5th Grade News
March Newsletter
We are now halfway through quarter three and spring is right around the corner! If there is one thing we know about Maryland in March, it is that the weather can be unpredictable! Please make sure your children are dressed in layers. We make frequent trips in and out of the main building and have outdoor recess when appropriate, so it is important for students to be prepared!
Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who put on amazing Valentine’s parties! A great time was had by all. Thank you also to the volunteers who chaperoned our field trips. The students really enjoyed their time at the ESSL and learning about the different rocks and minerals found in Frederick County!
Many students and classrooms are running low on school supplies. Please check with your child to see if he/she is in need of fresh pencils, glue sticks, scissors, headphones, highlighters, colored pencils or notebooks. Teachers are always appreciative of donations of supplies such as tissues, expo markers and pencils as well. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
We have some testing coming up on the horizon. 5th graders will be taking MISA (Maryland Integrated Science Assessment) from March 11th - March 15th. PARCC testing is coming up this spring. For your references, here are the dates that fifth grade will be testing for PARCC.
ELA Sessions: 4/24, 4/25, 4/29,
Math Sessions: 5/2, 5/3, 5/8, 5/9Language Arts
We will soon begin working on writing argument based opinion pieces. Throughout our studies, we will be focusing on gathering facts to support our opinions using several different resources, including multimedia sources. We will learn to think critically about our research and supporting evidence. We are also continuing to teach, practice, and perfect our convention and grammar usage in our everyday writing. Thank you for your support from home as we continue to strengthen these skills.
In reading, we are wrapping up our extended literature unit. Students had the opportunity to read novels with their peers to discuss different literary elements (setting, plot, theme, etc.) We will be researching influential women throughout history and learning about the positive impacts they've made on the world.
At home, students should continue reading 20-30 minutes each day. Did you know that a student who reads 20 minutes a day at home will read over 1, 200,00 words in a year and is more likely to score better than 90% of their peers on standardized assessments? Reading for enjoyment also can expand children's’ vocabulary, improve critical thinking skills and strengthen their ability to empathize with others. We appreciate your support in encouraging your child to read at home!
Social Studies
We have started learning about American beginnings. Students are learning about the settlement of North America, beginning with Native Americans and learning about European colonization. There are so many excellent resources that you can use at home to support your child’s interest and learning:
Math
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jzacj0CCtrY7AhTV0Lqt0xgQPjx0afiLfUoRl_JCG0s/edit