STUDENT LED CONFERENCES
Student Led Conferences (SLCs) are scheduled for Thursday, October 30th. Schedule forms have been sent home and most students already have returned them and have an appointment scheduled. If you still need to set up an appointment or change your appointment time, please get a hold of me as soon as possible.
Reading
Early this month all the 5th graders were split into leveled reading groups. From 12:05 to 12:55 each day, 5th graders go to their leveled reading group teacher's classroom and focus on learning new vocabulary words, main idea, prediction, summarization, sequencing, story elements, compare/contrast, drawing conclusions, author's purpose, literary devices, and all the other things that great readers do. The classwork and homework load vary from teacher to teacher, but most groups have an expectation based on classwork and/or homework and/or AR points.
Additionally, our class is still reading Fellowship of the Rings as our read aloud book. We're focusing on summarization, questioning, predicting, sequencing, and active listening skills this month with daily assignments done in class.
Writing
This month we will be writing another expository report like the one we did last month on amphibians. This month however, students will be researching birds (Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Great Horned Owl, etc.) By researching in the computer lab, writing rough drafts, peer editing, and writing final drafts, students are able to integrate interest in animals with computer literacy, online research skills and the writing process to come to a greater understanding of science.
We'll be going to the computer lab on the week of October 13-14 and taking notes about birds for the research report. Wednesday of that week students will need to bring in their rough draft for peer editing. Thursday of that week students will bring in their completed final draft and peer edited rough draft. Normally, it would be due on a Friday, but that is a four day week.
Math & Science
October continues getting kids fluent in multiplication and division and adds decimals and basic algebra to the mix. We'll cover most of the lessons in chapter two in the green Scott Foresman Addison Wesley math book. Students will continue to have regular nightly homework assignments in math.
Additionally, we will continue doing a "math journal" assignment daily as an entry activity in the morning. This "math journal" assignment was highly effective last year at getting my students ready for the end of the year district math tests so I've decided to use it again. Its basically a "mini version" of the end of the year math tests that we take every day.
We'll also be integrating math with science as often as possible. We'll be researching gravity and buoyancy in the computer lab, watching Bill Nye videos about these topics and performing weekly labs that have associated in-class writing assignments.
Social Studies
Students will continue to have regular classwork assignments from their social studies books. What we don't get to in class becomes homework. I try to get the kids through four of the usual five pages and have them finish the reading and do the review questions at home. This is to get them ready for middle and high school.
Since last month, I have heard a rumor that 5th grade students actually will have a Social Studies WASL, though it is just being piloted this year. Having regular assignments in a variety of subjects is excellent preparation for middle school, high school and college.
Joyous October to your and your family!
- Mr. Smalley |