#14 This Week in 5th Grade

WHAT WE'RE LEARNING IN CLASS

Math: We are working on multiplying and dividing decimals. By the end of the unit they will be able to multiply and divide decimals using the standard algorithm, powers of 10, and 10 x 10 grids. Below are some examples of what they will be solving:

• 0.5 x 4 = 2
• 6.5 / 2 = 3.25
• 7.89 x 100 = 789

Literacy (Reading & Comprehension): We finished up our unit on theme, and we are focusing on text evidence and inferences again. In 5th grade, we focus heavily on text evidence to answer comprehension questions, as well as to include in our writing. We are using the "formula" ICE a Quote to answer literal and inferential questions. I stands for Introduce (credit the author/text), C stands for Copy (copy a sentence from the text using quotation marks), and E stands for Explain (explain the evidence).

Here is an example of a question and answer using ICE a Quote.

• Question: What does Thomas Paine believe about independence?
• Answer: Thomas Paine states, "I consider independence as America's natural right and interest." He feels that America should be granted freedom because it is morally wrong to not have it.

Writing: I am SO proud of how everyone did on their writing. Writing is a lot more challenging in 5th grade, and everyone made progress!

Science: This upcoming week we are going to be doing a fun project that combines literacy, math, and science. We will be using the engineering process to design and build gingerbread houses. Throughout the process, we will also be learning about electric circuits and adding an electric light to our gingerbread houses. To learn more about the history of gingerbread houses, we will be reading a passage and writing a key word summary. At the end, we will write a key word summary.