Week of 12/15

Last week we had a great time learning about the assembly line and eating what we created.

We enjoyed visiting GMS and listening to the GMS band.

Dear Families~

Welcome to the last week of school for this year! We have so much to do and several tests this week, so we must keep on going so we can finish things up.

PartyTime!
A special THANK YOU goes to Mrs. Gilmer for organizing our class party for this Friday. Thank you to everyone who has offered to help her with the cost of the party as well. Our party will begin at 1:30 on Friday afternoon.

Coming Up this week
Mon, 12/15: Final copy of information writing due
Tues, 12/16: Service Learning Project-making holiday cards; Tuesday Red Folders go home
Wed, 12/17: Return Tuesday Red Folders; class Spelling Bee
Thurs, 12/18: Social Studies test; Reading test
Fri, 12/19: Math test; Holiday party at 1:30

Students return to school on Tuesday, January 6th! Teachers have a workday on Monday, January 5th.

Social Studies
We are wrapping up our study of the 1920s and 1930s. On Tuesday, we'll watch a History Channel special about the Dust Bowl. On Wednesday, we'll play a review game (on Kahoot!) to get ready for our test. Test on Thursday afternoon. On Friday, students will watch the movie Kit Kittredge - it's a great story about the Great Depression! Students have a study guide they will complete based on the movie that goes along with our study of the 1930s.


Math
This is our last week to work with adding and subtracting fractions. Most of the students are able to find a common denominator for their fractions in order to add or subtract them. The biggest areas of difficulty are converting mixed numbers to improper fractions (and improper fractions to mixed numbers) and more complex subtracting problems. Students took a quiz on Friday to determine their greatest areas of need before the test. Test on Friday morning.

Reading
We are still working with organizational structures this week. Students have done a great job being able to identify a text's organizational structure. Now we are going to compare and contrast two different texts and their structures. Students will have to provide evidence from the texts to support their ideas. Test on Thursday morning.

Week of 12/8

Dear Families~

We had a great week last week. Our class really behaved very well at the ballet on Friday. We have another field trip this Friday. We will be heading over to GMS for a holiday concert. This is ALWAYS a favorite!

We have 2 more weeks filled with learning ahead of us before our WINTER BREAK. Let's keep the learning going.

Here is a look at what will be happening: 
Mon, 12/8 Math homework handed out; new skills rotation starts (for 4 weeks) 
Tues, 12/9 Red folders come home (see permission slip) 
Wed, 12/10  Return Red folders
Thurs, 12/11 Step & Musicals performances (8:25 and 9:20); permission slips due
Fri, 12/12 Math homework due; field trip to GMS for winter concert

What a GREAT opportunity from Amerigroup and Safe Kids

Amerigroup and Safe Kids to host the 2nd Annual Winter Wonderful on Friday, December 12 from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm at Lakeshore Mall (at the fountain). Safe Kids will be giving away 200 free bike helmets for kids ages 5-10 while supplies last on a first come-first serve basis. The child must be present to receive a helmet.

Amerigroup will be giving away coats, hats and gloves while supplies last on a first come-first serve basis. Each half hour, we will raffle off amazing prizes. Raffle tickets are free. Also, we will have fun holiday activities and crafts for the kids. 

Items Needed for a Project by Wednesday of this week: 
Graham crackers (2 boxes) 
White icing (3 containers) 
Plastic spoons (1 box) 
Skittles or M&Ms 
Starburst (1 bag, at least 25)

This Week in Social Studies 
We will begin studying the 1920s and 1930s this week! This is always a fun unit for the students. We will discover the highs and lows our country faced following WWI. We will also study what led us into WWII. This week, we'll be focusing on Langston Hughes, Babe Ruth, Charles Lindbergh, Louis Armstrong, and Henry Ford! On Thursday, we'll be making edible cars in a race to see if students can build the cars faster in an assembly line or in one-on-one production! We will TEST over 1920s and 1930s before WINTER BREAK!
 
This Week in Math
We are still adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. Most of the students can identify a common denominator for two fractions who have different denominators. (For example, they can determine that the common denominator o4 1/4 and 1/6 is 12.) This is a great because they are mastering the first step in the process! Most of them are then able to add or subtract the fractions. We will begin throwing in mixed numerals this week to add and subtract. The work gets a little more difficult this week. We will TEST over adding and subtracting FRACTIONS before WINTER BREAK!

This Week in Reading
We will continue studying organizational structures this week. Students are getting used to identifying the structure of a text and putting it on a graphic organizer. (This is a review from 4th grade.) We will begin comparing the structures of two or more texts in order to write about them. We will TEST over ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES before WINTER BREAK!

As many of you may have already noticed, we will have 3 tests next week before we leave for WINTER BREAK. Please be sure that your child is here at school each day.

Helpful Math videos

Please check out the following videos for some help with adding and subtracting fractions.

Check this out. . . .

What a GREAT opportunity from Amerigroup and Safe Kids

Amerigroup and Safe Kids to host the 2nd Annual Winter Wonderful on Friday, December 12 from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm at Lakeshore Mall (at the fountain). Safe Kids will be giving away 200 free bike helmets for kids ages 5-10 while supplies last on a first come-first serve basis. The child must be present to receive a helmet.

Amerigroup will be giving away coats, hats and gloves while supplies last on a first come-first serve basis. Each half hour, we will raffle off amazing prizes. Raffle tickets are free. Also, we will have fun holiday activities and crafts for the kids.

Help Needed

Dear Families~

We have almost made it to the half way point in the year! Time sure is really flying by. We are running out of some materials at school. I've updated our Sign-Up Genius (Volunteer Section on the blog). If you are able to send in any of the following items, please let me know.
We need:
scissors
baby wipes
colored pencils
liquid glue


Next week we will be doing a project in social studies and are in need of some food items to complete the project! I just love lessons that involve FOOD.
We need the following items:

Paper plates

Napkins

Graham crackers (3 boxes)

White icing (3 containers)

Plastic spoons (1 box)

Skittles or M&Ms
Starburst (1 bag, at least 25)

Week of 12/1

Dear Families~

WOW! Time is flying by. . . .I can't believe that it is December already. I hope that everyone had a wonderful and RESTFUL Thanksgiving Break! 

November Service Learning
My homeroom partnered with Mrs. Igleheart's first grade class to write encouraging notes to the homeless in Gainesville. (Mrs. Thompson's 5th graders partnered with Mrs. Hicks's first graders as well.)

CAA's Total Donations for November: 213 pairs of socks, 26 coats, 6 sweaters, 2 blankets, and 30 sack lunches. THANK YOU!!!!

Book Fair is this Wednesday - we will visit at 12:30 (as soon as we finish lunch). You can send in cash or a check, or you may plan to visit with us! There are lots of great books on the fair this year. You may want to check out the "Teacher Wish List" board! I've listed some titles the class seemed excited about and would like to have in our classroom library.

Field Trip! We are going on a field trip THIS FRIDAY, 12/5, to see the Nutcracker at Brenau! We have several 5th graders performing this year, so all classes are going to see this production and support our wonderful Gainesville Ballet. Tickets are normally $6, but we have discounted ticket prices of $2!

What's Going on This Week:
Mon, 12/1 Back to school!
Tues, 12/2 Red Folders come home
Wed, 12/3 Return Red Folders; Book fair visit at 12:30 
Thurs, 12/4 Permission slips due; Skate Country 6-8pm
Fri, 12/5 Science test; math homework due; field trip to see the Nutcracker

Upcoming Events:
Sun, 12/7 Family day at the Northeast GA History Center! Victorian Christmas

Math
We start working with fractions this week! This is another three-week unit. We will start by identifying the least common denominator of two fractions (also known as least common multiple), then we'll start adding and subtracting them for these three weeks. In 4th grade, your child added and subtracted fractions with LIKE denominators (the number on the bottom is the same). However, in 5th grade, we are adding and subtracting fractions with UNLIKE denominators (the number on the bottom is different; for example, 1/3 + 2/5). We will also be adding and subtracting whole numbers and fractions, mixed numbers, and improper fractions. Whew! We will also test for this unit the week before we get out for winter break.

Reading
This week, we start a three-week unit on organizational structures. Students will read a text and try to decide how it's organized: description, cause-effect, compare-contrast, problem-solution, or chronological-sequence. We will start off by identifying a text's organizational structure, and next week, we'll begin to compare the organizational structures of one text with a different text. We will test the week before we get out for winter break.

November Book It Reading Logs
A special congratulations goes to--Nigel, Iqui, Eddie, Da'Niya, Xochilth, and Adriana. They have completed their required November reading. They have received a FREE Pizza from Pizza Hut! 
We have increased our goal for December. . .our goal is to read 375 minutes this month! That is just over 12 minutes each day! I know you can do it. 
 
Language Arts
We are beginning to work on conjunctions and informational writing. Students will be working on the differences between coordinating, subordinating, and correlative conjunctions. We will also begin how-to writing. 

Science
Students are finishing a science unit with Ms. Creel. They are studying physical and chemical changes. The science test will be this Friday. 

Week of 11/17

Dear Families~

We have a very busy week this week.

This week
Mon, 11/17: Math Homework given
Tues, 11/18:chapter 4 Shurley English test; Service Learning Project Day---FUZZY SOCK DRIVE;   Tuesday Folders go home
Wed, 11/19: Return Tuesday Red Folders
Thurs, 11/20: PTA meeting-NO performances
Fri, 11/21: Math homework due; Math test; Reading Test; Chick-Fil-A $2.50



Upcoming Events
Mon, 11/24-Fri, 11/28 Thanksgiving Holidays
Mon, 12/1-Fri, 12/5 School Book Fair

Science
For the next two weeks our class will be in science with Ms. Creel.

Math

Standards: 

MCC5.OA.1 Use parentheses, brackets, or braces in numerical expressions, and evaluate expressions with these symbols.  

MCC5.OA.2 Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers, and interpret numerical expressions without evaluating them. For example, express the calculation “add 8 and 7, then multiply by 2” as 2 × (8 + 7). Recognize that 3 × (18932 + 921) is three times as large as 18932 + 921, without having to calculate the indicated sum or product.

Activities:

Math with Riddles - Order of Operations 3- Solve the math problems to solve the riddle.

Trick Answers- Read over a student’s homework. She didn’t show her work, but she did list her answers to each problem. Check her work for her and explain to her how you know her answers are correct or incorrect.

Word Problems - Order of Operations -Read the problems and solve them.

Order of Operations Puzzle-Rearrange the puzzle pieces so that the numerical expression matches the written expression.

Order of Operations Use the order of operations. Evaluate each expression. 

Write and Interpret Expressions

Order of Operations Dice Center Activity
Test: Friday

*Students will be working in small groups this week on skills that have NOT been mastered.

Reading

Standards

RL5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

Activities

• Figurative Language Warm-Up Page 1 Read the paragraphs and answer the questions.
• Simile & Metaphor Packet Read each sentence. Identify the figurative phrase and its meaning.
• “Grandma’s Garden” Figurative Language Puzzle Read Grandma’s Garden. Using the puzzle sheet that goes with it, go back and find each example of figurative language in the story. In the top puzzle piece, write the type of figurative language. In the puzzle piece on the right, explain the actual (literal) meaning of the figurative phrase.  

What We're Reading

• "Grandma's Garden"
• One for the Murphy's

What We're Writing

• Stories with figurative language (primarily similes and metaphors)

English

• Grammar: compound subjects, compound verbs, and compound objects of prepositions
• Skills: Types of sentences - simple, fragment, simple with a compound subject, simple with a compound verb

TEST: Tuesday

Week of 11/10

Dear Families~

I'd like to start this post by saying thank you for all of the encouraging words that you give your child each day. Fifth grade is not always easy, we have to keep our heads up and continue to work hard each and every day!

For the past several weeks, I have only had about 10 students who turn in their homework each week. This is a PROBLEM. Please continue to encourage your child to complete the math homework each night and be sure that they turn it in on Friday of each week. We are working as a 5th grade team to teach the students responsibility. Thank you for your help with this matter.

Our class has discussed Class Dojo and decided to not do daily rewards. We are working with a weekly reward system now and hopefully the students will like it better.

Please know that as a 5th grade team, we are working with the students to remain focused on a particular task at hand. This seems to be quite challenging for the students. As a class we are working on the amount of time students spend talking (talking that is not related to the class) as well as the quality of work that the students produce. Please feel free to talk to your child at home about putting forth the best effort possible. Thank you for your help.

Service Learning Project

For the month of November, we decided to provide warm fuzzy socks for those in need in our community. We cannot do this without your help! Please send in new adult sized socks. We will deliver the socks to those in need on Tuesday, November 18th. As of right now, we do not have any socks to send. Please help!


We have a very busy week this week. Let's take a look at what's going on:
Mon, 11/10: Math homework given out (due Friday)
Tues, 11/11: Veterans Day; Tuesday Red Folders go home (due Wednesday)
Wed, 11/12: Scholastic Book Club order due; Tuesday Red Folders due; Library day
Thurs, 11/13: Last day to turn in Nut Cracker coloring sheets; Thanksgiving Lunch at CAA; Skate
     Country 6-8pm; Social Studies test--WWI
Fri, 11/14: Math homework due; Math test (multiplying and dividing decimals)

Upcoming Events:
Tues, 11/18: Service Learning Project Day---FUZZY SOCK DRIVE
Fri, 11/21: Chick-fil-a
Mon, 11/24-Fri, 11/28 Thanksgiving Holidays

Social Studies

This week we will finish up our WWI unit of study. 

Standards
SS5H4 The student will describe U.S. involvement in World War I and post-World War I America.  

Explain how German attacks on U.S. shipping during the war in Europe (1914- 1917) ultimately led the U.S. to join the fight against Germany; include the sinking of the Lusitania and concerns over safety of U.S. ships, U.S. contributions to the war, and the impact of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

Activities

• Read about military families and the tradition of honoring our veterans (for Veterans Day)
• Read about and discuss the end of the war
• Complete a study guide and review activity

Test: This Thursday

Math

Standards

NBT.7 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.  

The test for this standard is THIS FRIDAY. We will be practicing multiplying and dividing decimals daily to prepare for our assessment.
Activities

• NBT.7 Choice Board Students will be able to choose from a variety of activities to complete from this standard. 
• Decimal Practice Packet Students have two pages of review for multiplying and dividing with decimals.
• Workbook pages/Performance Tasks Some students will be working out of their enVision workbooks, and others will be completing practice performance tasks for the test on Friday.
• IXL – Dividing Decimals Please master all of these: H.13, I.3, I.5

Homework
This week, we have some 4th grade and 5th grade review on the front of the homework. On the back, students will be able to practice dividing decimals. 

Reading

Standards

RL5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

Activities

• Figurative Language Warm-Up Page 1 Read the paragraphs and answer the questions.
• Simile & Metaphor Packet Read each sentence. Identify the figurative phrase and its meaning.
• “Grandma’s Garden” Figurative Language Puzzle Read Grandma’s Garden. Using the puzzle sheet that goes with it, go back and find each example of figurative language in the story. In the top puzzle piece, write the type of figurative language. In the puzzle piece on the right, explain the actual (literal) meaning of the figurative phrase.  

What We're Reading

• "Grandma's Garden"
• One for the Murphy's

What We're Writing

• Stories with figurative language (primarily similes and metaphors)

English

• Starting Shurley English Chapter 4 
• Grammar: compound subjects, compound verbs, and compound objects of prepositions
• Skills: Types of sentences - simple, fragment, simple with a compound subject, simple with a compound verb

 

Week of 11/3

Just some fun at RECESS!

 

This past Tuesday, our newest Scholastic Book Club order forms went home in Tuesday Red Folders. Please know that the due date for all orders is November 12th. Feel free to take advantage of on-line ordering. Our class code is:  F974D.

Every child that orders will receive a free gift. Also, books make great gifts for readers just like your child. Please feel free to check out our classroom Wish List. . . .our class loves to read and would like some additional books in our classroom library.

We really enjoyed collecting data on our pumpkins!

A special thank you goes to all of the families that supplied us with pumpkins for this wonderful activity. We had a great time! 

Another big THANKS to everyone who sent in coats for our coat drive in October. Our class, along with Mrs. Thompson's class, delivered 38 coats (and 30 lunches made by Mrs. Hawkins's students) to New Walk Ministry last week. They operate the Facebook page "Homeless in Gainesville, Ga." Here's a picture they posted of a man who received one of our coats. My students (along with Mrs. Thompson's students) wrote notes to go on the coats - notes with encouraging words. I loved receiving this picture; look at him reading the note of encouragement while wearing a coat he'd been given - it really filled my bucket!

Service Learning Project

We are going to do a sock drive for NEW "adult" socks in the month of November. Any kind of thick, wooly, or fuzzy pair of socks would be greatly appreciated! We will deliver those on November 18th. If you still have any blankets or coats, please feel free to continue to send those as well. Many of the 5th grade classes are pairing up with a 1st grade class for this month to collect NEW socks. We will work on writing special notes of encouragement with our new 1st grade friends and will place them inside the socks. This is such a special project. It could not happen without your help. Thank you in advance for sending in new socks.

Social Studies

My homeroom is back with me for the next two weeks! We'll begin studying World War 1. Don't forget to check out our 5th grade SS website CLICK HERE for more information and access to our class notes.
 

Standards
SS5H4 The student will describe U.S. involvement in World War I and post-World War I America.  

Explain how German attacks on U.S. shipping during the war in Europe (1914- 1917) ultimately led the U.S. to join the fight against Germany; include the sinking of the Lusitania and concerns over safety of U.S. ships, U.S. contributions to the war, and the impact of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. 

 

Activities

• Watch BrainPop video on WWI; discuss the background to the war
• Read and write about military alliances; color a WWI alliances map
• Watch videos about the sinking of the Lusitania and read about how it prompted the US to enter WWI
• Read about and discuss home life during WWI

Test: Thursday of next week!

 

Math

Standards

NBT.7 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.  

We are going to continue reviewing and practicing multiplying with decimals, but this week, we are introducing dividing with decimals. 

 

Activities:

Divide Decimals Page Front and back. Show your work on paper and staple it to your paper when you’ve finished. Check your work by multiplying!
Solve the Riddle! Solve the division problems to find what number goes with each word. Then enter each word in the spaces below to find out the riddle. 

NBT.6 Task Cards Complete at least 3 problems for each operation: addition, subtraction, multiplying, and dividing. Show your work on paper. Keep that to turn in with this menu board.  

IXL – Dividing Decimals Please master all of these: H.13, I.3, I.5 

 

Homework
Please be sure to ask your child if  they have completed their math homework. We are still having an issue with students not turning in their work. Homework is due on Friday. 

 

Math videos to look at:

Reading

Standards

RL5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

 

Activities:

Party in Room 302: Tasks A and B Read the story "Party in Room 302." For task A, identify all the instances of figurative language. For task B, explain what some of the examples mean. 
StoryWorks “Like Magic” (October 2014) Read the entire story. After reading it, find the 3 similes on page 22. On a sheet of notebook paper, write down the sentence that has the simile, underline the simile, and tell what it means. Do this for all 3 similes. 

RL.4 Choice Board Complete one activity for each letter: READ. Color in the square for the activity you’ve chosen. 

Figurative Language Task Cards Choose some of the activities on these cards to complete. Some of them are tough! Be sure your thinking cap is on. 

Study Island Take the figurative language test on Study Island. Take your time and think carefully! This will show me what you know. 

 

What We're Reading

• "Princess Penelope"
• "Party in Room 302"
• "Like Magic"
• One for the Murphy's

What We're Writing

• Stories with figurative language (primarily similes and metaphors)

English

• Starting Shurley English Chapter 4 
• Grammar: compound subjects, compound verbs, and compound objects of prepositions
• Skills: Types of sentences - simple, fragment, simple with a compound subject, simple with a compound verb
• Test next week