5P at SES

Hello All!

Spring is in the air....and snow is on the ground! That is living in New England for ya! And just when I thought the snow days were behind us....

Well, even with the days off, we are still keeping the pace in 5th grade. In math, we are learning strategies to multiply fractions and mixed numbers. We have been using lessons from Cathy Fosnots Context Units in which students are given real world problems and work in teams to develop strategies. I was amazed by the strategies students used this week to solve the mystery of the "blacktop!" Ask the kiddos for more information about this investigation. Next week, we will continue to learn more explicit strategies to solve fraction by fraction multiplication problems.

In reading, we are continuing to learn test taking strategies in preparation for the ELA MCAS. This year, the test will introduce new types of questions. Our focus is to ensure that these questions will not be new to the kiddos and that they will have strategies to tackle them. We will work on reading 3 nonfiction passages next week. Following that, we will begin a new unit on the genre of Fantasy!

In writing and social studies we are working within the theme of Westward Expansion. In social studies, the students have learned about the various ways that the United States acquired land in the 1800's. We have also learned about the diverse group of people who made up the population in the west. We have analyzed pictures and advertisements to get better insight into the people who lived during this time period. Next week, students will create advertisements to either encourage or discourage people from heading west!

In writing, we are beginning out informational unit. Today, students looked at trade books and brainstormed various topics they could research under the umbrella of Westward Expansion. I was impressed by some of the complex topics that the kids came up with, such as "relationships between settlers and natives." We also discussed the characteristics of informational writing and looked at samples of what students are expected to do within the unit.

Below, I have included some important dates to keep in mind.

Spring Parent Conferences: April 7th, April 14th, and April 28th.

Please let me know if you would like to sign up for a conference.

ELA MCAS: April 4th, 5th and 6th for the 5th grade.

Have a great week!

Savannah Phillips

Recess Fun!