Hello 5-4 Parents,
What a beautiful day! Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful too. I hope you all get a chance to get outside and play around with your kids. Despite the fact that spring is in the air and the fifth graders are excited to be outside, they are doing a great job of staying on task and doing some amazing learning in the classroom! (Let's hope this behavior continues through April and May!) These last two months of fifth grade are going to be packed with special events and excitement!
Dates to Remember:
4/16- Visit to South
4/18- No School
4/21- In School Field Trip Robert Crown
4/24- Math MAP test morning
4/25- World of Work Field Trip
4/28- Reading MAP test afternoon
4/30- 5th Grade Musical
5/30- Field Day
Here's what is happening in the classroom:
Reading- During shared reading time, we have been reading the informational text Children of the Wild West by Russell Freedman. This aligns nicely with our unit on westward expansion and gives the kids a glimpse into what life was really like for children as they traveled with their families in a wagon train. This book provides the opportunity for us to work on "close reading" as we reread passages and dig into the text to find answers to questions. The students are becoming experts at finding and accurately quoting text evidence, but we are still working on including our interpretations of the text.
During guided reading time, the groups are reading leveled non-fiction books that go into depth about different aspects of westward expansion. We are using iPads during guided reading to explore these books on Trueflix, a subscription of online informational text and media. We work in guided reading to reinforce vocabulary, comprehension, and discussion skills.
The students are also partner reading historical fiction novels set in the time of westward expansion. They worked with a partner to map out a schedule for reading their books. Each day, the students meet with their partner, while not meeting with me in guided reading group, to share signposts they found while reading and add to the Google doc they created to document signposts.
Social Studies- Although our History Alive chapter 16 test was today, our adventure in westward expansion has just begun. The students have assumed pioneer identities, formed wagon trains, and loaded their wagons with supplies. Be sure to ask your child about the successes, struggles, and obstacles his/her wagon train is facing in the next few weeks. Will everyone survive the long trip west to more land, riches, and a better life? Will the wagon masters be able to successfully lead their train?
As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns!
:) Kelly
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