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

Friday, August 31st

Good Afternoon Families!

Our school year is off and running! It was an absolute pleasure meeting many of you last week at curriculum night. I hope you found it to be an informative and useful evening.  Your involvement and support are greatly appreciated!  If you were unable to attend, feel free to contact me with any questions!

The link you clicked on is our classroom Blogger page, which will have bi-monthly classroom updates.  Included in the updates will be our current target concepts in all academic areas, classroom events, and important upcoming dates.  An email with a link to our classroom Blogger page will be pushed out every two weeks when our Blogger page is updated.

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 comparing and contrasting characters, events, and settings of stories, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges. 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 welcome to use their print copy, or read the story on their I-Pads. Students are welcome to use this reading towards their daily required reading of 20-30 minutes. Home reading logs have been introduced and students are becoming comfortable with the routine of recording their minutes.

Writing

* Our students are off to a great start writing narrative pieces.  We are currently working on planning an original story, including a 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 as well as demonstrating their understanding of how to find the volume of rectangular prisms. The first few weeks have also involved getting used to our math routines. In fact, with the new month approaching, we will also be starting our daily Number Corner routine. 

Science

* Instruction utilizing our TCI science curriculum is well underway!  Our current focus is on understanding the makings of a various ecosystems around the world. This unit 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 3rd - No School (Labor Day)

** Wednesday, September 5th - Picture Day
** Monday, September 10th—District Holiday—No school

** Wednesday, September 19th—District Holiday—No school

** Tuesday, September 25th—Early Release @ 2:00

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 and have a great holiday weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Sunday, Mayt 29th, 2018

Happy Sunday Families!

Now that the weather is finally cooperating, it actually feels like Spring! It’s hard to believe that we are headed into our final month of school!

The kids have made it through the bulk of their testing. They’ve demonstrated great perseverance and the end is in sight! We will be taking the MAP reading test on Monday and the MAP math test on Wednesday. As always, please be sure that your child gets a good night’s rest and has eaten a substantial breakfast.  

Please be sure to refer to the important upcoming dates at the end of this blog. We have so many exciting activities in the weeks ahead—including attending the production of “Annie” at Twin Groves next week!

Here’s what we’ve been working in this week:

Literacy:

We are about half way through our exciting novel, George’s Secret Key to the Universe. The kids are enjoying the plot twists and the wonderful character development! In recent chapters, the evil Dr. Reeper has been introduced into the story and has become a character that we love to hate! 

Writing:

We have started to focus on narrative writing once again, focusing on the genre of science fiction. Students have planned stories which include elements of science fiction such as time travel, advanced technology, or advanced life forms! Thus far, their stories sound amazing! They are really enjoying the creative aspects of narrative writing!

Math

We have started our final unit in math, one which focuses on division and decimals. We have recently been working with powers of ten and will be moving into the multiplication and division of decimals. The end of our unit will focus on the division of fractions and whole numbers.

Social Studies

We are currently learning about the Columbian Trade Route and the many animals, foods, riches and diseases that were traded between the Old and New Worlds during the time of Christopher Columbus. Last week your student brought home a letter explaining the details of our much anticipated Trade Fair, which takes place on Monday, May 7. Please periodically check in with your student to be sure that he/she is working at home on preparing the items needed for the Trade Fair.

Science

Currently, as a part of our unit on Matter, we are learning about what causes substance to change. Students are learning how to use fair tests to plan an investigation. We will be planning  and carrying out an investigation where we will mix together a variety of different substances. Students will develop a plan to identify which substances react together to form new substances.

Important Dates and Friendly Reminders:

April 30—Reading MAP test

May 2—Math MAP test

May 2—Variety Show Auditions

May 3—Trip to Twin Groves to see “Annie” (in the a.m.)

May 15—Early Release

May 17—Transition Day at Twin Groves (details forthcoming)

May 17—Variety Show

May !8—Spring Fling (details forthcoming)

May 23—Field Day

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you and enjoy the rest of today's beautiful weather!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, April 13th, 2018

Happy Friday, Families!

First week of PARCC testing -- check! One more week of testing ahead! This week, the students worked really hard and demonstrated a great amount of perseverance as they endured PARCC testing. They completed the English/LA portion and will be finishing the math portion next week.

As we head into the second week of PARCC and literacy assessments, please remind your student to get a good night's rest, eat a hearty breakfast, and bring a healthy snack. Also... don't forget to charge those iPads!! Continue to read more about what's happening in our classroom!

Upcoming Assessment Dates
April 9-17, 2018: PARCC Window
April 18, 2018: 6th Grade Placement Opinion Essay

April 19-20, 2018: End of Unit Literacy Assessment
April 30-May 4, 2018: MAP Window

Literacy
**We will start our new unit this upcoming Monday, which encompasses the theme of "Understanding the Universe". Our grade level text is George's Secret Key to the Universe by Stephen Hawking and his daughter, Lucy. The novel tells the story of a boy named George who is discovering the mysteries of the universe while learning about various aspects such as stars, planets, and moons. We started reading the first couple chapters this week, and the students are very excited to see how the story will unfold. Using the novel, we will also continue to work on our literacy targets and skills.

Writing
**Connecting to the theme of the universe, the students will be starting to write their own science fiction narratives. Before they start writing, they will brainstorm characters, events, and others ideas to include within their stories. Let the creative juices flow!
Remember to ask your student all about the sci-fi narrative he/she is crafting up. Math
**We are finishing off Unit 6 this upcoming week. Unit 6 includes graphing coordinates on a plane, classifying polygons, finding volume of rectangular prisms, and identifying numerical patterns. Our Unit 6 Post Assessment will be on Thursday, April 19. Please remind your student to study the unit review guide in preparation. Students may also go onto Khan Academy or Dream Box to work on any assigned tasks for the unit. Unit 7 will include identifying patterns within powers of ten and multiplication/division of decimals to the hundredths.

Social Studies

**We are continuing to learn about the economy within social studies. The students discussed and identified the relationship between supply and demand. They also were able apply the concepts of supply and demand to real world contexts. We will begin discussing trade and cultural exchange, starting with the Columbian Exchange. Students will learn more about how trade affects the global market and America's economy.

Science
**We are continuing to explore the states of matter. The students learned about identifying the changes in matter and substances. Within our recent investigation, students looked at pictures of real world examples of changes in matter, identified different changes in substances, and described the properties of those substances. We will continue to discuss matter by learning about the reasons and causes for substances to change.

Variety Show
**Ivy Hall Elementary's Variety Show will be held on May 17, 2018. Sign ups for auditions is from April 6-27. The actual auditions will be held on Wednesday, May 2. If your student wants to showcase an unique talent, please encourage him/her to sign up for this awesome opportunity to participate in Variety Show!! Here is the FLYER for more information. Sign ups are open on the PTO Membership Toolkit.

Important Dates

April 9-17, 2018: PARCC Window

April 18, 2018: 6th Grade Placement Opinion Essay
April 19-20, 2018: End of Unit Literacy Assessment
April 19, 2018: 4th Grade Music Performance @ 6:30pm
April 20, 2018: Breakfast with your buddy @ 7:30am
April 24, 2018: Papa John’s Special Lunch
April 30, 2018: Parent Review Committee
April 30-May 4, 2018: MAP Window
May 2, 2018: Variety Show Auditions May 17, 2018: Variety Show

**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 remember to have conversations with your child about his/her independent reading book to hold accountability over his/her daily reading.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Have a fantastic weekend-

Enzie Pangilinan

Saturday, March 3rd, 2018

Happy March Families!

March has certainly come in like a lion! With any luck, it will leave like a lamb! We are off to a fresh start with our final trimester. There is still much learning to be done in these final months of school!

We are looking forward to meeting with you next week for parent/teacher conferences to discuss your child’s progress!

Please be sure to refer to the important upcoming dates at the end of this blog. It includes the date of an upcoming field trip (details are forthcoming soon!) and the 5th grade music performance.

Here’s what we’ve been working in this week:

Literacy:

In support of our new theme, Exploring New Worlds,  we are finishing up our first nonfiction shared reading text, Explorers: Triumphs and Troubles. We’ve had some lively discussions about various explorers in our history, such as Marco Polo. We also gained insight about the motivations behind various explorations, as well as the positive and negative effects they had on  society. 

Writing:

Based on the reading we’ve been doing about explorers, students are currently planning and writing an opinion paper about what they feel primarily influenced explorers. Was it fame, wealth, the desire to find new routes—or was it to find new land to conquer? Be sure to ask your student about the topic of his/her opinion paper!

Math

In math, our first learning target for the new grading period has involved locating points on a coordinate grid. We’ve done some engaging activities with cubes and tiles in order to predict patterns. plot ordered pairs on a plane, and even write equations to solve such patterns. The strategy discussions that have been taking place around such problems have been impressive! There has definitely been some higher-level thinking going on!

Social Studies

We have started our unit on supply & demand and trade. As we progress through the unit we will learn about the  history of the Columbian Exchange and the positive and negative effects which resulted from such trade. 

Science

In science we’ve been learning about the states of matter. The online reading through our TCI science program has included some engaging interactive graphics for the I-Pads. With these technology enhancements, students have been able to see what happens to molecules as they change states between solids, liquids and gasses!

Important Dates and Friendly Reminders:

Friday, March 2—Student Progress reports available after 3 pm

Monday, March 6—Casimir Pulaski Day/ No School

Thursday, March 8—Early Release @2:00, Parent/Teacher Conferences

Friday, March 9—No School, Parent/Teacher Conferences

Tuesday, March 13—PTO Special Lunch (Culver’s)

Wednesday, March 14—5th Grade Field Trip 

Thursday, March 15—5th Grade Music Performance  6:30 pm

Tuesday, March 20—No School, Teacher Institute Day/Election Day

Please email me if you have any questions.  Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, February 16th, 2018

Happy Friday Families!

I hope everyone had a fantastic week!  It is hard to believe that our Valentine's Day party was our last 5th Grade classroom party.  Thank you again to our parent volunteers for making the party one to remember!

Our students are working hard to finish up all of the assessments as we start to wrap up Trimester 2!    Here are the targets we will be beginning in the next few weeks:

Literacy:
We are completing our final unit the grading period, which focused on the theme of Finding Courage.  Our students are currently working hard on completing their end-of-unit assessments.  As we start our next unit, our focus will shift to the theme of Exploring New Worlds!  Our first text in the unit, Explorers: Triumphs and Troubles, focuses on various explorers and their positive (and some negative) impact on the world.

Writing

Students will turn their focus to opinion writing.  Students' strong opinions typically lead to many interesting discussions and debates within our classroom!

Math

We are wrapping up Unit 5, which focused on multiplication and division of fractions. Please make sure your child studies for next week's Unit 5 Post Test over the long weekend.

In the coming weeks, our focus will shift to Unit 6, which covers the following targets:

** 5.G.4: Classifying two dimensional figures.

** 5.G.1: Locating points on a coordinate grid.   

** 5.MD.5b: Apply the formulas V = l x w x h and V = B x h when solving for the volume of rectangular prisms.

** 5.OA.3: Use the relationship between x and y coordinates to generate a multiple operation expression that represents the rule for the coordinate pairs

Social Studies

We are ending our patriotism unit and we will begin the third trimester studying Supply & Demand and Trade. We will be looking at the difference between goods and services and the importance in our lives. 

Science

We will start to study matter and work on investigations to help us determine what causes substances to change. 

​Important Dates and 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.

** Monday, February 19th: NO SCHOOL (President's Day)

** Friday, February 23rd - End of the Grading Period

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