5th Grade Flyer
Cotey-Ward Team ~ Week of September 9th, 2019
Upcoming Events:
September 10th - 9/11 Interview due and Conferences after school
September 12th - Veteran's Day Note from Mrs. Makowski Due!September 12th - Conferences after school
September 13th - Conference Day, NO School Students
September 19th - Literacy Night (and Book Fair week)
Students of the Week:
Benjamin I. is our literacy student of the week. Benjamin always gives his personal best effort in class and shows a lot of determination in tackling tough literacy questions. He also has a kind, willing attitude every day. Keep up the good work!
Math News:
Quiz on MONDAY - this will cover volume and using the volume formula
Volume Understanding Check on THURSDAY - this check for understanding will cover additive volume that we will cover next week.
Literacy News:
Students will also practice their skills of finding the central idea, point of view, and sensory words through our discussion of September 11, 2001.
September 11 Homework Assignment:
I wanted to provide you with information about our upcoming class discussion and writing related to September 11, 2001. I know that this is a very difficult topic to discuss for everyone, but it is especially difficult for children to understand and respond to. Although it is difficult, it is very important that students know the basic facts of what happened that day and how it impacted our country. To continue practicing our standard of point of view, students will complete an interview with someone who has memories of that day. This will demonstrate to students the different perspectives people had of that day. In class, students will use that interview to practice narrative techniques by writing a narrative about their interviewee’s experiences on September 11th. To build background knowledge before writing, students will read articles and watch videos about this topic. This will help students practice our standard related to finding answers to a question from multiple print and digital sources.
I am providing you with the resources I will be using in class so that you can preview them. If your child is particularly sensitive to this topic or you look at ANY of the resources and feel the material is not appropriate for your child, please let me know by Friday, September 6. I am very willing to have your child move to another space and complete a different assignment for some or all of this lesson. I do not want any child to feel uncomfortable or overly frightened during this lesson.
These are the articles we will be reading in class.
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3756477
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3756390
We will be watching these two videos.
https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/september11th/
I also plan to begin the class by showing the first 15 minutes of ABC’s coverage of part of that morning. This includes the confusion and speculation of the reporters after the first plane hit, background information about the World Trade Center and the twin towers, and footage of the second plane hitting. The link is below. (The video actually shows their coverage until after the second tower falls; however, I will NOT show anything past the first 15 minutes.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KYE4zViAAg
Finally, I will be reading an account from a flight attendant who was on a plane that was grounded at an airport in Canada that day. I think this article demonstrates some of the good that came during such a tragic time.
Let me say again that the purpose of this lesson is not to upset or scare students. If you feel like your child needs an alternate assignment or needs to be out of the classroom for any part of this lesson, please let me know. Also, please tell your child that if they begin to feel frightened or uncomfortable at any time during the lesson, they can ask to leave, and I will let them. I want students to know about this day and how it has impacted our country, but I want to do this in a way that is appropriate for each student. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know by Friday, September 6. Thank you!
Science News (Ward Homeroom Only):
Key Ideas:
Physical Change - changes in size, shape, state, or appearance of matter (ex: tearing paper into smaller pieces, making a new shape out of playdough, melting ice)
Chemical Change - presence of a new substance or or substances that are entirely different from the starting substance, often heat or bubbles forming is involved (ex: baking a cake, combining baking soda and vinegar).
Social Studies News (Cotey Homeroom Only):
Miss Cotey's Book Club - September Edition
My picks for this month are in the realistic fiction genre.
For Students:
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Rules by Cynthia Lord
For Adults:
Digging to America by Anne Tyler
(This idea is based on the Andrew Luck Book Club. If you are looking for more great reads visit http://andrewluckbookclub.com/ .)