Weekly Update and Resources

This week we are continuing very focused work in each subject.  Our literacy and social studies continues to be focused on the Discovery theme.  In math we are focusing on fractions and in science we are continuing with properties of water on planet Earth.  Below is a more detailed explanation and also some resources to help with some weekly work.

Writing: Students are working on writing narrative snippets for their explorer narratives.  We are using material that comes up in our Discovery game to inspire our ideas.  This week our focus has been on using commas in our stories.  Next week we will also look at quotations and make a story map before working on our drafts.

Reading: Students are deep into their journey books.  This week they are practicing letter writing as they write a letter to me about their book so far.  We have addressed letter format including reading thoughts.

Math: We fixed incorrect problems on our variables test and then continued with our fraction work.  Students have fraction cards to play games at home and in the classroom.  This week we used manipulatives to help understand fractions and see the connection to division, percents, and decimals.  We also used manipulatives to highlight the relationship between improper fractions and mixed numbers.

Social Studies: We added more explorers to our class explorer timeline.  The list below are the explorers I want kids to focus on during passports this week and next.  We are well into our Discovery game and each colony is settling in the New World, complete with Native interactions, weather and farming, fishing, and hunting.

Science: This weeks water properties work includes anin depth look at condensation and activities to highlight the distribution of water on Earth.  We have a water assessment on Friday where students draw their own model of the Water Cycle and describe the main processes within this "cycle".  The following site has in depth information about these topics: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html

Word Study:
Eduplace Homophones

Compound Word List

-Ful Suffix

Explorers:
John Cabot
Giovanni da Verrazano
Jacques Cartier
Samuel de Champlain
Jacques Marquette
Louis Joliet
Henry Hudson
Francis Drake
John White - Roanoke
John Smith - Jamestown
Pilgrims
Puritans


http://mrnussbaum.com/explorersflash/

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/explorers.htm      (ads on this site!)

National Geographic App for iPads

https://support.vitalsource.com/hc/en-us

FINE ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA

This week's Fine Arts Extrvaganza event to promote the fine arts in the secondary schools was fantastic!!!  Overall, I was very pleased with how well the kids did.  They learned about band, orchestra, drama, choir, and art opportunities they will have in middle school and high school.  They even got to see some of the new faces, teachers and students, they will see in their middle school next year.  This event is followed up by 3 opportunities for 5th grade students to attend an Instrument Try Out night.  Below are the dates for the instrument nights at various schools.  Students are welcome to attend any night at any school.  This is the first step to joining band or orchestra in middle school.

JAN 20: Smithton Middle School 6:30-8:30
JAN 22: Gentry Middle School 6:30-8:30
JAN 26: Lange Middle School 6:30-8:30

In general, everyone is doing a GREAT job in the classroom.  It is good to be back every day!  Kids are very excited for our Discovery game and each colony will "set sail" to the New World this week.  Students first Passport assignment, the astrolabe, turned out very well and they can even use them at home with the North Star.  Readers are generally enjoying our new books, each focused on a character who goes on a journey, like the explorers we are studying.  Below is the focus for our short week this week.

READING: Lit Journal #2: monitoring and organizing ideas from fiction
WRITING: word study practice and start Narrative writing cycle
MATH: test on Variables on Tuesday; start new unit on Fractions and Decimals
SOCIAL STUDIES: Passport #2 and Discovery game
SCIENCE: Water cycle models

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN

Families, the past two weeks have been GREAT!  We are kicking off the New Year with positive attitudes and solid effort.  Below is an outline of the focus for the week.  This week there are two school events: tomorrow's PTA meeting and the FINE ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA FIELD TRIP!!!

Columbia Public Schools has a wonderful fine arts program and it starts in middle school.  This Thursday, along with other CPS 5th graders, we will travel to the Missouri Theater for an all day fine arts experience/  They will be introduced to many instruments and fine art opportunities.  Students can bring their lunch or receive a sack lunch on site at the extravaganza.  This field trip will take up most of the day. 

Focus this week:
READING: new literature journal cycle with "journey/discovery" themed books
WRITING/SCIENCE: finish Ecoschoolbouse presentation paragraph
MATH: more variables. experessions and patterns
SOCIAL STUDIES: Age of Exploration and Discovery theme work

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We ended 2014 on a very good note in the Ecoschoolhouse.  Students were very focused as we wrapped up many projects and units.  I hope everyone had a restful break and enjoyed time with family and friends.  We will start 2015 very smooth and slow as we get back into our routines and begin some new units.  See below for a brief description of our beginning of the year focus this week:

Reading: book share plane; new read aloud
Writing: short poetry assignment
Math: starting variables/algebra
Social Studies: beginning explorer unit called Discovery
Science: Ecoschoolhouse presentation research; plan community project