October 2016

October 2016

Important Dates

Wednesday Oct. 26, 2016: EDM, Unit 2 Test (tentatively)
Friday, Oct. 21, 2016: Chapter 2, Native American Environments, Project due (assigned Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016)

Forget Me Not Dates

Friday, Oct. 14, 2016:  Final day for Camp Packets (Second Camp Deadline)
Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016: Picture Retake Day along with Candid Shots for Afterschool Activities and Clubs
Friday, Oct. 21, 2016: Spirit Day for Fabulous Fifth graders @ noon friendly competition
Monday, Oct. 31, 2016: Fall Harvest Celebration, Celebrating with Scary Scribes during writing. (10 AM - 11:00 AM)
Wednesday, Nov. 9- 11, 2016: Fifth Grade Over night Camp, Howell Nature Center (Howell, MI)
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016: Picture Retake Day along with Candid Shots for After-school Activities and Clubs

Subjects at a Glance

Math: We have just completed Unit Test 1, Area and Volume. Unit 2 is comprised of Whole Number, Place Value and Operations. During the month of October, students are expected to master multiplication facts using a variety of strategies. Below this section you will find the vocabulary words.
Language Arts
    Reading Workshop: We have just completed the first 20 days of lessons by Fountas and Pinnell. During October, we will study the components of a fiction story and realistic fiction. Students will read a variety of text while analyzing the components. Students will also begin compiling the behaviors of a "Good Reader." Guided reading has begun in small groups and will continue. In the later part of the month, students will also be assessed using Ann Arbor Reading Benchmark system for the November report letter.
    Writing Workshop: Writing workshop is progressing along. Students have begun their first writing project. During the month of September, we learned how to make complete sentence, avoiding run-ons and fragments, organizing our thoughts by Beginning, middle and ending. Our projects should reflect our knowledge of inserting dialogue and inner monologue of the narrator.
     Word Study: Word study is another title for spelling. It is the study of how words are created, formed, and usage in daily language. Prior to beginning word study students  assess their 500 frequently misspelled word list knowledge. This is done in segments of 25 words. We are on our 8th test.
    Poetry Anthology: This month, students will learn about how poems can be formatted. Students will also learn the purpose of repetition in poems and prose.
Social Studies: At the end of September, the class learned about MR. HELP, a mnemonic device used to teach the five themes of geography to elementary students. This tool will be used throughout the year to review how the themes are intertwined in Social Studies and Government. Chapter 2, American Indians (Native Americans) and their Environments of History Alive in America's Past and Present will be explored as we study the Native American environments and how Native Americans adapted to each environment. Their will be a project due for this chapter in leu of a quiz. Chapter 3, American Indian (Native American) Cultural Regions, will begin at the later part of this month. This chapter will be assessed with a quiz.
Science (Project Lead the Way) Per our district's directives, Project Lead the Way is the primary science curriculum at Pattengill until January. During this time, I will teach brief unit on Force in Motion.
Health: For the first two weeks of October, we will be reviewing learning how to identify bullying and cyber bullying. We will also discuss ways to report bullying. Last but not least we will cover conflict management.

Unit 2, Whole Number, Place Value and Operations

• Identifies the values of digits in a mutli-digit number
• Write numbers in expanded form.
•  Represent powers of 10.
•   Explain patterns when multiplying by a power of 10.
•  Multiply with U.S. traditional multiplication. (Other methods will be reviewed as well)
•  Divide Multi-digit numbers.
•  Interpret a remainder in a division problem.

Unit 3: Fraction Concepts, Addition, and Subtraction

•          Use visual models to solve division number stories with fractional answers.
•          Report the remainder to a division problem a fraction.
•          Place a fraction on a number line.
•          Rename fractions and mixed numbers using the same denominators.
•          Estimate answers to fraction addition and subtraction problems.
•          Use visual models to add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers.
•         Solve fraction of fraction problems.

    Harvest Celebration (Scary Scribes)

      Students will feast on doughnuts and popcorn with a cold glass of milk or water as we have Writing Workshop. Students will create headstones for a few over used words. There will be a competition for the best headstone. During reading, my reading class will create the perfect creepy character using all 4 character traits: physical, intellectual, emotional and social. I will be soliciting parent volunteers for the snacks.

 Parent-Teacher Conferences

Hopefully by now, ALL parents have signed up for a parent teacher conference. During our Parent Teacher Conferences, I intend to share your child's lexile score along with NWEA Math and Reading RIT scores. Use the Lexile score to help your child find just right books or simple books in his or her range. Below are few helpful links.

Finding Just Right books
Finding Books

Five finger rule

Video bonus: To see the five finger rule in action, take a look at teacher Amber Prentice explaining the strategy!

1. Choose a book that you think you will enjoy.
2. Read the second page.
3. Hold up a finger for each word you are not sure of, or do not know.
4. If there are five or more words you did not know, you should choose an easier book.

Still think it may not be too difficult? Use the five finger rule on two more pages.

Nonfiction websites

website http://www.dogonews.com

Spirit Day Celebration

The entire fifth grade team will be hosting spirit day for U of M. Students are encouraged to wear as much Maize and Blue as they can. Fifth grade classes compete against each other to win bragging rights for the entire year.  (Last year, my class won and enjoyed the bragging rights.) Within our room, there is a costume for the most outrageous fan, with the best spirit and most decorated Wolverine.  The winner will win his/her own Blaze pizza courtesy of yours truly.

Camp preparation

You should be gathering items needed for camp. Label all things with full name. Prepare for both rainy and cold weather as a safe measure.