Another beautiful weekend in front of us and another busy week in 5-2 this week! My apologies for not updating the blog last week!! I usually get it updated once a week, but sometimes....time just gets away from me!!
Important Dates
Smile ~ School Picture Day is this Tuesday, September 30th! Picture order forms went home this week. It would be best if you sent in the order form ASAP, but they can be sent in as late as Tuesday. If you do not receive the order form, please let me know. Some students have asked me if they can arrive in their comfortable clothes, then change into their "picture outfits" before pictures are taken. Your child will NOT have time to change before pictures are taken, so please have your child arrive to school in their "picture outfits". If they want to bring a change of clothes for after pictures are taken, they will be allowed to change before they go out to recess.
Re-enactment ~ Thursday, October 9th - Our 5th graders will have an opportunity to take a step back in time to 1776 and visit a frontier camp in our very own field! This is such an exciting experience for the 5th graders as they get to meet with and learn from several re-enactors from that time period. From militia members to school teachers, they learn what life was like on the frontier at that time. Shortly after they visit our field, we begin our social studies unit on the Revolutionary War. Permission slips went home this week - there is not cost, so please just sign and return the form ASAP. Thank you!
Math
Unit 1 Assessments went home this week to be signed and returned, and we started Unit 2 - Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication Algorithms. Many of the students performed exceptionally well on the Unit 2 pre-test ~ our Math Stations work well to accomodate the large number of kids that need to be enriched. Math Stations are an engaging way to structure the classroom, and they allow me time to differentiate instruction for those learners who need additional time in instruction, as well as those who need an additional challenge. A new Autumn Common Core Packet also went home this week. This packet is due at the end of unit 2 ~ about two weeks from now, so please have students working on that packet regularly so they don't get caught having to complete it all at the end. Learning to break down larger assignments is an excellent way to prepare for the years to come!
Science
We had a busy week in science this week! Students continued their study of the nervous system early in the week as they learned more about reflexes, such as the blink reflex and pupil dialation. Ask your child how they discovered these reflexes work without even thinking about them, then ask them if they can tell you the difference between a reflex and a reaction. With a reflex, our nervous system takes information in through one of our senses, sends it to the spinal cord, then immediately back to the muscles - it does not have to travel to the brain to make a decision. With a reaction, our nervous system takes information in through one of our senses, sends it to the spinal cord, which takes it to the brain to make a decision. The brain makes a decision about what to do, then sends that message down through the spinal cord, out through the nerves and to the muscles.
Later in the week, we spent more time in the skeletal system as they were allowed to explore cow bones. They discovered bones are made up of compact bone, spongy bone, and bone marrow. Students were excited as they were allowed to explore these bones in more detail with proscopes. They also discovered how important calcium in our bones and we discussed the importance of eating a calcium-rich diet and exercising regularly to keep our bones healthy. Your children are quite engaged in these science lessons! Their enthusiasm is contagious :)
We will bt midway through the Human Body unit, and will be taking a mid-unit assessment on Thursday. We will review for the quiz on Wednesday, and I will post the completed graphic organizers for students to start studying this weekend. They can also log on to Spelling City to practice the vocabulary from this unit.
Reading
On the 3rd week of every unit in Treasures we shift our focus to non-fiction text strategies. We learned how to compare and contrast in Time for Kids articles under the theme of forest biomes. Comparing and contrasting can be an easier strategy to master when reading simpler text, but now that your child is in 5th grade, they have been pushed to identify relationships in much more complex text. Many of them struggled to master this strategy, but most of them were able to challenge themselves to find relationships in more difficult text. They also spent a great deal of time improving their research skills this week as they researched the difference between deciduous and coniferous forests, then they turned their research into writing as they compared and contrasted the forests. Again, this is challenging for many as they learned to squeeze every fact out of the text they are reading, but so many of them really improved their skills this week!
Writing
The students continued to work on the skill of focus this week in writing, shifting from focusing on the moment to focusing on an object. They were also asked to describe an item that means the most to them - can you guess what they chose?? Ask them! Later in the week, they shifted their focus to a setting, and described a really crowded environment. I'm so impressed with how much detail they're bringing into their writing as they really learned to focus on the details.
We worry about what a child will become tomorrow,
yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher
As always...if you have any questions or concerns at all, please don't hesitate to contact me! Enjoy your weekend!
Cheers ~
Theresa Fowler
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