Holiday Weekend Update

Hello Families,

I hope your children are enjoying their day off from school today. Here are a couple of updates for next week.

Fifth graders will be having their end-of-year Ice Cream Social and yearbook signing on Tuesday, June 5,  from 2:45-3:45.  We are looking for parent volunteers who would be willing to serve the ice cream for this celebration.  If you are interested in helping out, let me know and we will coordinate the roles among all three classrooms and get back to you.

Thank you for all of the volunteer efforts you have given during this past year.  I am most appreciative!




Biographies: Your students have been working hard on their biography project the last couple of weeks. At this point, they should be ready to give their speech on Tuesday. If they are bringing anything for a costume (optional), they should bring that on Tuesday as well. Please have your student practice for you at home over the weekend.


Writing: We have been working on Persuasive Writing and Advertisements. Students have been working on coming up with an advertisement for a product, and then writing about why people would want to buy their product based on specific persuasive strategies. We typed final copies in the computer lab on Thursday, and will put together the complete product early this week. These have looked very nice so far, please ask your student what their advertisement is for, and how they are trying to market their product.


Math: Students were supposed to turn in a signed Unit 7 Math Test on Thursday, but ultimately, I have many students who have this down as missing work right now. Please ask your student about it. We are concluding Unit 8 this week, and will likely take the written assessment for it. On Thursday, we learned about figuring out the % discount if you were at a store. You can ask them a problem like this at home, and they should be able to tell you how to figure it out. 


Example: A pair of shoes cost $60, would you rather use a coupon that says 'Take $15 off' or one that says 'Take 30% off' ?     (Answer: You'd rather have the 'Take 30% off' coupon because it would be $42, with the 'Take $15 off' coupon it would be $45. )

Social Studies: We have discussed the events that lead up to the start of the Revolutionary War, such as the Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party and the Continental Congress. Students will be putting their knowledge to use this week to finish up the unit.

Health:  We will dive back into some health concepts this week, including mini-lessons on the truth about Drugs, being a smart consumer, and the circulatory system.




 As always, let me know if you have questions or comments.


Thanks,
Mr. Norman

Sunday Update

Hey Families,

Here are some updates before we go into a short week. Remember that we don't have school on Friday, or the following Monday because of the holiday weekend.

Writing: Your student has begun work on a persuasive piece of writing in the form of an advertising pitch. They have started to create their own advertisement of some form, and will write a 3 paragraph paper that states their claim of why consumers should or need to buy their product. Please ask your student to give you the details of this creative project. I have seen some really great ideas so far. We will devote some class time for continued work on this project, but your student may need to bring their work home at some point. I will keep you posted.

Literacy: Your students were assigned a Biography Project last week. They will read a biography of a famous person, take notes on the critical events of the person's life, then form a speech where they pretend to be that person. We have been going the through the process during class, but your students will need to have their book read, taken their notes, and formulated their speech by next Thursday, May 24th. Then on the following Tuesday we will start giving the speeches. We spoke about how important this due date is, and how they wouldn't want to have to think about finishing it over a holiday weekend. There were some questions about whether students needed to dress up like their subject. It is completely optional and will not affect their grade on the project. Please do not spend any money looking for a costume.

Math: With our disjointed schedule lately, it may have been hard for you to tell where we're at in math. You just recently signed your student's Unit 9 Test, tomorrow they will have another to bring home for corrections and your signature (Unit 7). This week we will continue with our work in Unit 8, focusing mainly on multiplying fractions. Your students have the answer key for this one, so you can remind them to check their work for accuracy, and come in with questions.

Social Studies: We have been learning about the important events leading up to the Revolutionary War. Students will get a chance to do some more research this week. Please ask your students what they have learned so far, and lend any expertise you may have at home.


Crazy Hair Day is this Thursday! (can't wait to see what some of these kids will look like)


Also on Thursday is 5th Grade Field Day in the afternoon. Tell your son or daughter to be careful with your crazy hair that it doesn't impede their aerodynamics out on the field.

As always, let me know if you have questions or comments.

Thanks,
Mr. Norman

Saturday Update

Hey Families,

Here are some updates...

We are all done with our standardized tests! On the whole, I think the class did very well with these.

Social Studies: Students did some research on a specific aspect of the either the New England, Middle, or Southern Colonies. They will present to their classmates this upcoming week. Please ask your student what they learned.

Math: Students should have already brought their Unit 9 Test last week for your signature and to make any corrections. We are still working on finishing up Unit 7, and will likely be concluding it this week.

Writing: We have been working on some specific writing conventions, and will shift into our next writing project, Persuasive Writing. In addition, students have still been completing weekly writing assignments. This week's topic was "Create your own superhero." Please ask your student about their superhero.

As always, let me know if you have questions or concerns.

Thanks,
Mr. Norman

Tuesday Update

Hey Families,

Sorry I am tardy with my update. Anyway, here are some updates relating to what we've been doing and what is coming up.

Last Test! We will take our Math MAP Test this Thursday, and this will be our last of the computer tests. Please help your student get some good sleep going into Thursday and encourage he or she to do his or her best.

Social Studies: We have started discussing the Jamestown, Plymouth and first colonies. Students will get a chance to do some research on a select region of colonizers, and present to their classmates.
We will discuss the impact of these first settlers and their effect on the United States today. Please ask your student what they have learned and lend any expertise you can give to him or her.

Math: Students received their Unit 9 Tests today with their scores. They are due back with corrections and signature from a parent by next Monday. As a part of going back to Unit 7, we have been working hard with negative numbers, and learning how to add and subtract using negative numbers.

Writing: During writing lately, students have been focusing on the conventions of word choice, correct use of apostrophes, and subject-verb agreement. I will be looking for a concentration on these elements in their weekly writing assignments. Remind your student to take his or her time and proofread his or her work before turning it in.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks,
Mr. Norman