Below you will find five sections (math/science updates, reading/writing/social studies updates, friendly reminders, and upcoming dates). If you have any questions or concerns, please send us an email.
Math Updates This week in math we started our unit on the structure of decimal numbers. We are working to understand the meaning of each place value (tenths, hundredths, thousandths) in the decimal system and make connections to how these place values function in similar ways to whole numbers. We engaged in a variety of hands-on activities to give decimals meaning, such as thinking about measuring liquid volume to the hundredths place and using meter sticks to measure objects around our classroom to the thousandths place. Many students are really starting to develop a deep understanding of what decimals are and why each place value is smaller than its neighbor to the left (i.e. tenths place is ten times smaller than the ones place). We also looked at “zooming” in between numbers on the number line to think about why decimals are the size that they are and why they fall on the number line in a particular place. We will continue our decimal unit next week. A few reminders - if you would like to check-in with your child about their math journal, please schedule a time with them to bring their journal home that is not a Friday and make sure they return their notebook the following day. Please continue to work on memorizing all multiplication facts, work on Khan Academy/ST Math at home, and reach out if you would like additional practice problems emailed to you weekly. Science Updates This week in science we started our unit on the solar system. Through hands-on experiments, we learned about the forces that held the Earth and Sun together (gravity and inertia) and how the Earth’s rotation impacts the time of day. We are going to be going deeper into moon phases in the upcoming week, and connecting this to the IB unit of “The Sun’s Impact on the Earth”. Again, a big thanks to parents who are contributing materials that help our students have more experiential learning opportunities! We continue to be very impressed with the scientific discussions the students are having, as it shows strong engagement and background knowledge. If you would like to continue these discussions at home, ask your scientist how the Earth stays in its orbit and what they know about gravitational pull! Reading/Writing/Social Studies Updates This week in reading we continued to discuss the differences between text types, in particular fiction vs. non-fiction (and the various types of non-fiction: expository, narrative nonfiction, etc.). Our main focus this week was text features. Students learned the various text features and their purpose. They practiced identifying text features and explaining/writing about their purpose using several non-fiction texts/articles: including ones about the U.S. women's soccer team and different bird species found in tropical rainforests. Students also had time to select newly arrived non-fiction books from the class library to read during independent reading. At the beginning of the year, our students all expressed hesitancy when it came to writing. What a difference a few weeks make! We now have two classes full of students who beg to have time to write each day. Inspired by Jon Sciezska’s books, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs and The Frog Prince Continued, they have been working to create their own spin on well known stories and fairy tales. We hope to have completed, published works by the end of October. Be sure to keep your eyes open for their work in progress. In Social Studies we introduced in more detail the practice of close reading. Students were given various expository texts and articles and were instructed to read, re-read, annotate and summarize main ideas from the articles. Each step was broken down and explained to students in detail (with reviews during the week). They successfully worked with partners and small groups of three. At first, the texts were geared towards types of governments (in particular the history of democracy and the differences between a traditional (Greek) Gemocratic government and a Republic). However, we also found time to read articles that are a little bit more fun for 5th graders, including a NEWSELA article on Spelling-Bee phenom Akash Vukoti who made a name for himself on the national stage at age 6. Students watched a short video of his and then close-read an article that detailed his life journey. On one additional note: the classes this week held elections for the Peirce Student Council. Nominated students made posters and gave speeches to their class. Altogether the votes were extremely close, often coming down to just one or two. The students did a great job of campaigning and asking their candidates tough questions (ranging from the quality of school lunches, to recess time, to supporting new students, etc.). Results will be shared with students on Tuesday. We thank you for all the help and support that came from home to help make this whole process more meaningful! Friendly Reminders
Upcoming Dates October 14: No School October 17: 323 in the Peirce Garden during science October 18: 322 in the Peirce Garden during science October 22: 322 Bird Watching Field Trip October 23: Playworks Filming October 24: 323 Bird Watching Field Trip
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