We are off and running... Weekly Reminders:
*No school on Monday, September 1 due to Labor Day.
*Thursday, September 4, at 7:00 p.m., is a Parent Link on RTI.
*Lesson 1 spelling test on Friday.
*Plan Ahead...Curriculum Night is on Thursday, September 11 at 7:00.
Classroom Happenings:
Science: We are working on an introductory unit on inquiry and the scientific method. This unit will continue for two weeks. The essential questions for this unit are: What are the tools for Inquiry? What are inquiry skills? & What is the Scientific Method?
Social Studies: This week we will begin social studies with an introduction to Government.
The main objectives we will focus on include:
*What is the Constitution and why is it important?
*What are the three levels of government?
*What are the responsibilities of each of the three branches of government?
*How can the Constitution be changed?
Spelling: The children took the lesson 1 spelling pretest on Friday. Some of the children missed 2 or less on the pretest. These students are my alternate spellers. They have or will choose 10 alternate words to study this week. If your child missed 3 or more on the pretest, they will be working on the lesson 1 words for the week. The alternate test and lesson 1 spelling test will both be on Friday, September 5.
English: The children took their first English pretest. If they passed out of certain sections on the pretest they will be working on Enrichment during the days I am teaching that lesson. Each child will have a contract that will need to be filled out on Tuesday with their enrichment choice. These enrichment projects should be done in class only. I will explain this in great detail with the children on Tuesday.
Reading: Our main focus for the next few weeks will be on predicting and inferring. When we are predicting, we will think about the title, illustrations, and what we have read so far. Then we will tell what we think will happen next or what we think we will learn. Good readers will continue to read and keep or change their predictions. We will also try to figure out things that the author does not say directly.
Accelerated Math: The children need to be working at home on mastering their multiplication facts. They should be fluent with their facts by being able to give the product without hesitation. We will begin the year by reviewing a few items from fourth grade including: multiplying by 1-digit, dividing by 1-digit, special products (ex. 300 X 6), special quotients (ex. 4,200 divided by 7), rounding to estimate products, and using compatible numbers to estimate quotients. Your child should bring home their math journal each evening to review these concepts. We will have an assessment on these items before we start the fifth grade textbook.
