We had another great week!  Everyone is starting to really get into the swing of things.

From Mrs. Pruden: 

During our Glen Allen ES virtual instruction, cameras and, at times, microphones are on. We want to make sure students are in a location that is not capturing other things in your household for privacy reasons.  If an adult is helping facilitate, please make sure the adult is dressed appropriately, and we ask that you mute the microphone to prevent the entire class from seeing and hearing. We hope this will assist all Cubs in focusing on their teacher and instruction.

Please remember to encourage your student to completely shut down their computers each evening so that the computer can get a rest.  Also, refer to the attachment from Mr. Beasley with updated problem solving tips on the email I sent.

Monday is a school holiday!

Important Dates  

9/28  School holiday

10/2  Word Trek Quizzes Lesson #3

10/7  Order of Operations Test

10/8  Exponent Quiz

10/30 Mystery book report due

MATH

This week we will continue to work with order of operations (5.7 & 6.6) and exponents and perfect squares (6.4).  There will be a  quiz on exponents and squares on Thursday, October 8th.  Your student has notes and examples of all of these skills in their math notebooks as well as in the Math folder found in the Student Resources folder.  I am reminding them to take their notes out each day to complete homework correctly.  Please continue to encourage your student to also use the resources on the Math page of this blog to practice and prepare.  There will be an Order of Operations Test on Wednesday, October 7th.

LANGUAGE ARTS

This year in Reading we will often use novel studies to explore and hone comprehension skills.  We will utilize fifth grade appropriate novels while practicing middle school level literature analysis skills.  This week we will start reading the novel Running Out of Time.  We will also explore story elements such as types of characters, theme, and conflict and resolution. With the novel and the read aloud the students will identifying characters traits and supplying evidence that supports their choices.

I will be posting Word Trek on Friday afternoons in the current Friday folder for those who want to get a head start on preparing for the quizzes.

Next week the students will get information for their first book report.  This book report will be a mystery.  Books should be at least fifth grade level and at least 100 pages.  Students will need to get their book approved by me by next Friday, October 2nd.  Book reports are due on Friday, October 30th.  More information will be coming.

SCIENCE

We are continuing with our Rock Unit.  We will learn about the three different types of rocks, how they are made, and how the rock cycle works.  The students have a copy of the study guide in their digital My Rocks Notebook and it is also located in the Science folder found in the Student Resources on the Homeroom page in Schoology.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We will finish up the history of Henrico County next week.  The students are doing several digital activities to help enhance their learning.  There is so much great history found in Henrico!

We made it through week two! I know there are still some technology glitches.   Please do refer to the troubleshooting guides I sent out last week or call the school if you need someone to work with you one-on-one during the instructional day hours.  Rest assured your child has access in our daily folders in Schoology to everything that is presented or shared and can go back to review information or watch videos again at any time.

I sent out a SignUp Genius this week about reading assessment times after school from 1:30-3:00.  Please sign your child up if you have not done so already.  These are required start-of-year assessments that help me gauge what skills your child needs help with this year.  These sessions help me best support your child and identify areas for growth this year.  It also helps me form small groups so I can work with children in a capacity outside of whole class instruction and tailor mini-lessons to their needs.

Important Dates  

9/22 Math quiz (prime/composite; odd/even; computation review)

9/23  Henrico Maps due

9/24 Science Quiz on weathering, erosion, deposition

9/25  Word Trek Quiz Lesson #2

9/28  Student and staff holiday

Math: We will have a quiz on prime and composite numbers, even and odd numbers, and word problems on Tuesday, September 22nd.  Please continue to review those multiplication facts as they are the building blocks for most of our math lessons!  We will also continue our study of integers with absolute value.

We will then move on to order of operations.  Please have your child refer to their Math Study Guide, either the paper copy from their Learning Kit or the digital version in the Student Resources folder when completing homework.  Don’t forget you can always get a preview of our math topics using the PortaPortal!  Here is an Order of Operations song from our PortaPortal: Order of Operations Rap

Writing:  We will begin practicing cursive.  A cursive guide was sent in the Learning Kit for them to reference while practicing.

Reading:  We will focus on conflict and how character conflict affects plot this coming week in Reading.  Towards the end of the week we will discuss character traits.  I will also continue reading aloud Because of Mr. Terupt as time allows.  The students are so excited to learn what happens next in his classroom!

The students will receive their next lesson of Word Trek words on Monday.  The homework for this lesson is due on Thursday and then spelling and vocabulary quizzes on Friday.  Please encourage your student to take time reviewing word meanings and spelling each night in order to be prepared for the quizzes on Friday.

Science:  We will continue our Earth Unit by learning how weathering, erosion, and deposition impact the earth.  It’s an amazing part of our unit as we can immediately apply these lessons as soon as we step outside and begin to notice these concepts in our own neighborhoods.  There will be a quiz Thursday, September 24th on weathering, erosion, and deposition.

Social Studies:  We will be focusing on the early history of our county.  The students will continue working on their Henrico STEAM maps on Monday in class.  If they do not finish in class it will be up to them to complete for homework.  The maps are due on Wednesday, September 23rd.  The students will create a postcard this week about the settlement of Henricus.  I can’t wait to see what they come up with. 

Enjoy the weekend!

Hello everyone! Wow, we completed our first week of school! I am so proud of how quickly the kids have learned the routines of our virtual schedule and became focused on our lessons. It’s been amazing! I am super excited to be working with you and your child this year. This blog is a fantastic resource full of dates, details, and links that I will update each week.

Important Dates  

9/17  Science quiz (layers of the earth, plate tectonics)

9/18  Word Trek spelling and vocabulary quizzes on Lesson #1

9/22 Math quiz (prime/composite; odd/even; computation review)

9/28  Student and staff holiday

Academics

https://guest.portaportal.com/gaes5thgrade

We are so thrilled to offer this great collection of sites for extra practice! Please bookmark the portaportal and use this in conjunction with your child’s notebook and Schoology files to help your child feel prepared. Thanks for your support! (This is linked in our Bitmoji Classroom and Family Resources folder in Schoology as well.)

We will be ramping up to our more traditional homework load this week. Your child will have nightly word study and math homework Monday-Thursday. We also ask that students read for 20 minutes a night OR complete a lesson in Lexia. (We looked at all kinds of digital book options last week, your child can access e-reading material in Epic through Clever if they do not have hard copy books available at home).

Resources:

Mrs. Siler has asked that students have an art supply box ready to go on Friday. This can be a shoe box or other container you have handy at home. Please ensure your child has blank paper, sharpened pencils, and crayons/markers/colored pencils. Scissors and glue would also be helpful.

Mrs. Lucas will be using Welnet on Clever. Please help your child locate this icon and favorite it (click the heart when you mouse over it) so it will move to the top of their Clever page. She also asks that students have room to move when they see her on Tuesday.

Mrs. Sitter has created a virtual calm down space. The link is posted in our Homeroom Folder in Schoology. Your child is welcome to use those resources on breaks or after our instructional day. Mrs. Sitter will also be sharing soon how to schedule time with her should you or your child need her support during this time.

Math: This coming week we will work on prime and composite numbers as well as review divisibility rules. Please make sure your child refers to the Math Study Guide from their Learning Kit, and the materials posted in the Student Resources folder in Schoology to reinforce these concepts. We will also explore the world of integers (6.3).  We will start with understanding what integers are and how to graph them on a number line.  Then we will begin comparing and ordering integers.  Throughout, we will also find ways that positive and negative integers are used in daily life.  Your student will have notes on all of these topics in their Math notebook.  They should be using their notes when completing homework.

Writing: In class, we are learning to do Seed Writing, where students respond to a picture or video clip. The goal is to get any thoughts/feelings/reactions down on paper, then go back and think about how that “seed” could be expanded into a larger piece of writing. With each writing assignment we do, we remind ourselves to use proper punctuation, capitalization, specific details, and developing a stronger voice in our writing. We will also be having students practice cursive writing during small group stations. Your child can refer to their cursive guide sheet from their learning kit as they refresh themselves on the letters.

Reading: Students will begin Word Trek this week.  Word Trek is a program that teaches Greek and Latin word parts in order to understand and apply new words.  Each Friday students will have a quiz on the meaning and the application of the ten vocabulary words, as well as a second quiz in which they have to select the correct spelling of the word. Both of these will be done in Schoology and scores will be entered into the gradebook. Students will receive homework for this on Monday that is to be turned in on Thursday.

We will also be reviewing genres this coming week and aspects of poetry. Students will even get to write their own poem! At the end of the week, we will read an incredible story called Sees Behind Trees about a Native American boy with a remarkable gift.

I am also going to continue reading aloud Because of Mr. Terupt.  The students are already hooked on this book about a new 5th grade teacher, his students, and the unexpected year they have together.

Science: We are starting the year with our rock unit. We will be concentrating on the layers of the earth, weathering, erosion, and plate tectonics. Please encourage your student to be reviewing nightly by using the study guide in the Student Resources folder in Schoology, the portaportal (Rocks section), and their notebooks. We will have a quiz Thursday on the layers of the Earth and plate tectonics.

Social Studies: We will continue with our study of Henrico County in Social Studies. This coming week we will focus on the geography of Henrico. We will also be doing a hands on project, so please gather any materials you have around your house this weekend (paper towel roll, scrap paper, foil, etc). Ask your students about the Henricus settlement video we watched in class on Wednesday! It really got them fired up about learning the history of the county they live in.

Have a wonderful weekend!