January
5th Grade News
The 5th grade team would like to wish all of our students and their families a fabulous start to 2024! We hope you had a wonderful time during winter break and that everyone is recharged and ready to take on the second half of the school year. In addition, all 5th grade classes will be taking Map-R and Map-M the week of January 8th. It is very important for students arrive to class with a fully charged chromebook each day.
- The 5th Grade TeamMrs. Barrios, Mrs. Calabretta, Mrs. Finn, Mrs. Hogan, Ms. Maloney
January Curriculum Connections
Reading / Writing
Grade 5 Benchmark Curriculum
Reading:
We will be starting Unit 4 of Benchmark when we return from winter break. Students will be exposed to various types of realistic fiction texts and also poetry to learn about different perspectives. We will continue to focus on basic reading skills like context clues, comparing and contrasting texts, summarizing, and identifying the main ideas within a text. Students will also review different types of figurative language like similes.
Enriched Literacy Curriculum
We will read Junior Great Books selections and Jacob’s Ladder selections to discover how authors write about persistence and perseverance. These stories will focus on how the characters face adversity and persevere with persistence and belief in themselves and belief through others. By using these instructional resources, students will continue to develop their close reading and analytical skills, participate in discussion models, and respond to text in writing.
Students will finish the marking period by reading texts about westward expansion and tapping into their learning in social studies. They will create a feature article about a topic of their choosing (either a significant historical person or event) that relates to westward expansion and the impact it had on US history.
Math
In Module 4, students learn to multiply fractions and decimal fractions and begin working with fraction division. In Topic A students explored fractional measurement and constructed line plots by measuring objects to the 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8 inch. Topic B will focus on interpreting fractions as division. Equal sharing with area models provides students with an opportunity to understand division of whole numbers with answers in the form of fractions or mixed numbers. Discussion also includes an interpretation of remainders as a fraction. Students will solve real world problems and generate story contexts for visual models. In Topic C, students interpret finding a fraction of a set as multiplication of a whole number by a fraction and use tape diagrams to support their understanding.
Grade 5 / 6 Compacted Math
In Module 1, students used their existing understanding of multiplication and division as they began their study of ratios and rates. In Module 2, students complete their understanding of the four operations as they study division of whole numbers, division by a fraction, and operations on multi-digit decimals. This expanded understanding serves to complete their study of the four operations with positive rational numbers, thereby preparing students for understanding, locating, and ordering negative rational numbers (Module 3) and algebraic expressions (Module 4).
In Topic A, students extend their previous understanding of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions. They construct division stories and solve word problems involving division of fractions (6.NS.A.1). Through the context of word problems, students understand and use partitive division of fractions to determine how much is in each group. They explore real-life situations that require them to ask, “How much is one share?” and “What part of the unit is that share?” Students use measurement to determine quotients of fractions. They are presented conceptual problems where they determine that the quotient represents how many of the divisor is in the dividend.
Social Studies / Science
Social Studies
Students will describe how the issue of enslavement highlighted major differences in state economies and led to increased conflict, including in Maryland. We will explain how political debates over states’ rights and federal decisions about enslavement led to increased tension between northern and southern states that then led to the Civil War.
We will continue to explore the properties of mass and matter and engage in hands on experiments. Students will identify evidence to support that a change is a chemical change that creates a new substance. They will look for evidence that may include burning, fizzing, and/or color changes.
Calendar Reminders
January 3 - First Day Back from Winter Break
January 9-11 - Map-R / Map-M testing
January 10 - Spirit Night at Panda Express
January 15 - No School - Holiday - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 26 - Kingsview Middle School Visits with 5th grade / STEM Expo
January 29 - No School - Professional Day for Teachers
Fifth Grade's Favorite Football Teams! You may be surprised!
Mrs. Barrios, Mrs. Finn, and Mrs. Hogan: Washington Commanders
Ms. Maloney: NY Giants
Mrs. Calabretta: Arsenal FC
How to Contact Us
Mrs. Calabretta: Anne_K_Calabretta@mcpsmd.org
Mrs. Finn: Kirsten_Finn@mcpsmd.org
Mrs. Hogan: Kerri_E_Hogan@mcpsmd.org
Ms. Maloney: Kristen_M_Maloney@mcpsmd.org