LANGUAGE ARTS
Each unit in Language Arts covers a six-week period. There is a theme for each unit and, in addition to our daily work, there will be one novel read per unit.
Theme
Our first unit theme in Language arts is Perseverance. During this unit, students will read a variety of selections that teach them about perseverance and people who have persevered.
Story: Marble Champ
Spelling: Our spelling pattern/rule this week are prefixes: non- (not) and pre-, suffixes: -ness (state of being) and -ment (action of)
Students will have 3x each, syllable, spelling worksheet, and practice test for homework.
Grammar: Nouns and Pronouns
Writing: Students will be starting an opinion writing piece
Novel Study: The Rats of NIHM by Robert C. O´Brien.
*In 5th grade, we will be starting novel studies. Our first novel is Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM by Robert C. O'Brien. I have enough copies for the students to share but if your student would prefer to have their own copy, please purchase that as soon as possible.
MATH
Over the first three days of school, students completed a Prerequisite Skills Inventory. This was not a graded activity, as its purpose was to allow us to gather data about the areas of strength and those that need review before introducing the 5th-grade material.
We will begin Chapter 1 on Monday. The chapter focuses on Place Value, Multiplication, and Factors. Students will be learning how to describe the relationship between two place-value positions, becoming comfortable with identifying numbers “ten times as much as…” or “1/10 of…”. (ie ten times as much as 400 is 4,000 and 1/10 of 400 is 40)
Students will receive direct and guided instruction each day, often work collaboratively on problems, and complete independent practice on the day’s topic. To further master the skill, students will be assigned practice each night.
SCIENCE
We will kick off 5th-grade science by starting the first unit of our new Amplify Science Curriculum, "Patterns of Earth and Sky". Students will become astronomers who are helping a team of archaeologists at the fictional Museum of Archaeology. They will be tasked with identifying what might be depicted on a newly discovered ancient artifact.
SOCIAL STUDIES
The beginning of the year has us review the different regions of the United States. We start at the Appalachian mountains and move west to the California coast.
PE
We do quite a bit of PE with our fifth graders (not this week, due to the heat). Students should come to school prepared for PE every day- appropriate shoes are important!
Enrichment
Enrichment classes will begin this week. The Trimester 1 schedule is listed below:
Monday-Spanish with Patty Hurtado & Band/Choir
Tuesday- Movement with Coach Paige
Wednesday-Spanish with Patty Hurtado & Band/Choir
Thursday-Art with C. Church & Library
Friday- STEM with Mr. Carey
Have a great week!