Friday, February 5th, 2016

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

Friday, January 22nd, 2016

Happy Friday Families!

Our students have been hard at work since returning from Winter Break!  They are continuing to settle back into their routines and have their batteries recharged!  Here are the targets we are currently working on to start off the second grading period:

Literacy:

We just wrapped up our shared read of George's Secret Key to the Universe.  Our students absolutely loved reading about the book's characters (George and his friend Annie) and their adventures into outer space. The plot took so many twists and turns, but in the end, everything worked out in our main characters' favor!  Our classroom and small group discussions focused around comparing and contrasting characters and settings, as well as finding two or more main ideas within the text.

Writing: 

Our students are revising and finishing their science fiction narrative essays.  Their drafts truly showcase their creativity and their ability to think out of the box.  We are excited to see the final product!

​Math: 

We started Unit 4 in math with learning target 5.NF.3, which focuses on solving word problems that require an interpretation of a fraction as division of the numerator by the denominator. Next week, our students will move on to learning how to multiply a fraction or a whole number by a fraction using more than one representation.

At your convenience, please see which targets we are covering in Unit 4:
Unit 4 Parent Letter

​Social Studies: 

Our discussions have revolved around how indentured servitude affected the growth of the early American colonies.

​Science: 

We are continuing to learn about the different parts and processes of the digestive system.

​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.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you and have a fantastic weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, January 8th, 2016

Happy Friday Parents!​

Happy New Years!  I hope you​ all enjoyed a restful and fun-filled winter break.  It has been great hearing all about the past two weeks!  Here are the targets we are currently working on to start off the second grading period: 

​Literacy:

During our shared read, we have been reading George's Secret Key to the Universe. It is a Science Fiction story about a boy named George and his friend Annie and their adventures into outer space. The book is also filled with many scientific facts about the entire solar system. We are focusing on comparing and contrasting characters.

Writing: 

The students have been planning and writing their science fiction narrative essays. We have talked about elements of science fiction, such as time travel or an alternate universe. We have also talked about the narrator's point of view. Specific word choice and details add to their stories and bring them to life. The students have been enjoying using their imaginations with this type of writing. 

​Math: 

Our final two targets of Unit 3 are solving expressions using the correct order of operations and writing and interpreting numerical expressions without evaluating them.​ The students will be taking the Unit 3 assessment later next week. 

​Social Studies: 

We will be starting our unit on indentured servitude and slavery.​

​Science: 

The circulatory system, digestive system and respiratory system will be our next unit. ​

​Friendly Reminders:

**NO SCHOOL- (Martin Luther King Jr. Day): Monday, January 18th​

** 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 BIG THANK YOU to all of our parent volunteers who helped make our Winter Party a huge success!!  The games and treats truly made for a fun party!  Also, we received a very nice and sincere letter from the Vernon Township Food Pantry thanking our class for the extremely generous food donations!  Enjoy the pictures of our students having fun at the party!

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you and have a fantastic weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, December 11th, 2015

Happy Friday Families!

It’s hard to believe that we only have a week left until Winter break!  We will be busy right up until the last minute with the many learning targets and activities that we are wrapping up!

Literacy

* Over the last several weeks, our students have focused on several books based on a migration theme.  In The Great Migration, we read about the great exodus of African Americans, around the time of World War I, who left their homes in the south in search of a better life in the north.  In the story Angel Island, we’ve been reading about the main immigration station in California in the early 1900’s, which was set up to receive immigrants primarily from Asia.  The focus of our readings have been to find the main ideas and their supporting details.  

Writing

* Our students finished writing their informative essays on a real-life superhero and are now researching a second superhero to present in a Google Slide presentation.  Students are being encouraged to add creative visuals and use notecards with additional information during their presentation.  They will present the information next week.  We are also learning to evaluate the reliability and document the internet and book sources used.

Spelling

* We completed our second full week of 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.

Math

* Our students finished up two targets relating to adding and subtracting fractions in isolation and within word problems.  We started instruction of the next target which deals with the order of operations.

Social Studies

* We are continuing to learn about the colonization of America.  We will soon focus our instruction on the Southern colonies and learn about how our country transitioned to indentured servitude and slavery.

***Please remember that this will be the last weekend for students to prepare for the Fifth Grade trade show, which takes place NEXT THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17th.  Students must have their item(s) and displays ready the morning of.  We are very excited to see everyone's creativity and negotiating skills!

Science

* This week we started our new unit on the systems of the body.  We started with an introduction to the major components of animal and plant cells and compared and contrasted their parts.

Reminders/Upcoming Events:

** Reading Logs - Completed December reading logs will be due when students return from Winter Break.  Although there is no homework assigned, students are expected to read consistently over the break.

** Trade Fair takes place next Thursday afternoon!

** Winter 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.  It will be a great way to kick off our vacation!

** 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

Friday, November 20th, 2015

Happy Friday Families!

This afternoon, you will receive an email regarding whether or not you received your child's report card, titled "Fifth Grade Report Card Verification".  At your earliest convenience, please reply to the link.  

You will also receive an email from Mrs. Gluck regarding report cards.  Please follow the instructions in the email from Mrs. Gluck to view your child's report card.  I am looking forward to meeting with you next week to discuss your child's progress!

Our students have worked hard the last few weeks to end our first grading period. Thank you for your continued support at home.

Here are the targets we are currently working on to start off the second grading period: 

Literacy

* Our students are currently working on looking for two or more main ideas in a text and understanding how these ideas are supported by details in the test. We will also continue develop vocabulary by determining the meaning of unknown words in a text. Over the next few weeks, we will learn to identify text structure and how various text structures work with specific types of literature.

Writing

* We will continue research on our " Real Life Superheroes" informative papers. Throughout the writing process, our students will focus on finding domain specific vocabulary to better describe our individuals.

Math

* We will start to review basic fraction skills, then switch our focus to adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with unlike denominators.

The Unit 3 math letter is attached below. 

Unit 3 Family Letter

Social Studies

* We are extremely excited to introduce the Trade Fair coming up in December!  Please keep an eye out for the letter which explains the event!

Science

* Our focus is switching to three of the main systems of the human body (Digestive, respiratory, and circulatory). 

Upcoming Events

** November 23 and 24 - Parent / Teacher Conferences. 

** Reading and Math MAP testing begins the week of December 7th.

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.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you and have a fantastic weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, November 6th, 2015

Good Afternoon Families!

We had an absolute blast celebrating Halloween last week!  A special thank you to our parent volunteers who made our party a huge success!

And can you believe that our first grading period is coming to an end?  Our students have worked extremely hard to learn our target concepts and have picked up and practiced strong study skills along the way.  Thank you for your continued support at home.

Here are the targets we are currently wrapping up as we start to close the first grading period:

Literacy

* Our students are wrapping up finding the theme of a story, including how characters in the story respond to challenges. We finished reading two inspiring stories about characters resolving their conflicts by finding courage within.

Writing

* Our students completed writing an opinion essay about what they thought were the two most pressing issues and topics of slavery, as told through our text, "The Road to Freedom". They worked very hard to support their ideas with evidence from the text and utilized strategies to help give their readers a lasting impression.

Math

* Through hard practice, our students are learning various strategies of how to multiply and divide using decimals.

Social Studies

* We are wrapping up the first grading period discussing trade expansion, specifically Marco Polo and how he sparked the Age of Exploration.  We are also discussing the Columbian Exchange and its effects on the Europeans and the indigenous people of the Caribbean.   

Science

* We are finishing weather by discussing how meteorologists analyze high pressure and low pressure areas in order to predict weather.

Upcoming Events

** Wednesday, November 11th - No School (Teacher Institute Day)

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.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you and have a fantastic weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, October 23rd, 2015

Hello Familes!

Fall is in the air and the fifth graders have been working hard in all subject areas!  Please read about all of our hard work below:

Literacy

For our daily shared lessons we've been reading a story called The Road to Freedom. It is narrated from the point of view of a young girl who is traveling on the Underground Railroad with her mother in hopes of making it North to freedom. The kids have been highly engaged with the text and we’ve had many great discussions related to topics raised within the story.

Writing

We have been using The Road to Freedom as a springboard for various writing samples. We have practiced short, constructed responses with prompts, and we are currently preparing to write a longer opinion paper based on topics/issues related to slavery from the book.

Math

Yesterday we finished the target that deals with dividing with a larger dividend and divisor. We emphasized the partial quotients algorithm to solve these problems. Students were given a CFA in order to monitor their progress on this skill. Those who did not meet will be given further remediation.Today we started on the next target of adding and subtracting decimals.

Social Studies

We’ve been engaged in lots of learning about trade. Most recently we’ve started to learn about the trade that took place early on in our World’s history.

Science

This week we continued on with our weather unit, focusing on the greenhouse effect. We even conducted an experiment to show how it works! Be sure to a ask your child about it!

Reminders/Upcoming Events

** Please be sure that your child is doing the minimum of 30 minutes per week of practice!

** Completed October reading logs will be due Monday, November 2.

** 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.

Halloween Parade and Parties

Please see Mrs. Gluck’s blog posts for the details. The kids will need to have the signed permission slip back at school by next Friday in order to be able to go home for lunch and change into their costumes. Everyone else should bring their costumes to school to change into after lunch. The parties will immediately follow the parade. Thank you in advance to all the parents who are sending items and/or helping at the parties! The kids are really looking forward to it! 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you and have a fantastic weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan