Dear Parents,
We hope you found the first edition of the Fifth Grade Gazette informative. We hope that this issue will be just as helpful. It was nice to meet and talk with many of you during our recent Parent-Teacher Conferences.
The long winter days are a good time to encourage your child to do extra reading to meet the state standard of completing 25 books before the year is over. Cold winter days and nights are a great time for the whole family to cozy up with a good book.
On behalf of the staff at P.S. 199, we wish you and your families a joyful holiday season!
Mrs.W. Bullock Mrs. A. Colorafi
Mrs. S. Fazio Ms. M. Radday
READ TO SUCEED!
In our Reading Workshop we will be working on our next unit: Book Clubs. Book clubs are amazing ways to get students motivated, and engaged in reading and sharing ideas with other students. While working in groups (reading partnerships) students discuss with one another a common text that they have chosen to read. Book clubs are a good way to study a specific genre of reading. This unit focuses on reading mysteries or historical fiction. Book clubs usually consist of 3-5 students on similar levels all reading the exact same book. The students in the book club will read the book at the same pace, all stopping at certain chapters and discussing the book before moving on to the next section of reading. The students in book clubs will make most of the decisions as a group, like how many chapters to read, and what to discuss during their conversations. This unit requires the students to be able to engage in high level talk. It is very important that the club ask questions of each other while discussing and referring to the text. The teacher will confer with the students in order to check their comprehension, fluency, and ability to practice new reading strategies. In addition, the teacher will be coaching the students on what to say during the book club meetings in terms of ideas and how to speak with one another. This unit will help the students develop a deeper understanding of what they read.
Our goal is to help students connect complex concepts and ideas to their own lives and encourage them to become lifelong readers.
WRITE ON!
Idea Sitting
By Lindamichellebaron, poet
Some people write
And they’re through with it,
But when I write, I write and
sit.
I write…cross out…put in
some more.
And when I’m finished..finally…
for sure…
I sit back, ideas down and done.
Then out of the air pops another one.
The students of fifth grade have been “popping” up with some great ideas and working hard to develop them into finished writing pieces. So far, they have written personal narratives, realistic fiction, and personal essays. We are so proud of their growth and improvement as writers.
It is very beneficial for the children to have opportunities to continue to develop working in an area such as fiction to build their skill, independence, and feelings of success. Therefore, the writing for our next unit will continue with fiction, specifically, the writing of mysteries and historical fiction. This unit offers a nice parallel to the reading unit at this time. The children will be taught to write the same kind of fiction they are reading in their book clubs. By teaming the writing and reading units, we will provide students many opportunities to carry strengths from one discipline to another. As an example, mystery readers might be bubbling with excitement over the new clue that was just revealed in their text. This could lead them to think about whether to reveal or withhold a new clue in the story they are writing.
So, as wintry winds are blowing, and glistening snow blankets the rooftops, the girls and boys of fifth grade will be reading and writing mysteries and historical fiction to warm our hearts this winter. How delightful!
MATH MATTERS
In the past few months, our students have spiraled through the math curriculum, developing math concepts in fractions, decimals, problem solving and other performance skills.
The fun and learning continues as we move forward in the year ahead, challenging our students’ as they explore new math ideas.
We’ll continue to revisit lessons in fractions and decimals and other concepts previously taught as we spiral through the curriculum providing our students with opportunities for review, reinforcement and application of new math skills and concepts.
We’ll begin the new year with an introduction to algebraic concepts. This unit of study explores the basic concepts of algebra, such as algebraic variables and expressions, equations, inequalities, patterns, and functions. It’s sure to be a unit students will enjoy, as they take on the challenge and excitement of learning this new and exciting math.
Recently, we administered the first ITA Acuity Math Assessment to our 5th grade students. This test helps identify each individual student’s
strengths and weaknesses in specific math areas, which in turn helps us drive differentiated instruction for our students. Around the second week of December, you will receive further details as to how you can gain access to your child’s Acuity test results and to assignments available on the Acuity website. These assignments are geared to provide students with the additional remediation, reinforcement, and practice needed.
As parents, please continue to encourage your child by providing them with support whenever possible. Interacting and observing your child while he/she works, will give you valuable information about them as problem solvers, making you better aware of their abilities, and helping them become successful math students at home, also.
As we look forward to the year ahead, we hope to continue to provide a math experience for our students that ultimately makes them independent thinkers and problem solvers. The goal is for our students to experience math on many different levels, while connecting math to their real world. THE WORLD OF SOCIAL STUDIES
The New York State Social Studies test is now over. The children worked hard to prepare for the test and we are very proud of their effort.
We will now be studying the first people to settle the Americas and the Age of Exploration. We will then move into a study of the History of the United States.
Please be aware that our textbook has a wonderful website available to parents and students. The student portion contains many interactive activities to reinforce the skills taught in Social Studies. We recommend the e -word game, the biographies and the map games.
The “Families” portion of the website contains interactive lesson summaries that include the vocabulary as well as Weekly Reader stories to share with your child. The summaries are a great way for you to be aware of what is being studied in class.
The website is www.eduplace.com. Once logged on click on New York as your state. Then click on Social Studies. After that, click the link for Social Studies N.Y.C. Next, click on “The United States, Canada and Latin America.” If you click “for kids” the children must click on the cover of the textbook and then it will take them to the interactive site for the children. Go online and explore with your child. If you do not have access to a computer, reserve some time at the public library.