Falling Into October...
... 5th Grade Style!
Reminders!
- Homework comes home nightly. This homework includes a monthly reading choice board. Students should set a goal to read at least 20 minutes a night, but are welcome to read more! This reading activity students choose is due at the end of the month. Additionally, students will be provided homework specific to their individual needs over the course of the year. These "student specific" homework opportunities will be discussed more at conferences.
- Weekly Blog Challenge: These challenges are posted on Kidblog each Sunday with the expectation that students will create a new post of their own in response by Friday. Students are connecting with classrooms all over the country (and hopefully the world soon!) through Kidblog! Check out your child's blog as the year continues!
- Friday reports are sent home weekly to provide you with any necessary "quick information" and a snapshot of your child's week. Students should return these reports signed on Monday morning. In the event of no school on a Friday, this report will typically not be sent home!
- Monday folders are sent home weekly. These folders contain work from the previous week (homework, exit tickets, classwork, group work, test copies). Please remember to review these papers with your child, keep papers at home, and return the folder signed! Any work labeled "redo" or "complete and return" should be returned to school by the end of the week for students to receive a grade for the assignment. Students may always ask for help and are welcome redo an assignment for practice and an increased grade where possible!
- Behavior expectations were reviewed with students over the course of the past week, both in our classroom and in settings like the cafeteria. Students have the opportunity to earn Dojo Points and team points daily through positive behavior and work ethic. All students are members of our classroom community and are valued as individuals who each have something unique to contribute to our learning experience. I look forward to continually working with your children, and with you, to make this year a successful one!
Stay Connected
- Follow us on Twitter @CDRoom104
- Check out what's happening at Carrie Downie with #cddolphins
- Like the Carrie Downie Facebook page.
- Check out the Carrie Downie website!
Guidance Lesson with Mrs. Hayes
Taking Compare and Contrast Outside!
Mystery Skype!
This month in ELA...
We have learned strategies for collaboration with peers, including adding our "two cents" on focus questions, where student did an amazing job sharing ideas and encouraging others. Students have applied their deeper understanding of story elements to short stories and continue to apply these elements to our novel, The Perilous Road by William Steele. This week we have reviewed summarizing using nonfiction articles, including one about the role of horses in the Civil War. We will continue to build on this skill through the use of nonfictional, student interest driven articles over the course of the year. Our narrative writing process has taken us on a "roller coaster ride" through everything from show vs. tell, feeling words, and dialogue. As we complete our roller coaster writing piece, student will learn about to write an effective conclusion.
As we move forward toward Unit 2, look for students to tell you about Ivan, an amazing fictional gorilla. Through The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (book trailer on our classroom website!), students will add to their list of accomplished Common Core "I can" statements. Look for more information about Unit 2 to follow in the coming months!
This month in math...
Our focus in Unit 2 will be volume. Students will apply their knowledge of arrays to the exploration of volume in 3D figures. Through real life connections and hands-on manipulative approaches, students will work towards a deeper understanding of relationships in length, width, and height when calculating volume.
Science and Social Studies
Our schedule this year has allowed us to teach both Science and S.S. each day. In Social Studies, we have been working on comparisons of point of view and will be learning about informed citizenship. Our current focus is the Civil War. Students are creating Google Presentations visualizing key facts about major battles that occurred. The background we have built will support students as we continue to read The Perilous Road during ELA.
5th grade science begins with Ecosystems. Thank you for all of the two liter bottles that were contributed to our classroom! These bottles currently house everything from soil to creatures. Students are exploring how living things are dependent and interdependent on each other, in addition to non-living elements, within a "controlled" ecosystem. These concepts will then be applied to real life situations. Be prepared for stories of growing plants, hopping crickets, and sneaky mosquito fish. Through our verbal and written observations, students will reflect upon the relationships they will create within their "eco-columns" this fall!
Keeping the lines of communication open...
Email: katherine.corey@colonial.k12.de.us
Website: http://mrscorey.weebly.com/about-mrs-corey.html
Location: 1201 Delaware Street, New Castle, DE
Phone: 302-323-2926
Twitter: @CDRoom104