Welcome to our weekly newsletter update!Below you will find five sections (math updates, reading/writing updates, science/social studies updates, friendly reminders, and upcoming dates). If you have any questions or concerns, please send us an email.
We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break! Math Updates This week in math we continued our work with decimal numbers. We worked on rounding both whole numbers and decimal numbers to the nearest hundredth and tenth. We learned how to compare numbers with decimals by thinking about their place value. The final topic we worked through this week was reviewing and gaining deeper understanding of how to multiply and divide powers of ten in numbers with and without decimals. This is a concept we worked through at the beginning of the year and many students obtained a stronger understanding of this concept now that many understand decimal numbers more concretely. Today we took a quiz that covered all of these topics which will be returned next week. Quiz corrections can be made and turned back in by Wednesday (December 5th) for some credit back. Please continue to encourage your student to keep up with their ST Math and Khan Academy work both in school and at home. In addition, remind them if you have asked them to bring their notebook home on Thursdays, as many students have not remembered to bring their journal home each week. Reading/Writing Updates This week in reading we began a new unit on analyzing text structure in fiction. We began reading the novel Tuck Everlasting (Babbitt) as a class. We also began to discuss how recognizing the elements of fiction--such as character, setting, and plot-- is a powerful way to deepen comprehension of a text. In their independent time, students shifted their focus from reading expository nonfiction texts to reading novels. Next week, we will continue to explore the text structure of novels and apply the comprehension strategy of questioning that we learned for nonfiction to fiction. In writing, students wrapped up the final drafts of their persuasive essays. We studied mentor texts to get a better understanding of how author’s use transitional words and phrases in their writing as well as to discover the elements of a strong conclusion. Students worked to make final revisions based on partner feedback and some of them began typing their final versions. Next week, we will proofread their work, type up a final version and share through Author’s Chair. For word study, each group received a new set of words on Monday. They worked collaboratively and independently to work with their words throughout the course of the week in various ways. Each group was assessed on the pattern/sound/meanings they worked with this week today. Students also got their quizzes from prior to break back on Monday. Please check with them or on parent portal to see how they did. New words will be passed out on Monday, please let your child know if they should bring their old words home to continue to work with. Science/Social Studies Updates Our culminating activity took place yesterday for the Kids on Strike project. Students presented their posters, discussed their claims, evidence, reasoning, and counter arguments for their particular strike. Mr. Lynn was here to observe the presentations and we both agreed that they were terrific! Many of them will be posted in and outside of the room for your viewing. Every child received a Super Savers kit which includes a high efficiency shower head, a kitchen faucet aerator, 2 bathroom faucet aerators, three energy saving light bulbs, a timer, a thermometer, and a flow rate test bag. Students can start collecting data at home now. Each student has a “Student Workbook” (which has a yellow bar across the top). The pages that have been assigned are as follows: Pages 2-3, pages 5-6, pages 7-8, pages 10-11, pages 13-14, pages 15-16-17, pages 22-23, and pages 24 through 27. This assignment is due on January 7th when we return from winter break. *If you cannot install a particular item in your house do not worry. Just write me a note in the workbook and have your child record data with your existing shower head, aerators, etc. Please check student agendas regularly for missing homework assignments. As usual please visit my website for curriculum updates, photos, and much more http://peirceroom324.weebly.com/ Friendly Reminders and Updates
Upcoming Dates December 3 - 7: Inclusive Schools Week December 5: Student of the Month Ceremony (8:15-9:15 AM) December 11: 323 (Reading) and 324 (Math) NWEA Testing December 12: 325 (Math) and 324 (Reading) NWEA Testing December 12: 5th Grade PYP Exhibition Meeting (5:30 - 6:00 PM) December 14: 325 (Reading) and 323 (Math) NWEA Testing
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