5th Grade Weekly Update for Week of February 10th
Photo Highlight of the Week: Baking with fractions was a big success! Every group was successful in measuring accurately and creating a delicious brownie waffle to enjoy! Check out the pictures below! I also included pictures of Sixth Grade Shadow Day! We kicked off the day participating in team building events in the Leadership 101 class. Then, students spent the remainder of the day getting a glimpse into what life as a sixth grader looks like. An exciting day!
Math: Students have acquired many new skills this year regarding fraction operations. Therefore, before we move forward to our next unit, we will spend a little time reviewing everything we have learned including adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing with fractions and mixed numbers. I have fun review games planned including a class Jeopardy game and a game of Four Corners. Then, we will jump into our Probability and Statistics Unit. Leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, we practiced finding the mean, mode, median, and range using the winning and losing scores from the past 10 years. This week, students will gain more practice with this skill as we incorporate valentine candy hearts into our lesson! We will also explore different types of graphs, including line plots, histograms, circle graphs, and many more!
ELA: On Monday, students will need to turn in the Watson’s Go to Birmingham vocabulary packet. They will also take a comprehension quiz for chapters 1-7. I told students that it is a good idea to take notes as you read. It’s good to make a character chart as a reminder of who people are as you are introduced to new characters. After reading each chapter, it is also helpful to jot down a few key ideas. If students have listened to my advice and have notes, they are allowed to use them on the quiz. The notes must be handwritten by the student. On Monday, they will receive the new packet for the next chapters. This packet will include figurative language and help students identify examples used in our book.
I am so proud of all the effort students are putting forth in their research papers so far. This week, we will create our thesis statements and begin the first steps of our outline. In grammar, we are continuing to practice applying our skills within Daily Paragraph Editing. As these sheets come home in Friday Folders, please remember to keep them as a reference for unit test. We will also begin incorporating a lesson on the commonly confused words once a week. Our words this week are began vs. begun.
Science: We will begin Investigation 5 this week. Students currently have flashcards for Investigations 1-3. I will grade Investigation 4 flashcards and give them to students on Tuesday. They should study these flashcards 15 minutes every single night. Our test will be right around the corner as we conclude Investigation Five.
History: Daily Geography will start again this week, our focus is using road maps. We’ll use a bar scale and color-code interstate highways and U.S. highways. Great practice for using a scale, always a more challenging skill to master! Students will continue their research about the Maya, Inca, and Aztec civilizations this week in their small groups. They have created a homework plan for the next two weeks and split up research duties, so they are ready to dive into this assignment!
Other: I’m looking forward to meeting again to discuss how your child is progressing and goals for the remaining year! Conference forms were sent home in Friday Folders. Please sign and return them on Monday.
On Friday, we will celebrate Valentines Day with a valentine exchange and a special treat at lunch! I sent home a white bag that students will use in our valentine exchange. They need to write their name on the outside of the bag in large print. They are welcome to decorate and personalize their bags however they like. We will also use these in a fun themed vocabulary activity. Students should turn in the bag to me on Thursday.
We are getting excited about Camp Widjiwagan! Please remember that forms are due on Thursday!
Week at a Glance:
Monday: WGTB vocab packet due and comprehension quiz (Students are allowed to use any handwritten notes they may have created); Turn in conference forms
Thursday: Valentine bag due; Camp Widjiwagan forms due
Friday: Valentine exchange and treat
