Math: Last week in Math we wrapped up finding the area of polygons like squares, rectangles, triangles, and parallelograms. We are now moving onto circles! We will start with investigating the magical number "pi" and discussing how it relates to circles. Then students will use pi to calculate the circumference and area of a circle. After circles, we will move onto volume and capacity.
Reading: We just finished up figurative language and will move onto the reading strategy of inferencing. We will discuss the difference between inferencing and predicting as we read. Next we move onto examining the literary elements of a story such as setting, characterization, plot, conflict, and theme.
Grammar: We are done studying each of the eight parts of speech and will now move onto sentence structure. Students will be identifying and correcting sentence fragments and run-ons, and they will begin to look at the four types of sentence structures (simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex).
Writing: Last week we discussed the different qualities of the persuasive writing genre. The students worked on the rough drafts of their persuasive essays convincing their readers of whether a dog or cat makes a better pet. Next we will be writing a persuasive letter to the Mrs. Whalen about a change they would like to see occur around the school.
Science:We are in the middle of our Science unit on Electricity. This week students investigated static electricity and started examining circuits through an internet webquest. Next week students will be building their own circuits, comparing insulators and conductors, and experimenting with electromagnets.
S.S.: When we pick up Social Studeies again, we will be learning about WWII. Students will be studying the key figures of the war, key battles like D-day and the Battle of Iwo Jima, and other key concepts like rationing and life on the homefront. With the CRCT rapidly approaching, the pace of our Science and S.S. units will be increasing. We have lots of material to cover before April!
Thank you to everyone who sent in supplies for our 5th grade service project! We sent our letters and materials out on Friday afternoon :)
