Grade 5
JANUARY 2023
ELA (English Language Arts - Reading/Writing): How many verb tenses do you know? We will be studying progressive and perfect tenses in grammar. Our writing focus this trimester is NARRATIVE writing, and we will be using sensory language to set the scene and pull the reader in. As always, the best WRITERS are also STRONG READERS, so please encourage your child to read DAILY!
Math: We are moving our way through Module 4 (multiplying and dividing fractions) and will hopefully begin Module 5 (addition and multiplication with volume and area) before vacation. Please remember the students should be practicing Freckle at least 20 minutes nightly.
Social Studies: We are currently studying the Pre-Revolutionary War, which will lead to the foundations of our democracy.
Science: Plants, glorious plants! We’re learning about matter and energy in plants, food chains, food webs and the amazing decomposers! Our classroom walls are lined with our optimistic January “plantings” of seeds in sealed plastic bags.
Family Connections: Ask your child about the Stock Market game.The spring session for the SMG begins the first week of February. Ask your child what they invested in and why? Make sure your child reads EVERY day. Encourage your child to get plenty of rest, eat nutritious food and play outside! This is how their brains and bodies develop!
Special Activities - Black History and/or Lunar New Year: In ELA we read about Rosa Parks and discussed how her actions led to real change in our country. We also used this text to further explore narrative techniques, examining how the author used figurative language to help convey the theme.
NOVEMBER 2022
ELA (English Language Arts - Reading/Writing): As we move into December and January, we will be reading realistic fiction, expository text and argumentative texts, and students will often respond in writing to what they read. We are working hard to improve our writing skills, using the P.A.C.E.S. strategy, which helps students organize their expository writing and make sure they have included sufficient evidence. In grammar we will focus on verbs, plurals and those pesky possessive nouns.
Our classroom library is loaded with books for every interest (thank you, parents!), and students enjoy choosing books that are just right for them to read at school. Please remind your child to read at home everyday for at least 30 sustained minutes. This is how they will develop the reading STAMINA necessary to be successful as they move through school. Thanks!
Math: We are finishing up Module 2 over the next week and starting work on Module 3 (adding and subtracting fractions) after Thanksgiving. Please remind your child to spend 15-20 minutes on Freckle each night.
Social Studies: We will be moving into the colonization of North America. After the new year we will be focusing on the Revolutionary War.
Science: We are wrapping up our study of matter, and students will participate in their first NGSA Interim Science Assessment in December. This short assessment is designed as a “check-in” of student progress with the science standards and is not part of the more formal NGSA Science Assessment which will take place in the spring.
Dung beetles, anyone? Our next unit of study in Science focuses on the flow of matter and energy through an ecosystem.
Family Connections: Make sure your child reads EVERY day. Encourage your child to get plenty of rest, eat nutritious food and play outside. This is how their brains and bodies develop! Please continue to talk to your child about the stock market.
Monthly Themes - Holidays: In ELA we will be reading about other cultures, their customs and traditions, including holidays.
OCTOBER 2022
ELA (English Language Arts - Reading/Writing): We are working on Unit 2 in Wonders which includes genre studies of both folktales and poetry. ELA focus skills this month will include theme, making predictions, Greek and Latin roots and personification.
Math: Module 2: Covering topics such as multi-digit multiplication, decimal multiplication, partial quotients and multi-digit division.
Social Studies: We are continuing into European Exploration of the Americas, their impact on the people and the land.
Science: What’s left behind when orange juice evaporates? Where did the water on the outside of the glass come from? What exactly is conservation of matter? How does matter change forms? These are the questions we will be investigating this month.
Stock Market Game: The students are in the beginning process of purchasing shares of companies with their virtual $100,000 (per team). Please ask what companies they are interested in purchasing or have already purchased.
Family Connections: Make sure your child reads EVERY day. In 5th grade the daily homework assignment is 30 minutes of sustained reading, which will help to develop the reading stamina needed for middle school, and 20 minutes of Freckle Math. As always, encourage your child to get plenty of rest, eat nutritious food and play outside! This is how their brains and bodies develop!
SEPTEMBER 2022
We are proud of the strong start 5th grade has made this year!
ELA (English Language Arts - Reading/Writing): The Big Idea in Unit 1 of Wonders is “Where can an idea begin?” During this unit we will read realistic fiction, narrative nonfiction, biography, and persuasive articles. In writing, we are focusing on elements of informational writing, including organization, paragraph structure, and use of text evidence.
Math: We will be continuing with Module 1 over the next couple of weeks, covering adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals. In Module 2 we will be learning multiplication and division with whole numbers and decimals.
Social Studies: In social studies, we are learning about early Native American cultures and early European exploration of the Americas.
Science: What’s the MATTER? The 5th grade is studying matter - properties, interactions, changes in state, etc. Throughout this unit, students are learning things that will help them to solve their Mission - designing a plan to clean up a water treatment facility after it is damaged in a hurricane.
Family Connections:
Make sure your child reads for at least 30 minutes EVERY day. This will help him/her develop the reading stamina needed to be successful next year in middle school. Encourage your child to get plenty of rest, eat nutritious food, and play outside! This is how their brains and bodies develop!