Thursday, December 22nd, 2022

Happy Thursday Families!

As the calendar year comes to a close, I can't help but look back on all the wonderful things our students have done so far this school year!  As we reflect on the hard work that they have done so far this school year and the progress they have made, our students will leap into the new year and continue to work towards meeting their academic and social-emotional goals. 

Here are the concepts we are focusing on as we continue to work after Winter Break:

Literacy
Our students just wrapped up reading our shared text, "Angel Island".  The text told about the history and hardships surrounding immigrating through Angel Island in the early 20th century.  As we worked through the text, we practiced identifying while comparing and contrasting the author's point of view and the evidence they used to support their points.  When we return from break, our students will continue to practice this skill using various non-fiction texts and take their end of cycle assessment to test this standard. 

Writing
Our students are working to wrap up their current analytical essays.   The prompt given was "Which classroom pet would be best for the classroom?".  As we work towards their end product, we will continue to focus on students' organization, explaining how the evidence in their papers support the key ideas and the overall thesis, and writing effective and engaging lasting impressions within their conclusions.  

Math
Students have worked hard to master the standard algorithm of multiplication for both 2-digit by 2-digit and 3-digit by 2-digit problems.  Students took a checkpoint on this skill yesterday and the results of the assessment will be available after the break.  We will spend the week when we return from Winter Break to work on long division.  This skill will not be formally assessed for mastery until closer to the end of the year.  After multiplying and dividing whole numbers, our next unit will focus on multiplying and dividing fractions.

Social Studies
When we return from break, we will shift our focus to the Colonial Era.  Through reading various texts, discussions, and activities, our students will work to answer how facing the complexities of America's past could help us to meet the challenges of the present?

Science
We are starting to wrap up our studies about the Earth's systems.  Recently, we analyzed how farming and industries negatively impact Earth's four systems (biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere).  We also discussed ways people could protect the Earth, which involved the conservation of resources, such as fossil fuels.  In our investigation yesterday, we took on the role of engineers and used various materials to design a water filter that could remove dirt and produce clean water.  Through this investigation, we explored the consequences of pollution and ways to protect the Earth's systems.

Upcoming Events

December 22nd - January 9th(Thursday): WINTER BREAK

January 16th: No School (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

Friendly Reminders

*As winter weather approaches, please make sure your student is properly dressed for recess.

*Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night.

*Orchestra & Band Parents: Please make sure your students have their instrument on assigned days.

*Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

*Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Winter Break and that you are able to take time to rest and be surrounded by Peace, Love and Joy!

Enzie Pangilinan

Sunday, December 4th, 2022

Happy Sunday Families!

Happy December! I hope that everyone had a wonderful, restful Thanksgiving break! Included within this week's email that was sent, there is a family letter regarding our upcoming unit in math, which focuses on multi-digit multiplication. We also have MAP testing this week, starting with Reading tomorrow, Monday, December 5th.

 

As we begin to wrap up 2022, here's what's going on within our classroom!

 

Literacy

This week, our shared text featured an excerpt of the novel, Hatchet. The text tells the story of Brian, a thirteen-year-old boy, who encounters a completely unexpected and unfortunate event that leaves him stranded in the Canadian wilderness to survive by himself with nothing but a hatchet. Using Hatchet, we discussed Brian's thoughts, actions, and feelings in order to analyze the challenges he faced and determine the overall theme. We also practiced our summarizing skills by identifying the main events and character responses in the text.

 

Writing

Our analytical writing focuses on the students' opinions of what type of class pet we should get. After researching, students have been utilizing graphic organizers to organize information into reasons and evidence that support their animal. We will be practicing more with writing an engaging introduction, keeping our body paragraphs clear and organized, and writing strong conclusions. Ask your student which class pet they chose and why!

 

Math

We wrapped up our math unit on decimals and place values by reviewing learned concepts and taking the end of unit assessment. The Unit 3 targets included reading/writing decimals, comparing decimals, rounding decimals, and adding/subtracting decimals. Our upcoming unit encompasses mulit-digit multiplication. Students will be learning how to use the standard algorithm to multiply. In Number Corner, we will measure our height and feet length within inches. Throughout the month of December, we will regularly plot the data onto a line plot. We will also be plotting the data onto a scatter plot to analyze the correlation between height and foot length.

 

Science

We are beginning to get deeper into our unit about the Earth's systems. We have learned about Earth’s four systems (biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere). We will be analyzing how farming and industries negatively impact those four systems. We also discussed ways that people could protect the Earth, which involves the conservation of resources, such as fossil fuels.

 

Upcoming Events

Monday, December 5th- MAP Testing

Tuesday, December 6th- MAP Testing

Tuesday, December 13th -  Early Release (Dismissal @ 2:05pm)

Friday, December 23rd - Sunday, January 8th - Winter Break

 

Friendly Reminders

• As winter weather approaches, please make sure your student is properly dressed for recess.

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night.

• Orchestra & Band Parents: Please make sure your students have their instrument on assigned days.

• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12.

Monday, October 31st, 2022

Happy Halloween Families!

How did Frankenstein get around town in October? He drove a monster truck! This week, we're heading full speed into November and we're starting to wrap up Trimester 1. It's crazy to believe that we're almost through a third of the 22-23 school year! Included in this update, you will find the family letter for our upcoming unit in math on place value and decimals, which we just started at the end of this week. 

Here are the targets we are currently/planning to work on throughout the next couple of weeks:

Literacy

Last week, we started reading a nonfiction text titled Explorers: Triumphs and Troubles. This text highlights the details and impact of various explorers' expeditions throughout history. As we read the text, we will continue to work on identifying the author's main point(s) while determining reasons and evidence as support. To practice determining the author's main point(s), our students are asking themselves, "What does the author MOST want us to know or believe about what was written?" We will continue our work on this learning target using various texts.

Writing

We are continuing our writing on the positive effects of cellphones on children in school. After collecting and organizing their research, students worked to draft their extended response. During instruction, they were guided through the process of writing an extended response, which included an engaging introduction, well-supported body paragraphs, and an effective conclusion. After our students have completed a rough draft, they will work on revising and editing their writing, making sure that they include all necessary components of an analytical response. 

Math

We wrapped up our second unit, which focused on adding and subtracting fractions, and we started our next unit on decimals. This unit includes building students' knowledge of place value, powers of ten, reading/writing decimals, and adding/subtracting decimals. Although a portion of this unit is instructed in Trimester 1, the learning targets will be reported out on the report cards for Trimester 2. In Number Corner this month, weighed two carrots regularly to collect and plot data onto a double line graph. Both of our carrots have drastically changed in appearance and weight since the beginning of the month! To extend our investigation on the carrots, we decided to put them back into water to see what will happen! Be sure to ask your student about his/her prediction on how the carrots will change after being submerged in water for a few days! 

Social Studies

During our first unit, we we engaged within inquiry-based learning by participating in discussions and research. We've been focusing on the essential question, "How does a relationship to the land shape culture and way of life?" by learning about Native American tribes based on cultural areas and regions. Within groups, students were tasked to collect information and create a slideshow presentation on how different aspects of Native American life (e.g. food, shelter, tools, clothing, etc.) were influenced by the environment they inhabited. Groups did a great job presenting their findings with the class! 

Upcoming Events

• Monday, October 31 - Halloween Parade & Classroom Parties

• Tuesday, November 1 - PTO Special Lunch

• Friday, November 11 - Trimester 1 Reporting Period Ends
  

• Friday, November 11 - School Spirit Day (PJ Day)

Friendly Reminders

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night

• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12

• If your child participates in orchestra or band, please remind him/her to bring their instrument on their lesson day.

Thank you for your continued partnership and Happy Halloween!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, October 14th, 2022 And Event Pictures!

Happy Friday Families!

 

It was great seeing you at conferences last week to discuss your student's academic and social emotional progress.  I loved that I was able to learn more about each student through the conversations we shared!  Now that we're deep into the first grading period, I am excited to see how much more our students will grow throughout the year.  There is so much to teach and so much to learn, but so little time!

 

Here are the concepts we will focus on as we work through the next couple of weeks:

 

Literacy

Our students started our new shared text, The Road to Freedom. The story is narrated from the point of view of a young girl, Emma, who is traveling on the Underground Railroad with her mother in hopes of making it North to freedom. Our students are highly engaged throughout text and are having many great discussions related to topics raised within the story.  Using this shared text, we will work on literacy skills such as summarizing and identifying narrator's point of view.

 

Writing

We started to lay the groundwork for analytical writing this week.  We revisited the differences between opinion and informative writing and will start to plan our first analytical paper, focusing on the topic “The Benefits Of Cell Phones In Schools”.  Students will work through the writing process step by step, writing the introduction, working on body paragraphs, and then conclusion. They will end with editing their work.

 

Math

We are continuing to focus on fractions as we make our way through our second unit in math. Our students are starting to move away from utilizing money and time to model the operations and are learning how to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators by finding common denominators and equivalent fractions (5.NF.1). Over the next two weeks, we will apply and stretch our knowledge in order to solve fractions story problems (5.NF.2). 

Science

We wrapped up our discussions about ecosystems.  Over the last couple of weeks, we learned about consumers and the flow of energy through an ecosystem.  We learned that consumers must eat other animals in order to survive.  We also learned that the flow of energy starts at the sun and flows to the producers and then to the consumers.  Various discussions, activities, and investigations allowed us to create food chains that show the flow of energy from the sun to the owl.  

 

Social Studies

This week, we started our new Social Studies program!  The program focuses on students' voices and choices and the ability to connect to their own experiences and interests.  Through the inquiry-based learning model and engaging investigations, our students will build knowledge in history, civics, geography, and economics.  Our first discussions have focused around the perceptions of Indigenous American Cultures and learning how to formulate questions to help guide our students' learning on how to better honor the cultural heritage of this land.

 

 

Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, October 25th - Early Release

Tuesday, November 8th - No School (Election Day)

 

 

Friendly Reminders

**Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night.

**If your child participates in orchestra or band, please remind him/her to bring their instrument on their lesson day.

**Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!

**Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12.

Pictures from our Back to School Assembly and Fun Run!

Friday, September 1st, 2022

Happy Friday Families!

Welcome to the first installment of our bi-monthly blog post! Our school year is off and running! 

It was an absolute pleasure meeting many of you at curriculum night last week. I hope you found it to be an informative and useful evening.  Your involvement and support is greatly appreciated! It is my goal to keep you informed and up-to-date about the learning that is taking place in the classroom, as well as making sure you know about important dates and and events.

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 fictional stories and passages. This will lead to learning about how to summarize important events and noting the reactions and responses of important characters. We are also working on “quoting accurately” within a text which involves students supplying text support for their answers. We are greatly enjoying our shared reading book, Night of The Spadefoot Toads. Because some of the chapters are quite lengthy, students are being required to read portions at home. They are able to use their print copy of the text, or read the story on their I-Pads. Students are welcome to use this reading towards their daily required reading of 20-30 minutes. Once we are finished with the book, students are expected to use their own self-selected books for at-home reading.

Writing

Our current instruction has involved “laying the groundwork” for students to plan and write an original narrative story. As we progress through this instruction, students will compose original story with the goal of including an effectively written introduction, well-developed body paragraphs, and an effective conclusion. 

Math

Our students are currently working on writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses. The first few weeks have also involved getting used to our math routines. In fact, since September started yesterday, we also started our daily Number Corner routine. 

Science

Instruction utilizing our TCI science curriculum is well underway!  Our current focus is on understanding the makings of various ecosystems around the world. We’ve learned about how members of an ecosystem interact and depend on each other. Currently, we are also learning more specifically about the producers, consumers and decomposers who make up our ecosystem. We have a very engaging science investigation to look forward to at the end of our current lesson! Fortunately, our ecosystems unit in science ties nicely into the reading we are doing with The Night of the Spadefoot Toad book we are reading during our literacy block.

Upcoming Events

** Monday September 5th - No School (Labor Day)

** Friday, Sept. 16—Ivy Hall Fun Run (more details to come!)

** Wednesday, September 7— PTO sponsored ice cream Wednesday

** Tuesday, September 20th- Early Release @ 2:05

** Monday, September 26th—No School District Holiday

Stevenson Math Carnival

Hello parents! The Stevenson High School Math Team is excited to invite you to their annual Math Carnival on Thursday, October 13 from 6 - 8 pm. Students from 3rd to 5th grade will have the opportunity to play fun and engaging math games to win prizes ranging from candy to Stevenson Math Team t-shirts. Admission is FREE upon registration. For more info and to register, visit the event webpage at this link.

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.

Have a great long weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, May 20th, 2022

Happy Friday families!

Now that the weather is finally cooperating, it actually feels like Spring, almost Summer! It’s hard to believe that we are in our final two weeks of school!

Here’s what our students working on over the last two weeks of school:

Literacy:

Our students are currently reading short, fictional stories from various genres, ranging from realistic fiction to science fiction.  Based on stories from the day's genre, students are continuing their work on comparing and contrasting how each author approached the shared theme.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will discuss the requirements for 6th grade summer reading. The project that accompanies the reading will be due during the first week your child returns to middle school in the Fall. There are a variety of great titles to choose from on the provided list, and students should have no trouble finding a book that matches their interests!

Writing:

Our students just wrapped up their informative choice essays. They chose from the following topics: a special holiday, preparing for a marathon, preparing for a new pet, and preparing for middle school. Students utilized multiple resources to research their topic, planned their introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions. The end result of their hard work was excellent written pieces!

Math

We are very close to wrapping up Unit 7 in Math, which focused on division and decimals. During this unit we worked with powers of ten and then moved into the multiplication and division of decimals.  Our students will take the Unit 7 post assessment next week.  

We are continuing to work hard to make sure that all students are able to solve long division problems using the traditional method. Students who just recently learned this method will need to practice periodically over the summer to ensure retention heading into 6th grade.  

Social Studies

As we start to wrap up our economics unit, our students are learning about how to critique news articles. As they learn what a critique entails, they are gaining a stronger understanding of what makes a strong and effective news article.

Important Dates and Friendly Reminders:

Friday, May 27th - Half Day (Teacher Inservice)

Monday, May 30th - No School (Memorial Day)

Thursday, June 2nd- 1/2 day (Last Day of School)

Thank you for your continued partnership and have a wonderful weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Sunday, May 8th, 2022

Happy Mother's Day to all of our wonderful moms! I hope you're all having a fantastic day!

It is crazy to think we have already reached our last month of the school year! Students have worked hard this week and finished our last round of MAP tests for the year. 

Read below to see what we have been working on!

Literacy

We finished reading our shared text, Jess and Layla’s Astronomical Assignment. It is a science fiction book about two girls who get a homework assignment by their teacher and they end up going back in time to understand more about astronomy and famous astronomers. We started reading another story, Mayday on the Moon of Jupiter, another science fiction story. Next week, we will compare and contrast how the authors of each approached the shared theme that they have.

Writing

We began work on our next informative writing assignment. Students had their choice from a list of topics this time: preparing for a marathon, a special holiday, a new pet, etc. Students started by using multiple resources to research their topic. They have now moved on to planning out their introductions and conclusions, and finally their body paragraphs. They are enjoying getting to pick a topic and doing their own research for it!

Math

We are in our last unit, Unit 7, already! This unit teaches us multiple strategies for dividing whole numbers and fractions. We will be learning more about how the powers of ten affect place value in numbers. Finally, we will be learning multiplication and division of decimals.

Social Studies

We have begun our final unit of study in social studies- analyzing why and how individuals, businesses, and nations around the world specialize in trade. We will be diving into why and how countries need each other for certain goods or services.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, May 11th- 5th Grade Music Show

Thursday, May 12th- 5th graders visit Twin Groves for tours and transition presentation

Friday, May 13th- 5th Grade Spring Fling- 6:30-8:30

Tuesday, May 17th- Early Release

Have a great upcoming week!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, April 8th, 2022

Happy Friday Families!

We did it! We made it to the end of IAR testing! Students worked hard to show all the great things they have learned in both math and literacy. As we have tested each morning, new learning has continued each afternoon! Read below to find out how we're currently expanding our brains! 

Literacy

After returning from spring break, we spent a week reading about influential women in history who showed a sense of discovery and adventure! The women we read about included Mae Jemison, Catherine Johnson, Wilma Rudolph and Bessie Coleman. At the end of the week, we compiled the information we learned about all four women to practice writing and speaking knowledgeably about the subject. This week we continued to work on the same target but with a new topic of Navajo Code Talkers. We read a book from Reading A-Z about the code talkers, watched videos of first had accounts, listened to a picture book called Chester Nez, and started reading a book on Epic. We will continue to learn more about the code talkers next week and conclude with a compilation of the information we gathered from all sources to write and speak knowledgeably about code talkers. Throughout reading about code talkers we are also working on explaining the relationships and interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas or concepts in a historical text based on specific information in the text. Some of the relationships we have looked at so far include cause and effect relationships and problem and solution relationships. We will continue this work next week as well.

Writing

After returning from spring break we started a new writing assignment. Students were given the prompt. In your opinion, what is the best way to read and/or learn information - with a tablet or by using books? Students decided their opinion on the topic, researched to find evidence to support their thinking, wrote core 4 / topic statements, created a t-chart to plan their writing, and are now in the process of starting to draft their essays. We have also taken some time to review the components of a good conclusion, including a core 4 / topic statement, a review of their big ideas, and a lasting impact sentence. We have practiced writing conclusions to go with provided essays and shared out with others. We will continue this work next week as we prepare for our next writing assessment, which is also used for middle school placement, to take place on April 21st.

Math

We have continued our work in Unit 6, which incorporates skills in the area of geometry. Since returning from break we have been exploring the hierarchy of polygons, with an emphasis on triangles and quadrilaterals. Using academic language related to angles and sides, students have been classifying shapes based on their attributes. Next week we will review and extend our thinking of the concept of volume, which was covered in unit 1. 

Science

In science we have continued to learn about matter. We have learned about various properties of matter and this week students completed a hands on investigation where they observed the properties of several different types of matter that can be found in many homes. Students visually observed flour, baking soda, baking powder, talc powder, and salt, and recorded their observations. Then students mixed each with water to test their solubility. Next, the students mixed each substance with vinegar to see which ones produce gas / bubbles. Finally, the students mixed each powder with iodine and checked for any unusual color changes. Students really enjoyed acting like a chemist and observing the properties. As we continue in our matter unit we are going to look at chemical changes that can occur when substances are combined. We will have another great hands-on investigation in the coming weeks where students will combine various substances to see if new substances are formed or not.

Upcoming Events

• April 15 - No School

• April 20 - Cycle 5 CFA (Reading)

• April 21 - Cycle 5 PBA (Writing) - Used for Placement and Report Cards

• April 22 - Half Day

• April 26 - Early Release

• April 27 - 3rd Math Placement Task

• April 27 - Pizza Bingo / Book Fair 6:00-7:15pm (See PTO and Principal Messages for more details)

Friendly Reminders

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night

• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12

• Band and orchestra students should remember to be prepared with their instruments and music books on the days of lessons.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, March 11th, 2022

Happy Friday Families!

It is hard to believe that we have officially entered our final trimester and spring break is only a week away! Through creating their collaborative conference slideshows, the students had the opportunity to reflect upon their 5th grade year so far. They are looking forward to sharing all about their growth and progress during spring conferences next week! 

Read below to find out how we're currently expanding our brains! 

Literacy

Our current shared text, Real-Life Superheroes, highlights specific individuals who significantly and positively impacted society. Featured superheroes included Richard Martin, Thomas Barnardo, and Raoul Wallenberg. These individuals earned the title of "real-life superheroes" due to their immense amount of bravery, compassion, and selflessness. We integrated other sources, such as articles and books, to gather and organize additional information. Next week, we will be reading about Rosa Parks and her importance during the Civil Rights Movement. 

Writing

To sharpen our analytical writing skills and dive deeper into the topic of our shared text, students will be preparing and recording oral presentations about real-life superheroes. In the planning process, students gathered information from multiple sources about their superhero's biography and legacy. They also utilized index cards to outline the contents of their presentation. In the upcoming week, the students will use their gained knowledge, creativity, and FlipGrid to film a video about their chosen real-life superhero. The twist is that the students will be speaking as if they are the real-life superhero! 

Math

We have recently started Unit 6, which will incorporate skills in the area of geometry. This week, we learned about locating and labeling ordered pairs on a coordinate plane and investigating patterns within a series. We will continue our unit on geometry by exploring the hierarchy of polygons, which includes triangles and quadrilaterals. Using academic language related to angles and sides, students will classify shapes based on attributes. 

Science

Our new unit features the three states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas). We compared the particles within the states of matter based on space and movement. We also discussed that even though matter may change states, matter is neither lost or created. We will continue to investigate the properties of matter in our upcoming investigation. Using balloons, students will analyze that all matter takes up space and has weight. 

Upcoming Events

• Monday, March 14th - Early Release (Dismissal @ 2 PM)

• Monday, March 14th- Family Educator Conferences (@ 5:00-8:30 PM)

• Tuesday, March 15th - No School 

• Tuesday, March 15th - Family Educator Conferences (@ 10:00 AM-1:30 PM)

• Friday, March 18th - No School (Teacher Institute Day)

• Monday, March 21st-Friday, March 25th - No School (Spring Break)

• Monday, March 28th - Classes Resume 

• Tuesday, March 29th - Early Release (Dismissal @ 2 PM)

• Wednesday, March 30th - Literacy Placement Test

Friendly Reminders

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night

• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12

• Band and orchestra students should remember to be prepared with their instruments and music books on the days of lessons.

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

Enzie Pangilinan