September 2-5

I hope everyone had a good weekend. We have a busy week ahead of us! Below are details about the week. 

Ice Cream Social: Wednesday 6:30-8:00 (hope to see you there!)
Monday 9/9: No school for students 

Students will take CBMs this week (Thursday and Friday) 

5H Math: We start math Tuesday. Students will take a pretest for unit 1, so I can get to know them as math students. Unit 1 is all about the place value system; a major goal is for students to understand that as they move to the left each digit is 10 times larger, alternatively each digit to the right is 1/10 the value. This week kids will practice reading and writing numbers as well as using expanded notation. 

Throughout the year, students should use the math tab of the blog for practice when needed. The standards for this unit are below. 

Unit 1 Standards: Place Value

5.NBT.1 Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.

5.NBT.2 Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers of 10, and explain patterns in the placement of the decimal point when a decimal is multiplied or divided by a power of 10. Use whole number exponents to denote powers of 10.

5.NBT.3a Read and write decimals to thousandths using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form, e.g., 347.392 = 3 × 100 + 4 × 10 + 7 × 1 + 3 × (1/10) + 9 × (1/100) + 2 × (1/1000).

5.NBT.3b Compare two decimals to thousandths based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.

5.NBT.4 Use place value understanding to round decimals to any place. Language Arts:  Each quarter of the school year, we will have a different theme to help us have a common thread throughout instruction. This first quarter, our theme is Identity. We have already started learning about each other's identities, and will continue to do so. While we'll be learning about ourselves and each other, we will focus on the identities of the characters and historical figures we learn and read about as well.  This week we will listen to and read the lyrics of a song and look for connections to the theme. A heads up. we will begin talking about how culture relates to identity and will soon be thinking about and trying to learn about our own cultures. Your children will need your support with this. Please let me know if this will be a difficult or sensitive project for your child. More details will come home later this week.   Students will have independent reading time most days. Students will be practicing skills and strategies learned during whole group instruction. I will also be meeting with students individually for reading conferences during this time. This week we will be discussing some of the "things" readers do while they're reading (visualizing, predicting, etc.). Last week, I introduced the "Me: in a bag" presentation (directions in homework tab). Students will present on either Thursday or Friday. Before then, I will model my own presentation for students as well as have time for them to ask questions.  Word Study:  We will begin word study this week, with the closed syllable pattern. Closed syllables are those that have a consonant following a vowel, making the vowel short.  Science: Our first science unit is Weather. We begin this week by learning about the layers of the atmosphere and start learning about the tools people use to measure wind speed and direction.  **If anyone knows a meteorologist or professional that uses weather knowledge, we'd love for them to visit the classroom!  Other: These first 20 days of school, we will also be taking part in Social Emotional Learning lessons and discussions as we build our classroom community. This week we discuss what a friend is and how to make friends and then move on to discussion about feelings and emotions.  I will go over BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) expectations with students this week. After doing so, students will be able to bring devices to school with your permission. Students may bring their devices to use as e-readers as well as for use with research and other classroom activities. They will not be needed every day, but students may bring a device every day if they choose. Otherwise,  I will do my best to remind students the day before. Of course, students do not have to have a device. We have a few handheld devices at school and more laptops this year as well!