Friday, April 22, 2016

Happy Friday Families!

Our fundraiser walk today was a great success.  Our students have truly gone above and beyond to raise awareness to fight DIPG.  It has genuinely touched my heart to watch as our class has come together to help support one another.  A heartfelt thank you to you as parents for raising such extraordinary children.

Click on the picture to enlarge

Here are the concepts we will focus on over the next couple of weeks as well as placement testing information and dates:

Literature

We started to read our new book, Beyond the Horizon, which continues our theme of exploration through the lens of a young girl as she ventures to distant and new lands.  Our instruction is focused around comparing and contrasting characters, drawing on specific details in the text.  In writing, our current focus is on persuading individuals living in the 1500's why exploration should or should be undertaken, while writing from a specific point of view.  The various points of views students have chosen range from a country's monarch to an indigenous tribe leader.

Math

Students are currently focusing on understanding various polygons and their attributes and how each shape fits into a polygon hierarchy.  We encourage you to learn along with your child as we learn where each polygon fits into the hierarchy.

Science

Our students wrapped up their human body board games this week.  Our students used the opportunity to capitalize on their cooperative learning skills and team building strategies to construct creative games!  Once games are presented to the class, we will have an opportunity to play each other's games in the coming days!

Social Studies

We are wrapping up our discussions about the liberties that we are fortunate to have, living in our country.  We have also contrasted our liberties with various countries who may not have some of the same freedoms that we enjoy.  Our lessons have been accompanied by two truly compelling supplemental texts, The Breadwinner, which is about a young girl living in Afghanistan, and Shooting Kabul, which is about a young boy's journey to find his younger sister left behind in Afghanistan.

Placement Test Information

** Monday, April 25th: Video Performance Task Math Placement Test.  Please make sure your child gets a good night sleep and eats a good breakfast!

Important Dates and Reminders

** Tuesday, April 26th: Early Release

** Wednesday, April 27th: Variety Show Rehearsal @3:00

** Thursday, April 28th: Variety Show @6:30

** 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.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, April 8th, 2016

Happy Friday Families!

We are refreshed from Spring Break and have been using our renewed energy to work hard on our Trimester 3 learning targets!  Here are the current concepts we will focus on over the next couple of weeks as well as a message regarding PARCC testing next week:

***Please Note: PARCC testing for 5th grade takes place Tuesday through Friday of next week. Most days we will have testing in the morning and afternoon. Please avoid taking your student out of school for doctor’s appointments if at all possible.  Please also be sure that your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a good breakfast each day! 

** A message from our art teacher: Please bring in an empty "cool whip container" or anything like it and some newspaper.

Literature

We have finished reading Explorers: Triumphs and Troubles  and Pedro’s Journal. which both focused on the theme of exploration.  We have compared and contrasted each book's text structures, as well as the valuable information contained in both texts.   In writing, we just completed an opinion essay about Christopher Columbus.  Through our extensive research, we learned that although Columbus's impact on America was significant,  his explorations and discoveries came with many negatives as well. The students wrote about how he was portrayed in the text we read, as well as his influence on our country’s history. 

Math

Today we ended unit 5 with a post test that encompassed three learning targets. Students were required to demonstrate their skills in the areas of measurement conversions, finding volume of rectangular prisms and finding volume of composite shapes where rectangular prisms have been joined together. Students who do not demonstrate mastery of such targets on the post test will receive an intervention next week.

Science

We are wrapping up the body systems unit and will begin light and sound soon. This week we started creating our human body board games. The kids are having a great time working with their peers to create games that utilize the knowledge they gained during our study of the body systems. We will continue to work on these games for the next few weeks.  At the conclusion of the project, groups will be given the opportunity to present the games to the class, as well as having an opportunity to play each other’s games!!

Social Studies

This week we started to discuss and read about the liberties that we are fortunate to have, living in our country.  We will also contrast our liberties with various countries who may not have some of the same freedoms that we enjoy.

Important Dates

** April 12-15: 5th Grade PARCC Testing

** April 15: Author Suzanne Slade Visits Ivy Hall

** April 22: Joshua's Jam Walk for DIPG Awareness - More information to come in the coming weeks.

** 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.

A Message Regarding Variety Show Opportunities

Sasha Hite will be putting together a 5th grade finale act.  She will be working with any of the 5th graders who would like to be in the 5th grade finale during recess on the following dates: 

** Thursday, April 14th
** Tuesday, April 19th
**Thursday, April 21st

   

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!