Welcome to the 2018-2019 School Year!

I hope your summer was both restful and rejuvenating! We have gotten off to a great start, and I am looking forward to a fantastic year!

Class Update - August/September

• ELA - We have begun reading Night of the Spadefoot Toads, a fantastic book about frogs and friendships! We're focusing on "Close Reading" skills, which involves both comprehension and literary analysis. We will be doing a lot of writing this year, starting with narrative writing. Here is a good video on vernal pools: https://youtu.be/fzI_yaY_j-Q

• IB/Science - Our first IB planner is "Sharing the Planet" and that includes Ecosystems, Food Chains, Food Webs, and related Life Science concepts. Khan Academy is a great resource for information, including videos on Ecosystems: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology/intro-to-ecosystems/v/ecosystems-and-biomes

• Math - In an effort to provide a strong foundation in Number Sense and Place Value before moving into Fractions, we are starting with Unit 2 and followed by 4 and then going back to Unit 1 and following that with Unit 3. The biggest topic in 5th grade math is Fractions, and success in this requires a deep understanding of what numbers mean and how they work, including multiplication and division skills. Here is a place to go for a refresher on place value: http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/place-value-chart.html