November 6, 2008
Dear Fifth Grade Parents,
A big Thanks to all the parents who made our 5th grade Halloween party a success. The students had a great time! Now we are well into November and we have lots of work to do. The following is a brief curriculum update.
Math
Friday: Test # 5
Monday: Fractions: Investigation: Thirds, Fifths, and Eighths
Wednesday: Lesson 31, Pairs of Lines
Friday: Lesson 32, Angles & Polygons
Religion
Students have been working through Chapter 3 this week during class. We have been learning about the Old Testament story of Moses and the burning bush the sacraments and their signs/symbolic actions. Students have completed the study guide for Chapters 2 & 3. We will have a test on Chapters 2 & 3 next Friday 11/14.
Social Studies
The fifth graders are working on Lesson 4. They have been working in groups to retrieve artifacts from a sunken ship. As archeologists they are researching them and documenting information. We will have a test of Lesson 4, Why Europeans Left For the New World, next Wednesday 11/12. Students should be reading the lesson again, studying the vocabulary, and their notes of the artifacts.
Science
Students begin a unit on Life Science. In this unit, students will learn the characteristics of living things and how animals and plants are classified. Students will explore adaptations and discover adaptations that allow plants and animals to live in water or on land. Finally, students discover what makes up an ecosystem and describe how energy moves through an ecosystem.
Reading
5th graders have received a study guide for Fridays test which will cover Chapters 1-6 in Hatchet. We are using the study strategy of creating flash cards to learn new vocabulary. Students should bring their completed flash cards to class on Thursday.
Upcoming Due Dates: Nov. 7th rough drafts due
Nov. 14th final book reports due.
Language Arts
5th graders practice writing with good sentence fluency. We try to vary the length and ways we begin sentences while maintaining complete thoughts. Spelling homework is due on Monday; our test will be on Monday.
Social Studies
The fifth graders are working on Lesson 4. They have been working in groups to retrieve artifacts from a sunken ship. As archeologists they are researching them and documenting information. We will have a test of Lesson 4, Why Europeans Left For the New World, next Wednesday 11/12. Students should be reading the lesson again, studying the vocabulary, and their notes of the artifacts.
Have a great week!
Ms. Semandiris