Sunday, April 23rd, 2023

Happy Sunday Families!

This week, the kids persevered through quite a bit of testing—but also enjoyed some fun learning experiences as well! We have now completed the Illinois Science Assessment, as well as our final literacy placement test. Yesterday and today we completed our unit 6 math assessment, which will lead us into our final math unit of the year, starting on Monday. 

As we progress through the final months of school, we will have many special events and dates that will be important to mark on calendars. Please pay special attention to the dates listed at the bottom of the blog updates so that you can stay informed!

Literacy: 

This week we focused on our cause/effect literacy target which asks students to think about the relationships between concepts and ideas in their reading. We read several sections of a science text called Our Mysterious Universe. We also read texts about sharks and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where we were also exploring cause/effect relationships within the text. Next week we will start reading a fun book called Jess and Layla’s Astronomical Adventure. Here, we will be comparing fictional texts of similar content and/or topic. The two main characters of the story travel back in time and meet many of history’s famous philosophers and scientists! As we read, we will continue to practice literacy skills such as comparing and contrasting characters and settings, analyzing themes and using quoted evidence from a text to support responses. Eventually we will read another science fiction story of the same genre called Mayday on the Moon of Jupiter, so that we can compare and contrast how the two stories approach their respective themes.

Writing: 

Students will soon begin working on a research project and oral presentation. Piggybacking off the previous reading we did on real life superheroes such as Richard Martin and Raoul Wallenberg, each student will be asked to choose someone they feel embodies the qualities of a real life superhero. They will conduct research about this outstanding individual and give an oral presentation to the class. This project incorporates many reading and writing targets for students.

Math: 

We have now completed Unit 6, which emphasized skills in the area of geometry. During this unit, students practiced classifying figures in a hierarchy based on properties. They also located points on a coordinate plane based on ordered pairs. Students should now also be able to identify patterns between corresponding terms and show their ability to generate numerical patterns when given specific rules.  

Science: 

We have continued to work on our unit on Changes in Matter, which encompasses the three states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas). During this unit we engaged in two fun investigations. During the first, students identified various powders such as baking powder, talc powder, salt, and sugar, by using their attributes and reactions to substances such as iodine, water, and vinegar. This week, students used combinations of two different liquids and powders to determine when new substances had been formed. They observed for changes such as color and temperature—or whether substances fizzed or bubbled when mixed together.

Social Studies: 

This week we started our final inquiry-based social studies unit of the year. We will explore the topic of democracy, and generate ideas throughout the unit about how citizens can contribute to keeping a democracy healthy.

Important Upcoming Dates:

***Tues., April 25—Early Release @ 2:05

***Wed., April 26—6th Grade Math Placement test 

***Thurs., May 4—5th grade travels to Twin Groves to watch their Musical Presentation

***Wed., May 10—5th grade Music Program at Ivy Hall @ 6:30

***Friday, May 12—5th Grade Party after school

***Monday, May 15—Visit to Twin Groves during the school day, Orchestra concert

***Thursday, May 18—Band Concert

***Friday, May 19—Field Day

Thank you for your continued partnershp!

Tuesday, April 11th, 2023

Happy Tuesday Families!

Welcome back! I hope that everyone had a restful Spring Break. The students deserve a round of applause for doing a great job creating and presenting their conference slideshows! With Spring Break coming to an end, it could only mean one thing... the countdown to summer has officially begun! We are looking forward to all the fun and learning that's ahead of us within the last couple months of school! 

Literacy

This week, we read and learned about the Navajo code talkers. During World War II, the code talkers played a crucial role in helping the U.S. Marines send coded messages using the complex and unwritten Navajo language. Using texts from Reading A-Z, Newsela, and Epic, we are practicing our skill of compiling information from multiple sources together in order to demonstrate a deep understanding about a specific topic. Throughout the readings, we are also working on explaining relationships and interactions, such as cause/effect and problem/solution, while using text evidence as support.

In the upcoming weeks, we will be taking the series of literacy assessments used for middle school placement. The writing assessment will take place on Thursday, April 13th, and the reading assessment will be on Monday, April 17th. 

 

Writing

We started to wrap up our analytical choice essays, which involved students choosing from a list of topics that included binge-watching television shows, electric cars, student lunches, and homework. After planning and drafting, students worked to refine their essays to ensure that they effectively stated their stance on the chosen topic, provided sufficient supporting details from credible sources, and edited any grammar and punctuation errors. We will continue to work on various analytical writing skills with prompts that encourages students to provide their opinion about topics, such as the necessity for movie theaters or daylight saving time. 

Math

We are continuing to practice skills in the area of geometry in Unit 6. 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 and describing shapes based on their attributes. Next week, we will review and extend our thinking on the concept of volume, which was covered in Unit 1. Our next math placement assessment will be on Wednesday, April 26th. 

Science

In our current unit, we are exploring the concepts of matter. To observe the properties of different white powders, the students engaged in a fun hands-on investigation! The students conducted different experiments to test various properties of the powders, such as appearance, water solubility, chemical reactions, and color changes. Students really enjoyed acting like a chemist during this investigation! We will have another great hands-on investigation in the coming weeks, which will involve combining various substances to see if new substances are formed.

Upcoming Events

• Thursday, April 13th - Literacy Placement Test (Writing)

• Monday, April 17th - Literacy Placement Test (Reading)

• Tuesday, April 18th-Thursday, April 20th - Illinois Science Assessment (ISA)

• Wednesday, April 19th - Pizza Bingo/PTO Book Fair (@ PM)

• Friday, April 21st - Half Day (Dismissal @ 11:45 AM)

• Tuesday, April 25th - Early Release (Dismissal @ 2:05 PM)

• Wednesday, April 26th - Math 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

Thank you for your continued partnership!

Enzie Pangilinan

Friday, March 9th, 2023

Happy Friday Families!

It's hard to believe that we've officially entered our final trimester and Spring Break is only a couple of weeks away! Our students are in the process of creating their collaborative conference slideshows, where they have the opportunity to reflect upon their 5th grade year so far. They are looking forward to sharing all of their growth and progress during Spring conferences in the coming weeks! 

Read below to find out what we're learning in class! 

Literacy

Our current shared text, "Real-Life Superheroes", highlights specific individuals who significantly and positively impacted society. Featured superheroes include 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 are also integrating other sources, such as articles and books, to gather and organize additional information. Next week, we will read about Rosa Parks and her importance during the Civil Rights Movement. We will also read about women of discovery, who accomplished great feats and helped pave the way for many young girls and women today! These magnificent women include Bessie Coleman, Katherine Johnson, Mae Jemison, and Maya Rudolph!

Writing

Our students are in the early stages of planning their analytical choice essays. Their for-or-against topic choices include: Celebrating Christopher Columbus, Learning foreign languages in school, GMO information on food labels, and cell phones in the classroom, just to name a few. Students will utilize multiple resources to research their topic, plan their introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions.

Math

We wrapped up Unit 5 this week! Our students learned various methods to multiply fractions and mixed numbers by a fraction, using both the area model and improper fractions. Our students also worked hard to analyze division of fractions word problems in order to understand which number was the dividend and which number was the divisor. We learned how to divide fractions utilizing the reciprocal of the divisor as well as creating visual models to gain a greater understanding of the concept. Next week, we will start Unit 6, which will incorporate skills in the area of geometry.

Science

Our students are continuing to learn about the Earth, Moon and Stars. Within this unit we're exploring such concepts as gravity, how distance affects the brightness of stars, and how day and night occur.   In the coming weeks, our focus will switch to the perceived movement of stars in the night sky. Our students will learn that the stars in the sky seem to move because the Earth is moving.

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday, March 14th - Early Release (Dismissal at 2:00pm)

• Thursday, March 23rd - Early Release (Dismissal at 2:00pm

• Thursday, March 23rd - Family Educator Conferences (5:00 - 8:30pm)

• Friday, March 24th - NO SCHOOL: Family Educator Conferences (10:00 AM-1:30 PM)

• Friday, March 24th - SPRING BREAK BEGINS

• Monday, April 3rd - SCHOOL RESUMES

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

Friday, February 17th, 2023

Happy Friday Families!

Trimester 2 is coming to an end next week. Starting this week, and finishing next week, our students will complete several literacy/writing assessments to demonstrate their progress on T2 learning targets.  They have worked so incredibly hard!

Check below to see what we've covered over the last couple of weeks:

Reading

We just wrapped up our exciting novel, George’s Secret Key to the Universe. The kids enjoyed the plot twists and the character development of George, Eric, and Dr. Reeper all throughout the book! They especially fell in love with George, who discovered the mysteries of the universe while he learned about various aspects such as stars, planets, and moons.  This is the first in a series of books.  Students showed so much interest that they have asked for other books in the series.  Unfortunately our library does not have any copies of the other books, but your local library should have a few copies available!

Writing

Connecting to the theme of the universe, the students just finished their own science fiction narratives. They brainstormed characters, events, and others ideas to include within their stories.  It was so neat to see their creative juices flow!  Remember to ask your student all about the sci-fi narrative he/she wrote!

Math

We're currently strengthening our abilities to multiply fractions while utilizing the area model and the traditional method. Most recently, we have been learning different methods to multiply mixed numbers by a fraction, using both the area model and improper fractions. We're learning how to solve these problems utilizing models, as well as more traditional strategies. We will be moving on to division of fractions next week!

**Please note: Students will take the first math placement test next week, on Wednesday, February 22nd.

Social Studies

We are wrapping up our second unit in social studies, on the Colonial Era. Most recently, we have explored the way that slavery and social structures influenced the colonial era. We will wrap up our unit by creating quilt squares as a project to demonstrate our understanding of how complexities of the past can help us meet challenges of the present. We are excited to share these at conferences next month!

Important Dates

Monday, February 20th- No School (President’s Day)

Wednesday, February 22nd- 6th Grade Placement Test- Math

Friday, February 24th- Student Council Mismatch Day

Friday, February 24th- Trimester 2 Ends

Friday, March 3rd- No School (Institute Day)

Monday, March 6th- No School (Pulaski Day)

Tuesday, March 14th- Early Release

Friendly Reminders

**Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack.  Nothing feeds the brain better than something healthy!

**Please continue to have your child practice his or her multiplication facts up to 12.

**Band and orchestra students should remember to be prepared with their instruments and music books on the days that lessons take place.

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

Enzie Pangilinan

Monday, January 23rd, 2023

Happy Monday Families!

We've officially hit the halfway mark of the school year. Entering into the latter half of the school year, we're looking forward to all of the learning, growth, and fun that comes with it!

Read below to find out what we've been learning!

Literacy

After we returned from break, we continued to practice analyzing multiple perspectives using nonfiction texts. With various reading passages, we compared and contrasted different author's points of view regarding topics such as driverless cars and paying students for good grades. The students definitely had their fair share of opinions about getting paid for grades! Both of our current shared texts, Beyond the Horizon and an excerpt of Pedro's Journal, feature characters who find themselves discovering valuable lessons during their exploration of different lands. With each text, we will work on multiple literacy skills, such as identifying character point of view and determining theme.

Writing

Within analytical writing, we worked on effectively organizing our paragraphs, crafting engaging hooks and closures, providing accurate supporting details, and elaborating on big ideas with further explanations. As we move into our new unit, we will be shifting our focus from analytic writing to narrative writing with a science fiction based prompt. This will tie in nicely with our upcoming novel, George's Secret Key to the Universe!

Math

Last week, we wrapped up our unit on multi-digit multiplication using the standard algorithm. Students worked to successfully solve multiplication problems by following the procedure of the standard algorithm and ensuring they arrive at accurate solutions by attending to precision errors. This week, we will start our unit on multiplying and dividing fractions. Throughout the unit, students will be using equations along with labeled models to multiply and divide fractions. We will start this unit by learning how to multiply whole numbers and fractions. 

Social Studies

In this unit, we are focusing on the Colonial Era. We discussed the motivations behind why European countries had a strong desire to expand their empires into the "New World" during the age of exploration. We also analyzed the effects and impacts of colonization in North and South America during this time in history. 

 

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday, January 24 - Early Release (Dismissal @ 2:05 PM)

• Friday, January 27 - Pajamas Day / PTO Special Lunch

• Tuesday, February 14 - Early Release (Dismissal @ 2:05 PM)

• Friday, February 17 - Half Day (Dismissal @ 11:45 AM)

• Monday, February 20 - No School (President's Day)

• Friday, February 24 - Trimester 2 Reporting Period Ends

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

• 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

Have a wonderful week!

Enzie Pangilinan

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.