Sunday, September 30th, 2018

First full month of school: Check! Time sure flies by when we're having fun

learning! It is about that time of the year when the leaves are turning shades of red and yellow and all the comfy sweaters come out. Autumn is just around the corner, and there is still so much going on within our classroom! Continue reading to know all about what's been happening in fifth grade. 

Literacy

*We have been preparing for our Unit 1A assessments next week. We are working on quoting accurately and comparing/contrasting characters and events within literary texts. We have been practicing these skills by using shared reading texts such as Night of the Spadefoot Toad and "Shells". The students have been analyzing the main characters in each text to compare and contrast them. This helps them dig deeper into the development of the main characters. 

Writing

*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. Ask your student to share with you their narratives!

Math

*We just finished our first unit in math, which included order of operations and volume. Now, we have begun our second unit in math. Unit 2 targets includes addition and subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators and solving fraction story problems. 

Science

*We are continuing our focus on understanding the characteristics of various ecosystems around the world. We just completed our owl pellet investigation, which was so much fun and exciting. Using the owl pellet investigation, the students were able to learn more about producers, consumers, and the flow of energy within the ecosystem. Ask your child about what they discovered in the pellets and please click on the pictures below to see our students in action!

 

 

 

 

Social Studies

*We plan on starting indentured servitude and its effect on the colonial economy in the coming days.  

Word Their Way

*We are starting our spelling program, Words Their Way, soon. District 96 utilizes this curriculum to implement spelling/word study. More information will be sent home on Monday. 

Upcoming Events

October 1-3 (Monday-Wednesday): Book Fair

October 8 (Monday): NO SCHOOL (Columbus Day)
October 15 (Monday): Picture Retakes

October 23 (Tuesday): EARLY RELEASE DAY (Dismissal @ 2PM)

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.

**As the months get chilly, it may be a good idea to have your child bring a sweater/light jacket to keep within the room.

Sunday, September 16th, 2018

Happy Sunday!

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 indentured servitude and its effect on the colonial economy in the coming days.

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. 19 -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