this-week-in-5th-grade

Week of September 24

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:02:24 +0100

Reading

Last week, students finished up with creating plot diagrams and moved on to summarizing texts. It was important that their summaries included; setting, characters, problem/solution and theme. Summaries should read as paragraphs, not choppy lists of elements. At the end of the week we began reading for information. Students identified characteristics of challenging texts. This will prepare them for this week’s focus.

Math 5
Students identified prime and composite numbers. At the end of the week we began working on factor trees and prime factorization. Please practice those basic multiplication facts at home – these are at the heart of the concepts we are working on.

Math 6
We wrapped up our unit on data with misleading statistics. Students could identify errors or elements of the graphs that would lead the observer to incorrect conclusions. Throughout the week, we have been reviewing in preparation for our assessment Tuesday, October 2.

Social Studies
We used different scenarios to identify rights and responsibilities of citizens. We read articles and discussed how people worked within and outside the system to effect change.

Writing
We have begun our personal narratives. Students webbed their top three ideas and choose the best one for the piece. From here, we will work through the process to publication.

Spelling Assessments
Marino: October 4
Wehage: October 11
Students also have four nights of homework to complete in the two week period.

Week of September 17

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:50:24 +0100

Reading

Students learned how to create plot diagrams by using story element charts. We worked with stories such as, The Little Engine that Could (a blast from their younger days) and Train to Somewhere (a short historical fiction story). Later in the week we worked on identifying theme in stories. Students were given the opportunity to practice in a small group and the next day, they were asked to respond to a prompt independently.

Math 6

Students learned two new data displays this week - double stem and leaf (also known as back to back stem and leaf) and box and whisker plots. As always, we spent a lot of time analyzing what information we could gain from the display! Throughout the week, we reviewed older concepts such as, the measures of central tendency and the difference between a population and a sample. THE UNIT ASSESSMENT WILL BE NEXT TUESDAY, OCT. 2.

Math 5

Students continued to practice their divisibility rules. This really is the base for many things that they will learn this year so it is important for them to have a grasp on the concept. We also started least common multiple (LCM) and greatest common factor (GCF). These are two easily confused areas and we spend quite a bit of time on them. It is not only important that students be able to identify them in isolation, but also choose which one is applicable in problem solving situations.

Writing

We crafted interesting events this week. Students were given a “boring” story and asked to use all of their tools to spruce it up. This is getting them ready to write their own personal narrative, complete with details, proper paragraphs, introductions, conclusions and some excitement!

Science

Unit one is finished! Throughout this last week, we wrapped up by talking about kinetic and potential energy. Students were given lists of energy sources and forms and used their knowledge to categorize them as on the types of energy. To sum up their learning, students created and presented (Monday in Ms. Marino’s room) a demonstration of one of the key topics in the Force and Energy Unit. If you would like to give them a pop quiz at home, our main concepts were, force, kinetic & potential energy, variable, uniform & periodic motion, friction and frame of reference. Happy quizzing!

Week of September 10

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:05:05 +0100

In reading, students read the Junior Great Book No Guitar Blues. In this story, Fausto pretends to find a couple’s dog on the side of the road in order to earn reward money to buy a guitar. Students began by conducting a first read of the story and generated questions in their journal. During the second read of the story, students listened to an audio version and shared additional questions. Students also determined the meaning of challenging vocabulary using context clues within the story and responded to an open ended question involving the main character’s actions. Students then shared their thinking during a guided inquiry discussion. Ask your child to share why he/she thought Fausto put the $20 bill in the church basket!

In math 6, students worked with the measures of central tendency. They went beyond calculating the mean, median and mode to asking questions like, what do they tell us about the data? which one is best descriptor of the data. This is a more abstract concept and many students found it challenging. We also finished up making frequency tables and identifying their use and importance in the world of data.

In math 5, students continued to work with the rules of divisibility by reviewing the rules for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10. Students also reviewed factors and multiples and began determine the greatest common factor and least common multiple of a given set of numbers. We will continue to work with GCF and LCM next week through word problems. Students received their Problem of the Week journal on Friday. There will be a new problem given out every Friday that will be collected on Tuesday. Please take some time to discuss the problems with them and if needed, assist them with their solution.

In writing, we continued to look at many different sources in order to identify the writer’s inspiration. Students then worked within groups to write a piece about an object given a specific purpose for writing. Ask them to share what they wrote about!

In science, students experimented with force by completing several investigations involving changes in force in relation to changes in mass and added friction. They also had the opportunity to measure force using Newtons. Students enjoyed the hands on experience!

Week of September 3

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 01:38:33 +0100

In reading, we identified the characteristics of fiction and non-fiction text. We took an intricate look at historical fiction, read several texts, and identified facts. Our reading assessments have started. We use this data to guide our small group planning and instruction.

In math 5, students worked within cooperative groups in order to determine the divisibility rules for 2, 5, and 10 using a given set of numbers. We finished by exploring the rules for 3, 6, and 9 through a pass a number activity. We will continue divisibility rules next week.

In math 6, students reviewed populations, samples, and random sampling. Students spent time working together to identify random samples for given survey situations. Towards the end of the week, we started working with frequency tables. This will continue into next week when we will introduce interval frequency tables. Students received their first Problem of the Week. Please take some time to discuss this problem with them and if needed assist them with their solution.

In writing, we looked at many different sources in order to identify the writer’s inspiration. These include personal experiences, books, and things going on in the world around them.

In science, students experimented with using the terminology for frame of reference. They also had the opportunity to model the three types of motion. We concluded the week with an experiment to prove uniform and variable motion graphically.

Week of August 27

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 19:46:00 +0100

What an exciting first week of school J This week, we reviewed expectations, routines, and got to know one another through ice-breakers and team building activities.

In reading, we discussed strategies for choosing an appropriate independent book-ask your child to share how they would utilize our “Five Finger Rule”! Students also used interview questions as a way to build their comprehension of texts.

In math, students worked in cooperative groups to solve focus problems. Students enjoyed sharing their thinking and working as a team J

In writing, students completed a pre-assessment writing piece given a specific writing prompt (write about something important to you). Ask your child to share what they wrote about!

In science, students determined what causes an object to be in motion-a force. We discussed force as being a push or a pull, identified ways to describe motion (distance, direction, time, and speed), the three types of motion (uniform, variable, and periodic).