February 5, 2009
Dear Fifth Grade Parents,
? Next Thursday we will be sending home Mid-Trimester Reports via the FCE envelope.
? On Wednesday we will be working on our auction project. Students will be using beads to make a beautiful cross. (2/11: 1:00pm-2:00pm)
? Parent Informational Meeting for Camp Seymour (February 26th at 6:30 pm.)
The following is a brief curriculum update for the following week:
Math
Friday: Test #56
Monday: Lesson 57, Simple Probability
Tuesday: Lesson 58Writing Quotients as Mixed Numbers, Part 3
Wednesday: Lesson 59, Fractions Equal to 1
Friday: Lesson 60, Finding a Fraction to Complete a Whole
Religion
On Tuesday we will be learning about the Catholic Social Teaching principle: Solidarity of the Human Family. We will talk about how human sin causes moral evil and suffering in the world, that through the Church, Jesus healing ministry is offered to all, and God always welcomes and forgives the repentant sinner. If you would like to read ahead this information is on pages 215A-215.
On Wednesday we will be moving on to Chapter 16, Gathered for Mass. In this Chapter we will be reflecting on what it means to be part of a group, we will define the liturgical assembly of believers, discover why Christians celebrate the Lords day, and identify the roles of liturgical ministers.
Social Studies
We have moved on to Chapter 9, Colonial Williamsburg. Students are currently working in groups to visit a simulation on Williamsburg. They are required to complete a specific task at each station. They will be completing their Interactive Notebook for chapter 9 as they work through each station in class.
Science
Students are separating the objects in owl pellets (bones, fur, feathers) and attempting to identify different types of bones. Students will infer the types of prey on which the owl fed. Students will also learn what food chains and energy pyramids show about energy flow in an ecosystem
Reading
5th graders have been reading a mystery story, using clues given by the author to draw conclusions. There will be a Selections Test covering the story on Friday.
Also, the rubric and directions for the 2nd Trimester book report have gone home. I will also post a copy of this on my Reading website. Students have been asked to get a signed approval of their book choice and turn it in by this Friday. There will be some time given next week during class for reading their book, but no class time will be given to complete the activity. Oral presentations will begin March 9th.
Language Arts
5th graders explore word choice as they write with strong verbs. Students learn to identify main verbs and helping verbs. We create sentences and paragraphs that use specific action verbs, which add color and variety to our writing. Our spelling test is this Monday; the assignment is also due on Monday.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Ms. Semandiris