5th Grade Families, 

As quarter 4 begins, the students are learning how much more responsibility is needed to stay focused and remain on track with their workload. One issue we have noticed is that many students are coming in tired and distracted.  We know that one of the culprits is SOCIAL MEDIA.  We will remind them how to use it appropriately and responsibly while we are here in the classroom.  Feel free to have the same conversation at home!  We will continue to help them get closer to working like 6th graders!

Mrs. Henceroth, Mrs. Jackson, & Ms. Tran

Important Dates & Reminder

• Monday, April 1st: No school for students
• Tuesday, April 2nd: No school for students
• Wednesday, April 10th: No school, Eid al-Fitr
• Thursday, April 25th:  Spring Concert 2:30 pm and 6:30 pm
• Reminder: Please do not send soda, candy, large bags of chips, or gum to school with your child. 
• Students should be reading at least 30 minutes each night.

Language Arts 

What are we learning?

• Language Arts:  Testing as a genre/Functional Texts
  •  Readers actively prepare for test questions using everything they know about tests and the genre. 
  •  Readers monitor for understanding throughout the testing experience (before, during and after reading test questions and the passage). 
  • Readers use test-taking strategies to select correct answer or answers.

Home/School Connection

Continue to read to your child-they love it!

Have your child read to you and other family members! Have your child then write about what they read to practice their writing skills.  

Questions to ask your student:

• What is important to pay attention to when reading this type of passage?
• What is this question asking you?
• What strategies can be used to find the best answer or answers?
• What parts of the text and background knowledge can be accessed to help answer this question?

Math What are we learning?

• Measurement
  • Identifying and converting equivalent metric units
  • Solve practical problems involving area, perimeter, and volume
  • Solve practical problems involving length, mass, and liquid volume using metric units.
  • Understand and identify elapsed time in hours and minutes
• Advanced Math: 
  • Identify and describe the diameter, radius, chord, and circumference of a circle. 
  • Classify and measure right, acute, obtuse, and straight angles. 
  • Classify triangles as right, acute, or obtuse and equilateral, scalene, or isosceles. 
  • Investigate the sum of the interior angles in a triangle and determine an unknown angle measure. 
  • Recognize and apply transformations, such as translation, reflection, and rotation. 
  • Investigate and describe the results of combining and subdividing polygons. 
  • Derive (π) pi 
  • Solve problems, including practical problems, involving circumference and area of a circle. 
  • Solve problems, including practical problems, involving area and perimeter of triangle and rectangles. 

Home/School Connection

Have the students help you solve day-to-day math problems

Questions to ask your student:

• How many milligrams of sugar is in something given the amount in grams?
• What is the area and perimeter of a given space?
• How much time has passed from one point to another?
• What is the volume of liquid in a certain drink?
• How is the radius related to the diameter?
• How is the diameter related to the circumference? 
• How is the radius related to the area of the circle? 

Science What are we learning?

• Light and Sound
• Spiral review of 4th through 5th grade material

Home/School Connection

Questions to ask your student:

• How can a scientist plan and conduct experiments in order to produce valid results?
• How does energy behave when it meets matter? 
• How does energy travel?
• How do the characteristics of light waves affect what we observe?
• How do scientists make sense of the world and apply that knowledge?

Social Studies What are we learning?

• Global Awareness Technology Project (GATP)

Home/School Connection

Questions to ask your student:

• How do cultural universals (art, leadership, government, innovations, geography, etc.) influence a society or culture? 
• How did certain cultural universals from the past influence modern day cultures around the world? 
• What connections can be made between aspects of ancient civilizations from the past to our modern day world?
• How have technology and innovations within certain cultures changed over time? 
• How do innovations from ancient cultures continue to influence our modern day society?
• How can you as a researcher develop and grow ideas about a topic?  
• How can you as a researcher demonstrate your depth of knowledge?

Specials What are we learning? &  Home/School Connections:

• Library: 
  • In April, we will have our Spring book fair! It will be from April 11-April 22. There will be evening hours during most days for families who would like to come after school.
  • 5th grade students are embarking on their Global Awareness Technology Project (GATP). In this project, they will choose an aspect of culture that has changed over time (art, music, technology, sports, etc) and research its history from ancient civilizations to the present.
• PE: 
  • Falcon Families, We hope your Spring Break was full of smiles and activity. As always, we are grateful to call you our co-teachers and appreciate the work you do with your student(s).
  • Upon returning from break, we always revisit routines and expectations until students are back in “school mode.” The next actual unit will be SOCCER! Students have been looking forward to this unit because it’s many peoples’ favorite and we can finally play more outside. Falcons are lucky because Mr. Bergin is a working Varsity Soccer Coach in the county; what a valuable resource! Students will learn basic skills, rules for the sport, and practice in small games. At the end of the month, we will transition to a two-week biking unit! Families can stay alert because we will be asking for volunteers to assist with this unit. Volunteer sign-up information will likely be shared in Thursday Folders and/or Talking Points. Until then, Happy Spring!
  • ❤ Mr. Bergin and Ms. Brod
• Music: 
  • Ms Shaw’s class will be working on parody in song and writing our own song lyrics and conceptualizing our own music video to go along with it. Recorder work will take a short break.
  • Mr. Sawasky’s class:
    • All grades will continue our work on the frame drumming composition.  All students will know how to create their own rhythms and work on creating melodies.
    • We will practice singing the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” All students will express themselves through playing xylophones, frame drums and percussion instruments.
    • 5^th and 6^th will be adding to their theory knowledge by composing their own melodies. We will start learning about the blues and musical form.
• STEAM: 
  • 5^th Graders are practicing electrical engineering as they invent gaming controllers with Makey Makey circuit boards.
• Art: 
  • In the Forestdale art program, the primary goal is to create an environment in which every student feels confident, safe, and supported by Ms. Barrett and by the other students. The goal is that each student will reach a level of technical mastery and self-confidence that allows them to take risks with their own artwork and create work that they value.
  • In April,  all students will be creating clay art projects! 
  • 5th grade students will create clay gargoyles. They have studied the history of gargoyles in world cultures and have many questions about the strange creatures.
  • All students’ ceramic pieces are delightful.
  • Thank you to all families for returning the Parent Interview Forms for each art unit! Students in grades 1st - 6th continue to use their Art Planning and Reflection Books, increasing their literacy skill practice during art classes!
  • As always, Ms. Barrett ([email protected]) is here for any questions or concerns regarding the art program.

AAP Corner 

• Hammurabi’s Code Document Based Question
• Concept based learning-Systems
• Socratic Seminars
• Project/Problem-based learning

ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages

All ESOL students have now completed their WIDA ACCESS for ELLs assessments. The ESOL Team is very proud of how hard every student worked on each of their tests! Results from this assessment will be sent to families before the end of the school year. We are looking forward to seeing how much growth our students have made in learning academic English.Looking for books to read at home with your students? Unite for Literacy has free audio books with many language options to choose from! You can access them at https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/.