Curriculum News

Math Unit 1-  Finding Factors and Prime Factors, Multiplication and Division Strategies 
Fifth graders are expected to know their multiplication facts up to 12's.  Please have your child practice their math facts at home!  They need to have them memorized so they can work with confidence and accuracy.  

Language-  "CRAFT"  stands for Comprehension, Respond to Text, Awareness of the Organization of Text, Fluency and Text Features/Vocabulary
During "CRAFT"  time we learned about picking the right book and the routines of Read to Self. 
Students are reading with tenacity towards our class goal of 100 books!  Once students complete a book they fill out a Book Talk Card and share it with the class.  They will bring home their Book Talk Card to share with you first, please sign the back of the Card showing that they discussed the book with you.  
Writing-  We will begin researching and writing our Historical Journals in the upcoming weeks.  The six trait focus will be on Ideas and Word Choice. 

Unit of Inquiry-  How We Express Ourselves, "This Land is Your Land, But Now It's My Land
This week students learned about different explorers that discovered the Americas.  They shared their knowledge with their classmates by performing skits and presenting posters.  We also learned about  Roanoke, "The Lost Colony".
In the next few weeks, we will be learning about the different American colonies, why they were colonized, the people that made up the colonies, the impact and different perspectives.  Students will then pick a colony and write a historical journal based on a fictional character.  
The summative assessment for this unit is an independent inquiry project into a country of interest that was colonized.  Students will create a flip book that showcases their new knowledge. 

Media Center- We have been busy in the media center preparing for our blogging journey.  Students are excited to begin.  We will be going over blogging agreements and students will set up their blogs and will begin posting.   
 
I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Parent Night! 

We had a busy first few days of fifth grade!  Class building activities helped us get to know each other a little better.  Our class is made up of surfers, swimmers, dog lovers, dancers, aspiring cooks, book lovers and much more...  Check out the pictures below and ask your child to tell you about our  "Snowball" activity.  I am so impressed with this year's  caring, respectful, energetic and enthusiastic class!    

We  kicked off our first unit of the year, "This Land is Your Land,  Now It's My Land"  under the Transdisciplinary Theme- Where We Are In Place & Time.  In the Media Center we looked at different languages around the world, where they are spoken and why they are spoken in different places.   This week we delve into the exploration of the Americas and the American colonies.  

We also met our 2nd grade buddies.  We are looking forward to buddying up with Ms. Everest's class this year.  

Thank you so much for your support, it's going to be a great year!

Welcome to 5th Grade!  I am excited to start the year and meet all of you.  We have a year full of discovery and fun ahead of us.  Please subscribe to our class website/blog so you can receive updates.    Subscribe by putting your email address into the subscribe feed. 
On this blog you will find pictures, updates and important information about what is happening in the classroom.  Your child will be creating a blog to document their learning this year.  Look for the sidebar link and you can easily read and respond to his/her writing.  More about our blogs is forthcoming.  
Find out more about me by checking out the slideshow below.