Welcome Parents & Students!

Thank you for visiting our class website. Please visit often to get the latest news and information on what is happening in our class. If you have any questions about our program or progress, please don't hesitate to contact me!

 

Dates to Remember

 

  • April 17th, 18th, 19th- NYS English Language Arts Test
  • April 25th, 26th, 27th- NYS Mathematics Test
  • May 11, 2012- No School
  • May 18th- Imagination Celebration

 

What are we studying?


Math: We are spending the next several weeks reviewing major math concepts including: geometry, place value, estimation, number sense operations, graphing, measurement, and fractions.

 

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally! We have been learning how to follow the proper order of operations to solve equations. The students have learned the acronym PEMDAS to help them remember the correct order in which to solve the problems. This concept is also review of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponents.

 

 

 

 

Interactive Math Websites:

http://www.mathplayground.com/

 http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm

http://www.coolmath4kids.com/0-geometry-math-art.html

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/fractions/index.htm (Fraction Games)

 

Science: We have been exploring what it means to be "ecofriendly." The students are also working in groups with students from the other 5th grade classes to research information about a biome. The biomes students are researching include: The taiga, tundra, desert, deciduous forest, estuaries, grasslands, salt water, fresh water, and tropical rain forests.

 Writing: Everyday our writing skills are improving! We are focusing on writing to persuade or convince our readers about an issue or topic.

Reading: Reading is a very exciting time of day! Students are reading to themselves and each other, listening to reading, engaging in word work activities, and responding to reading. Students are encouraged to utilize many different strategies while reading to help make sure they are understanding their books. Making connections, rereading, retelling the story, and asking questions are just a few strategies the students are using! We have also been tuning in to interesting words and are creating a class word wall of words the students have collected while reading. Our book clubs are in full swing! Students are reading and discussing their Newbery Award winning books in small groups. Each student in the group plays an active part in contributing to the group discussion. Each day students roles in the book rotate. Discussion Director, Artful Artist, Passage Picker, Word Wizard, and Connector are the five jobs that the students take responsibility of. These jobs help spark rich discussions and deep understanding of the books!

Currently we are reading: Trouble Don't Last by Shelley Pearsall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Studies: We are looking forward to learning about the major causes of the Civil War.

 

 

Westward Expansion

  • Why did so many people migrate westward?
  • What was their journey like? What hardships did they encounter?
  • How did westward expansion change the course of our nation's development?

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