Happy New Year!  Welcome back to school and to a new year, 2018!  I’m so excited to continue with your awesome kiddos.  I feel rested, refreshed and energized!  Let’s work together to make this a great second half of the year! Check out some happenings below for next week!

Math

• We are continuing with Unit 4: Multiplication with Whole Numbers and Decimals.

ELA:

• We are jumping into our historical fiction unit. Students are participating in book clubs to deepen their understanding of the text and genre.

Social Studies:

• We have begun our unit focusing on the colonization and settlements of early America.

Science:

• We started our new unit called, “Ch-Ch-Changes,” that has to do with matter. Yesterday, we did a hands-on investigation to find out how different metals behave when heated. The investigation involved using small candles to heat strips of three different metals. Students measured the time that it took for equal amounts of shortening to melt at three different points on each metal strip. They used this information to conclude that some metals transfer heat more quickly than others. We learned that this is called thermal conductivity. Before students touched any materials or equipment, we talked about some procedures for lab safety and the importance of everyone following these procedures at all times. Your young scientists really impressed me with the care and responsibility they showed in the lab as well as with the way they applied their own knowledge and observations to the topic at hand.  Here are pictures of some of the groups hard at work observing, timing, and recording data.

  

Miscellaneous:

• Any remaining balances for fifth-grade camp/activities will be due on February 1. We will provide an updated account reminder early next week.
• Beginning M0nday, January 16, I will be asking that students are working on their Moby Max Fact Fluency goals daily at home.
  • Students are expected to practice their math facts using Moby Max five minutes per school night.
  • Fifth-grade math includes more complicated concepts, and fact fluency is crucial to a student’s success.
  • Students should log in through Clever. There is a link to Clever in the technology links on the right side of the blog.
• Independent Reading Reminders
  • Students are expected to read outside of the school day for 100 minutes each week.
  • This breaks down to 2o minutes, 5 times per week.
  • I officially check reading logs each Monday, but I sometimes do spot checks as well, so please make sure that your child is keeping his or her reading log in the take-home folder.
  • Students are to log the number of minutes read per day and have a parent or caregiver initial each day.
  • Students are to write the total number of minutes in the box at the end of each week.
  • Students are to list the books they are reading at home on the back of the sheet.
  • Parents, it is your child’s responsibility fill in everything except the parent initials. This is a good opportunity for your child to practice responsible work habits in preparation for middle school.