September 7, 2018
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We had a great four day week. Scholars definitely came to school each day ready to learn. Next week will also be a shortened week in that Wednesday will be an early release day. Please continue to sign agendas on a daily basis. This is a great way to quickly and easily communicate with each other. Another great form of communication is Class Dojo. An invitation to join Class Dojo was sent home with your scholar today. Thank you for sending your scholars in ready to learn each day.
Next Week, September 10-September 14:
Reading:
Next week, scholars will be given weekly assignments to be completed during Reader’s Workshop. Many of these activities will be individualized to your scholar’s level and will include reading comprehension, building reading stamina, and word work activities (spelling). We will also begin our first Reading Unit and our focus will be on fiction and RL 5.1. Scholars will be asked to:
Writing
During Writer’s Workshop, we will use our seeds ideas to begin drafting a story to take through the writing process. Scholars will choose a story idea that they want to tell, one that demonstrates a “small moment”, and begin getting their ideas on paper. Later, scholars will have the opportunity to add details and make other revisions.
Social Studies
This week’s topic is U.S. States and Regions, we will exemplify how technological advances have allowed people to overcome geographic limitations. We will do this by identifying and describing the seven natural regions in the U.S. (Pacific Coastal Plains, Western Plateau, Rocky Mountains, Interior Plains, Atlantic Coastal Plains, Appalachian Region, and Ozark Highlands).
Math
Next week we will continue to use coordinate planes as we analyze patterns and relationships. I plan for scholars to take a “Quick Check” quiz on coordinate planes mid-week. The first formal assessment will be on September 18th.
Science
Next week we will continue our Matter unit. This unit will last approximately 3 weeks. We will be looking at sum of parts and physical and chemical changes. Also, your scholar has been assigned a project for this unit. They are to complete a vocabulary book that will be due on September 28th. They were given a rubric that details what is expected of them and I have modeled for them exactly how their book should look. Unless I feel it is absolutely necessary, I will not be assigning any other Science homework for the duration of this project. I have suggested they work on completing 1-2 words a day/night. They will also be given time during stations to work on this book, so it should stay in their homework folder and go back a forth between home and school every day starting next week.
Important Reminders:
Wish List:
August 31, 2017
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We survived the first week of Fifth Grade. I hope I have worked your scholars to the point that they are as exhausted as I am. It was a busy and productive week. It was so great beginning to get to know my amazing scholars and I look forward to the rest of the school year with your awesome children. Together, we can help them all reach their full learning potential this year.
This Week, August 27-August 31:
Reading:
We have done a lot of work setting up our Reader’s Workshop; learning how to read “with agency”, putting the work into becoming a better reader, choosing “just right” books to give our brains just the right amount of challenge to grow, and how to log the books we read to look for reading patterns. Scholars also took a Beginning of Grade Reading assessment to demonstrate their Reading Comprehension and understanding of fifth grade passages. This will allow me to begin to tailor my instruction to the specific needs of each class and scholar.
Our read aloud book, Ungifted by Gordon Korman, has prompted some great conversations among the scholars.
Writing
During Writer’s Workshop this week,we gathered seed ideas in our Writer’s Notebooks. Seed ideas get planted into our brains so that stories may grow. We identified important people and places that will provide us with stories to tell. We also discussed the difference between a “watermelon story”, which summarizes a topic or longer amount of time (e.g. My Best Friend, or Fun Times with My Dog), and a “seed story”, which zooms in on a specific topic and provides more details (e.g. The First Time I met my Best Friend or The Time my Dog and I Played Together in the Snow).
Social Studies
We have stayed on top of current events by watching, writing about, and discussing the stories covered on CNN10. Ask your scholar what they remember about the Texas Horned Lizard, the flooding that occured in Hawaii, John McCain, or the surf school (MIX Academy) in California. We also discussed the school and classroom rules, learning what it takes to be a good scholar and citizen at Reedy Creek Elementary School.
Math:
This week we participated in “A Week of Inspirational Math”. The theme of the lessons was Growth Mindset. It is important for scholars to understand that you do not have to be born a math person or be a fast problem solver in order to succeed in math. We watched videos, completed activities, and worked on challenges that proved that we all solve problems differently and that there are multiple ways to arrive to a solution. We also took the Math beginning of year assessment. This is not a grade that will count against your scholar, but will serve as more of a starting point to help us measure growth as the year progresses.
Science:
This week we practiced what Science class is going to look like for the year. We practiced Science stations and used the scientific process to make predictions, conduct experiments, write down data and form a conclusion.
Next Week, September 3-September 7:
Reading:
Next week, I will open up the classroom library for scholars to choose chapter books to read during Independent Reading. Scholars will be using sticky notes and readers’ notebooks to stop and jot as they read so they may use their thinking to make inferences, compare and contrast characters, and keep track of their thoughts and reactions to the story as it develops. We will use the class chapter book, Ungifted, to model and practice the strategies and skills scholars will be expected to use when reading the chapter books they chose during Reader’s Workshop.
Writing
During Writer’s Workshop, we will use our seeds ideas to begin drafting (growing) stories in our Notebooks. Our focus this week will be on telling the small moments (seed stories), rather than summarizing (watermelon stories). Scholars will self-reflect on their writing, work on their writing stamina, and use published authors as mentors to provide ideas for improving their own stories.
Social Studies
Scholars will be introduced to Studies Weekly, and online “newspaper” which can be accessed through Clever. We will read articles and have discussions related to the fifth grade curriculum. Scholars will then answer questions related to the articles and the score will be used as a Social Studies grade. This week’s topic is Geography, we will identify types of maps and map features, explore cartography (the art and science of map making), and identify the places on the world map.
Math
Next week we will start our unit on Graphing on a Coordinate plane. Students will learn about the x and y-axis’, how to read a coordinate plane and understand that it is used to determine the location of a point. We will reinforce these skills through stations and homework.
Science
Next week we will begin learning about the Water Cycle. We will be using Gizmos, Discovery Education, stations, interactive handouts and more to become experts on the Water Cycle. We are planning to have an assessment on Friday.
Important Reminders:
Wish List:
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We had a great four day week. Scholars definitely came to school each day ready to learn. Next week will also be a shortened week in that Wednesday will be an early release day. Please continue to sign agendas on a daily basis. This is a great way to quickly and easily communicate with each other. Another great form of communication is Class Dojo. An invitation to join Class Dojo was sent home with your scholar today. Thank you for sending your scholars in ready to learn each day.
Next Week, September 10-September 14:
Reading:
Next week, scholars will be given weekly assignments to be completed during Reader’s Workshop. Many of these activities will be individualized to your scholar’s level and will include reading comprehension, building reading stamina, and word work activities (spelling). We will also begin our first Reading Unit and our focus will be on fiction and RL 5.1. Scholars will be asked to:
- Provide evidence from the text to support written statements about what the text said explicitly
- Make inferences and draw conclusions from a text and support their ideas by quoting accurately from the text
- Form and express opinions about texts and justify with evidence
- Make logical conclusions based on the evidence in the text
- Create lists of clues stated in the text to support their inference
Writing
During Writer’s Workshop, we will use our seeds ideas to begin drafting a story to take through the writing process. Scholars will choose a story idea that they want to tell, one that demonstrates a “small moment”, and begin getting their ideas on paper. Later, scholars will have the opportunity to add details and make other revisions.
Social Studies
This week’s topic is U.S. States and Regions, we will exemplify how technological advances have allowed people to overcome geographic limitations. We will do this by identifying and describing the seven natural regions in the U.S. (Pacific Coastal Plains, Western Plateau, Rocky Mountains, Interior Plains, Atlantic Coastal Plains, Appalachian Region, and Ozark Highlands).
Math
Next week we will continue to use coordinate planes as we analyze patterns and relationships. I plan for scholars to take a “Quick Check” quiz on coordinate planes mid-week. The first formal assessment will be on September 18th.
Science
Next week we will continue our Matter unit. This unit will last approximately 3 weeks. We will be looking at sum of parts and physical and chemical changes. Also, your scholar has been assigned a project for this unit. They are to complete a vocabulary book that will be due on September 28th. They were given a rubric that details what is expected of them and I have modeled for them exactly how their book should look. Unless I feel it is absolutely necessary, I will not be assigning any other Science homework for the duration of this project. I have suggested they work on completing 1-2 words a day/night. They will also be given time during stations to work on this book, so it should stay in their homework folder and go back a forth between home and school every day starting next week.
Important Reminders:
- Class website: https://rcesmsmcbride.weebly.com/
- Friday folders have been ordered but have not yet arrived. In the meantime, please look for important papers to come home in your child’s agenda.
- I will check your child’s agenda daily for notes, transportation changes, etc. Please have your child log his/her 30 minutes of reading each day and sign your child’s agenda daily.
- Please sign up for Class Dojo which is a great tool we can use for communication. The code and directions on how to sign up can be found in your scholar’s Friday Folder.
- Wednesday September 12: Early Release Day
- No School Wednesday, September 19
Wish List:
- Thank you for your generous donations of classroom supplies. We have plenty of tissues, hand sanitizer, and wipes for a while.
- I am working to build my collection of books to use for Literature Circles and Book Clubs. It is extremely helpful to have multiple copies of the same title so scholars are able to have meaningful conversations and push each others’ thinking. If you would like to donate to this cause, please contact me.
August 31, 2017
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We survived the first week of Fifth Grade. I hope I have worked your scholars to the point that they are as exhausted as I am. It was a busy and productive week. It was so great beginning to get to know my amazing scholars and I look forward to the rest of the school year with your awesome children. Together, we can help them all reach their full learning potential this year.
This Week, August 27-August 31:
Reading:
We have done a lot of work setting up our Reader’s Workshop; learning how to read “with agency”, putting the work into becoming a better reader, choosing “just right” books to give our brains just the right amount of challenge to grow, and how to log the books we read to look for reading patterns. Scholars also took a Beginning of Grade Reading assessment to demonstrate their Reading Comprehension and understanding of fifth grade passages. This will allow me to begin to tailor my instruction to the specific needs of each class and scholar.
Our read aloud book, Ungifted by Gordon Korman, has prompted some great conversations among the scholars.
Writing
During Writer’s Workshop this week,we gathered seed ideas in our Writer’s Notebooks. Seed ideas get planted into our brains so that stories may grow. We identified important people and places that will provide us with stories to tell. We also discussed the difference between a “watermelon story”, which summarizes a topic or longer amount of time (e.g. My Best Friend, or Fun Times with My Dog), and a “seed story”, which zooms in on a specific topic and provides more details (e.g. The First Time I met my Best Friend or The Time my Dog and I Played Together in the Snow).
Social Studies
We have stayed on top of current events by watching, writing about, and discussing the stories covered on CNN10. Ask your scholar what they remember about the Texas Horned Lizard, the flooding that occured in Hawaii, John McCain, or the surf school (MIX Academy) in California. We also discussed the school and classroom rules, learning what it takes to be a good scholar and citizen at Reedy Creek Elementary School.
Math:
This week we participated in “A Week of Inspirational Math”. The theme of the lessons was Growth Mindset. It is important for scholars to understand that you do not have to be born a math person or be a fast problem solver in order to succeed in math. We watched videos, completed activities, and worked on challenges that proved that we all solve problems differently and that there are multiple ways to arrive to a solution. We also took the Math beginning of year assessment. This is not a grade that will count against your scholar, but will serve as more of a starting point to help us measure growth as the year progresses.
Science:
This week we practiced what Science class is going to look like for the year. We practiced Science stations and used the scientific process to make predictions, conduct experiments, write down data and form a conclusion.
Next Week, September 3-September 7:
Reading:
Next week, I will open up the classroom library for scholars to choose chapter books to read during Independent Reading. Scholars will be using sticky notes and readers’ notebooks to stop and jot as they read so they may use their thinking to make inferences, compare and contrast characters, and keep track of their thoughts and reactions to the story as it develops. We will use the class chapter book, Ungifted, to model and practice the strategies and skills scholars will be expected to use when reading the chapter books they chose during Reader’s Workshop.
Writing
During Writer’s Workshop, we will use our seeds ideas to begin drafting (growing) stories in our Notebooks. Our focus this week will be on telling the small moments (seed stories), rather than summarizing (watermelon stories). Scholars will self-reflect on their writing, work on their writing stamina, and use published authors as mentors to provide ideas for improving their own stories.
Social Studies
Scholars will be introduced to Studies Weekly, and online “newspaper” which can be accessed through Clever. We will read articles and have discussions related to the fifth grade curriculum. Scholars will then answer questions related to the articles and the score will be used as a Social Studies grade. This week’s topic is Geography, we will identify types of maps and map features, explore cartography (the art and science of map making), and identify the places on the world map.
Math
Next week we will start our unit on Graphing on a Coordinate plane. Students will learn about the x and y-axis’, how to read a coordinate plane and understand that it is used to determine the location of a point. We will reinforce these skills through stations and homework.
Science
Next week we will begin learning about the Water Cycle. We will be using Gizmos, Discovery Education, stations, interactive handouts and more to become experts on the Water Cycle. We are planning to have an assessment on Friday.
Important Reminders:
- No School Monday, September 3
- Friday folders have been ordered but have not yet arrived. In the meantime, please look for important papers to come home in your child’s agenda.
- I will check your child’s agenda daily for notes, transportation changes, etc. Please have your child log his/her 30 minutes of reading each day and sign your child’s agenda daily.
- Spirit Squad meeting: September 4th at 5:00 pm in the Reedy Creek Media Center
- No School Wednesday, September 19
- September 20: Curriculum Night 6:00-7:30 pm
- September 28: Raccoon Race
- September 28: Progress Reports
Wish List:
- Thank you for your generous donations of classroom supplies. We have plenty of tissues, hand sanitizer, and wipes for a while.
- I am working to build my collection of books to use for Literature Circles and Book Clubs. It is extremely helpful to have multiple copies of the same title so scholars are able to have meaningful conversations and push each others’ thinking. If you would like to donate to this cause, please contact me.
- I am also looking for a good-sized area rug for scholars to sit on while I read aloud, teach mini-lessons, conduct class meetings, etc. Please let me know if you would be willing to donate to this cause or have a connection that would allow me to purchase an area rug at a discounted price.