August 24, 2018 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

In EL: We have begun Unit 3 of module 1. The students have been brainstorming a plan for their monologue performance assessment. They must write a monologue as seen through the eyes of one of the main characters in, Esperanza Rising, and how that character responds to one of the the main events in the the story. Today they began drafting their piece. They will then revise and edit their pieces next week.  Lastly, they will write a final copy and present their monologues to the class.  
(W5.3,W5.4, W5.5,W5.10)

In Math: Students finished up the multiplying and dividing multi-digit whole numbers unit.(5NBT5 and 5NBT6) We will be moving into multiplying and dividing fractions(5NF4) next week and finishing the quarter by reviewing volume and all other previously learned units, before taking an on-line cumulative assessment.

Social Studies: Students are finishing up their economics unit (5.E. 2.1 and 5.E 2.2) They studied how economic decisions affects our lives, the importance of budgeting, different types of economies and lastly international trade. Students will be concluding the unit with the "Million Dollar" project where they are given a million dollars to use to spend on various things, but they must also create a budget while doing so.

July 27, 2018 Newsletter

This is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

EL: Students started Unit 2 of the 1st module of EL this week. They are continuing to read the novel, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. Students are reading and making connections to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They are also comparing and contrasting characters' reactions to situations and events in which their human rights have been threatened and interpreting metaphors woven throughout the story to determine how they convey themes. 

Math:

Students recently finished their graphing unit. Students are now learning about volume. They have started 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: The students have been learning all about ecosystems; how living and non-living things are dependent on one another. They have been learning about the different roles each organism plays, for example.. producers, consumers, decomposers and scavengers and relating it to our class eco-columns. Student have also been learning about how energy flows through food chains and food webs, and lastly, how humans can have an impact on ecosystems. They are currently working hard on researching terrestrial and aquatic biomes. They will be putting all this information into a flip book that they can use as a tool for review.  This will complete the Ecosystems Unit next week. The students were given a study guide today and they are due Friday. Aug. 3rd. They should have all the information they need to fill out the study guide in their science binders. Their test will be Tuesday, Aug. 7th. 

Welcome to Fifth Grade!

Dear Families,

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

            I 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 blog 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 me!  E-mail is the best way to communicate, as I check e-mail daily.  Please allow 24 hours for a response.  ktopoll@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☺

May 9, 2018 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Reading: Last week students finished their biographical menu entitled, Mae Jemison.  Students completed a Flow Map and compared and contrasted two articles on the Space Station. The students are currently working on their, Volcano menu. They are reading non-fiction articles and using their critical thinking skills to answer comprehension questions. Students will also be creating a travel brochure about a volcano of their choice.

Writing: Students are finishing up their severe weather essays. They are working on revisions, editing and publishing their pieces. They will begin researching a famous volcano next week.

Math:. We are finishing up 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.

Social Studies:  Students are finishing up learning about the causes of the Civil War and are moving into reconstruction and conducting research of a battle.

April 4, 2018 Newsletter

This is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students are finishing their "Tall Tale" menu. Next week 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 have been learning about Research Writing.  They have been identifyng 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. The students then will research and write an essay on a severe weather event. They will also be creating a digital presentation to share with the class.

Math: Students are finishing up their fractions unit and will be starting our unit on volume next week. 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 connections 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.

January 31, 2018 Newsletter

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will complete the menu entitled: “Fantasy Texts”. Students will analyze chapters and add a new chapter to their fantasy text.  They will also read a poem and determine the theme of the poem and how the speaker reflects upon the topic.

Writing: Students are working on their drafts of their fantasy stories.  They are using dialogue, description, and pacing to show the responses of their characters to situations in their stories.

Math: We are continuing to work our fraction 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:  Students are learning about 7 body systems over the next week. They are working on our Human Body web quest. Students are becoming experts 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. They were, also given a study guide last week over this unit. It is due Wed. January 31st.  We will be reviewing the material in class and the Human Body assessment will be Friday, Feb. 2nd. 

*Information about the Human Growth and Development part of this unit will be going home via email, next week. 

January 10, 2018 Newsletter

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: The students have been reviewing elements of the genre of fantasy. This week they will begin to plan a fantasy story using a graphic organizer.

Math: We are finishing up our evaluating expressions and numerical patterns unit. We will soon be starting our fractions unit and will be covering fractions for most of third quarter. Students will learn to interpret a fraction as division of the numerator by the denominator (a/b = a ÷ b) also solve 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 will also be  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 from parents to offspring and that siblings may or may not receive the same traits from their parents. This week, students will create and decode a "DNA recipe" for a dog to observe how variations in DNA lead to the inheritance of different traits. They will also be comparing and contrasting plant and animal cells and learning the organs and functions of the human body systems.