Hello 5th Grade Families,
Here is what's happening....
Field Trip: We will be going to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, with our art teacher, Mr. Moore, in the afternoon on Friday. Thank you to the parents who have volunteer to chaperone. I will be in contact with you about the specifics of the day.
Conferences: There are sign-up sheets in the main entrance to the building. Please let me know if you cannot make one of those three days and we can figure out something else.
Math: We are getting close to the end of Unit 5, and will be taking the test this week, most likely on Thursday. Students will be reviewing and practicing during class, but you should expect them to be completing review work at home before the test, in lieu of study links.
Social Studies: Student groups will begin presenting their PowerPoint presentations this week. They have been working hard and I am excited to see the final products.
Writing: We have taken the time to do a few grammar mini-lessons in preparation for a longer writing unit. Very soon, we will begin the writing process for our descriptive essay. This will be the largest piece of writing that your students will have done so far this year, and I am really looking forward to it. I have seen strong writing ability in this group, and this will be a great opportunity to showcase their talents. More to come on this....
That's enough for now. As always, let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks,
Mr. Norman
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sunday Update
Hello Families,
A few updates....
Conferences: They are coming up for the middle of February, which is a little far off, but we have sign up sheets in the main entrance to school if you would like sign up for a specific time.
Math: We are continuing our unit on Fractions, which delves into Percent equivalents as well. We had a basketball shooting percentage demonstration in class on Friday, where students measured a shooter's percentage. Please ask your students about percent and have them explain how they calculated it.
Social Studies: We have taken a small break from Guided Reading to fit in some more computer time to work on our Native American power point presentations. All of the students are showing strong skills using this element of technology. Please lend any hints or expertise that you might have for them to share with their group.
Health: Students have been learning about making healthy eating choices. While discussing the nutrients that their bodies need to be healthy, we have also learned about common eating habits that can have lasting negative effects. Students should be studying for their quiz on Monday. This topic provides an easy opportunity to talk with your son or daughter about what they can do to make the right food choices.
Taking work home: We have spoken at length in class about how they can keep you involved and informed about their work in school. Part of that discussion has surrounded showing you the graded assignments that I have given back to them. Your students should be periodically showing you work that I have returned to them, please remind them if necessary.
As always, please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Mr. Norman
A few updates....
Conferences: They are coming up for the middle of February, which is a little far off, but we have sign up sheets in the main entrance to school if you would like sign up for a specific time.
Math: We are continuing our unit on Fractions, which delves into Percent equivalents as well. We had a basketball shooting percentage demonstration in class on Friday, where students measured a shooter's percentage. Please ask your students about percent and have them explain how they calculated it.
Social Studies: We have taken a small break from Guided Reading to fit in some more computer time to work on our Native American power point presentations. All of the students are showing strong skills using this element of technology. Please lend any hints or expertise that you might have for them to share with their group.
Health: Students have been learning about making healthy eating choices. While discussing the nutrients that their bodies need to be healthy, we have also learned about common eating habits that can have lasting negative effects. Students should be studying for their quiz on Monday. This topic provides an easy opportunity to talk with your son or daughter about what they can do to make the right food choices.
Taking work home: We have spoken at length in class about how they can keep you involved and informed about their work in school. Part of that discussion has surrounded showing you the graded assignments that I have given back to them. Your students should be periodically showing you work that I have returned to them, please remind them if necessary.
As always, please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Mr. Norman
Monday, January 16, 2012
Late Weekend Update
Hi Families,
Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I became busy with some other activities this past weekend.
MLK Day: On Friday, we took the opportunity to have an important discussion surrounding the impact of Martin Luther King Jr.'s work on our world today. Students viewed a short video and discussed their own experiences. We will continue this discussion early this week.
Math: We will be continuing with Unit 5 this week, which is a longer unit than most. Centering mostly around fractions, I believe this unit is very important for your student to grasp so they can build on their knowledge going forward. Please monitor and assist their Study Links work at home, and remind them to come back to school with questions, should something not quite make sense to them. Also, please ask your student how they are progressing with mastering their math facts. We will continue to take a weekly timed test, where students pick the set of facts they need to check off their list.
Social Studies: Hopefully, your students have told you about the research they conducted about their tribe. In the coming week, they will start to put together a power point presentation on the computer that they will present to the class.
Writing: Since we returned to school after winter break, I have been stressing the importance of building on their writing skills through a weekly writing prompt each week. Last week, students wrote about "The Best Meal" that they ever ate. Students should get their paragraphs back Tuesday and can bring them home to share with you. With this type of assignment, I am having them focus on the important details of the writing process including basic punctuation, using descriptive language, and reading their own writing to make sure it sounds like what they meant to say. They will get weekly practice with these skills, and soon will be writing their first descriptive essay.
That's enough for now. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks,
Mr. Norman
Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I became busy with some other activities this past weekend.
MLK Day: On Friday, we took the opportunity to have an important discussion surrounding the impact of Martin Luther King Jr.'s work on our world today. Students viewed a short video and discussed their own experiences. We will continue this discussion early this week.
Math: We will be continuing with Unit 5 this week, which is a longer unit than most. Centering mostly around fractions, I believe this unit is very important for your student to grasp so they can build on their knowledge going forward. Please monitor and assist their Study Links work at home, and remind them to come back to school with questions, should something not quite make sense to them. Also, please ask your student how they are progressing with mastering their math facts. We will continue to take a weekly timed test, where students pick the set of facts they need to check off their list.
Social Studies: Hopefully, your students have told you about the research they conducted about their tribe. In the coming week, they will start to put together a power point presentation on the computer that they will present to the class.
Writing: Since we returned to school after winter break, I have been stressing the importance of building on their writing skills through a weekly writing prompt each week. Last week, students wrote about "The Best Meal" that they ever ate. Students should get their paragraphs back Tuesday and can bring them home to share with you. With this type of assignment, I am having them focus on the important details of the writing process including basic punctuation, using descriptive language, and reading their own writing to make sure it sounds like what they meant to say. They will get weekly practice with these skills, and soon will be writing their first descriptive essay.
That's enough for now. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks,
Mr. Norman
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Sunday Update 1/8
Hello Families,
We had a good week getting back into the swing of things. I look forward to your students really hitting their stride and having a great rest of the school year.
MAP Tests: We took our Reading MAP Test last Thursday, and will be taking the Math portion this upcoming Friday. Make sure your students get a good nights sleep and are well rested.
Spelling: Your students will get a new list on Monday, that they will be tested on the following week, after MAP Testing is concluded.
Math: We have gotten off to a slow start on Unit 5 (Fractions). I look for us to make some more headway here in the coming week. Your students should make sure they keep up with their Study Links on a nightly basis. It is important for them to practice the skills we have learned during the day, at home that very night to reinforce their knowledge.
Literacy: We will be getting back into the Daybook as a resource for learning about Determining Importance. Mrs. Holty (my team teacher during Literacy) and I will have students practicing how to disseminate the most important parts of what they are reading.
Social Studies: Students have been put in groups and conducted research. In the coming week, they will start putting together presentations for their tribe. Eventually, each student will be responsible for summarizing their groups research in a given area, and developing power point slide to present their findings.
Health: Our new health unit is all about Nutrition and making important choices about what they eat. Please ask your student about what they have learned, and add any knowledge that you have on the topic.
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Thanks,
Mr. Norman
We had a good week getting back into the swing of things. I look forward to your students really hitting their stride and having a great rest of the school year.
MAP Tests: We took our Reading MAP Test last Thursday, and will be taking the Math portion this upcoming Friday. Make sure your students get a good nights sleep and are well rested.
Spelling: Your students will get a new list on Monday, that they will be tested on the following week, after MAP Testing is concluded.
Math: We have gotten off to a slow start on Unit 5 (Fractions). I look for us to make some more headway here in the coming week. Your students should make sure they keep up with their Study Links on a nightly basis. It is important for them to practice the skills we have learned during the day, at home that very night to reinforce their knowledge.
Literacy: We will be getting back into the Daybook as a resource for learning about Determining Importance. Mrs. Holty (my team teacher during Literacy) and I will have students practicing how to disseminate the most important parts of what they are reading.
Social Studies: Students have been put in groups and conducted research. In the coming week, they will start putting together presentations for their tribe. Eventually, each student will be responsible for summarizing their groups research in a given area, and developing power point slide to present their findings.
Health: Our new health unit is all about Nutrition and making important choices about what they eat. Please ask your student about what they have learned, and add any knowledge that you have on the topic.
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Thanks,
Mr. Norman
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Sunday Update 1/1/12
Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a wonderful winter break. As you get ready to get back into school schedule in a couple of days, I thought I would write a quick update.
MAP Testing: Not great timing, I know, but we are scheduled to take our winter MAP(Measure of Academic Progress) tests in math and reading in the first two weeks of January. We use these tests among other data to determine how to best help your student learn. While these tests matter and should be taken seriously, it is important to keep them in perspective. They are only a small snapshot of your students abilities, and should be viewed as such.
MAP Schedule:
Reading Test - Thursday, Jan. 5th
Math Test - Friday, Jan. 13th
Math: Students took their Unit 4 Math Tests the week before break started and will receive them back on Tuesday. They will have until Friday to make necessary corrections, and to have a parent/guardian sign the cover sheet. We will start Unit 5 focusing on Fractions in the next week.
Social Studies: We have started some preliminary exploration into our Native American Unit, and students will be assigned to groups and conducting research in the coming week. Please ask your student what they are learning about as they dig into the culture and history of their tribe.
That's enough for now, please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.
Enjoy the last days of break!
Mr. Norman
I hope you all had a wonderful winter break. As you get ready to get back into school schedule in a couple of days, I thought I would write a quick update.
MAP Testing: Not great timing, I know, but we are scheduled to take our winter MAP(Measure of Academic Progress) tests in math and reading in the first two weeks of January. We use these tests among other data to determine how to best help your student learn. While these tests matter and should be taken seriously, it is important to keep them in perspective. They are only a small snapshot of your students abilities, and should be viewed as such.
MAP Schedule:
Reading Test - Thursday, Jan. 5th
Math Test - Friday, Jan. 13th
Math: Students took their Unit 4 Math Tests the week before break started and will receive them back on Tuesday. They will have until Friday to make necessary corrections, and to have a parent/guardian sign the cover sheet. We will start Unit 5 focusing on Fractions in the next week.
Social Studies: We have started some preliminary exploration into our Native American Unit, and students will be assigned to groups and conducting research in the coming week. Please ask your student what they are learning about as they dig into the culture and history of their tribe.
That's enough for now, please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.
Enjoy the last days of break!
Mr. Norman
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