5th Grade Teamletter
February 09, 2012
MATH
Miss Halsey: This week we have continued our measurement study by learning about the area of triangles and parallelograms. We used Geoboards to see that triangles are half of rectangles, meaning that their area would be half as well, leading us to the formula (b x h) ÷ 2. We also cut and re-arranged parallelograms to find that they are really rectangles in disguise, meaning we can use length x width to find their area. The rest of this week we will be working with circumference, so we will finally know what pi ∏ is all about! Students need to use the list I gave them to continue studying their formulas - we will be having a measurement test next week.
SCIENCE
Miss Halsey: We have been continuing our study of planets by finishing our reading of the lessons of Chapter 13 in our textbook. In the final lesson, we learned about each of the planets and how they are alike and different. We also read about comets and asteroids and space exploration. For the rest of this week and the beginning of next week, we will be doing rotating labs. Students will be doing a microviewer lab with me, a crater lab with Mr. Walter, and doing some Versatile work with Mrs. T.
Mrs. Throckmorton: We are finishing up the chapter on the Earth and solar system. This week, students move as a class for labs, each class doing one lab per day. Miss Halsey is teaching a lab on the planets using our micro-viewers; Mr. Walter will be conducting a crater formation lab; students in my lab will be extending their understanding about the solar system with a Versatile activity and an "insta-lab" where students will see how difficult it is for astronauts to work with heavy spacesuits. We will have the vocabulary test on Wednesday; after conferences, we will begin a unit on rocks and minerals.
Mr. Walter: The students have been working on a Planet unit and will finish this unit next week with a vocab test on Wednesday. We will then move on to the next unit where we will be talking about rocks and minerals and where they are found and how they are formed.
ENGLISH
Mr. Walter: The students just finished an Essay where they were trying to Persuade Mr. Walter into buying them one item. The students did a very nice job on this essay and came up with some very interesting items for me to buy them. We will now be moving back to a grammar unit and will be learning about Adjectives. The students will have homework every night and will continue to work on this unit for the next two weeks.
SPELLING
Mrs. Throckmorton: We will be taking a short break from spelling activities the next several weeks.
READING
Mrs. Throckmorton: Students continue reading Fair Weather by Richard Peck. This week, students chose a special activity to show their comprehension of the story so far. There were many good "help-wanted" ads, some character comparisons, rewriting of the story from the dog's point of view...all very interesting and entertaining. We'll be finishing the novel in time to participate in the "Read the Most from Coast to Coast" Accelerated Reading Program (ARP) activity to set a record for the most ARP tests taken on one day on March 2. That is Read Across America, a celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday. Although we'll all be taking the Fair Weather ARP test that day, I have encouraged the class to also be reading to take other tests that day as well.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Miss Halsey: This week in Chapter 11 we are learning about the ‘new’ areas of our country. We have learned about our country’s acquisition of Texas and how people settled in Utah and the west. We have also talked about the Oregon Trail and the California gold rush (so that’s how the San Francisco 49ers got their name). In the last lesson of the chapter, we will be learning about the Industrial Revolution.
Mrs. Throckmorton: We are finishing up the chapter with some commercials, reports, and posters about inventions and inventors during the Industrial Revolution. We will begin a new chapter next week.
Mr. Walter: We are expanding west in history and will be also discussing the industrial revolution and what that time period did to family and how it changed them. We are also going to talk about the different presidents during this time and what changes they made to Americans’ lives.
