Week of November 15-19

Weekly Update

Reminders:

• This Wednesday a note will be coming home in the agenda regarding the viewing of the movie "Squanto."  It is a 5th grade tradition to show this movie to support our teaching about the first Thanksgiving on the last day before Thanksgiving Break.  Your child is invited to bring a snack and a pillow to enjoy the showing.  :o)
• BOB (Battle of the Books) is beginning this week!  The students have been now and early February to work with a team of students in class to read a list of 10 great novels.  The teams will compete in February to answer questions regarding their comprehension of these books.  Please encourage your child to read as much as possible to support their team!  Students who read 7+ books can also have the opportunity to go on to the individual district level competition!  We will use some of these books for our next literature circles in order to encourage the competition.  It is a fun, competitive way to encourage reading and to develop reading comprehension!  These books may also be used for nightly reading.  If you want to encourage participation, ask your child if his/her nightly reading book is a BOB book.  If not, encourage them to select one and bring it home to read each night.  Teams who do the best usually have members who read the most books.

Upcoming Tests:

Facts Tests

Friday:  Word Study (prefixes:  pre, re, in)

Math:  How do I use equivalency to compare and order fractions?

This unit has been very challenging for the kiddos.  Please do not hesitate to offer help at home.

Reading:  How do I effectively participate in literature circles?

This week we will have our final meetings and discussions over our literature circle books.  Literature circle projects and presentations are due next Tuesday.  Just as with the reading, this project is meant to be completed in class, but may be taken home if more time is needed.

Social Studies:  What hardships did Africans face when put into slavery?

This week we will examine the lives of African slaves from their life in Africa to their life working as a slave for plantation owners.

Word Study:  Why do we use the prefixes pre, re, and in?

We will practice using the prefixes to understand how they can change the meaning of words.  There will be a quiz on Friday.

Writing:  How do I finish drafting my narrative article and begin the revision process?

This week the kids will finish drafting and revise their narrative articles on the computer this week with a publication goal of next Monday.