It has been a fabulous short week here in fifth grade! We hope your child is having as much fun as we are getting the year started. During music class this week, both homerooms participated in an instrument petting zoo. Check out the photos link (under “Links and Resources” at the top of this page) to see our students in action. We have also created a spot for important dates to the right called “Upcoming Events”. Be sure to check that section as we have several events happening next week- the beginning of after school strings, picture day, and back to school night. Lastly, be sure to ask him or her about the “Kindness Boomerang” we are creating!
Reading: This week, we began working on our Reading Kickoff Project. Based on your child’s favorite genre from their summer reading, they’ll collaborate with a small group to give a slideshow presentation on their shared literary genre and their individual books. The plan is to continue working on these slideshows in class and during our Work Time periods over the next week and a half, culminating in some wonderful and informative presentations.
History: Similarly, we began our history unit by diving into our Landmark Projects. This week, each student signed up to be the sole researcher for their historic landmark in and/or around The National Mall of Washington DC. For the next several weeks, we’ll learn and practice good note-taking skills, compile our research, and draft an essay that they’ll present during our field trip to DC near the end of October. We’re all very excited to see these 25 projects come together over the next month and a half!
Math: We continued to learn about the pieces of the puzzle that make up each routine in class this week. All students have been fabulous participants in each math class. I very much enjoy hearing them explain their thinking as the strategies used during our “number talks” have been varied and show a great number sense foundation. Adding on to our discussions about growth mindset, we have also talked about the importance of retrieval practice. The homework pages we do nightly aid in spiraling our review by practicing the retrieval of previously learned topics. Next week we will dive further into number theory such as prime and composite numbers, factors, and multiples.