Language Arts:
Writing Students completed their first persuasive writing project, learned how to post writing to their own blog, completed beautiful artist’s projects, and will soon begin a second persuasive writing project. We have also been practicing our ABC’s of grammar and
Reading: My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier & Christopher Collier. Set in the time of Colonial unrest and on the brink of the Revolutionary War, Timmy is torn between his Tory Father’s beliefs and his Rebel’s brother Sam’s passion for independence.
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. Set in the time of slavery, this book illustrates the life of the first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada.
Science: Students have been studying the uneven heating of Earth’s surface, convection currents, wind, fresh water, the water cycle, and will soon learn about severe weather. The final exam in this science unit will take place on Friday, May 8th. Students may use notes on this exam, but will definitely need to study those notes ahead of time! Using a textbook to assist with studying is not a bad idea either.
Family Life:
Family Life instruction begins in all fifth grade classrooms on Monday, May 18th. The program is taught as an extension of our science unit on the human body and its systems. Topics covered are: puberty, personal hygiene, the reproductive system in both males and females, pregnancy, childbirth, HIV/AIDS, good decision making and knowing who to turn to for guidance, questions and advice. We encourage our students to continue our conversations with the adults at home, so don’t be surprised if they ask questions or bring up Family Life topics at home!
Social Studies: Students are studying the Revolutionary War era. We are learning about how our government and the Declaration of Independence was created. We are also beginning a new unit on States and Capitals.
Math: Early this month, we will be starting our next unit on problem solving with the coordinate plane. In this unit students develop a coordinate system for the first quadrant of the coordinate plane and use it to solve problems. Students use the familiar number line as an introduction to the idea of a coordinate and construct two perpendicular number lines to create a coordinate system on the plane.
They see that just as points on the line can be located by their distance from 0 , the plane’s coordinate system can be used to locate and plot points using two coordinates. They then use the coordinate system to
explore relationships between points, ordered pairs, patterns, lines and, more abstractly, the rules that generate them. This study culminates in an exploration of the coordinate plane in real world applications.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Tuesday May 12, 9:30-12ish - SBAC Math testing
Wednesday May 13, 8:30-11:30 - Del Mar field trip (no chaperones necessary)
Thursday May 14, 9:30-12ish - SBAC Math testing
Thursday May 14 & Friday May 15, 8:30am - Parent Ed: Middle School Orientation @ Del Mar Gym
Week of May 18 - STAR Science test given
Monday May 18 - SBAC Make-up tests given
Monday May 25 - Memorial Day, no school
Wednesday May 27 - Schoolwide Fair day: International Day
Friday May 29, 3:00 pm - end of AR Trimester 3
Wednesday June 3, 8:30-12:15 - 5th Grade Colonial Day (volunteers needed)
Tuesday June 9 - 5th Grade bowling field trip
Thursday June 11 - 5th Grade Culminating Celebration 11:30-12:15, MPR (parents invited); early dismissal @ 1:55 *LAST SCHOOL DAY
Writing Students completed their first persuasive writing project, learned how to post writing to their own blog, completed beautiful artist’s projects, and will soon begin a second persuasive writing project. We have also been practicing our ABC’s of grammar and
Reading: My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier & Christopher Collier. Set in the time of Colonial unrest and on the brink of the Revolutionary War, Timmy is torn between his Tory Father’s beliefs and his Rebel’s brother Sam’s passion for independence.
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. Set in the time of slavery, this book illustrates the life of the first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada.
Science: Students have been studying the uneven heating of Earth’s surface, convection currents, wind, fresh water, the water cycle, and will soon learn about severe weather. The final exam in this science unit will take place on Friday, May 8th. Students may use notes on this exam, but will definitely need to study those notes ahead of time! Using a textbook to assist with studying is not a bad idea either.
Family Life:
Family Life instruction begins in all fifth grade classrooms on Monday, May 18th. The program is taught as an extension of our science unit on the human body and its systems. Topics covered are: puberty, personal hygiene, the reproductive system in both males and females, pregnancy, childbirth, HIV/AIDS, good decision making and knowing who to turn to for guidance, questions and advice. We encourage our students to continue our conversations with the adults at home, so don’t be surprised if they ask questions or bring up Family Life topics at home!
Social Studies: Students are studying the Revolutionary War era. We are learning about how our government and the Declaration of Independence was created. We are also beginning a new unit on States and Capitals.
Math: Early this month, we will be starting our next unit on problem solving with the coordinate plane. In this unit students develop a coordinate system for the first quadrant of the coordinate plane and use it to solve problems. Students use the familiar number line as an introduction to the idea of a coordinate and construct two perpendicular number lines to create a coordinate system on the plane.
They see that just as points on the line can be located by their distance from 0 , the plane’s coordinate system can be used to locate and plot points using two coordinates. They then use the coordinate system to
explore relationships between points, ordered pairs, patterns, lines and, more abstractly, the rules that generate them. This study culminates in an exploration of the coordinate plane in real world applications.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Tuesday May 12, 9:30-12ish - SBAC Math testing
Wednesday May 13, 8:30-11:30 - Del Mar field trip (no chaperones necessary)
Thursday May 14, 9:30-12ish - SBAC Math testing
Thursday May 14 & Friday May 15, 8:30am - Parent Ed: Middle School Orientation @ Del Mar Gym
Week of May 18 - STAR Science test given
Monday May 18 - SBAC Make-up tests given
Monday May 25 - Memorial Day, no school
Wednesday May 27 - Schoolwide Fair day: International Day
Friday May 29, 3:00 pm - end of AR Trimester 3
Wednesday June 3, 8:30-12:15 - 5th Grade Colonial Day (volunteers needed)
Tuesday June 9 - 5th Grade bowling field trip
Thursday June 11 - 5th Grade Culminating Celebration 11:30-12:15, MPR (parents invited); early dismissal @ 1:55 *LAST SCHOOL DAY