5th Grade Weekly Update for Week of November 18th
Photo Highlight of the Week: Our students had so much fun helping our book buddies create a Thanksgiving turkey! Check out additional pictures below!
Math: Last week, students enjoyed playing partner games, like Goofy Gorilla and Fraction King, in order to practice some of the skills we are learning within our unit! Problem-solving will be our focus this week as we wrap up our current unit. Students will learn how to use our knowledge of least common multiple and greatest common factor to help us solve word problems. This can be a difficult concept for some. Therefore, encourage students to use the graphic organizer that will be given in class to help with the homework!
Our unit test will be on Tuesday, December 3rd when we return from Thanksgiving break. We have soaked in a lot of information within this unit! Students will complete a study guide on Thursday that will provide additional practice putting together all the skills we have learned.
ELA: On Monday, we will hold our oral discussion about Turn Homeward, Hannalee and students will take a comprehension quiz to check for understanding. I’ve selected some of the quiz questions that students created themselves on last week’s assignment. Our Shades of Gray chapter 9-10 vocabulary test will be on Wednesday.
This week, students will practice identifying the meaning of unfamiliar words by using context clues and learn about the different types of conflicts. In our previous novel study, students learned that we can identify the protagonist of a novel because he or she is the one that often undergoes a change. Now, we will learn that the protagonist often experiences conflict that helps bring about this change. Students will learn that conflict can be both internal and external and will identify the different types of conflicts. We will take a closer look at our current novels to compare and contrast the different types of conflict that are at play.
I am LOVING the selfie-challenge wall! Please continue to send in those pictures for bonus points! With a little extra time off next week, it would be a great time to explore the great outdoors and explore our local Civil War sites!
Science: Last week, students learned that there are different types of levers. They learned that a first class lever has the fulcrum in the middle, a second class lever has the load in the middle, and a third class lever has the effort in the middle. We studied real-world examples and students created a poster showing the different types of levers that will be on display in our classroom. In lab, they are creating a first class lever and learning how the length of the effort arm affects the amount of force needed to lift an object. They will discover that lengthening the effort arm decreases the amount of effort needed. In our next trials, however, they will discover that this still does not change the work done though and will explain why.
History: This week, we’ll resume Daily Geography studying the Mercator Projection map and latitude and longitude. We’ll discuss the differences between the Robinson Projection and the Mercator and find the locations of specific continents and oceans using coordinates. Continuing our Civil War studies this week will include a closer look at some important people during this time period. We’ll discuss Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Ulysses S. Grant. For Jackson, we’ll watch a biography that shares his quirks and contributions. On Tuesday, ask your student how he rode around on a horse during his days at West Point! We’ll also look at some important contributions from women and African Americans.
Other: Unfortunately, I caught the stomach bug my daughter had earlier in the week, and I was out on Friday. Therefore, I will send home Friday Folders and midterm grades on Monday! I am attaching an additional copy of the midterm grade for you to keep at home. Please sign and return the original copy on Tuesday. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, I am happy to schedule a time to meet or talk on the phone!
Please join us on Friday, Novemeber 22nd at 11:00 a.m. to enjoy a family feast together! With all of the other activities going on with our younger ones on campus, we like to keep our feast more casual. It will begin at 11:00 a.m. and end around noon. Families are welcome to join when they can and stay as long as they like. Other family members are welcome to join too! Just please RSVP with our room parents, so we know how many to expect. A Sign-Up Genius list was created where you can sign up to contribute. We are looking forward to this time together!
We also have early dismissal at 1:00 p.m. Afternoon Treehouse services will not be available. Please let me know of any transportation changes! Thank you!
Week at a Glance:
Monday- THH Ch 7-8 Assignment Due; THH Comprehension Quiz; Midterm Grades
Tuesday- Return signed progress report
Wednesday- SOG Ch 9-10 Vocabulary Test
Friday- Thanksgiving Family Feast at 11:00 a.m.; Early dismissal at 1:00 p.m. (No Afternoon Treehouse services available)
Upcoming- Thanksgiving Break- No school November 25th-November 29th; Chapter 4 Math Test on Tuesday, December 3rd
