August 20, 2014 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will complete their Daily 5 Menu entitled: “The Golden Lion Tamarin”.  Students are working to identify text features used in this story and write a brief description of what they learned from each feature.  They will also determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.

Writing:

 Students will explore mentor texts that discuss features of a memoir and begin to think like a writer as they prepare to write their own memoir.

Math:  Students have been working on rounding decimals and powers of 10. Next they will be adding, subtracting decimals to the hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction. They will also relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.

Science: The students in Mrs. Beyer’s class are working hard on their biome research projects.  They will be completing their flipbooks this week. . They also will be putting together their eco-columns and discussing the roles of the organisms that are living in the eco-column. The students will be getting a study guide on Thurs. the 21st. They are to complete 18 of the 23 questions by Wed. the 28^th. We will go over the rest of it in class and the ecosystem’s test will be on Aug.29^th. Both classes will take the Science Case 21 the last week before track out.

Social Studies:  This Tuesday students will take a vocabulary and short answer test. Afterwards they will begin a research project from a specific period in time.  They will research trading partners with the US, imports and exports, and economic growth of that time period. Students will present projects in class when they are competed.

August 6, 2014 Newletter

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will complete their Daily 5 Menu entitled: A Boy Called Slow.  They have been working to determine the theme of the story and how characters respond to challenges. They have also worked on story vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Writing:

This week students will continue working on narrative writing but the focus shifts to memoirs later in the week. Students will explore mentor texts that discuss features of a memoir and begin to think like a writer as they prepare to write their own memoir.

Math:  We have been reading, writing, and comparing decimals to thousandths place. We will be moving into rounding decimals and powers of 10. The students will be recognizing 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.

Science: The students in Mrs. Beyer’s class are starting the ecosystem unit. We will be discussing living and non- living things and how they depend on one another in an environment. The students will be researching land and water biomes and creating a flip book with this information. 

Social Studies:

The students in Mrs. Topoll’s class will begin the unit on Economics. We will answer the question, “How do economic decisions affect our lives?” They will begin by learning the importance of developing a budget for savings and spending. We will also spend time discussing the role of international trade between the US and other countries.  We will work on unit vocabulary and practice taking notes.