Ms. Quesenberry - Over the Rainbow

Next Week: February 13-17

Wow!  Next week is a busy week for fifth grade!  A few reminders:

-Valentines: If students want to bring in Valentine's for the class and/or a treat to share they may do this on Tuesday, February 14th.  We will pass out Valentine's in the afternoon. 

-Picture Day: We will take our class photo and individual photos on Wednesday, February 15th at 9:20. Students are allowed to bring a prop for their photo.  There is an order form going home for you to pick a background, but you don't have to order pictures at this time.  You will have the opportunity to buy a package after the photo is sent home.

-Human Growth and Development: Make sure you have signed and returned the green permission slip.  Students will be attending these classes on Wednesday (15th) and Thursday (16th).

-Six Flags Reading Form: This is due Friday, February 17th. 

-Candy-grams will be sold through the 14th in the mornings and Student Council is collecting hygiene products for the homeless. 

In between all of that we will be making time for some academics.  :)  Next week we will work on the following:

Writing: We are continuing our informational writing on the causes of the Dust Bowl.  We will focus on transitional phrases, using an "expert" voice, and citing text evidence. 

Also, our vocabulary list for the week is all about prefixes.  We will be looking at prefixes, suffixes, and affixes for a few weeks.  This is a fifth grade standard that will help students with vocabulary for years to come.  Be on the lookout for popular prefixes and root words with your student!

Reading: This week we kicked off our World War II novel groups.  Students will continue reading and discussing these.  We are comparing and contrasting different characters, settings, events, and even themes.  We also begin working on some test preparation and test-taking skills. 

Math: We are continuing fractions as well as exploring geometry.  Students will be working on a fun "Geometry Land" project in class.  They will use different shapes and vocabulary (parallel, right, etc) to create an entire village!

Social Studies: Next week we will begin World War II.  Students have a great background of this topic from our historical fiction.  We will start with some background in Europe and then focus on the United States entering the war after Pearl Harbor.  

 

After next week, we get a week to rest and relax!  Winter break is February 20-24!  

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Next Week: Feb 6-10

Thanks to everyone who attended our Poetry Cafe!  It was wonderful and so much fun!  Tomorrow is "Falcons Friday".  Students are encouraged to wear their Falcons gear and dress in red and black.  Rise up!

Coming up next week...

Writing: We will be studying proverbs and adages for our grammar study this week.  Students will even get the chance to write some of their own proverbs!  We will also start writing our first DBQ (Document Based Question).  We studied all the documents this week and looked at the big question: What caused the dust bowl?  Students will write a five paragraph essay (introduction, 3 body paragraphs with their causes, and a conclusion).  We will be focusing on writing strong informational paragraphs and using text evidence.  This should be helpful as we move into the Milestones. 

Reading: We are studying realistic and historical fiction.  We will be reading a variety of books that are set during World War II.  We will read some picture books as a class, the novel The Art of Keeping Cool, and students will begin novels with their "book clubs".  We will be comparing and contrasting settings, events, characters and studying theme.  This should also be an awesome introduction to our upcoming World War II unit in Social Studies. 

Math: Fractions, fractions, and more fractions are continuing.  We will keep working on multiplying fractions as well as moving into division of fractions.  

Science: We will be starting our unit on matter.  This will include mass, physical and chemical properties, and physical and chemical changes.  

 

Let us know if you have any questions or concerns!