First Blog of the Year - 8/31

Happy Friday! 

The school year is off and running! We've been working hard to get into routines and be back into "school mode". As much as we all wish summer could last forever, we're also very excited to see what is in store for this year! It's going to be a fantastic year, fifth grade!

The link you clicked on is our classroom Blogger page, which will have bi-monthly classroom updates. Included in the updates will be our current target concepts in all academic areas, classroom events, and important upcoming dates. An email with a link to our classroom Blogger page will be pushed out every two weeks when our Blogger page is updated.

Here are the targets we are currently/planning on working to master over the next couple of weeks:

Literacy

* Our students are currently working on comparing and contrasting characters, events, and settings of stories, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges. We are also working on “quoting accurately” within a text which involves students supplying text support for their answers. We are greatly enjoying our shared reading book, Night of The Spadefoot Toads. Because some of the chapters are quite lengthy, students are being required to read portions at home. They are welcome to use their print copy, or read the story on their I-Pads. Students are welcome to use this reading towards their daily required reading of 20-30 minutes. Home reading logs have been introduced and students are becoming comfortable with the routine of recording their minutes.

Writing

* Our students are off to a great start writing narrative pieces. We are currently working on planning an original story, including a effectively written introduction, well-developed body paragraphs, and an effective conclusion. 

Math

* Our students are currently working on writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses as well as demonstrating their understanding of how to find the volume of rectangular prisms. The first few weeks have also involved getting used to our math routines. In fact, with the new month approaching, we will also be starting our daily Number Corner routine. 

Science

* Instruction utilizing our TCI science curriculum is well underway! Our current focus is on understanding the makings of a various ecosystems around the world. This unit ties nicely into the reading we are doing with The Night of the Spadefoot Toad book we are reading during our literacy block.

Important Dates and Friendly Reminders:
*September 3 (Monday) - No School (Labor Day)
*September 5 (Wednesday) - Picture Day
*September 10 (Monday) - No School (District Holiday)
*September 19 (Wednesday) - No School (District Holiday)
*September 25 (Tuesday) - Early Release @ 2:00 PM

** Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack.  Nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

** Please continue to have your child practice their multiplication facts up to 12.

Enjoy the long weekend,
Ms. Nguyen