Update for 10/30

     Dear Parents,

     We seem to have gone straight from fall to winter!  I hope you and your family are staying warm today.  We have a fun, busy week ahead.  This Tuesday, October 31 from 11:45am-12:45pm we will have your student’s final Spalding Fall Centers Celebration.  I have heard some of the plans and they sound amazing.  They are based on some of the standards that we’re learning in class, and they’re  fun and entertaining.  Tuesday is also Storybook Character Day.  Students are allowed to wear costumes of their favorite storybook characters, but they are not allowed to be Disney characters and they must be appropriate for school.  A costume is not required.  We will visit the Book Fair on Thursday from 9:45-10:15am.  If you are interested in having them buy something, please send them with cash. If you haven't already, don’t forget to return your report card folders (thank you to all of those who have).  Also, we are still collecting RSVP’s for the Thanksgiving Feast, if you plan to attend. 

  
 I LOVE how enthusiastic your kiddos are about our Turn of the Century Social Studies project researching the western cattle drives, inventions, immigration, and the growth of large cities such as Chicago and Pittsburgh.  This will count as a test grade for Social Studies and the students will present their projects on November 9th and 10th in class. The students are working in pairs to create a visual model/digital presentation of one of the concepts that we’ve been studying  They are allowed to be as creative as they’d like to be to prepare for this 3-4 minute presentation.  Many students have already made arrangements to work together outside of school hours.  They will be given plenty of time in class, but if there are pairs who would like to work together outside of school, please plan accordingly.

     For my 5^th grade math students, we have a test on Thursday on adding/subtracting decimals, rounding decimals, place value and comparing decimals.  My 6.1 math students will also have a test on Thursday over Ratios.  I hope the students have been reviewing the videos and links I've been sending on Remind.  Please let me know any questions or concerns!

     In Writing, the students are now working on an informational paper for any topic of their choice. We are focusing on structure this week so that students will have a clear understanding of how the paper should flow and fit together.  If you want to help your student be ahead of the game, you can help them to find articles and text features that actually enhance their paper.  For example, if they’re writing about “Pancakes”, perhaps a popular recipe or a chart with the top 5 pancake restaurants around the world would be interesting-not just a picture of a stack of pancakes (they could be nice too, but I’m trying to get them to understand how text features can help guide the reader through their paper).

      Also, they will have to write a brief outline on Monday night for homework. I will collect them on Wednesday.  This will be counted as a grade and it will help with the rest of the week as we talk about structure.  This should not be stressful, as I will show them how I’d like it done in class on Monday, here’s an example, just in case:

                               Topic: Pancakes

                               First paragraph: Intro paragraph where I start with an interesting fact about    

                               pancakes.

                               Second paragraph: Body paragraph 1 will be the history of the pancake.

                               Third paragraph: Body paragraph 2 will be the different varieties of pancakes.

                               Fourth paragraph: Body paragraph 3 will be how pancakes are enjoyed in 

                               different countries around the world.

                               Fifth paragraph: Conclusion paragraph will give more interesting facts about 

                               pancakes and sum up my paper.

     This is an example of what the students will be expected to have on Wednesday. They don’t have to have all of their text features or any paragraphs written out, simply an outline.  On Friday, they will write their intro paragraph and their first body paragraph in class.  This will count as a quiz grade.  By this time, we would have talked about thesis statements, etc.

I CAN:

5.1 Math -apply strategies to add, subtract, round, and label decimals

6.1 Math - use tables, tape diagrams, & double number lines to solve real-world ratio problems

Social Studies- research and gather information to present important details about the effects of specific Turn of the Century events

Modeled Read-hear the “5W+H” strategy applied to a higher level reading text in preparation to use the strategy on my own “At the Head of Her Class, and Homeless”

Literacy Centers-apply the “5W+H” strategy to analyze a text on my personal reading level

Writing-apply strategies on structure and research to complete an Informational text on a topic that I have chosen

ROAR-apply the “5W+H” strategy to comprehend an unfamiliar informational text

5.1 Standards: 

MGSE5.NBT.1 Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.


MGSE5.NBT.3 Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.

1. a. Read and write decimals to thousandths using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form, e.g., 347.392 = 3 × 100 + 4 × 10 + 7 × 1 + 3 × (1/10) + 9 × (1/100) + 2 × (1/1000).
2. b. Compare two decimals to thousandths based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.

MGSE5.NBT.4 Use place value understanding to round decimals up to the hundredths place.


MGSE5.NBT.7 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models, drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the
relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and
explain the reasoning used

6.1 Standards: MGSE6.RP.1 Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. MGSE6.RP.2 Understand the concept of a unit rate a/b associated with a ratio a:b with b ≠ 0 (b not equal to zero), and use rate language in the context of a ratio relationship. MGSE6.RP.3 Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems utilizing strategies such as tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams (bar models), double number line diagrams, and/or equations. MGSE6.RP.3a Make tables of equivalent ratios relating quantities with whole number measurements, find missing values in tables, and plot the pairs of values on the coordinate plane. Use tables to compare ratios. MGSE6.RP.3b Solve unit rate problems including those involving unit pricing and constant speed. MGSE6.RP.3c Find a percent of a quantity as a rate per 100 (e.g. 30% of a quantity means 30/100 times the quantity); given a percent, solve problems involving finding the whole given a part and the part given the whole. MGSE6.RP.3d Given a conversion factor, use ratio reasoning to convert measurement units within one system of measurement and between two systems of measurements (customary and metric); manipulate and transform units appropriately when multiplying or dividing quantities. For example, given 1 in. = 2.54 cm, how many centimeters are in 6 inches?

        Jenny M-G