Week of May 23rd

Week of May 23rd

Reading- Our book clubs have been meeting for two weeks. The students are continuing discussions and activities based on their chosen books. We will  wrap up our book discussions the week of May 30.  We are also reading Gary Paulsen's book, Soldier's Heart, and responding in our reading journals.

Writing- Students spent last week drafting their Op-Ed pieces and working with a peer to revise/edit. The students will be publishing their final piece this week and sharing with the class next week. The due date for the final piece is on Friday, May 27th. We will also continue to work on the ABC's and D of On-Demand Writing.

Math- 5th Grade Math- Units 11 and 12: Volume of Pyramids and Cylinders and  Probability, Ratios and Rates.

          Accelerated Math-   We have begun Unit 10:  Geometry Topics. The assessment will be this Friday.

Social Studies-Our study of the Civil War continues with an interactive simulation for the students. They will experience life as a Union or Confederate soldier during the Civil War.  

Spelling-No spelling test this week. We will be working on activities based on the program "Words Their Way".

Civil War Experience Day 2011

Week of May 16th

**Our Civil War Family Night is this Tuesday.  Students should arrive at 6:40 p.m. wearing their t-shirts.**

Reading- Our book clubs have been meeting for almost two weeks. The students are continuing discussions and activities based on their chosen books.

Writing- We picked our topics and have begun drafting our Op-Ed pieces. The students will continue to draft and edit this week. The due date has been changed to the 27th. We will also continue to work on the ABC's and D of On-Demand Writing.

Math- 5th Grade Math- Unit 10: Pan Balances and Algebra

          Accelerated Math-   We have begun Unit 10:  Geometry Topics (our last unit!).  This week we are creating tessellations.  The unit assessment will be given on Friday, May 27th.

Social Studies- Our study of the Civil War concludes as we learn about Reconstruction.  Encourage your child to review the study guide every night - the Civil War assessment is on

Thursday, May 19th.

Spelling-No spelling test this week. We will be working on activities based on the program "Words Their Way". 

Week of May 9th

Reading- Our book clubs have met a few times.  After planning out 15 days of discussions, students are taking turns being the discussion director (asking the questions and guiding the group to have meaningful discussions), logging their daily progress, and working independently to complete activities based on the books their book club has chosen. 

Writing- Last week, we identified possible topics for Op-Ed pieces and students were asked to choose an issue to write about. On Monday, students will choose an issue and take a position on that issue as we begin drafting our Op-Ed writing pieces. The published (finished) writing will be due by May 19th.  We will also continue to work on the ABC's and D of On-Demand Writing.

Math- 5th Grade Math- Unit 10: Pan Balances and Algebra

          Accelerated Math- Unit 9: Variables, Formulas, and Graphs Assessment 

          Monday and Tuesday.  We begin Unit 10:  Geometry Topics (our last unit!) this week.

Social Studies- Our study of the Civil War moves forward as we continue to explore the battles, learn more about the contributions of key people during the war, and study the impact of the war on women, African Americans, and soldiers. Encourage your child to review the study guide every night - the Civil War assessment is on May 19th.

We travel to the Center for History this week (Thursday, May 12th) to deepen our understanding about the slave experience as well as learn what it was like to be a soldier during one of the most difficult wars fought in our country.

Spelling-No spelling test this week.

**  Field trip the Center for History in Wheaton on Thursday, May 12th.  Please look for the reminder sheet in your child's backpack on Monday.  Students MUST arrive by 8:45 a.m. on Thursday wearing their Kendall T-shirt and a great attitude.  Cameras are permitted - no other electronic devices (phones included) are allowed on the field trip. Pray for sunshine!!

Special Guest!
The fifth grade students were fortunate enough to have Mrs. Nwachukwu visit this week. She shared stories from her Nigerian culture. The students learned about not giving up, working hard at school, making wise choices, and treating other people respectfully.

Week of May 2nd

Week of May 2nd

Reading- Our groups are set, books are chosen, and we met today to plan out 15 days of book club meetings.  Each student will be completing activities and discussions based on the books their book club has chosen.

Writing- We have completed out close study of Opinion Editorials.  Students are gaining experience identifying the issue, author's position, and the arguments used by the author to support their position.  They are pretty good at this!  This week we are identifying possible topics for Op-Ed pieces and students have been asked to choose an issue to write about. We will also continue to work on the ABC's and D of On-Demand Writing.

Math- 5th Grade Math- Unit 10: Pan Balances and Algebra

          Accelerated Math- Unit 9: Variables, Formulas, and Graphs 
             (Unit Assessment on 5/9 and 5/10)

Social Studies- We have been gaining understanding about the events and issues that caused division between the North and the South.  We are ready to learn more about the beginning stages of the Civil War. Study guides were handed out last week and should be coming home each night.  Encourage your child to review the study guide. We will be testing on May 19th.

Spelling- Homework due on Tuesday, Post test  Unit 26 on Wednesday.

**  Field trip to Crone on Thursday, May 5th

Week of April 25th

Week of April 25th

*NO SCHOOL MONDAY 4/25

*PROGRESS REPORTS GO HOME FRIDAY 4/29

Reading- We  continue to focus on the main idea and details of nonfiction text using our Social Studies books as we continue with our study of the Civil War.  Book clubs will begin in May- this week we will review the guidelines for Book Clubs and students will be asked to select a book of choice before Monday, May 2nd.

Writing-  Last week we began to immerse ourselves in Op-Ed (Opinion-Editorial) writing.   This week we will take a closer look at Op-Ed pieces as we chart what we notice about this genre of writing and create a working definition. In addition, our study of On-Demand writing  continues with a focus on the letter "D"- detecting errors.

Math-
      5th Grade Math- Begins Chapter 10- Pan Balances and Algebra
      Accelerated Math- Chapter 9 Variables, Formulas, and Graphs.  Please encourage your child to review their journal pages and daily assignments to reinforce what we are learning in the classroom.


Social Studies- Our study of the Civil War continues with Chapter 14, Lessons two and three.  There will be a unit assessment on Thursday, 5/19.  Look for the study guide to be started this week.

Spelling- Homework due on Tuesday;  Post test on Wednesday (Unit 25); Pretest on Thursday (Unit 26)