Barry 5th Grade - Team Silver
September 7th, 2018
Important Dates
September 17-21 Homecoming Week
September 21 Homecoming Early Release 11:50
Reminders
Reading
During Reader’s Workshop, we have continued to practice skills we have learned with choosing a book that is Just Right for work during our workshop and for at home reading. A Just Right book challenges our thinking while also allowing us to move through the book at a good pace. If we notice that we are having to stop frequently to figure out unknown words, notice long pauses in our pacing due to having to stop to figure out words or meaning, or we are noticing that our comprehension is breaking down as we read, then the book is probably not a Just Right fit and maybe needs to be put aside for future reading.
We have also continued to practice reading stamina with a goal of reading for 30 minutes a day during Reader’s Workshop. During Reader’s Workshop, we are continuing to apply focus and energy toward reading our books over time in order to help train our brains to increase the amount of time focused on reading. We have continued to practice good reading skills that demonstrate that real, quality reading is taking place to help us build our reading stamina over time. Reading stamina will help students to make good progress in the books they are reading in order to finish books and take quizzes toward their AR goals. We took our first STAR Reading test of the year this past Wednesday, and I will be communicating goals to students soon. I have been encouraging students on Team Silver to continue to make progress in their books and have let them know that they can take quizzes on books they have finished this year towards their new goal even before it has been formally set.
I am encouraging students on Team Silver to read for at least 20 minutes a night at home for homework to help them make progress in their books and to help them reach their reading goals. I am asking students to read for 20 minutes at home at least 5 nights a week. This is the main homework the students will be focusing on for ELA during the year other than working on writing projects or other projects that might need more time to finish.
Writing
We have been exploring the genre of Descriptive Writing during Writer’s Workshop this past week. We have learned that descriptive writing involves using adjectives, descriptive action words or verbs, and descriptive language to help paint a picture in the mind of our audience of what we are describing in our writing. When authors use descriptive language, they are much like artists painting a painting only they are using words instead of paint to help create a picture in the reader’s mind about what is being described. We created a topic web together of ideas that we could describe and are working on using a paragraph organizer to help us organize our topic sentence and supporting detail sentences for our descriptive paragraphs. We have also learned how to use transition words such as first, then, next, and last to help our ideas flow between one sentence and the next in our paragraphs. Next week, we will work on drafting our pieces, revising and editing, and working toward a finished paragraph to share with others.
In order to help us practice our descriptive writing skills, we worked on creating a drawing of our own imaginary monster and then using as many descriptive words as possible to describe for others what our monster looked like. Next week, students will work with a partner in order to put their descriptive writing skills to the test as their partners try to draw their monsters based on their written descriptions. I am anxious to see how each version compares to the original sketches!
Math
- use exponents to write powers of 10/find products
- read, compare, and round whole numbers/decimals
- write whole numbers/decimals using standard form, expanded form, and number names
- represent decimals to thousandths as fractions AND fractions with denominators of 1,000 as decimals
Completed assignments such as morning work and various worksheets are being sent home with students. The majority of our math work is done in their textbooks, which are left at school. If students do not finish their assignment during class time, it becomes homework.
Students now have their Reflex Math login information. This website can be accessed by going to the Platte County homepage, clicking on the Student tab, and selecting the Reflex Math link. We have used this in class, and your child should be familiar with how to use the website.
This is a great way for your child to practice at home and work towards increasing their math fact fluency. Please encourage him or her to spend 10-15 minutes on Reflex at least three times a week.
Social Studies
Our Map Skills unit continued this week as we reviewed the cardinal and intermediate directions found on a compass rose. We also learned that the position and location of one place compared to another is called relative location. When we talk about Kansas City being West of St. Louis, we are using relative location. We also began to learn about finding the absolute location of a place using an address created by lines of latitude and longitude. We learned that the equator is a line of latitude that splits the Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres and that distances North and South in lines of latitude can be measured from this line. We also learned that the Prime Meridian splits the Earth into the Eastern and Western hemispheres and that distances East and West in lines of longitude can be measured from this line. We ended this week with a quiz Friday over the Compass Rose and Location.
Next week, we will begin to explore different types of maps and the parts of a map that help us to better understand what the map shows and what it is trying to communicate to us.
Science
Ask your child to tell you about this lab! What is the testable question? What is your hypothesis? How are you going to create a fair test?
Contact Us
Ms. Shoup
Math and Science
(816) 436-9623 EXT. 3152
Mrs. Hayes
ELA and Social Studies
(816) 436-9623 EXT. 3145