5th Grade Weekly Update Week of March 4th
ELA: Last week, we started our outlines for our research papers. We reviewed the proper format for writing an outline and found spots for topic and closing sentences to allow for easy typing of rough drafts. We will continue working on outlines, hopefully finishing by Friday. This week will be our second to last week of Daily Paragraph Editing. Students have greatly improved their editing skills throughout this unit and it will help them tremendously when editing rough drafts. In literature this week, we will review the Week 13 Studies Weekly that covers the Great Depression. Students will learn about the causes and effects of life during the Great Depression. They will learn that there were many different events that led to suffering across the country. Students will examine the numerous ways people helped those who were struggling and apply that to the present needs of people.
History: Last week, we started our ancient civilizations project. This project is a group project where students are researching either the Maya, Inca, or Aztec civilization and presenting their research to other groups by using a poster and cultural artifact or costume. In the beginning of the project, students were given a list of homework assignments that should be completed within a two week time span. As a group, they completed a plan using a two week planning calendar and have done a great job filling out their agenda each day with their group’s assignment and making sure to complete the assignment each day. Note taking has been the main focus this week, once groups have finished their notes, they will begin their posters.
Math: Last week, students enjoyed exploring the concept of probability with fun experiments. They learned how to make tree diagrams to help them find the possible outcomes. Then, explored the difference between independent and dependent events. On Friday, they even created their own probability experiment with partners and tested their predictions! This week, we will conclude our unit on probability and statistics. Our unit test will be Thursday, March 7th. On our unit test, students will need to know how to interpret various graphs including a line plot, histogram, circle graph, pictograph, line graph, and bar graph. They will also need to know how to find the mean, mode, median, and range when interpreting data. Finally, they will need to know how to calculate the probability of independent events. As we practice this week in preparation for the test, please remind students to use their notes and graphic organizers to help them!
Science: Congratulations to Madelyn for being selected as the winner of our writing contest! Our outside judges had a difficult time selecting just one winner because there were so many impressive short responses to choose from! Each child should feel so proud of his or her work! Inside the Friday Folder your child recently received, you will find a copy of your child’s writing samples. I also included a copy of their original response on our test, so they can feel proud when they see how much they improved! Moving forward, each of our unit tests will include a short response question, and students will be given ample time to practice it before the test. They will become pros by the end of the year!
In lab, students learned that work is a measure of the distance over which force is applied. They learned that work is represented mathematically by the formula Work = force x distance. They learned there is a direct relationship between the force required to move a load and work done, as well as the distance a load is moved and the work done. In lab this week, we will build on this understanding as we calculate the work done when using a fixed pulley. Within this investigation, students will discover the advantage of using a fixed pulley, although it does not actually change the amount of work done.
Week at a Glance:
– Monday: Dr. Seuss breakfast with book buddies at 8:30 a.m.
-Thursday: Statistics and Probability Unit test