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!