Friday, September 29th, 2017

Happy Sunday Families!

We've been busy with learning and completing projects in all of the subject areas, including dissecting owl pellets in science (Please see the pictures below)!  We also had a fun time at our Ivy Hall Fun Run two weeks ago!  We've got great pictures below, thanks to the camerawork of Mrs. Papageorgiou!

Here are the targets we are currently / planning on working to master over the next couple of weeks:

Literacy

* Our students are currently working on finding the theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic. We are also preparing for our first unit assessments next week. 

* Next week, we will start our new Words Their Way spelling program. Most weeks, your child will bring home a new set of words to sort and use for homework tasks.  Each boggle choice sheet is due on Friday with three completed activities.

Writing

* Our students are continuing to work on narrative writing.  After utilizing graphic organizers to plan, students developed their stories through the use of a detailed sequence of events and effective character development. Encouraging students to infuse dialogue into their writing was also an emphasis.  We are working on elevating their writing by adding higher level transitional words and figurative language. 

Math

* Our students started Unit 2 and are currently working adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. We will apply the concept to help us solve word problems which involve adding and subtracting fractions. A Unit 2 parent letter will be sent home with your child's Friday update this weekend.

Social Studies

* We are currently practicing locating states and countries based on relative location.

Science

* Our current focus is on understanding the makings of various ecosystems around the world. We just wrapped up dissecting owl pellets and will continue to discuss the transfer of energy from one organism to another.

(Click on the pictures to enlarge)

 

 

 

 

 

Fun Run Pics!
Click on the pictures below to enlarge
   

 

 

 

Upcoming Dates

10/2: Book Fair begins

10/9 – NO SCHOOL – Columbus Day 

10/24 – EARLY RELEASE DAY  dismiss @ 2 PM

Friendly Reminders

** 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.

Thank you for your continued support and enjoy your weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, September 8th, 2017

Happy Friday!

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been back in school for several weeks! Please read below to find out about all of the wonderful learning that is going on in 5th grade at Ivy Hall!

Literacy

*We are finishing up our first shared reading book of the year—Night of the Spadefoot Toad by Bill Harley. We’ve used this text as a springboard for many reading and writing learning targets thus far.  This book has also connected nicely to our study of ecosystems in science. Be sure to ask your student about what he/she has learned about vernal pools and spade foot toads!

Writing

*Students are in the process of finishing their first narrative stories of the year! After utilizing graphic organizers to plan, students developed their stories through the use of a detailed sequence of events and effective character development. Encouraging students to infuse dialogue into their writing was also an emphasis.  We will be writing yet another narrative in order to apply what we’ve learned and produce an even higher quality sample.

Math

*Our students are continuing their work with writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses as well as demonstrating their understanding of how find the volume of rectangular prisms. We also began our “Number Corner” routine which takes place each day for about 20 minutes outside of our regular math block. Here, students practice skills in such areas as computational fluency and problem solving (in addition to several others) on a daily basis. 

Social Studies

*We plan on starting geography in the coming days.  We will start with locating states and countries based on relative location.

Science

*We are continuing our focus on understanding the characteristics of  various ecosystems around the world. Our first science investigation involved “traveling” to virtual ecosystems and studying the interactions between living and nonliving organisms.

Upcoming Events

Sept. 12- PTO Special Lunch

Sept. 15- Ivy Hall Fun Run

Sept. 21 & 22-No School/District Holiday

Friendly Reminders

** 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 for your continued partnership and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan