A Sneak Peek at the Past Two Weeks
Math: We have been reviewing for our 3rd nine weeks benchmark for the past week. My students are showing me that they have mastered the standards for the 3rd nine weeks, and I am very proud of that. I am excited to see how they excel on the benchmark. We are hoping to meet our class goal of 85% or better. We have accomplished this goal for the 1st and 2nd nine weeks, and I am hopeful we will do it again. We have also begun March Mathness, and my class is doing a wonderful job meeting the requirements in order to sign on a basketball when they master a fraction skill. This has been a great review for the students since we have been learning new concepts. I have been able to see if they remember the fraction skills I taught during the second nine week period.
Reading/Science: During our guided reading groups, we have been reading about plant/animal cells, single-celled and multi-celled organisms, and about beneficial and harmful microorganisms. As we are reading, we have been reviewing text features and how to locate facts within informational texts.
Social Studies: We have been learning about the Great Depression and World War II the past couple of weeks. My students are "sponges" when it comes to our history. They love it because I try to teach everything like a story. Our history is like a book and all of the events we are learning are like the chapters of a book. Please ask your child to explain the following:
Great Depression: The Stock Market Crash, The Dust Bowl, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal (creating jobs)
World War II: Pearl Harbor, D-day, Victory in Europe Day, Victory in Japan Day, Harry Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb, Holocaust, Adolf Hitler, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Language Arts: We have been reviewing for our 3rd nine week benchmark the past week. We played a "telephone" review game, and my students really enjoyed this review game. I am excited to see if we can accomplish our goal of 85% or better on this benchmark as well!
Looking Ahead
March 23rd--Picture Day; Picture envelopes will be sent home Monday, March 21st.
March 25th--Field Trip to Mable House
April 4th-April 8th--Spring Break
Reminders to Parents
1. We have not received the donations needed for our field trip next week. Please send in your donations as soon as possible to ensure we will be able to go on this field trip.
2. Please send a note if you change the way your child will be going home. In order to ensure your child is safe, I need a note.
3. Mrs. Pfeifer has requested that each student bring a 2g flash drive. Please label it with your child's name on it, and he/she can keep it in his/her backpack in order to have it on a daily basis.
4. Please send in any signed papers that were in your child's "return to school" pocket in the Thursday folder.
Ways to Help at Home
1. Please practice multiplying decimals with your child at home. I have noticed that many students are having a difficult time with this skill. Multiplying two digit numbers was a 4th grade standard; however, many students had a difficult time with the process of multiplying two digit numbers at the beginning of the year. In fifth grade, we just teach where to place the decimal at the end of multiplying the two digit numbers. We will continue working on this skill; however, it is critical that your child can successfully multiply two digit numbers because we are using this skill within finding the area of polygons as well as finding radius, diameter, circumference, and area for circles. I have noticed that my students understand the skills I am teaching; however, they are making careless mistakes when multiplying decimals.
2. In order to monitor your child's comprehension at home, you can read with your child each night as your child completes his/her twenty minutes of reading homework. This is a great way to spend time with your child and to be able to enjoy a good book. My students love when I read aloud to them!
Microorganisms
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/living_things/microorganisms/play.shtml
Dividing Decimals Video
http://www.mathplayground.com/howto_dividedecimals.html
Complexity of Sentences
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/sensort/index_pre.html
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/sentence_speedway/index_pre.html
Reviews All Parts of Speech
http://www.eduplace.com/tales/index.html
http://www.gamequarium.com/partsofspeech.html
If you ever need to contact me by email, please contact me at lisa.bower@cobbk12.org. Please do not send any time sensitive emails. Please notify the office of any last minutes transportation changes.
Thank you!
Lisa Bower
Dowell Elementary
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