February 8, 2017 Newsletter

Here is what we have been learning in fifth grade:

Daily 5/CAFE: This week students will be finishing their" Pioneer Girl"menu and will be starting a “Poetry” menu next week. They will interpret figurative language in context and compare two poems to determine the theme. They will 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 students are working to finish the rough drafts of their “Fantasy”stories. Students will begin revising, editing and writing their final draft next week. Our next unit in writing will be 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 will be have to multiple 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:  With Ms. Beyer the students have started studying 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.)