Have A Great Summer!

It's been an amazing year! You will all be missed! 

Last Week of School!

It's hard to believe this is the last week for our 5th graders! We hope to make it a special one with a lot of things to look forward to- including the much anticipated 5th grade show! Here is a brief overview of what this week will look like:
Monday:

• 5th Grade Fun Day (team building activities, Subway lunch, choice of 1 of 4 movies)

Tuesday:

• Pool Party at Frontier 

Wednesday:

• Final art class (rescheduled from last week)
• 5th grade show performance!

Thursday: (Last day of school for students)

• Clean out desks
• Water safety presentation
• Visit next year's teachers (1st-4th graders)
• End of Year assembly

Thanks for a great year!

Keyboarding Challenge!!

Camp Edwards

Animoto  2014

Week of May 26, 2014

Math: Tuesday's math will be cancelled due to the Jazz Assembly from 9:15-9:45. Wednesday we will review Unit 8 and on Thursday we will have an open note test, which will conclude our math classes for the year. 
Keep, Change, Flip- why it works!

Tutorial Finding Percent of a Number
Percent of a number
IXL discount practice

Writing:  Students will select a persuasive essay topic of their choice and write about it using our class example. 

PSI PROPOSAL LINK:   Click Here!   When you are done with your research, fill this form out(Make a copy of it!) , print it, and submit it to Ms. P for approval! 

Reading/Novels:  Students will be conducting book talks- their project for May. These will begin on Tuesday! We will conclude novels this week! 

Science/Social Studies: We will continue to work through Chapter 17 (people of the west). 

Special Events:

• Jazz Assembly Tuesday morning. 
• 9:56-11:00 Music Rehearsal on Tuesday
• LMC rescheduled for Tuesday afternoon 1:30-2:00
• Linda & Michael Presentation (Robert Crown) on Thursday at 10:45
• Talent Show Thursday at 2:00
• Field Day Friday morning and music practice Friday afternoon

Week of May 19, 2014

We participated in the indoor JDRF Walk on Friday! 

Our Class Summer Reading List! 

Math: We will only have math on Monday & Wednesday. We will revisit the idea of finding a percent of a number and will continue to apply it to real-world situations with discounts. (8.10, 8.11)
Tutorial Finding Percent of a Number
Percent of a number
IXL discount practice

My Study Link Tutorial 8.9
My Study Link Tutorial 8.8

Writing:  We are continuing to work on persuasive writing. In grammar, we are focusing on prepositions. 

PSI PROPOSAL LINK:   Click Here!   When you are done with your research, fill this form out(Make a copy of it!) , print it, and submit it to Ms. P for approval! 

Reading/Novels:  PARCC assessment on Monday/Tuesday during this time. Wednesday we will work on Comprehension Toolkit Lesson 19, which focuses on differentiating between interesting and important facts in texts we read. Students will continue to work on their novels with their small groups. 1 activities is due each week, and daily work with thinking tracks are required. 

Science/Social Studies:  We finished our Energy Unit last week (ask students for their Quick Check quizzes- in their accordions). We will finish off the year with Social Studies Chapter 17, which highlights various people of the west. 

Special Events:

• PARCC assessment pilot test
• Camp Edwards- THURSDAY AT 6:45 AM!
• NO SCHOOL FRIDAY for kids- SIP DAY

Week of May 12, 2014

Math:  There will be no math on Monday or Thursday (due to Life Begins & Music rehearsal). The rest of the days we will learn to multiply mixed numbers and learn how to find a percentage off original prices (real life application of math!). 
Tutorial Finding Percent of a Number
Tutorial % of a Number
http://www.mathsisfun.com/percentage.html
Percent of a number
IXL discount practice

UNIT FRACTIONS TUTORIAL

Writing:  Students should be done with their final drafts of their 3rd final piece this year. Please look for a rubric early next week (students self-assessed too!). We will begin to talk about persuasive writing and students will get the opportunity to choose a prompt they are interested in writing. 

PSI PROPOSAL LINK:   Click Here!   When you are done with your research, fill this form out(Make a copy of it!) , print it, and submit it to Ms. P for approval! 

Reading/Novels:  We will continue to learn about strategies to help us become stronger readers using various strategies learned through the Comprehension Toolkit. Students will continue their book club work in which they are expected to keep daily notes and reflections and weekly choice projects. Students also hold their own book talk discussion sessions 2x a week.  Ask your child to explain what they are doing in class. 

 **No MAY letter, but there is a project. Remind your child about their Google Presentation on an award winning book. 

Science:  We will be finishing up our energy unit by learning about light bulbs & the differences between energy efficient bulbs and various wattages. 

Special Events:

• Life Begins 10:45-12:15 Monday
• Extra music rehearsal on Thursday at 9:15-10:15
• 1:30-2:00 JDRF Walk on Friday 

Week of May 5, 2014

Coding video

Math:  This week we will learn how to determine fractions of fractions, multiply fractions, and multiply fractions and whole numbers. This covers lessons 8.4-8.7. 
Simplify Fractions-6th Grade- T3
Multiply 2 fractions Word Problems
5th Grade- J2- Word Problems
Concept of Multiplying Fractions
Finding Fractions of Fractions
N1 IXL Skill
N6 IXL Skill

Writing:  We will begin typing our final drafts of our fictional pieces of writing, as well as revise/edit them. Students will be doing this on GoogleDocs. In grammar, we will learn about adverbs that compare. 

Reading/Novels:  Using the Comprehension Toolkit, we will continue to learn how to use Fact/Question/Response Charts to make sense of nonfiction they read and pick out the key facts/details.  We will also learn how to use an FQR chart when reading historical fiction, using the story "Unbreakable Code" from the Treasures series. 

Since we have completed our novels unit, students will now begin a book study based on a novel of their choice. I will present 6 different options, and they can choose their top 3 books to read.  I will do a brief book talk on Monday, so students can determine their interest.

May Genre: Students must select award-winning books to read this month. They will then be expected to create a GooglePresentation on it. There will be no monthly letter. 

Science:  Students will get their Quick Check back from Friday. We will learn more about conductors/insulators and test various materials to see how well they insulate water bottles. Students will then get the opportunity to bring in materials they wish to test and create a bottle they believe will be very well-insulated. 

Special Events:

• Sign and return midterms
• Butterbraid pick-ups will be Thursday. 
• Additional music rehearsals for the 5th grade show will be Monday 11:15-12:15 and Thursday 1:30-2:15. 
• Make-up Odyssey class will be Monday at 2:30
• Poetry sharing with 5th grade, where we wear our Poem T-shirts will be Monday afternoon.