Happy Friday Families!
February has gotten off to a great start and our students are hard at work! Here is a brief summary of what is keeping us busy in 5th grade:
Literacy
* We are currently reading a science fiction story called Jess and Layla’s Astronomical Adventure. The two main characters of the story travel back in time and meet many of history’s famous philosophers and scientists! Throughout the reading we will work on skills such as understanding text structure, using context clues to understand word meaning, compare and contrast characters—-just to name a few.
Writing
* Last week, our students completed a writing assessment which required students to plan and compose a science fiction story in one session. It was especially good practice for the PARCC assessments in the Spring! This week, we started researching for a new informative essay. Students were asked to select a historical discovery in the area of space and write a their version of a science journal entry. It will include facts presented in an organized format, as well as visuals to support their topic. Students will also be asked to evaluate and cite their sources. All students have chosen a topic and have started their research.
Spelling
* We are continuing our work with the Words Their Way program. New homework boggle sheets were sent home on Monday. Just a friendly reminder that each boggle choice sheet is due on Friday with three completed activities. Please encourage your child to start working on these assignments earlier in the week rather than waiting until the night before they are due.
Math
* This week we finished a short math target that involved interpreting the size of a product of a fractional multiplication problem based on the size of each factor. We are currently working on solving real-world problems involving the multiplication of fractions.
We are also very excited about the high level of participation in the LearnStorm contest sponsored by Khan Academy! We are proud that so many students are choosing to work at home to improve their math skills!
Social Studies
* We will soon finish learning about the Southern colonies and the practice of indentured servitude and slavery. The “help wanted” posters our students created to "recruit" indentured servants look great hanging in the hallway!
Science
* This week we continued learning about the body systems. We are finishing up the digestive system and moving onto the respiratory system.
Friendly Reminders and Upcoming Events
** Please remember that the 5th grade music show takes place NEXT THURSDAY evening, February 11, at 6:30. Students should arrive by 6:15 and meet in the music room to get ready for their performance.
** Reading Logs - Please encourage your student to work on their “Book-o-Sphere” project, which corresponds with their home reading for the month of February. Pacing their Book-o-Sphere project will help to serve as time-management practice!
** Valentine's Day Parties - We will spend the last hour of school on the 18th in our winter parties. Many thanks to all of the parents who have helped in the planning, will be attending the parties, or who are donating items. If your child is participating in passing Valentines, please make sure that he or she brings a Valentine for every student in the class. Please refer to Mrs. Gluck’s principal blog for the items that are allowed to be sent with Valentines if your child chooses to participate.
** Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack. Nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!
** Please continue to have your child practice their multiplication facts up to 12.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you and have a fantastic weekend!
Enzie Pangilinan
