Newsletter for the week of 4-4

Reading: This week in reading we will be reading the story "William Shakespeare & the Globe".  The focus skills for this story are fact and opinion, important vs. unimportant information, and connecting literary selections to historical context.  We will also continue to work on using context clues to define words.  The words we will focus on this story are dismantle, adornment, lavish, congested, patron, critical, and shareholder.   

Book Report:  The next book report is due on Friday, April 15.  The students may select from the following options: a book sandwich, a book quilt, an A to Z about the book, make a book jacket, or take an accelerated reader test.

Math: In math we started unit 8.  The first lesson of this unit focused on equivalent fractions.  The second lesson focused on adding mixed numbers with common denominators and uncommon denominators.  The students also learned about subtracting and multiplying fractions.  They learned how to find a product of a whole number and a fraction.  Last week the students continued to learn how to find a product of a whole number and a fraction.  This week they will learn how to calculate the percent of a discount.  They will also find the whole given a fraction or percent.  The last lesson in unit 8 is dividing fractions.

Writing: This week in writing the students will pick their research topic.  We are making some changes to our project this year, and we have not decided what the end product will be.  This year the students can select either a person who impacted the world or a historical event that had an impact on the world.  On Monday, they will be able to look through biography books and books with historical events.  This will help them select a topic.  On Tuesday, we will go through the specific questions that will need to be answered after doing their research.  Then they will select their person or event on Friday.  On Wednesday, they are going to write a story about meeting their favorite author, and on Thursday, the students are going to write a 6 word memoir. 

Science: This quarter our unit in science focuses around using the microscope.  The students will learn about the parts of the microscope and how to prepare a slide.  The students will also compare the size of specimens and observe a penny next week.  They will start to learn about the parts of a plant cell and be able to observe one under the microscope.

Social Studies: We will go back to social studies after we finish the science unit.

Spelling Unit  Words:
There is no spelling this week.

Important Information:
Please sign the report card envelope and send it back to school after break.
If your child submitted Read for Success, they will be getting the tickets in mid-May.

Important Dates:

Spring Break the week of March 28
Classes resume Monday, April 4
Parent night at Hill on Thursday, April 7
Math test Tuesday, April 12
Book report due Friday, April 15

Homework 3-25

Reading - Read 20 minutes, Book Report due on 4-15

5P Math - Study Guide due on Thursday, April 7, Test on Friday, April 8

Have a great spring break.

Homework 3-24

Reading - Read 20 minutes, Book Report due tomorrow

5P Math - Study Link 8.8, Study guide due on April 6, Test April 7

5G Math - Journal pages 303 & 306

Book Order due Friday

Homework 3-23

Reading - Read 20 minutes, Book Report due on Friday

5P Math - Journal page 275

5G Math - Study Link 8.6, Journal page 301

Book Order due on Friday

Homework 3-22

Reading - Read 20 minutes, Book Report due on Friday

Spelling - Test & Contract due Wednesday

5G Math - Journal pages 297 & 299

Book Order due on Friday

Homework 3-21

Reading - Read 20 minutes, Book Report due on 3-25

Spelling - Contract & Test for Wednesday

5P Math - Study Link 8.7, Journal page 271 numbers 1, 3, 4, 5

5G Math - Journal pages 293 & 294,

Social Studies - Worksheet, Test starting tomorrow

Book Order due 3-25

Newsletter for the week of 3-21

Reading: This week in reading we will continue to work on using context clues and affixes to define words.  We will also work on summarizing ideas, open ended questions, inferences, and important vs. unimportant information.  This week in reading we will work on these skills with our social studies curriculum.  The students will be reading the chapter in both reading and social studies block and working on different skills.  We will also be using Time for Kids magazines to teach these skills.   

Book Report:  The next book report is due on Friday, March 25, and the genre is fairy tales.  They have three options to select from for this report.  Option 1: After reading the fairy tale, they can create their own fairy tale.  Option 2: They can create a twist to the fairy tale they just read.  This means that they can change a character, change the setting, change the character traits, etc.  The message of the fairy tale should be the same.  Option 3: They can create their own parody.  An example of a parody would be Cinderella's Rat.  Cinderella's rat tells the story instead of Cinderella.  Another parody is the Wolf telling the story of the Three Little Pigs instead of the Three Little Pigs.

Math: In math we started unit 8.  The first lesson of this unit focused on equivalent fractions.  The second lesson focused on adding mixed numbers with common denominators and uncommon denominators.  Last week the students learned about subtracting and multiplying fractions.  They also learned how to find a product of a whole number and a fraction.  This week the students will continue to learn how to find a product of a whole number and a fraction.  They will also learn how to calculate the percent of a discount.

Writing: This week in writing we will be making mash up books.  The students will take two picture books and mash the two stories together.  They will also make two class books this week.  I will read the story Animals Should Definately Not Wear Clothing then the students will brainstorm other things animals should not do.  Each student will make a page for our class book about what animals should not do.  I will also read the book Bad Ideas, and the students will make a page for the class book on bad ideas.

Science: We will go back to science next quarter.

Social Studies: We will be working on chapter 9.  The students will learn about the colonists declaring independence from Britain.  They will also learn about the American Revolution.  This chapter also focuses on how other nations helped the colonists during the American Revolution.  The focus skill of this chapter is making generalizations.  The tentative date of the test is this Tuesday.

Spelling Unit 23 Words:
wondering       fastened       permitting       controlled       listening       regretted       suffered
admitted       referred       bothered       submitted       whispered       transferring       occurring
canceled       developing       scrubbing       upsetting       wondered       quarreled       triggered
commenting       delaying       squatted       complained       permitting       remained       profiting
selling       supplying       obtaining       omitted       preferred       profited       abolitionist
headline       editorial       dateline       secede

Important Information:
Spring fundraiser - Money order forms are due Monday, March 21
If your child submitted Read for Success, they will be getting the tickets in mid-May.

Important Dates:
Social Studies test Tuesday, March 22

Spelling test Wednesday, March 23
Book Report due Friday, March 25
Report cards Friday, March 25
Spring Break the week of March 28
Classes resume Monday, April 4
Math test Friday, April 8