It has been a great first few days of 5th grade! From what I can tell so far, I think it's going to be an awesome year! Every Monday, I will post the newsletter here. I will try to include all the pertinent information for the week, but I will send and email if anything else comes up. I will leave the comment section of the blog open for comments/questions or you may email me.
Important Information
Math
Our first math unit is focused on Number Theory. Please read the Unit 1 Family Letter that can be found under "Unit 1" on our math website. You can also find this in your child's Study Links book. This week we will be introducing the divisibility rules for 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, and 10. We will also be reviewing prime and composite numbers and square numbers. We will be taking our Unit 1 test next Thursday. I will be holding a review tutorial on Wednesday afternoon. All students will be coming home with a study guide at the beginning of next week. The study guide can also be found online under Math Unit 1.
Writing Last week we completed a narrative "on demand" writing piece. This year, we will be focusing on three types of writing; narrative, expository/informational, and essay writing. Each type will be equally stressed throughout the year. We will begin each new unit with an "on demand" piece. These pieces will give me a great starting point for each unit. This week, we will begin our first narrative unit - memoir. We are already learning the qualities of amazing memoir writing by studying mentor texts written by some of our favorite authors.
We had a long discussion today about the grammar skills that 5th graders should be expected to use correctly in everything they write. The class came up with this ongoing list which I will update as we learn and master new skills. For now, the non-negotiable skills are: Correctly capitalizing proper nouns and the beginning of every sentence, using correct ending punctuation, indenting all paragraphs, using quotation marks in direct quotes and dialogue, using complete sentences, and using commas correctly in dates, quotes/dialogue, letter headings/closings, cities and states, and in a list. This is a bare minimum of what is expected on every written assignment. If anything is turned in that does not meet these standards, it will be returned for correction and may be counted as late.
Reading
In reading this week we will be learning how to select "just right" books this week. It is important that students read books that fit there reading level. While reading challenging books isn't always bad, it's hard to work on reading skills like fluency and comprehension when the book is too difficult. It is also important that, as your child becomes a better reader, he or she will be capable of reading books that may not be age appropriate. (ex: Twilight, The Hunger Games) If you ever have a questions about a specific book please don't hesitate to email me. If it is not a book that I have read, I guarantee one of our librarians has read it and would be more than happy to discuss it with you. There are thousands of books available that are appropriate in both age and difficulty level. Please let me know if you would like recommendations and I would be happy to provide them.
Social Studies
This week in social studies we will be kicking of our first unit, "The Road to the Revolution". We will begin by having a "History Moment With Ms. Manning". She will be doing a quick refresher on our country's history up to the French and Indian War. Next week we will pick up with the French and Indian War and it's affect on the American Revolution. From there, we are going to learning about steps that lead our country to revolution.
Homework
Our standard homework policy for the 5th grade is 4 nights of reading, 4 nights of math, and two nights of writing for at least 30 minutes a night. There are a few exceptions to this which I will tell you more about at Parent Night. I am okay with students combining nights of homework, ex. reading for an hour on two nights, instead of 30 minutes on four nights. I will be assigning a lot of the homework that your student will be doing. We are putting a heavy focus on organization this year. One of the places that this is most important is in their planner/agenda. This will be used to both record what is due and to keep a record of what they have completed. We had a long discussion about homework today. Please take a few minutes to go over it with your child.
Study Links support the work that we do in math every day and will be assigned nightly. These are the only exception to the homework policy. Everything else is assigned on Monday and will be due the following Monday. Every week, there will be an assigned reading comprehension page. This page may count as part of their reading homework. It is not to simply be read and answered. Students must highlight important information and indicate with a number where they found the answer to a particular question. We will be doing an example in class tomorrow. There will also be a "Problem of the Week", or POW, to complete every week. This will focus on problem solving skills and, while we encourage parental support, should be all the student's own work. For the first trimester, students will only be graded on completion and effort, not correctness. The POW can be found on a blog under curriculum, then math. POW I have not discussed the POW with the class, but I will be tomorrow.
This week's assigned homework:
~ Reading Comprehension: "The Beginning of the World"
~ Writing assignment: Develop and write about ten qualities needed by someone who wants to be an explorer. Explain your choices.
· Your writing should be one essay, not a bullet pointed list.
· You may neatly handwrite or type you paper, but it must be at least one page in length.
I am looking forward to meeting you all and answering any questions you may have at Parent Night and Hopes and Dreams Conferences next week. .
Important Information
- You will be receiving the first scholastic order forms in your child's folder this Friday. If you or you child wishes to order any books, you may either fill out the paper forms and make a check out to "Scholastic" or you may follow the online link under the "Reading" curriculum page. Please let me know if you have any problems.
- We will have our first Lower School assembly on Thursday morning.
- I have carpool duty on Monday, so I will be having tutorials on Wednesday and Thursday. I will talk more about them at Parents' Night.
Math
Our first math unit is focused on Number Theory. Please read the Unit 1 Family Letter that can be found under "Unit 1" on our math website. You can also find this in your child's Study Links book. This week we will be introducing the divisibility rules for 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, and 10. We will also be reviewing prime and composite numbers and square numbers. We will be taking our Unit 1 test next Thursday. I will be holding a review tutorial on Wednesday afternoon. All students will be coming home with a study guide at the beginning of next week. The study guide can also be found online under Math Unit 1.
Writing Last week we completed a narrative "on demand" writing piece. This year, we will be focusing on three types of writing; narrative, expository/informational, and essay writing. Each type will be equally stressed throughout the year. We will begin each new unit with an "on demand" piece. These pieces will give me a great starting point for each unit. This week, we will begin our first narrative unit - memoir. We are already learning the qualities of amazing memoir writing by studying mentor texts written by some of our favorite authors.
We had a long discussion today about the grammar skills that 5th graders should be expected to use correctly in everything they write. The class came up with this ongoing list which I will update as we learn and master new skills. For now, the non-negotiable skills are: Correctly capitalizing proper nouns and the beginning of every sentence, using correct ending punctuation, indenting all paragraphs, using quotation marks in direct quotes and dialogue, using complete sentences, and using commas correctly in dates, quotes/dialogue, letter headings/closings, cities and states, and in a list. This is a bare minimum of what is expected on every written assignment. If anything is turned in that does not meet these standards, it will be returned for correction and may be counted as late.
Reading
In reading this week we will be learning how to select "just right" books this week. It is important that students read books that fit there reading level. While reading challenging books isn't always bad, it's hard to work on reading skills like fluency and comprehension when the book is too difficult. It is also important that, as your child becomes a better reader, he or she will be capable of reading books that may not be age appropriate. (ex: Twilight, The Hunger Games) If you ever have a questions about a specific book please don't hesitate to email me. If it is not a book that I have read, I guarantee one of our librarians has read it and would be more than happy to discuss it with you. There are thousands of books available that are appropriate in both age and difficulty level. Please let me know if you would like recommendations and I would be happy to provide them.
Social Studies
This week in social studies we will be kicking of our first unit, "The Road to the Revolution". We will begin by having a "History Moment With Ms. Manning". She will be doing a quick refresher on our country's history up to the French and Indian War. Next week we will pick up with the French and Indian War and it's affect on the American Revolution. From there, we are going to learning about steps that lead our country to revolution.
Homework
Our standard homework policy for the 5th grade is 4 nights of reading, 4 nights of math, and two nights of writing for at least 30 minutes a night. There are a few exceptions to this which I will tell you more about at Parent Night. I am okay with students combining nights of homework, ex. reading for an hour on two nights, instead of 30 minutes on four nights. I will be assigning a lot of the homework that your student will be doing. We are putting a heavy focus on organization this year. One of the places that this is most important is in their planner/agenda. This will be used to both record what is due and to keep a record of what they have completed. We had a long discussion about homework today. Please take a few minutes to go over it with your child.
Study Links support the work that we do in math every day and will be assigned nightly. These are the only exception to the homework policy. Everything else is assigned on Monday and will be due the following Monday. Every week, there will be an assigned reading comprehension page. This page may count as part of their reading homework. It is not to simply be read and answered. Students must highlight important information and indicate with a number where they found the answer to a particular question. We will be doing an example in class tomorrow. There will also be a "Problem of the Week", or POW, to complete every week. This will focus on problem solving skills and, while we encourage parental support, should be all the student's own work. For the first trimester, students will only be graded on completion and effort, not correctness. The POW can be found on a blog under curriculum, then math. POW I have not discussed the POW with the class, but I will be tomorrow.
This week's assigned homework:
~ Reading Comprehension: "The Beginning of the World"
~ Writing assignment: Develop and write about ten qualities needed by someone who wants to be an explorer. Explain your choices.
· Your writing should be one essay, not a bullet pointed list.
· You may neatly handwrite or type you paper, but it must be at least one page in length.
I am looking forward to meeting you all and answering any questions you may have at Parent Night and Hopes and Dreams Conferences next week. .