Need to Know

Reader’s

Workshop

We will spend a few days this week taking a close look at the vocabulary and characters in the short story “The Gift of the Magi”. The kids will also spend time discussing the story with the whole class and in small groups. The students will turn in some of their week at the end of the week. They will also create a list of fiction books they would like to read for their upcoming homework when we start our next unit. That unit called “Argument and Advocacy” will focus on students gathering information and taking a side on issues relevant to kids.

Writer’s

Workshop

We will spend the week discussing the examples and definitions of the word “honor”. We will use that discussion to make New Year’s Resolutions about how kids can honor their teachers, school, family, classmates, friends, and themselves. In order to facilitate this thinking I’d like kids to bring in a baby picture of themselves on Thursday. It can be digital saved in their Google Drive. They will not be sharing these with the group, they just have to be able to see their own picture. The students will write about this and turn in work at the end of the week.

Maths

We have a short math schedule this week. We have time for a mathematical review scavenger hunt and Continental Mathematics League test on Thursday.

Social Studies

We will jump right back into the colonies and start studying the important founders of the 13 English colonies. The kids will also study some of the characteristics of the colonies and take a colonies geography quiz on Friday.

Science

We will read an informational text, then complete a graphic organizer explaining the relationships between Antarctic organisms. Students explain the cause and effect relationship between individual organisms and the food chain itself and of course have Science Lab with Ms. DeMarco.

Vocabulary

The students will start our first section of Classical Roots looking at Lesson 1 which has the roots “per” and “fer, ferre, tuli, latum.”

October 3-7, 2022

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The students will close wrapping up thinking about theme and do a little preparation for our first novel study coming up the week of October 10.

The kids will continue to draft and work on their second narrative story. We will study adding past and future scenes to add to the meaning and practice endings. Finally the students will publish their final draft of their second narrative.

The kids will be spend a short week doing some speed math and mental math practice as well as some work preparing for our first test for Continental Mathematics League.

No Social Studies this week.

The kids will be reading about and reflecting identifying how a material's properties are used in determining its suitability for meeting a specific purpose.

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September 19-23, 2022

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Need to Know

Reader’s

Workshop

This week, the kids will continue reading fiction books. The goal over the next few weeks is to read with meaning and interpretation in mind to have more tools to understand theme. They will have a partner to share their thoughts and work with and keep their thinking in their reader’s notebook.

Writer’s

Workshop

The kids will publish their first narrative and turn it in. We will a short time for kids to share out their finished work. As we move on to drafting more small moment true stories, we will focus on bringing out meaning in stories, elaborating on important scenes and adding scenes from the past or future.

Maths

We will continue our dividing fractions unit. This week the students will explore the relationship between visual methods of dividing fractions and the “keep it, change it, flip it” method. We will review our division work and take a quiz.

Social Studies

During this week, the kids will study the government and economy of native american tribes. They will also make a study guide for a test coming up next week. Finally, in honor of “Constitution Day” which is Saturday, the 17th, the kids will have to memorize and recite the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution to a partner.

Science

The kids will read about the new Artemis series of missions NASA is embarking on and look carefully at the kinds of materials used for space-faring missions.

September 12-16, 2022

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Reader’s

Workshop

The students will finish the first section of our Interpretation Unit. The kids have been learning and practicing ways to develop ideas about reading. At the beginning of the week they will turn in a few reader’s notebook work pages based on this. Later in the week we will continue our work by joining a partnership and thinking about theme as how a character responds to a and learns from a problem.

Writer’s

Workshop

The kids will continue drafting their small moment personal narratives. We will revise by letting other authors’ words awaken and inspire our own, telling the story from the inside out, and taking stock an setting goals. Finally, the kids will turn in their first published narrative.

Maths

Groups will work on the “Should I Get a New iPhone?” project. They will turn in a paper and present on their findings (including interviewing a family member). Then we will transition into a unit about dividing fractions.

History

The kids will continue learning about Native Americans in the pre-columbian era. We will focus on the culture, government, and economy. We will also take a brief turn towards the US government in honor of Constitution Day (September 17th). The kids will learn and recite the preamble to the US Constitution.

Science

The kids will start our first science unit: Matter Mysteries Hotline. We will explore the properties of different materials both in class and with Ms. Demarco in Science Lab.

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Need to Know

Reader’s

Workshop

We continue our first Reader’s Workshop Unit: Interpretation (Analyzing Themes). I will be reading aloud the book Home of the Brave. The kids will be reading their own books practicing reading more complex novels and thinking in more complex ways. We will considering perspectives and their effects, learn to think analytically, and revise our writing about reading.

Writer’s

Workshop

We will begin our first writer’s workshop unit: Narrative Craft. The kids will begin by generating ideas for personal narratives, then as we draft stories we will study dreaming the dream of the story, letting other author’s words awaken our own, and telling the story from the inside out.

Maths

We will continue working with fractions to solve problems. The kids will share strategies about multiplying fractions, take a quiz on fraction operations, and work on a special problem involving iPhones.

History

We will start our first history unit: The First Americans. Specifically, the unit will focus on how geography affects how people live.

Science

The kids will start our first science unit: Matter Mysteries Hotline. We will explore the properties of different materials.

August 29- Sep 2, 2022

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Student Information Form (Students: Please Fill This Out)

Reader’s

Workshop

We will wrap up our workshop prep week and get into our first Reader’s Workshop Unit: Interpretation (Analyzing Themes). I will be reading aloud the book Home of the Brave. The kids will be reading their own books practicing reading more complex novels and thinking in more complex ways. The students will be writing about their reading in their reader’s notebooks and turning in work related to their own reading.

Writer’s

Workshop

The kids will wrap our mini-unit on responding to questions about a text. We are reading 2 short stories, answering questions and analyzing the strength of different responses. They will have a quiz on Wednesday on a new short story.

Maths

We will continue working with fractions to solve problems. The kids will take an assessment that all 5th graders in Irvine are taking as a pre assessment for the year. Finally, the kids will work in teams to solve problems called “placemat math”.

History

The class will discuss our theme this year: Power and we may do an activity introducing the students to this year’s history topics.

Science

In preparation for science lab, the students will do an activity studying different kinds of graphs and practicing measuring with rulers.

August 22-26, 2022

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Reader’s

Workshop

We will spend the week getting ready for our first reader’s workshop unit: Interpretation. I will be reading Year of the Dog to the kids as they get to know our library system, make a reading log, reflect on their own reading, and reflect on Year of the Dog.

Writer’s

Workshop

The kids will do a short writing project based on a random picture. Then we will finish the week review the proper technique for responding to questions about text and video.

Maths

We will spend the week working on a project where kids will put together a proposal for furnishing a hotel. We will consult with an expert designer and research the costs and different layout possibilities.

History

The kids will work on a project calls “Who’s Coming to Dinner?” where they will pretend to host a dinner for important people. They will make a poster, put together an invitation, menu, seating arrangements, and lists of costs. They will also present to a small group.

Science

The students will begin Science Lab with Mrs. DiMarco on Thursday. They will have science lab Thursday and Friday at the very end of the day.

August 18-19, 2022

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Need to Know

Reader’s

Workshop

Writer’s

Workshop

Maths

History

Science

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