The month of August sure is flying by. Last week someone said, "Is it Friday already?" We must be having too much fun.
Scholastic Book Club
Last week in the Tuesday Red Folder you received a Scholastic Book Order form. Please know that there are 2 ways you are able to order from Scholastic. You may send in a personal check made out to Scholastic Book Clubs for the amount of your order, or you may order on-line. If you'd like to order on-line, please go to Scholastic Book Clubs once you are there, please click on the yellow rectangle on the right hand side that says 'First time here. . .PARENTS Connect to your teacher.' After you click there it is going to ask you for a class code. Our class code is F974D. Then you are able to order. Each time someone orders on-line from our class, we receive new books for our classroom library! We love new books.
Agendas
Students write their homework in their agenda on Monday for the entire week. Sometimes during the week the homework might change depending on how much we are getting done in class. Sometimes, students will have different homework from their friends. I base homework on the NEEDS of the STUDENTS. It is your child's responsibility to write down their own homework. As a 5th grade teacher part of my job is to help prepare your child for the middle school. I do not go behind your child and make sure that they have written in their agenda nor do I check it for a parent signature. If you have written me a note, please make sure that your child gives it to me.
What is happening this week:
- Monday, 8/25: Switch for science with Ms. Creel
- Tuesday, 8/26: Tuesday red folder goes home--please be sure to review papers with your child and sign the GREEN sheet.
- Friday, 8/29: Shurley English test chapter 1 (capitalization/punctuation)
Please remember that our day begins at 7:30! Our students are to be seated in their 1st class at 7:30. Students really do need to be here at school and in my classroom at 7:25 in order to be ready for the 7:30 class.
Social Studies
A note about tests and grading: This year in social studies and science, your child will be taking tests using a free online assessment program called Socrative. This website allows teachers to input questions and answers so that your child can take the test online. This saves the school paper and also allows the teacher to download the students' grades for multiple-choice tests.
This means you will not see a paper multiple-choice test come home for these subjects this year. Students will write a short-answer paragraph or essay for every social studies and science test, however. Grades will be posted on this paper for you to see when they come home in Tuesday folders.
If your child's test grade matches the essay grade, you will only see one grade on the test. For example, if your child makes a 3 on the essay and a 3 on the multiple-choice Socrative test, you will just see one grade on the test paper. However, if your child makes a 2 on the essay but a 3 on the multiple choice, we will show both grades on the test. We mark Socrative grades with an "SOC" by the grade.
If at any time you have a question about your child's performance on these tests, please contact me for Social Studies or Ms. Creel for Science. Thanks!
*Please note that I do allow students to retake a test that they did not do well on. It is the students responsibility to let me know that they want to retake a test. Please know that I cannot use regular class time for a retest.
Science
Students will be with Ms. Creel for the next 2 weeks learning about Plant and Animal Classification.
Mathematics
Standards
- 5.NBT.A.3 Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.
- How do we compare decimals?
- How can a number line help us compare decimals?
- Why is it important to be able to compare decimals?
Students are working in small groups to complete centers and work with me on math skills. I am able to enrich those who master the material quickly and reteach those who are having a little difficulty. Here are some of the things we'll be doing in class this week:
- Interactive Notebook: how to compare decicmals
- Mrs. Weiser: working on task cards and a performance task (What do you know? How can you use it? Why is that true?)
- Computer: IXL (If you want, your child can work on this at home! They have new login numbers and will write these down in their agendas. The sections of IXL we are working on this week are C.8, C.9, and C.10)
- Partner Work: Play Decimal War with playing cards to make the highest decimal!
- Independent Work: Use baseball card statistics to see which ball players are better than others by using their batting averages.
Reading/ELA
Standards
- RL.5.1. Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
- RL.5.2. Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
- L.5.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- What are the basic parts of literary (fiction) texts?
- How are literary texts set up (plot diagram)?
We are starting our first novel unit this week! We are reading Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli.
- Interactive Notebook: story elements and plot pyramid
- Mrs. Weiser: introduce instructional conversations in reading; discuss exposition and inciting incident in the novel
- ELA/Writing: complete Classroom Practices #2, #3, and #4 in Shurley English, Chapter 1; write opinion about nonfiction article - SHURLEY ENGLISH TEST THIS FRIDAY
- Computer: Take "Star Test" for Accelerated Reader; start Typing Pal
- Lit Circle: assign jobs for literature circles and meet to discuss the book
Read 30 minutes each night! I'd still love to see thirty minutes of reading over the weekend. It can be done a little each day or all at once. We are also currently doing a 25-Page Club in class. Students who read over 25 pages each night get to sign their names to the club sheet! How can I tell if a child has read enough each night? I do Status of the Class every single day to record what page students are on and to check comprehension. I truly appreciate when students have done the required reading! For students who have not done the reading, we discuss the importance of it and develop a plan for reading. If your child is not reading at least 30 minutes every night, please set aside a quiet space and time for this very important task. I do not require a reading log each night since I check it in class each day.
