Dear Parents,
Unfortunately, I have not been able to upload our homework chart for the last two weeks.. I hope that the children are bringing home 2 copies on Friday. There wasn’t a chart for the week of April 9, but the children will have one on Friday, April 13.
Social Studies
We are starting to review our unit on the Southern Colonies in preparation for the test. The children will be learning about life on a plantation, slavery, and the Triangular Trade. The children are continuing to strengthen their note taking skills, textbook reading comprehension skills, and test taking skills. These are all so important for learn to help them throughout their academic career. The children will also be creating presentations and projects to increase their knowledge and understanding of this period of history. This unit will lead into the study of the Middle Colonies and then it’s off to war!! The children cannot wait to learn about The Revolutionary War.
Reading
The children have just finished reading Be a Perfect Person in 3 Days. This is a quick easy read that teaches them to read slowly and carefully for specific information. Each night the children read one chapter, and then took a quick quiz the next morning. The usual trend is that the children do poorly on Monday, and gradually increase their grade to 100% by Friday. They eventually realize that they need to read more carefully. These quiz grade DO NOT go in the book. The lesson learned is the point, not the grade. When we return from spring break, we will begin reading our novels on the Southern Colonies. Most of these are based on slavery. We never discuss the extreme horrors of this time period, but the endurance and spirit of the slaves and how they impacted the growth of plantations and economy of America.
Writing
During writing we are continuing to learn about writing crafts to lift the quality of our writing. It is amazing to see the difference in the students’ writing since September. I appreciate the time and dedication in supporting the NJASK test prep cycle. All of the children are prepared and learning how to evaluate not only their peers writing, but their own. I love hearing them discuss each paper in the class and not feel like they are being judged, but being helped.
I understand that this is an exciting time of year for fifth graders. We begin preparing for the NJASK; have Spring Break, field trips, and great fifth grade events. With this, however, comes a great deal of responsibility for the children. The children know that be invited to our Friday reward time, they need to have their homework completed, good behavior in all classes and on the bus, and coming to class prepared. If you could remind them at home that we still have 3 months of school left with many fun activities, this will show our shared commitment to them..
On a final note, conferences are coming up. You should have received the forms home. I try to accommodate you for whenever it is convenient for you... I am always available at 8:30 each morning if that is more convenient for you to attend.
Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.
