Greetings 5V Families!
How on earth are we already into December? The year is just flying by, and we are doing a lot of learning in room 504. I was away the week before Thanksgiving at the NYSCATE conference, a conference for teachers in NYS providing workshops and training around using technology in the classrooms. I was so inspired by so many of the new ideas and opportunities for students, but also so proud of all that Guilderland already has and is already doing. We are so fortunate to be part of a community that provides so many resources for our students. Below is the calendar with some important upcoming dates to make note of: Here is a look at what we did this week:
Reading: In reading, we began our nonfiction text structures unit of study. During this unit, we will be examining the different nonfiction text structures, and how identifying the text structures helps us as readers. We began the unit by doing a brainstorm of all of the things we know about nonfiction text. Students are coming in with some great background knowledge. We also reviewed the different features of nonfiction text, and what the function of each feature is. For example, we discussed how to use the table of contents, index, glossary, text boxes, diagrams....etc. We also began reading nonfiction texts in our guided reading groups. Within guided groups we are working on specific strategies for reading and understanding nonfiction texts, and the different demands this type of text places on the reader. We are even lucky enough to have our literacy coach, Mrs. Ball, in with us during this unit! Students are really excited to be reading about topics they have chosen and want to learn more about.
Writing: In writing, we wrapped our Personal Narrative writing with some reflection and sharing. Students have posted their two Narrative Pieces on their website. I am still working on the logistics of getting the site available to you. As soon as I remedy this problem, I will send you your child's website link. In the meantime, your child can log on to their drive to show you their work! This week, we also began our Informational Writing unit with our on demand writing prompt. Next week, we will begin studying Westward Expansion in Social Studies, and will use this topic to write an informational text. Math: In math, we finished up our unit on adding and subtracting decimals. We will be reviewing on Monday, and will take the Chapter 3 test on Tuesday. Students did really well on the mid-chapter checkpoint, and should have brought that graded paper home this week. Next, we will move into multiplying and dividing decimals. S.S.: Section 3: Colonial America is due on Tuesday, 12/5. Section 4: Westward Expansion, will tie into our writing unit. We will be doing a lot of reading and research around this topic. Students really enjoy learning about this period on American history. Science: In Science this week, we began to talk about computer science, and coding, as we prepare for Hour of Code next week. To celebrate Computer Science week, the 5th grade will participate in a global celebration of computer science, called Hour of Code. We will also be taking our knowledge to some of the primary grades next week.
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Classroom NewsUse this page to keep up to date on what we are doing in the classroom. Also, don't forget to check out See Saw for student posts and stories. (We will set this up in September) Archives
February 2019
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