Laker News
5th/6th Grade August & September Newsletter
Welcome to the 2018-2019 School Year!
Important Dates
August
8/15: First Day of School
8/29 - 8/31: No School- Sweet Corn Festival Break
September
9/3: No School- Labor Day
9/24: No School- Teacher Professional Development Day
Teacher Contact Information
Tracey Tisdale- 5/6 ELA- ttisdale@walnuttsd.org
Adrienne Winders- 5/6 Social Studies & 6th ELA- awinders@walnuttsd.org
Nicole Roark- 5/6 Math- nroark@walnuttsd.org
Jessica Mick- 5/6 Science & 5th Math- jmick@walnuttsd.org
Katie Gilreath- 5/6 Intervention Specialist- kgilreath@walnuttsd.org
Science
5th Grade
6th Grade
Last year we took our studies all the way to outer space! To start this year off we are going to come back to Earth by exploring the Geosphere. Within this layer we can find rocks, minerals, and soil. 6th graders will be excellent geologists as they get to classify rocks and minerals and test their hometown soil.
(6.ESS.1-5)
Remember Study Jams!?!
Use the link below to review old information or learn a little more for the upcoming school year!
MATH
5th Grade
*** Please read the slides, "Tech Night- Parent Night" this is important information on technology that will help guide you through all the apps we use in 5th and 6th grade!
(5.NBT.A.1, 5.NBT.A.2, 5.NBT.B.5, 5.NBT.B.6, 5.OA.A.1, 5.OA.A.2)
6th Grade
*** Please read the slides, "Tech Night- Parent Night" this is important information on technology that will help guide you through all the apps we use in 5th and 6th grade!
(6.NS.B.2, 6.NS.B.3, 6.NS.B.4 )
LANGUAGE ARTS
5th GRADE ELA
To start off: If your children come home and say they are allowed to bring a snack to ELA, they are telling you the TRUTH. My classes have a special time we call: LakerBucks. It is a take on Starbucks. I love the idea of have a vibe of relaxation that we can combine with work. Have you ever gone into a Starbucks and passed by that group of people having a meeting or just working on their computers? It is possible to work and feel comfortable. With our writing classes, I want the kids to feel , just that. Please allow your child to bring in a small snack. The only stipulation is that they work. This will be a privilege to combine with our work, which will be the focus.
LANGUAGE SKILLS:
We are starting with Commas in a Series. Our students are learning to combine a list of items in one sentence, that are divided by commas. This will be helpful when then begin to write their thesis statements in their five paragraph essays. Using commas as introductory elements will be the skill that follows.
READING
We are also working on the RACE writing strategy. It is a review from 4th grade. Our students will be writing full paragraphs with accurately cited details, to answer a written response question.
Intermittently, throughout the year, the kids will be adding new Greek and Latin root words to their vocabulary. We will be starting on our first four in September.
WRITING:
It is important to learn different types of text structure. We will also be learning to identify those types of structure and apply that style to our writing.
The first type of writing we will tackle is:
W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
6th GRADE ELA
LANGUAGE
L.6.1.a Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, possessive). Our students are already working on pronouns and the many types and when to use them in our writing.
READING
We will start on Author's viewpoint very soon. Students will determine an author's point of view in a particular text and how it is conveyed in that text. They will also be comparing information in more than one text.
The RACE strategy in writing was used throughout the year last year, when responding to questions that require a short answer response. We will review that strategy and continue to use it.
In literature, our sixth graders will determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details. They will also proved summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgements.
DIGITAL
Our students are adding new apps to their chromebooks and information to their interactive notebooks to improve their reading and writing skills.
Social Studies
5th Grade Social Studies
The 5th grade is jumping right in with their study of Geography. We have started with the 5 Themes of Geography as a broad concept, then diving a little deeper with each of the themes to have a great handle on this concept.
Please be sure to help your child to study for my quizzes and assessments. This concept has many vocabulary pieces and sometimes the students do not view studying as a homework assignment.
I am looking forward to a great year!