Art Awareness

Hello 5-2 Parents,

We had our last Art Awareness presentation of the school year (and the last ever since our 5^th graders will be moving onto to middle school), this past Friday, April 25^th.  As you know, Art Awareness is a PTA sponsored activity during which we review the type of art that we are experiencing, talk about the artwork itself, the background of the artist (where applicable), and have the children participate in an activity related to the piece.  This particular presentation was on Greek Vases as they relate to the art of pottery. 

First, we discussed the process by which pottery clay was made during the time of the ancient Greeks, and the fact that (even back then) they did use a pottery wheel to form the clay into various shapes and a kiln for firing the pottery to produce the finished product.  We also discussed the methods that were used to create the designs that were depicted on the Greek vases that we studied, i.e. the black-figure & red-figure technique. Next, after spending some time on how the vase itself was made, we reviewed the many shapes of Greek vases and their uses, and each child took home a sheet detailing this information.  Third, we talked a little bit about the various Greek gods (as many Greek vases showed scenes that reflected this time in Greek history), and played a matching game connecting the Greek god with his/her symbol.  This sheet was also sent home with your child.  Then, we specifically discussed the Dionysus (the Greek god of wine), and read a story about him which was depicted on the Kylix style vase that I presented to the class (see Dionysus’ story below).  Finally, the children created their own Greek vase to illustrate the time they spent at OMS.  They were instructed to draw their design in pencil first, and then fill it in with colors similar to the black-figure and red-figure techniques that we reviewed, or modern day colors of their choosing.  Over the years, this activity connected with the Greek Vases presentation has become a tradition for 5^th Grade Art Awareness as a way of remembering their time at Olive-Mary Stitt School.   

The children spent about 15 minutes on their artwork, and thoroughly enjoyed reflecting with their fellow classmates as they listed the names of their teachers and school activities / field trips they experienced over the years!  Some of the most popular highlights of their time at Olive was their unit on Japan (1^st grade), the study of the history of Arlington Heights (2^nd grade), the Chicago Architectural Boat Tour (3^rd grade), the study of Native American history & their trip to the Field Museum (4^thgrade) and Colonial Days (5^th grade), to name a few. Please take the time to ask your child to tell you more about what he or she learned, and ask them to share with you what he/she liked best about the Art Awareness presentation on Friday, if they have not already done so.  Also, if your child has not finished his/her Greek vase, please encourage them to do so as an OMS keepsake!

Cheers, Laura Attea (Brandon’s Mom)

5-2 Updates ~ 04/06

Hello 5-2 Families ~

They did it!!  Their excellent behavior earn your kiddos another Movie and Popcorn Party!!  Woo hoo!!  They chose to watch Frozen and I'll be serving Smartfood Popcorn as we spend Monday afternoon relaxing :)  If you have any concerns about the movie or the snacks, please send me an email!

We have run out of tissue in 5-2!  We use tissues for more than just our runny noses...the students use tissues as erasers for their laptop whiteboards.  Since we use these whiteboards almost daily, we use quite a few tissues!  If you could please send in a couple of boxes, we would really appreciate it!  Thank you so much :)

Many of you have been asking about math placement for middle school.  I have been given a little more information I can pass along to you.  As you have heard, there will be two levels of math in 6th grade - Common Core and Algebra.  Your child's placement will be determined based on their past (3rd, 4th, and 5th grade) performance on ISAT and MAPS scores.  So, your child will not take a placement test in math as we have done in the past.  I do not know when the placement decisions will be made, but I do know you will receive a letter in the mail as in the past.  As always, please let me know if you have any questions, and I will keep you posted as I receive updates.  Thank you for your patience as we make these changes in our district.

Important Dates

April 18th ~ No School

Math

We will wrap up Unit 8 on Monday with a quiz.  This quiz will include multiplication and division of fractions and percent of a number, and will not be included as an assessment grade. If you recall, prior to Spring Break, we took the Part A assessment on Unit 8.  After Spring Break, we have worked only on the Part B lessons, which are not included in the final assessment.  These concepts are just introduced in the unit, and they are not expected to be mastered.  We will also take the Unit 9 Pre-test on Monday.  In this unit, students will study coordinates, area, volume, and capacity.

Social Studies

We began our Westward Expansion Unit as we returned from break with a huge map of the United States taped to our floor.  Students moved in and settled the land, but discovered quickly there wasn't enough land for them.  As they became more crowded, they pushed and wanted to move west to have more room.  This activity mirrored the idea of Manifest Destiny -  the common belief that we as Americans had the right to move west and take over land from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean.  Chapter 16 focuses on how we acquired the different portions of land that now make up the United States as a whole.  The Chapter 16 test will be on Monday.  We discussed the many ways they can study:  re-read the chapter, take the online assessment, create flash cards, review the organizer.  

Students were quite excited as they were also introduced to Hacker's Trail - a Westward Expansion game that simulates an Oregon pioneer wagon train that moved west in the mid-1800's.  Students will have to work cooperatively to make trail decisions, and deal with the many different fates a real wagon train would have had to deal with on this journey - from cholera to Native American attacks.  Students will get sick, injured, and even die along this exciting journey.  On Friday, they were able to choose their identities, and given the task of loading their wagons this weekend in preparation for our journey.  We will be leaving Independence, Missouri on Monday!!  While the actual journeys took months, this game will take about 3 weeks to play.  Who will make it??

Reading

As you know, we spent this week discussing and researching the difficult topic of bullying in schools, with an emphasis on middle school.   Bullying has become an important topic for parents and schools to address because it is different today than when we were in school.  It is more prevalent and more intense.  it is now understood to be very destructive to the well being of students, creates unsafe schools and creates a school climate that hinders learning.  As your child's teacher, I'm committed to prevention and intervention in my classroom, so we spend several weeks on the topic of bullying.  The lessons I teach are designed to create a positive environment where everyone feels safe, accepted, and a sense of belonging as they discuss this difficult topic.  They also provide students with information to help them develop empathy, self-control, and skills to cope with bullying and to become bystanders who take a stand against bullying.  

I have been so impressed with the students as they have had such heart-felt and mature discussions about bullying in our classroom.  Students have been working in teams to do research over the past week.  They will pull their research together this week to create a presentation to take the information to other younger classrooms in our building.  We've learned this week that one of the best ways to prevent bullying is education, so it is their mission to educate as many students as possible.

Writing

We continued our persuasive writing unit this week as the students are writing essays trying to convince me where my family should go for vacation this year.  It's going to be hard to decide!!  These essays will be due on Friday.

“Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right.” 
Theodore Roosevelt

Peace ~

5-2 Updates ~ 03/16

Hello 5-2 Families ~

So exciting to see those warmer temperatures heading our way, and those record-setting snow banks shrinking away!!  Hoping they'll be gone by the end of the week, and we can all enjoy some long needed time in the sun over break :)

We have run out of tissue in 5-2!  We use tissues for more than just our runny noses...the students use tissues as erasers for their laptop whiteboards.  Since we use these whiteboards almost daily, we use quite a few tissues!  If you could please send in a couple of boxes, we would really appreciate it!  Thank you so much :)

Important Dates

Thursday, March 20th & 21st ~ As you have heard, these are now student attendance days due to the number of extreme weather days we have had to take this winter.  This means we will no longer meet for parent-teacher conferences.  Many questions during the 5th grade spring conferences are about middle school transitions, including placement into classes.  I will do my best to continue to update you via this blog about the transitions, and try to answer those questions that I am frequently asked about the transition.  Several other questions are related to the end of the year 5th grade activities.  Again, I will keep you posted about all those activities via this blog.  If you have ANY questions at all, please do not hesistate to contact me.  I fully appreciate the additional anxiety families feel during this transition, and want to make it as smooth as possible :)

If I feel it is important to still meet with you about the progress of your child, I will reach out to you individually to set up a time to meet.  If I do not reach out to you, please assume your child is making progress and I have no concerns about them.  Several parents have approached me about setting up a conference time because those days have been canceled.  If you have pressing concerns, I would be happy to meet with you.  But if you have questions that can be answered via email, please feel free to contact me this way instead.  It can get challenging trying to schedule 19 parent-teacher conferences after school :)   That being said, I would be happy to meet with all 19 of you if there is a need!

Additional Note ~  Several of you have asked about math placement testing for middle school, so I wanted to update you on what I know.  In the past, students have taken 3 math placement tests the week after spring break.  We used these tests, as well as performance in class and on the MAPS test to determine middle school math placement into 3 different levels (Regular, Honors, High Honors).  The process for placement is changing this year, and we have been informed the math levels will change as well - from three levels to two levels of middle school math.  Unfortunately, we haven't been given much information about how the process will be changing.  Mrs. Fitzpatrick is working with district to get as much information as possible on this process, but has not received many details yet.  I will send out information regarding this process as soon as I have been given information.  As of now, I have NOT been given any information that the students will test after spring break.  I will keep you informed as I am informed of the changes to this process.

Spring Break ~ Monday, 3/24 - Friday, 3/28 ~ Enjoy!!

Math

We continue to work on Unit 8 concepts ~ adding and subtracting mixed numbers, then multiplying and dividing fractions.  These concepts have proven to be challenging for several students, so we have slowed down the process and worked to re-teach several of the concepts.  Since Spring Break falls in the middle of this unit, I have decided to quiz the first half of the Unit 8 concepts on Monday (adding and subtracting mixed numbers).  I want to be sure these concepts are solidified before we leave for break.  We spent Thursday and Friday reviewing and reteaching these concepts, and even had an additional review session during lunch on Friday.  I believe the students are ready for this test, but many should be reviewing the steps involved in adding and subtracting mixed numbers this weekend.  Quizing them on Monday will give me the opportunity to re-teach students who need to re-take the test before they leave for spring break.  We will begin to multiply and divide fractions for the remainder of the week, then finish up the unit after break. 

Social Studies

We finished up studying the Branches of Government in chapter 14 this week and tested on the Constitution on Thursday.  Unfortunately, all of our students have not taken this test yet.  I will send home the graded tests for a sign and return when all students have completed the test.

We begain chapter 15 - the Bill of Rights - on Friday.  Students will work on a project helping them to become familiar with the first 10 ammendments to the Constitution, then we will be testing chapter 15 on Friday.

Reading

Our final reading week in Unit 4 will focus on the elements of a fable.  Students will read several fables this week, and compare and contrast the elements in these fables.  A fable lends itself nicely to understanding the comprehension strategy of author's purpose, so we will focus on this strategy.  

At the same time, students will be working on the packets they received on Friday for the novels they are reading, Punished.  This is a short and fun novel that helps him to explore various figurative language elements found in fiction, such as onomatopoia, personification, and puns.  They have had fun reading these novels, finding the content amusing.  The novels and packets are due on Friday.  While they will be given some time in class this week to work on these packets, they should be working on them at home as well.

Writing

We began work on our persuasive essays this week with a brainstorming session on topics they are passionate about persuading parents or teachers to consider.  Students didn't struggle to come up with these topics ~ expect to hear some discussion about later bedtimes, cell phone use, less homework, and more recess.  I'll apologize ahead of time as I'll be working on developing their arguing skills and their ability to persuade...I know some of them already have quite advanced skills in this area :)  I've told them I will be expecting excellent essays convincing me to change my mind!

We will continue work on these essays throughout the week, with their final essays due on Friday, 3/21.  These essays will be written in class, so you should not see them come home until after spring break.

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” 
― Margaret Mead

Cheers!

5-2 Updates ~ 03/08

Hello 5-2 Families ~

Looking forward to breaking into the 40's to begin the great thaw this week!  Hoping it stays that way, so that maybe....just maybe...it might feel like spring for Spring Break :)

Please note:  There seems to be some confusion among a few students about policy on winter wear, particularly in the last few days as the temperatures increased slightly.  Your child is expected to put on the winter gear that they bring in from home when they go out for recess.  Some students believe the winter gear is optional, but it is not.  If you send it, the assumption is that you want them to wear it.  I did remind them if they do not want to wear the winter gear, then they are to have a conversation with you as parents, and leave the gear at home.  There is still an great deal of snow on our blacktop, and even as it melts, it will be wet and muddy mounds for quite some time.  Students also may not take gear off outside and leave it anywhere - this is a policy that is consistent year round.  Even in the warmer months, if students wear a jacket outside and decide they no longer need it, they must tie it around their waist.  Please let me know if you have any questions about our policies.  Thank you!

Important Dates
ISAT Testing ~ STUDENTS NEED CALCULATORS FOR MATH ISATS!!
Please be sure your child has a working calculator for the ISAT tests on Monday.  As these are student issued materials, I do not have any classroom calculators to share with students.

- Monday, March 10th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #1
- Tuesday, March 11th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #2
- Wednesday, March 12th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #3

Please encourage your child to get a full night's sleep prior to the test dates, and please do your best to minimize absences during these times.  It can be very challenging to schedule make-up tests since our window to do so is so small.  Students often feel overwhelmed at missing instruction in order to makeup tests later in the week, resulting in additional homework.  Thank you for your support!

Please be sure your child has several #2 pencils for the ISAT tests.  

Students will also NOT be assigned homework the night before an ISAT test to minimize demands on their time and to ensure a good night's rest :)  This does mean they do NOT have a BLB due on Monday.

Friday, March 14th ~ Progress Reports sent home

Thursday, March 20th & 21st ~ As you have heard, these are now student attendance days due to the number of extreme weather days we have had to take this winter.  This means we will no longer meet for parent-teacher conferences.  Many questions during the 5th grade spring conferences are about middle school transitions, including placement into classes.  I will do my best to continue to update you via this blog about the transitions, and try to answer those questions that I am frequently asked about the transition.  Several other questions are related to the end of the year 5th grade activities.  Again, I will keep you posted about all those activities via this blog.  If you have ANY questions at all, please do not hesistate to contact me.  I fully appreciate the additional anxiety families feel during this transition, and want to make it as smooth as possible :)

If I feel it is important to still meet with you about the progress of your child, I will reach out to you individually to set up a time to meet.  If I do not reach out to you, please assume your child is making progress and I have no concerns about them.  Several parents have approached me about setting up a conference time because those days have been canceled.  If you have pressing concerns, I would be happy to meet with you.  But if you have questions that can be answered via email, please feel free to contact me this way instead.  It can get challenging trying to schedule 19 parent-teacher conferences after school :)   That being said, I would be happy to meet with all 19 of you if there is a need!

Math

This week was spent reviewing math concepts and problem solving skills for the ISATs this week.  I sent home copies of these tests as information for both you and your child.  We started Unit 8 on Friday, and will continue this week - but there will be no math homework assigned on Monday or Tuesday evening.  In this unit on fractions, we will be adding and subtracting mixed numbers, then moving on to multiplying and dividing fractions.  This is a challenging unit - please encourage your child to own their learning and "check in" with themselves to be sure they are understanding the concepts taught.  Encourage them to practice the learned skills at home and seek support when they are struggling!

Watanuki Math
Mrs. Watanuki's math class is exploring probability and the chance of outcomes. Students have learned about random numbers, tree diagrams,the multiplication counting principal and Venn diagrams. Students have investigated how probability relates to carnival games and even created games of their own. This week we will wrap up the unit by focusing on fair and unfair games and strategies for taking multiple choice tests. We are scheduled to review for this test on Thursday and test on Friday. Next week we will complete our math ISAT testing and even hold a Probability Carnival for a very lucky second grade class. 

Social Studies

We spent this week discussing the events following the Revolutionary War, and how our government was formed.  They learned about the problems with the Articles of Confederation as we read a great story, Unite or Die!  This week they will have the chance to participate in a drama with the same title, as students become delegates from states and debate the problems our country encountered in its infancy.  Eventually, we reached a compromise at the Constitutional Convention, where our current form of government was formed.  Students learned about the Three Branches of Government, and they began work on a project detailing these branches that they will continue into next week.

Reading

Our reading unit ties in nicely with our social studies unit this week!  Students learned to make generalizations based on facts presented in information text as they read more about our government.  We also had an opportunity to discuss the dangers of making generalizations based on opinions.  The students are reading and summarizing another text about the Constitutional Convention in their small group.  They will end the week by comparing two genres of text on the same topic - the play and the non-fiction text - and evaluating the differences.

We began Unit 4 Week 3 on Thursday and Friday, but will take the majority of this week to finish it up due to the ISAT interruptions.  All packet work and spelling assignments are due on Friday, 3/14.  This is also the day we will have our weekly assessments.

Writing

Students turned in their Response to Fiction Essays this weekend - I hope to have them graded and returned to them on Monday.  The Essay Rubric will come home for a sign and return at the same time as the WEX Summative Rubric.  If you remember from the first trimester, the Summative is a rubric for writing behaviors, while the Essay Rubric scores writing skill.  Both should be returned with a signature verifying you have seen their scores.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
 - Nelson Mandela

Stay Warm!

5-2 Updates ~ 03/02

Hello 5-2 Families ~

Well, since March came in "like a lion" yesterday with ANOTHER snow storm....let's just hope that means it will go out 'like a lamb!"  I don't know how much more of this crazy weather I can take!!

Important Dates
Tuesday, March 4th ~ 5th Grade Band Concert at 7pm

ISAT Testing ~ It's that time of year again!  Our ISATS are scheduled as follows:

- Monday, March 3rd, 1:30-2:45pm - Reading #1
- Tuesday, March 4th, 1:30-2:45 - Reading #2
- Wednesday, March 5th, 1:30-2:45 - Reading #3

- Monday, March 10th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #1
- Tuesday, March 11th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #2
- Wednesday, March 12th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #3

Please encourage your child to get a full night's sleep prior to the test dates, and please do your best to minimize absences during these times.  It can be very challenging to schedule make-up tests since our window to do so is so small.  Students often feel overwhelmed at missing instruction in order to makeup tests later in the week, resulting in additional homework.  Thank you for your support!

Please be sure your child has several #2 pencils for the ISAT tests.  

Students will also NOT be assigned homework the night before an ISAT test to minimize demands on their time and to ensure a good night's rest :)  This does mean they do NOT have a BLB due this week or next.

Friday, March 14th ~ Progress Reports sent home

Thursday, March 20th & 21st ~ As you have heard, these are now student attendance days due to the number of extreme weather days we have had to take this winter.  This means we will no longer meet for parent-teacher conferences.  Many questions during the 5th grade spring conferences are about middle school transitions, including placement into classes.  I will do my best to continue to update you via this blog about the transitions, and try to answer those questions that I am frequently asked about the transition.  Several other questions are related to the end of the year 5th grade activities.  Again, I will keep you posted about all those activities via this blog.  If you have ANY questions at all, please do not hesistate to contact me.  I fully appreciate the additional anxiety families feel during this transition, and want to make it as smooth as possible :)

If I feel it is important to still meet with you about the progress of your child, I will reach out to you individually to set up a time to meet.  If I do not reach out to you, please assume your child is making progress and I have no concerns about them.  Several parents have approached me about setting up a conference time because those days have been canceled.  If you have pressing concerns, I would be happy to meet with you.  But if you have questions that can be answered via email, please feel free to contact me this way instead.  It can get challenging trying to schedule 19 parent-teacher conferences after school :)   That being said, I would be happy to meet with all 19 of you if there is a need!

Math

The Unit 7 Assessment will be coming home for a sign and return on Monday.  This was a challenging test with several difficult concepts.  A number of students chose to re-take the test on Friday, so their tests will be coming home with the new scores.  It was a great lesson in the importance of taking ownership of their learning by preparing for assessments prior the test date.  Most importantly, I was pleased to see that most students significantly improved their assessment scores, demonstrating their mastery of the information.

Watanuki Math
Mrs. Watanuki's math class is exploring probability and the chance of outcomes. Students have learned about random numbers, tree diagrams,the multiplication counting principal and Venn diagrams. Students have investigated how probability relates to carnival games and even created games of their own. This week we will wrap up the unit by focusing on fair and unfair games and strategies for taking multiple choice tests. We are scheduled to review for this test on Thursday and test on Friday. Next week we will complete our math ISAT testing and even hold a Probability Carnival for a very lucky second grade class. 

Science/Social Studies

We spent the week during our content hour taking and reviewing ISAT/Common Core sample tests.  When we are finished reviewing them, I have had the students bring them home for a signature.  My intention is to give you an opportunity to review the types of questions that will appear on standardized tests going forward.  You should notice to rigor and the expectations have increased, but you will be pleased to hear that your students are rising to the challenge!  While it is difficult, I am impressed with the attentiveness they are giving to these lessons and their desire to meet the higher standard placed in front of them.

This week, we will begin our study of The US Constitution with a variety of texts - they will even be able to engage in a short drama about the Constitutional Convention.

Reading

Our ISATs will be during our reading block for the first 3 days of this week.  We will start Treasures Unit 4 Week 3 on Thursday and Friday, but will not return to it until NEXT Thursday and Friday.  So, the packets and Spelling City they will be assigned will not be due until NEXT Friday, 3/14.

Writing

We will finish up our Response to Fiction essays this week, with their final essays due on Friday.  These will primarily be completed in class, so you probably will not see these essays come home until after they have been graded.  I will score them next week and send them home with a WEX Summative grade of behaviors during writing next Monday - both of these scores are significant portions of the Communications grade and will be included in their progress reports next Friday.

“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.”

- Clay P. Bedford

Stay Warm!

5-2 Updates ~ 02/22

Hello 5-2 Families ~

I hope you're enjoying the slightly warmer temperatures this weekend.  Keep thinking Spring, and we'll make it before too long!!

Important Dates
Friday, February 28th ~ Due date for Six Flags Read to Succeed Reading Log.  This is the program that earns your child a free Six Flags ticket for this summer.  You simply need to complete the Reading Log, and they'll receive a free ticket at the end of the year.  Your child was given this Reading Log early in the school year.  I send another copy of this Reading Log to your email - just print and complete!

Tuesday, March 4th ~ 5th Grade Band Concert at 7pm

ISAT Testing ~ It's that time of year again!  Our ISATS are scheduled as follows:

- Monday, March 3rd, 1:30-2:45pm - Reading #1
- Tuesday, March 4th, 1:30-2:45 - Reading #2
- Wednesday, March 5th, 1:30-2:45 - Reading #3

- Monday, March 10th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #1
- Tuesday, March 11th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #2
- Wednesday, March 12th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #3

Please encourage your child to get a full night's sleep prior to the test dates, and please do your best to minimize absences during these times.  It can be very challenging to schedule make-up tests since our window to do so is so small.  Students often feel overwhelmed at missing instruction in order to makeup tests later in the week, resulting in additional homework.  Thank you for your support!

Friday, March 14th ~ Progress Reports sent home

Thursday, March 20th & 21st ~ As you have heard, these are now student attendance days due to the number of extreme weather days we have had to take this winter.  This means we will no longer meet for parent-teacher conferences.  Many questions during the 5th grade spring conferences are about middle school transitions, including placement into classes.  I will do my best to continue to update you via this blog about the transitions, and try to answer those questions that I am frequently asked about the transition.  Several other questions are related to the end of the year 5th grade activities.  Again, I will keep you posted about all those activities via this blog.  If you have ANY questions at all, please do not hesistate to contact me.  I fully appreciate the additional anxiety families feel during this transition, and want to make it as smooth as possible :)

If I feel it is important to still meet with you about the progress of your child, I will reach out to you individually to set up a time to meet.  If I do not reach out to you, please assume your child is making progress and I have no concerns about them.  Several parents have approached me about setting up a conference time because those days have been canceled.  If you have pressing concerns, I would be happy to meet with you.  But if you have questions that can be answered via email, please feel free to contact me this way instead.  It can get challenging trying to schedule 19 parent-teacher conferences after school :)   That being said, I would be happy to meet with all 19 of you if there is a need!

Math

We finished up unit 7 on Friday, and will prepare for the test by reviewing on Monday.  The Unit 7 Assessment will be Tuesday, Febrary 25th.  The review session will be on Monday, February 26th during lunch recess.  Please encourage your child to attend if they have been struggling with the content this unit.  I continue to try to develop a sense of ownership in their learning by giving them guidelines for deciding if they should attend.  Ultimately, however, I do leave attendance to these review sessions optional - please email me if you are concerned your child is not choosing to stay in for these sessions and you would like them to participate.

Before we begin Unit 8, we will spend several days preparing for the ISAT assessments by taking practice tests.  I will send these tests home for you to review with your child.  It might be valuable for you to review the expectations for the assessment as the expectations for these standardized tests are changing. Please let me know if you have any questions at all.

Science/Social Studies

Please look for the Watery Earth Final Unit Assessment grade to come home on Monday for a sign and return.  

We will take a week to prepare for the ISAT tests before we move on to our Social Studies unit.  The ISAT tests this year have been modified to better represent the Common Core aligned PARCC assessment they will be taking next year.  The 5th grade team has worked hard to gather sample assessment to better prepare students for these tests.  As with the math, I will be sending home these tests after we take them so that you may review the new expectations.   Again, please feel free to ask any questions about these upcoming tests.  

After ISAT practice, we will return to Social Studies for the next two months.  We will pick up where we left off after the Revolutionary War, and study how our country formed a new government.  We will spend time learning about the Constituion and Bill of Rights, then on to Westward Expansion.

Reading

We will be swapping our Treasures weeks for the next few weeks because it makes more sense with our curriculum.  This week, we will be working on Unit 4 Week 4 and practice identifying text structures and writing summaries for non-fiction texts on extreme weather.  This ties in well to the end of our Watery Earth unit, and works best in a full 5-day week.  We will be teaching Week 3 during the ISAT testing weeks.  We will teach one unit of Treasures over the course of two weeks, minimizing classwork and homework during the testing period.  The week 3 text focuses on the Constitutional Convention, and ties in nicely with our Social Studies unit.  

Writing

We continue to prepare for our Response to Fiction essay by analyzing characters in The Liberation of Gabriel King.  Students are learning to identify character traits as demonstrated by the main characters in a text, and finding multiple places in the text to defend their claims. We only have one more prepartory lesson on Monday, then we will begin the work on our final Response to Fiction essay on Tuesday.  These essays will be due late next week.

“Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” 
― Martin Luther King Jr.

Stay Warm!

5-2 Updates ~ 02/15

Hello 5-2 Parents ~

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for a wonderful Valentine's Day party put on by our dedicated room moms.  We had such a great time decorating bags, delivering valentine's, eating treats, and playing games.  It was a delightful afternoon of laughing and socializing as we celebrated the day of "love." :)

Important Dates

Monday, February 17th ~ No School - President's Day!  Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 19th ~  Monday schedule - we will have PE/Music, please be sure your child brings or wears their gym shoes!

ISAT Testing ~ It's that time of year again!  Our ISATS are scheduled as follows:

- Monday, March 3rd, 1:30-2:45pm - Reading #1
- Tuesday, March 4th, 1:30-2:45 - Reading #2
- Wednesday, March 5th, 1:30-2:45 - Reading #3

- Monday, March 10th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #1
- Tuesday, March 11th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #2
- Wednesday, March 12th, 1:30-2:45 - Math #3

Please encourage your child to get a full night's sleep prior to the test dates, and please do your best to minimize absences during these times.  It can be very challenging to schedule make-up tests since our window to do so is so small.  Students often feel overwhelmed at missing instruction in order to makeup tests later in the week, resulting in additional homework.  Thank you for your support!

Math

We will be mid-way through Unit 7 this week, which means we will be taking our mid-unit quiz.  The quizzes are good indicators of student performance on the final unit assessment.  I encourage students to take ownership of their learning by looking at these scores and determining if they need additional support in learning the concepts.  I often talk to the students about being proactive and requesting additional time with me to reinforce the concepts during class or lunch recess.  This is an important skill moving forward in their education.  The Unit 7 Assessment is currently scheduled for Tuesday, Febrary 25th, and the additional review session will be on Monday, February 26th at lunch recess.

Science

We wrapped up our Watery Earth science unit this week as we discussed water pollution.  Students had an opportunity to try to filter pollutants from the water, and found this experiment to be quite challenging.  Our discussions and experiment developed a greater appreciation of our need to keep our water clean.

We will begin our review for the final unit assessment on Tuesday when we return.  Your child can get started on that review this weekend by logging on to Spelling City and taking the vocabulary games with the Watery Earth vocabulary list.  I've assigned the list to them early for them to start practicing if they want to get a head start.  This unit is a vocabulary intensive unit - there are 44 words to study for the Watery Earth test.  We will spend several days reviewing next week before taking the Watery Earth Assessment on Friday, February 21st.

Reading

We working in Unit 4 Week 1 this week and studied how the setting can greatly impact a story as we read several texts set during the Civil Rights Movement.  Your students struggled to understand why people would treat African Americans in such a discriminating way.  Their innocence is heart-warming.  As a teacher, it is a privilege to look into the eyes of the next generation each day, and see hope for a better future :)  

We will still have a full Treasures week next week despite the short week.  They will be given packets and spelling assignments on Tuesday that will be due on Friday, but they will be given additional time in class complete their work.  They will take their weekly assessments on Friday as well.  We will be determining the theme of a story, including how characters respond to challenges.

Writing

We finished reading The Liberation of Gabriel King this week, but will continue to use the text to support our Response to Fiction unit in WEX.  This week we discussed how the author uses sensory details to show character traits in writing, and we learned how to properly cite that evidence in our writing.

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” 
 ~ Aristotle ~

Stay Warm!