5th Grade Friendly Flier
Welcome to 5th Grade - October
The Arts in 5th Grade
Focus Standards:
Visual Arts
- Analyze components in visual imagery that convey messages and compare personal interpretations.
- Creatively play with the elements of art and principles of design to develop compositions that are personally meaningful in our world.
Dance
- Analyze a recorded or performed dance in order to discuss movement qualities and structure.
- Use the elements of dance and choreographic forms to create dance and explain its meaning or main idea.
We are also using Native American dance elements and our knowledge of the water cycle to create an original dance depicting parts of the water cycle.
Language Arts
5th graders have been reading short fictional stories and informational text.
In order to understand the main ideas in informational text, students have been using the following strategies:
- Chunk, retell, sketch, jot
- Shrink the text
- Cover, retell
In order to summarize short stories, students have been using the following summarizing organizer:
- Somebody (the main character)
- Wanted (the character's goal or wants)
- But (the challenge that gets in the way)
- So (the character's action to overcome the challenge)
- Then (the results of the action)
Parents: You can help improve your child's comprehension by having a conversation about the independent book your child is reading each night for homework.
Also, all students have accounts in the website, Newsela.com. We use this site in class, but students are encouraged to read additional articles at home and complete the comprehension quiz that goes with the article. Have your child log on and show you the great informational news stories on the site.
Math
We are finishing up Unit 2 this week and will move right into Unit 3. Frederick County Public Schools has created a parent letter to explain the standards of focus within the unit and give examples of what those standards look like in the classroom. Check out the Unit 3 NEWSLETTER HERE.
As always, if you have concerns or questions about math concepts or your child's performance, please contact one of us.
Current Focus Standards:
- Add or subtract two fractions or mixed numbers with unlike denominators using only fraction with denominators of 2, 4, 5, 8 or 10 in such a way to produce an equivalent sum or difference with like denominators
- Use benchmark fractions and number sense of fractions to estimate mentally and assess the reasonableness of answers in real world problems.
If your student needs help understanding these focus standards, try these resources:
Science / Social Studies
Science Update:
The focus with our Earth Systems Unit is to learn how four of the Earth's spheres interact with each other.
We have been deepening our understanding of the Hydrosphere and students are working on an abstract art project that will compare the amount of salt water and fresh water on the Earth. They have very creative ideas, we are looking forward to seeing their completed work!
We will be be reading informational text to identify the main ideas about the atmosphere and explain the details that support those main ideas. We will be focusing on how the hydrosphere and the atmosphere interact with each other. The students will create a model to describe the relationship between the hydrosphere and the atmosphere.
Artful thinking routines, Native American Legends and cultural dances are embedded throughout the unit.
Grade Level Reminders and Announcements
- Remember, some class assignments are in Google Classroom and through TenMarks or Newsela. You may want to review your child's progress weekly to check recent grades and feedback received.
- Please review your student's math fact goals with them. Encourage them to practice daily; even five minutes a day in the car can make a huge difference.
- It is a typical. lovely, Maryland fall: 60 degrees one day and 90 the next. Please check the weather to make sure your student has appropriate clothing on for the day. We do go out to recess every day unless it is actively raining.
Spring Ridge Elementary School
9501 Ridgefield Drive, Frederick, MD 21701
240-236-1600 phone
240-236-1601 fax