Week of September 20-24

Well the kids earned their first black paw last week for excellent behavior in the common areas and as a reward we had Crazy Day per their request.  It was fabulous!  We got comments from everyone about how decked out they were!  We even had a contest to see who was the "craziest" between the boys and the girls!  Below you can see a picture of the winners!  They really did look crazy and it made for a fun day full of laughs.  I loved their enthusiasm and I'm anxious to see what they will choose for their reward after they earn their next black paw.

...And the winners are...!

Mrs.  Whitley's Crazy 5th Graders!

In other news, this week the kids will finally get a good dose of science!  They've all been asking about when we are going to do science and the time has come.  :o)  We will begin an integrated science and reading unit this week over the five kingdoms of living things.  I am eager to see their response to this unit because they have all been so eager for science.  

Another big thing coming up this week is the math test over Unit 2, Computation and Estimation.  I will send home a study guide Tuesday night and we will review on Wednesday.  My greatest concern is minor computational errors that interfere with finding correct answers, so please encourage your child to practice those facts.

Upcoming Tests

Thursday:  Math Test over Computation and Estimation

Friday:  Word Study Quiz over Pluralizing Nouns

Here is what we will be learning this week!

Math

How do we review what we've learned about computation and estimation?

*We will spend one more day reviewing multiplication of whole numbers and decimals and then we will discuss how to compare large numbers.  Finally, we will review all that we have learned over the past couple of weeks about estimating and computing answers in order to prepare for our test on Thursday.

Writing

What strategies do writers use to develop a seed idea into an effective persuasive letter?

*Each child will select an idea from their collecting last week to develop into a persuasive letter.  We will discuss and try out different lead strategies and different persuasive techniques.

Social Studies

How did the Native Americans of various culture regions differ from one another in their way of life?

*We will learn about the 7 major culture regions of the Native Americans in North America and how the Native Americans used the natural resources in those areas in order to survive.

Word Study

How do we change words from singular to plural form?

Science/Reading

How do scientists classify living things into kingdoms?

*The students will learn why we classify and will explore the different characteristics that make up the five kingdoms of living things.