algorithm for students who need support.

Array Method Video

Writing:

We will begin working on writing Personal Narratives.  Students will build on previous years' learning to create pieces that are longer and have greater depth than in previous years.  We will be using student writing and published authors to mentor us through the writing process.

Reading:

We will read 20 minutes each day in class and students should be reading at least 20 minutes each night at home.  Ask your student about the 40 Book Challenge!

I will begin assessing students this week to determine instructional needs for groups as well.  Reading groups will begin at the end of the week and will focus on Standard RI1 - Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.  For better understanding of this standard you can check out this video.

Science/Social Studies:

We will begin applying science practices and developing our understanding of Earth's Systems.

Welcome!

In an effort to keep you more informed about what is going on in our class, I will be posting this blog weekly.  The weekly post will let you know specifics about our lessons - the standards I am teaching and strategies and/or videos I am using to instruct.  It will also include questions you can ask your student to get the conversation started about what is going on in school.  Don't worry; I will also include the answers in case your kiddo needs prompting!  I will also use this communication forum to share reminders and upcoming events as well as interesting finds that will help support learning or spark imagination.

I welcome any suggestions about how I can continue to support your child on their learning journey.  Please feel free to post your comments.  I hope you and your child enjoy your fifth grade experience!

😊
Missy Anzick