November 18, 2015 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will begin the menu entitled: James Forten.

Students will analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic noting similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.  They will also rewrite a scene from the James Forten story from a new perspective.

Writing: This week we will begin to recognize elements of argumentation in letters to the editor. They will identify the intended audience and the desired outcome.

Math:  Students have finished their multiplying decimals unit and are starting  dividing decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies. They also will be relating the strategy to the standard algorithm method and explaining the reason it was used.

Social Studies: This week students will play a taxation game and read documents that set a precedent for the Declaration. They will also learn about important battles of the American Revolution. We will have a test on November 20.

November 4, 2015 Newsletter

This is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: The students will complete their Daily 5 Menu entitled: “Katie’s Trunk”.  We will continue to review text structure and also analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting similarities and differences in the point of view they represent. 

Writing: This week, the students are finishing their opinion pieces. They are revising, editing and publishing them.

Math:  Students have started multiplying 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. They are also relating the strategy to a written method and explaining the reason it was used. Next week, we will be moving into division of decimals to the hundredths place.

Social Studies:  Students will begin their study of the Revolutionary War.  They will learn: how independence is gained; how European settlements changed the land and people of North America; the causes of the Revolutionary War and the aftermath of the American Revolution. Students will begin a Newspaper Webquest in a few weeks.  

October 21, 2015 Newsletter

This is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Reading:This week students will complete the menu entitled: Toliver’s Secret.  Students have been working to identify text structure of non-fiction literature and compare and contrast two stories considering the author’s point of view using evidence from the text.

Writing: This week we will begin to write an opinion piece on a topic supporting a point of view with reasons and information. Students will strive to provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.

Math:  Students have started the coordinate grid unit and will be finishing it up shortly. We will then be moving into multiplying and dividing decimals. They will be multiplying and dividing 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. They also will be relating the strategy to a written method and explaining the reason it was used. 

Science: We are finishing up our Force and Motion unit. The students are going to be given a study guide this Wednesday and it will need to be completed by next Tues. the 27th. Some of the concepts they should know are understanding the relationship between force and motion, explaining how factors such as gravity, friction, and change in mass affect the motion of objects. Lastly, inferring the motion of objects in terms of how far they travel in a certain amount of time and the direction in which they travel.  

October 7, 2015 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning so far in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will complete their Daily 5 Menu entitled: “And then What Happened, Paul Revere?:”  a biography.  We will be concentrating on nonfiction this quarter. Students will spend time learning to compare and contrast the text structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.  Examples of text structure we will cover include: chronology, comparison, cause/effect, and problem/solution.

Writing: In Quarter 2, students will write an opinion piece on a topic supporting a point of view with reasons and information. They will strive to provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.

Math:  Students are finishing up their geometry unit, where they have been working on understanding that attributes belonging to a category of two dimensional figures also belong to all subcategories of that category. For example, all rectangles have four right angles and squares are rectangles, so all squares have four right angles. They have also been learning to classify two-dimensional figures in a hierarchy based on properties. Next, we will be moving into using and understanding coordinate grids. They will be representing real world and mathematical problems by graphing points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane, and interpret coordinate values of points in the context of the situation.

Science: We have started our Motion and Design unit. The students are beginning to understand the concepts of force and motion and the relationship between them. They are also inferring the motion of objects in terms of how far they travel in a certain amount of time and the direction in which they travel.

August 19, 2015 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning so far 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 continue to work to complete their Memoir writing and share stories.

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.

Social Studies: Students will continue to learn about  the impact of production, specialization, technology and division of labor on the economic growth of the US. They will also summarize the role of international trade between the US and other countries. Students will take a test next week. (Tuesday)

August 5, 2015 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning so far 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. Students will learn how to “Track” articles and reading passages in small group.

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.

Social Studies:

The students 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.

July 22, 2015 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning so far in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE:

This week students will have completed their first Daily 5 Menu. The first story entitled, “The Grizzly Bear Family Book which relates to our Ecosystems science unit. They are also learning how to work on menu items and budget their time to complete assignments on time. Students will be meeting with their teacher in a strategy group throughout the week to work on selected story skills and comprehension tasks. Students will pose questions and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion in a mini lesson. They will also practice summary writing in this menu using a graphic organizer.

Writing:

Students will practice writing their first Personal Narrative based on topics they have generated in the Writer’s Workshop.

Math:  The students have been discussing place value and powers of 10. They also have been multiplying multi-digit whole numbers using a variety of strategies such as, the rectangular sections and rows methods, and the standard algorithm.  In addition, we recently started division and finding quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors. We have done this by using a variety of strategies as well,such as, area model and  expanded notation and the standard algorithm methods. They have been discussing the relationship between multiplication and division and continuing to review all the different problem solving strategies using real world multiplication and division word problems. The test over this material will be on early next week.

Science: We are working on our Ecosystems unit. We discussed living and non- living things. We also discussed how living and non-living things depend on one another in an environment. The students put together their eco-columns and discussed the roles of the organisms that are living in the eco-column. The students are researching land and water biomes and creating a flip book with this information. They were given a review sheet for the test that will be due next Wed. the 29^th. The classroom test will be July 31^st.

Welcome to Fifth Grade!

                             July 7, 2015

Dear Families,

Welcome to 5^th grade at Brassfield Elementary School!  We are so excited to be a part of your child’s education this year.  Fifth grade is filled with many new learning experiences, opportunities, and responsibilities.  We are here to help your child reach for the stars and grow both academically and socially during their last year at Brassfield.

We believe that maintaining open communication with home is one of the best ways to help your child have a successful year!  You will be receiving class newsletters twice a month filled with information about what’s happening in the classroom, including what we are studying and important dates.  This will be posted on our class blogs that can be found at http://brassfield.wcpss.net/pages/Brassfield_Elementary. You will also find great websites to match our curriculum, important announcements, notices, and forms. In addition, feel free to personally contact us!  E-mail is the best way to communicate, as we check e-mail daily.  Please allow 24 hours for a response.  We can be reached at Kelly Topoll: ktopoll@wcpss.net and Ellen Beyer: ebeyer@wcpss.net Also, please feel free to write a note. 

Thanks so much for your support!  Here’s to a fantastic fifth grade year!

                                                                                         Sincerely,

                                                                                                                    

                                                                                         Kelly Topoll and Ellen BeyerJ

End of the Year Reminders

Wooohooo!!!  We are finished with EOGs!!  We are so proud of all the effort put forth during these last three days of testing.

Just a couple reminders:

Monday – Memorial Day Holiday, no school

May 30 – Full Day Saturday School

**There will be a picnic lunch at noon, please be sure you bring a lunch from home!!

June 1 – Bring a beach towel and a book to read

June 2 – GRADUATION J

We’ll see you there!!

May 6, 2015 Newsletter

*Thank you so much for all the very thoughtful teacher appreciation cards and gifts!!*

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will begin a new literacy menu which focuses on Tall Tales.  Students will compare Tall Tales using a triple Venn Diagram and also continue to analyze accounts of the same topic noting similarities and differences in the point  of view they represent.

Writing: Students will work on research assignments related to the Civil War and Weather.

Math: We have concluded our last unit of customary and metric units of measurement and line plots. The students will beginning a daily review of the math standards covered this year in preparation for the EOGs starting today.

Science:  Both classes will be starting to review all 4 science units in preparation for the cumulative science EOG.

Social Studies:  Students will take the unit  Civil War test on Wednesday and then begin the Civil War Learning Bonanza on Thursday. They will conduct research about a historical figure, place and battle of the Civil War.

April 22, 2015 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will begin a new biographical menu entitled, Mae Jemison.  Students will complete a Flow Map and compare two articles on the Space Station. 

Writing: Students will work on research assignments related to the Civil War and Weather.

Math:. Students finished up their volume unit yesterday and are now moving into our last unit of customary and metric units of measurement. The students will need to be able to convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.

Science: Students in Mrs.Topoll’s class finished up their weather unit today. They will be starting their Civil War unit with Mrs. Beyer on Wednesday.

Social Studies:  Civil War and Reconstruction. Students will analyze the impact of major conflicts and battles and compare the changing roles of women and minorities on American society from Pre-Colonial through Reconstruction.

Review Math Homework

Review Math Homework

In preparation for the EOGs next month, we will be using Tenmarks for our review math problems. The link is provided below and it is also to the right, listed under Links. The student know their log in information. They should complete 3 assigments, each week, by Friday. This will replace the other weekly review problems. Please ensure your child completes these assignments by Friday each week. Thank you!

Tenmarks

April 8, 2015 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will begin a new menu entitled: “Eye of the Storm”, which incorporates science/ weather vocabulary.  Students will begin to analyze information gathered from several texts about the weather and write knowledgeably about this topic and answer critical thinking questions.

Writing: Students will begin to learn more about Research Writing.  They will identify characteristics and the purpose of writing in content areas.  They will practice observational writing, sketching with labels and captions, and how to take notes using boxes.

Math: The students finished their unit on fractions last week. This week we started our new unit on volume. Students will be learning  to recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.

a) A cube with side length 1 unit, called a "unit cube," is said to have "one cubic unit" of volume, and can be used to measure volume.

b) A solid figure which can be packed without gaps or overlaps using n unit cubes is said to have a volume of n cubic units. Students will also be measuring volumes by counting unit cubes, using cubic cm, cubic in, cubic ft, and improvised units.

Science: We have started our last science unit for the year. It is our weather unit. Students will be expected to understand weather patterns and phenomena, making connection to the weather in a particular place and time. Students will also need to be able to compare daily and seasonal changes in weather conditions (including wind speed and direction, precipitation, and temperature) and patterns. They will also need to be able to predict upcoming weather events from weather data collected through observation and measurements.

February 11, 2015 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will complete a “Poetry” menu. They have spent time interpreting figurative language in context and have compared two poems to determine the theme. They have also read about African American poet Nikki Giovanni, who is an inspiration to young writers.She has encouraged students to express their feelings, create vivid images and spend time reading poetry aloud. 

Writing: This week we plan to have “Fantasy” stories completed. Students will begin Interpretive Writing. They will be asked to write their opinions supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

Math: We are continuing to work on our fractions unit. The students have started multiplying fractions by whole numbers and fractions by fractions. They will also be solving real world problems involving multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem.  Lastly, the students will be multiplying fractional side lengths to find areas of rectangles. 

Social Studies:  Students in Mrs. Topoll’s class will study the topics of Government and Westward Expansion.  They will spend time answering the essential question – What influenced the development of US government ? Later they will summarize the organizational structures and powers of the US government. (legislative, judicial and executive branches of government.)

January 28, 2015 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will complete the menu entitled: “Fantasy Texts”. Students will analyze characters and add a new chapter to their fantasy text.  They will compare and contrast fantasy stories on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Writing: Students will work on writing the body and conclusion to their fantasy story.  They will use dialogue, description, and pacing to show the responses of their characters to situations.

Math: We are continuing to work on our fractions unit. Students are learning to interpret  a fraction as division of the numerator by the denominator (a/b = a ÷ b) also solving word problems involving division of whole numbers leading to answers in the form of fractions or mixed numbers, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem. The students are also adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators (including mixed numbers) by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions in such a way as to produce an equivalent sum or difference of fractions with like denominators. For example, 2/3 + 5/4 = 8/12 15/12 = 23/12. (In general, a/b c/d = (ad bc)/bd.) Next week, we will be moving into multiplying fractions by whole numbers and fractions by fractions.

Science: We are finishing up our human body unit this week with a webquest. Students are becoming an expert on a body system and finding out the important organs and functions of the system, how it works with other systems and what steps they can take to keep their system healthy. Students will be presenting their finish products of this information, later this week. Their study guide was due today for the unit. Their classroom test over the human body unit will be this Friday, the 30^th. The Case 21 test for this unit will be on Tuesday, Feb.3^rd. They then will be starting their Government and Westward Expansion unit  with Mrs. Beyer next week.
 

January 14, 2015 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will complete the menu entitled: “The Case of the Runaway Appetite” which is a fantasy and a play.  Students will explain how scenes from the play fit together to provide the overall structure of this particular play. We will spend time reviewing the characteristics of a fantasy from different texts and video clips.

Writing: In the next few weeks students will generate ideas for conflicts or themes in fantasy stories.  They will also begin to plan a fantasy story using a graphic organizer. 

Math: We have started our fraction unit and will be covering fractions for most of third quarter. Currently students are learning to interpret a fraction as division of the numerator by the denominator (a/b = a ÷ b) also solving word problems involving division of whole numbers leading to answers in the form of fractions or mixed numbers, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem. The students are also adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators (including mixed numbers) by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions in such a way as to produce an equivalent sum or difference of fractions with like denominators. For example, 2/3 + 5/4 = 8/12 15/12 = 23/12. (In general, a/b c/d = (ad bc)/bd.)

Science: We have started our human body unit. We have been discussing genetics and inherited traits and how traits are passed down from parents to offspring and that siblings may or may not receive the same traits from their parents. Students created and decoded a "DNA recipe" for a dog to observe how variations in DNA lead to the inheritance of different traits. This week students will be comparing and contrasting plant and animal cells and learning the organs and functions of the human body systems.