December Newsletter
Over the past few months our fifth graders have worked hard and learned a lot! We are excited to continue learning, challenge ourselves and make mistakes in 2020!
Geometry has been our focus in math. We have been learning to classify two-dimensional figures into categories based on their properties. Throughout our explorations and discussions, we using precise math language to describe and classify the shapes. Some of the academic vocabulary that we are expected to use is:
- equilateral triangle, isosceles triangle, scalene triangle, right triangle, congruent
- acute angle, obtuse angle, right angle, straight angle, reflex angle
- parallel, perpendicular, convex, concave
- regular polygon
- quadrilateral, rhombus, trapezoid, parallelogram
- adjacent, opposite
Please ask your child to explain and give examples of some of these important terms.
In reading we are studying nonfiction texts and locating complex text structures. We are also looking for complex words to break down in order to find the meaning. This is called morphology. When doing this we can use an online resource called Epic that helps us find non-fiction texts, which may have tricky words. Online reading is awesome! We are also learning to write notes in an efficient manner with words, phrases and graphic organizers (that we create in our notebooks). We use our knowledge of text structures to help us create a sensible note-taking strategy. Examples might be a T-chart, "boxes and bullets," timeline, Venn diagram, etc. These efficient note-taking strategies allows us to jot our thoughts down, while spending the majority of time reading. We will continue reading and learning about a variety of informational topics!
In writing, 5th graders have been learning how to write literary essays. In order to create thesis statements, we watched an inspiring short film about the Panyee Football team. When learning about these types of essays, we’ve learned to analyze and find repeating patterns in the text. We will continue working on these by creating mini-stories, inputting quotes and valid information and finally creating a literary product on our ChromeBooks!
To kick off the new unit in social studies we had the Concord Museum come in to teach us about the Europeans and Native American culture when the Europeans were coming to America. We were taught about how the Europeans came over and changed the way the land looked, the religion of Native people and how the people were living in general. The Concord Museum had us do many different activities. One of them we compared different items such as shoes, clothing and the European quills, since the natives didn’t write. We will continue exploring the different civilizations, settlements and early explorers as we travel through the past of how we landed in America.