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.