Mrs. Arthur's Class

Updates for December

Don’t forget:
• 5th grade holiday performance- Thursday, December 6 at Griffin Middle School. Students arrive at 6:15.
• Human Growth and Development Classes- December 13 and 14. Please sign and return the permission slip if you have not done so. Preview dates are:
12/3, 12/4, 12/5- 7:30-8:00 am
12/5- 2:30-3:00 pm
Reading
• Compare and contrast characters in a drama
• Compare and contrast settings and events in literature
• Book Club reading and weekly assignments
• Comprehension check points for book club
• Follow up from articles about how foods such a sushi and pizza became popular in America: Research the progression of how a certain food became popular in America. Use note page to guide research. Create a final presentation to share with peers. Due: Dec. 7

Writing
• Opinion Writing
• R.A.C.E.S and T.R.A.C.E.S strategy for writing constructed and extended responses

Math
• Multiply and Divide Fractions
• Create a math game that relates to a math concept we have covered this year. Students may bring materials from home, but game should be created in time allotted at school. Students will share and play games on a selected day. Due Dec. 7

Science
• Classification of Organisms
• Inherited Traits

Social Studies
• World War I
• The Roaring 20s

World War I Weapons and Technology

WWI Soldier's Interactive Sketchbook

Weapons of WWI- Ducksters

 

Curriculum Updates Week of Oct. 29-Nov. 16

Reading
Explaining relationships in scientific and technical texts
Explaining relationships in historical texts
Book Club reading and weekly assignments
Vocabulary tests on Friday
Comprehension check points for book club

ELA
Compound, complex sentences, and the function of conjunctions
Finishing personal narrative
Persuasive writing

Math
Add and subtract fractions
Add and subtract fractions using word problems
Interpret fractions as division

Science
Classification of organisms

Social Studies
Turn of the Century Test-Tuesday, October 30
World War 1

Updates 10-5-18

Hi Parents,
The end of the first quarter is approaching already and we are headed into conference time! Thank you to EVERYONE for sending back your conference forms so quickly! I look forward to having a chance to sit down and talk about your kiddos. They continue to make me love coming to work every day and I appreciate you trusting me with them.

Curriculum Updates:

Reading- We are finishing our Q1 novel studies. The No Talking group has finished their book and will choose a project from a choice menu and begin working on the final piece of the novel study. Phantom Tollbooth group will finish their book next week and work on their projects the following week. Our focus this week has been main ideas and key details. While this seems like an easy standard, it actually is still one of the trickiest standards for many 5th graders. It requires higher level thinking and while almost all of the kids can pick out a main idea when presented with multiple choice options, it is still difficult for some of them to get the main idea on their own. We review this throughout the year so practice will continue.

Writing- The students are beginning their personal narratives which we will be working on for the rest of October.

Grammar- Compound and complex sentences; application of compound and complex sentences in writing

Spelling- Phantom Tollbooth group will have a spelling test tomorrow (10-5) but there will not be a spelling test for any students next week due to STEM Day.

Math- Next week we will give the Q1 Touchstone which is a post test for the Q1 standards. We have taught all of the standards at this point and a study guide will go home tomorrow. (10-5). The test will be given on Tuesday.

Social Studies- We are currently learning about Teddy Roosevelt and the Panama Canal. Next week we will cover Immigration at the Turn of the Century. There will be a test on The Turn of the Century the following week. I will announce the exact date and give the students a study guide a week in advance.

Science- Post Test next Friday (10-12)

GENIUS HOUR- On Monday we will be kicking off our Genius Hour projects! I am so excited and I know the kids will be too. This is a time for them to explore and research their own interests without a lot of the academic restraints that they are accustomed to. There are guidelines and time constraints, but overall they are choosing what they want to learn about in this designated time. At the end, they will be responsible for a presentation that will be shared with others! I’m excited to see where they go with this!

Reminders and Important Dates:
• The Support the Pride campaign has been extended. Please consider making a donation if you have not.
• Fall Festival is this Sunday, October 7. Please see the KSE PTA website to sign up to volunteer or send in donations.
• Pizza Party for Social Studies Q1 Challenge Winners- Friday, Oct. 5! (during regular lunch time)
• Early Release- Thursday, October 11
• STEM DAY for 5th grade will be Friday, October 12!
• Yearbook Club meets Friday, October 12.
• Early Release for Conference Week Oct. 15-Oct.19
• Beta Club meets Thursday, October 25.
• Continue to encourage and remind you child to read at least 30 min 4 days per week at home. Ask them about what they are reading and if you haven’t seen a book in a while, find out why. Let me know and I’ll be happy to help suggest a book or send home a list of suggested books that are also on your child’s individual reading level.

Thank you for your time in reading through all of this information and please let me know if you have questions!
Mrs. Arthur

 

 

 

NBT Freckle Practice

Hurricane Research Links

NASA-gov article

Kids National Geographic article

Ocean Today

Space Place

 

Updates Week of August 27

Weekly Curriculum Updates:

Reading- Continue 2nd week assignments in current leveled book club.  Vocabulary and Spelling test on Friday for all groups using the list of words given Monday.  Students will also need to know how to write a sentence using their words and include context clues.  We will be doing a mini lesson to practice this in class before Friday. 

Writing- Students will choose from two research paths to begin an in class research assignment on hurricanes.  The topic comes from an article they read last week from Story Works about the Galveston Hurricane in 1900.  Students will choose to research large hurricanes from the past or research the current methods of tracking and predicting hurricanes as well as how to prepare for a hurricane.  All of this research will be done in class and the computer lab.  It is not for homework.  The final writing and project is not due this week.  This is meant to be a more guided and structured method of teaching the students how we will begin doing Research Based Questions (RBQs) in the next quarter as part of the AC content.

Grammar- Mentor Sentence focus:  Subjects and Predicates

Math- Exponents, patterns in multiplication, and  using standard algorithm to multiply 2 digit by 2 digit numbers

Social Studies-  Students will be learning about the following 4 inventors at the Turn of the Century:  Thomas Edison, The Wright Brothers, Alexander Graham Bell, and George Washington Carver.  

Weekly Reminders and Notices:

• Early Release Wednesday, August 29-students dismiss 2 hours early.
• No School Monday, September 3 (Labor Day)
• Parentvue should be available for parent viewing now.
• Graded work will go home on Tuesdays. Remember to check the Blue Daily Folder.
• Remind your child to read 20-30 minutes 4 nights per week so they are able to write their weekly letter to me about what they are reading.  The letter is written at school, but the reading is done at home.
• Yearbook Club applications are due to me by Thursday, August 30.  I will be out on Friday for a doctor's appointment so I need applications by Thursday so I can complete the teacher recommendation. 
• Thank you ALL for making my birthday so special last week.  The kids were so sweet to make cards, sing, and bring in gifts and treats.  It was a great day and I appreciate everything!!
• Thank you to Laura Bracci and Tamara Siemon for volunteering to be our Room Moms!  

As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns.  

Mrs. Arthur

 

 

Open House Powerpoint

Download Open-house-2018-2019

Updates Week of August 20

We have had a great week and a great Friday! I hope you have as well.

1) Our gradebooks were just set up in Synergy (Parentvue) today during our planning so expect grades to start being entered next week. I will have graded work to be sent home on Tuesday.
2) Reading- Our mini lessons next week will focus on theme. We will also start meeting in groups for book clubs. Students will have a list of “Must Do” assignments for each week. Next week these include a response letter about their independent reading book (this is why they must read at home), one informational article and assignment from Scholastic Story Works, Book Club assigned reading and job, and studying for a reading and vocabulary quiz on Friday. Most of this will be done at school and these kids seem very responsible as a whole so you don’t need to worry at this time! I just want you to have an idea of how the pace is going to pick up next week.
3) ELA- We are still working through the expectations of mentor sentences and how they will be used to teach grammar this year. Next week this will be fully implemented and a grade will be taken each Friday based on what we have learned in class.
4) Math- Continue decimal place value and operations. Compare and order decimals, round decimals, and add and subtract decimals. As we try to increase the rigor for our AC classes, we will not be using the textbook as frequently as maybe in the past. Although we are covering 5th grade standards, we are moving at a faster pace and will add other projects and additional 6th grade math standards once we finish a unit. There will be homework assigned each night (except Friday) based on what we have covered in class.
5) Social Studies- Continue with Cattle Drives in the late 1800s. Next week we will focus on the economic aspects of this unit which includes supply and demand. The high supply of cattle in Texas meant lower demand and lower prices, therefore ranchers wanted to get their cattle to places where there was a lower supply and higher demand so they could make more money!
6) Room Parent- We do not have a room parent at this time. I know it’s not always a sought after position, but there’s not a lot to do in 5th grade. I will give your contact info to the Room Parent coordinator and they may contact you occasionally about a few happenings within the school. As far as our classroom, I usually ask the room parent to send out emails about the holiday celebration before winter break and to help us get it organized. Not much more from me…unless you like to do more! Just let me know if you would be willing to help.

I am so happy to have your child in my class and please always feel free to contact me if you ever have questions. We will be picking up the pace as our routines and my expectations are becoming more solid.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I hope to see you on Wednesday (8-22) for Open House!

 

Updates Week of August 13, 2018

Hi Parents,
We’ve had a great week! Just a few updates as we continue to get things up and running!

1) Next week I will begin using our current read aloud, Fish in A Tree, to model the expectations for the book clubs that will start the following week. At that time students will be in groups doing book studies on leveled books. I will also be doing a unit on Figurative Language next week as well. Students will learn two types each day and then be assessed on the figurative language Friday. They may take home their reading journals with the figurative language notes and examples if needed.
2) In math we will be starting decimals and understanding the relationship of decimal place value as digits shift left and right (x10 and 1/10 ). Students also have a place value project that was assigned today and is due next Friday. They will be able to work on it in class when they have finished other work. As a general rule there will be a math worksheet each evening to reinforce skills taught in class that day. (except on Friday)
3) All of my homeroom students will now be staying with me for math and ELA and I can explain how the AC model will work within my homeroom at Open House. This change was made due to the extremely uneven numbers that would have been created in the classes if we had divided the classes as we had originally planned.
4) I will discuss homework at Open House as well. For the upcoming week the students need to read 20-30 minutes at least 4 nights per week. I am not having them fill in a response sheet this week because they are starting their response letters that they write to me in class which serve as their accountability for their reading. If they are not reading then they will not be able to write quality letters. The weekly letter will count for a grade. It is done in class as well.
5) In social studies I have assigned the Q1 Social Studies Challenge. It is on my blog if you did not see the paper your child brought home. It is optional. We are discussing the yearlong themes right now for social studies and next week we will begin our first unit on the Turn of the Century with cattle drives during the late 1800s! It’s usually a fun one that the kids enjoy! We learn how to make lassos one day so they may come home trying to lasso siblings and pets so watch out!
6) Don’t forget Open House is August 22. I look forward to seeing you all then and will be able to give you lots more information at that time!

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Arthur