September 24-28

Welcome back to another week of learning and fun in Grade 5! Thanks for checking back in with us!

Notes for the week...

** MAP testing is underway school-wide now through the October holiday.  This means that we will have very little access to the computer lab, and students will be depending on their devices for several activities.  Please allow your child to bring a device (preferably tablet or laptop, but a smart phone can work in a pinch).  Students will be using the apps Google Drive, Google Slides, and Google Docs, as well as their internet browser, so please make sure that these apps are downloaded on the device. It is preferable that each student have their own device, but if your child is unable to bring one, we will make arrangements here at school for them to complete the work.  Thank you so much for your collaboration!

** Just a reminder that students will be taking the MAP test for Reading on Wednesday at 8:30am.  On Friday, the 28th, we will take the MAP test for Language at 8:30am. 

** This Friday, September 28, will be an Early Dismissal at 11:45.  There will be no classes next week for Semana Morazánica.  Classes will resume as normal on Monday, October 8.  Enjoy your vacation! 

This week in class...

Language Arts

Last week we finished our novel Bridge to Terabithia and had our final class discussion over the themes, characters, and events in the book.  This week we will be moving on to investigate the features of nonfiction text as well as how they can help us understand the text more thoroughly.

In Language, we will be studying words with the y --> i spelling change in plural nouns and certain verb conjugations. The quiz will be on Thursday, due to MAP testing on Friday.

We will also be choosing topics for our upcoming speeches with the theme "How to Make the World a Better Place," inspired by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.  Once topics are chosen, we'll be doing background research to support our topics, and then organizing our thoughts and evidence.

If you are a fifth grader reading the blog right now, send Ms. Amy an email explaining what you think the quote at the top of the blog means. Be specific, and use an example in your explanation. The first three students to send the email with a thoughtful response will receive a treat next week! (Shhhh... don't tell your friends... let's see who reads the blog!)

Math

This week in Math class we will begin studying multiplication! This week we will review the Commutative, Associative, and Distributive Properties. Students should be graduating from practicing multiplication in their XtraMath shortly. A little bit everyday makes a big difference! :)

Homework:

Monday: One Xtramath.org lesson, Math IXL C.4
Tuesday: One Xtramath.org lesson, Math IXL (either I.3 or C.1, differentiated)

Wednesday: One Xtramath.org lesson
Thursday: One Xtramath.org lesson

Science

We will continue to investigate properties of matter, as well as identifying the difference between physical and chemical changes. We will be observing some chemical reactions and recording data to help us draw conclusions.

Thank you for all of your support, parents! Please feel free to email us if you have any

questions.

Ms. Amy and Mr. Andrew

September 18-21

We hope you had a great holiday weekend!  Thanks for checking back in with us!

Notes for the week...

** MAP testing will begin school-wide this week and will extend into the next couple of weeks.  This means that we will have very little access to the computer lab, and students will be depending on their devices for several activities.  Please allow your child to bring a device (preferably tablet or laptop, but a smart phone can work in a pinch).  Students will be using the apps Google Drive, Google Slides, and Google Docs, as well as their internet browser, so please make sure that these apps are downloaded on the device. It is preferable that each student have their own device, but if your child is unable to bring one, we will make arrangements here at school for them to complete the work.  Thank you so much for your collaboration!

** Just a reminder that students will be taking the MAP test for math on Friday at 8:30am.

** Please consider joining us this Saturday at 9:00am for the first General Assembly of the year to hear from our new director and board about the direction the school is heading this year!  

This week in class...

Language Arts

We will be finishing up the novel Bridge to Terabithia and winding up our informal discussions of the characters, themes, figurative language, and important events in the story.  On Friday we will have a final class discussion over the novel which will serve as their assessment for the unit.  Students will receive the discussion questions on Thursday so that they can prepare.  

In Language, there will be no spelling words this week due to MAP testing on Friday and the holiday last Monday. However, students have created their personal word walls in which they will be recording any words that they have misspelled in their written activities. They can refer back to this resource when writing in the future so as not to continue misspelling words they have struggled with.

In addition, we will begin a series of digital citizenship lessons about using online resources safely and wisely.

Math

This week in Math class we will have our final test on Place Value. We will also begin our next unit on multiplication! We will begin with a diagnostic quiz to check students understanding from last week and then begin reviewing the Commutative and Associative Properties.

Homework:

Tuesday: One Xtramath.org lesson, Math IXL C.3

Wednesday: One Xtramath.org lesson, Math IXL A.3
Thursday: One Xtramath.org lesson

Science

This week we will begin our Science unit about matter. We will be investigating the different states of matter and the particles that make them up, along with the physical properties of different kinds of matter.

Thank you for all of your support, parents! Please feel free to email us if you have any

questions.

Ms. Amy and Mr. Andrew

MAP Testing Schedule

**UPDATED SCHEDULE**
Please note: The MAP schedule originally posted on Monday has been changed in order to minimize interference in our classroom instruction.  Both 5A and 5B will now be testing at the same time.  We apologize for any confusion this has caused!


5A&5B - Ms. Amy and Mr. Andrew
Math- Friday, 9/21, 8:30am
Reading- Wednesday, 9/26, 8:30am
Language- Friday, 9/28, 8:30am

September 10-14

It's a short week at Discovery School, but we've still got lots of learning planned!  Thanks for checking back in with us!

Notes for the week...

** As part of the school-wide Independence Day celebration on Thursday, September 13, we will be having our traditional "Honduran Breakfast" at 8:00am.  If you have not signed up to bring a breakfast item, please do so at the following link: Grade 5 Desayuno Catracho Sign-Up

** This Thursday, September 13, will be an early dismissal at 11:45.  There will be no school on Friday and Monday, September 14 and 17.

** All students have had the chance to practice logging into Engrade, and they are now expected to log-in regularly to check their grades.  If you did not receive the parent letter regarding creating your parent account, please let us know so that we can get the information to you.

** If students are unable to complete homework due to internet connectivity problems or technical issues, we ask parents to please send the homeroom teacher a text, email, or note to verify this.  Thank you!

This week in class...

Language Arts

We will be continuing with Bridge to Terabithia and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, discussing how both novels address our essential questions for the quarter: What role does imagination play in our lives? and How do our relationships change us?  We will also continue our emphasis on proper use of commas in writing.

Math

This week in Math class we will be reviewing several of the concepts and skills we have studied in our unit on Place Value. We will be reviewing the forms of representation, place value, adding and subtracting decimals, and rounding and estimating. We will have our test next week.

Homework:

Monday: One Xtramath.org lesson, IXL Math H.2 - Subtract Decimals
Tuesday: One Xtramath.org lesson, IXL Math H.3 - Add and Subtract Decimals

Wednesday: One Xtramath.org lesson
Thursday: One Xtramath.org lesson

Social Studies

This week in Social Studies class we will finish our Geography unit and students will present their Tour Guide projects. We will have a final review in class for our final Google Forms quiz which students will complete at home.

Thank you for all of your support, parents! Please feel free to email us if you have any

questions.

Ms. Amy and Mr. Andrew

Desayuno Catracho!!

Hello, parents!  We are preparing for our Independence Day celebration on Thursday, September 13, and will begin the day at 8:00 with the annual "Traditional Breakfast."  We are asking for your collaboration on this, so please click on the link below to sign up for the breakfast item you can contribute.

Thank you so much for your support!  Viva Honduras!!

CLICK HERE to sign up to contribute a breakfast item.

September 3-7

Welcome back to a brand new week in 5th grade!

Feliz Mes de la Patria!

Notes for the week...

** If students are unable to complete homework due to internet connectivity problems or technical issues, we ask parents to please send the homeroom teacher a text, email, or note to verify this.  Thank you!

This week in class...

Language Arts

This week we will continue with our novel Bridge to Terabithia, analyzing the characters and figurative language along with discussing themes of the novel.  We will continue to practice the proper use of capitalization, commas, and other punctuation.  In Working with Words, we'll be practicing words with the suffixes -tion and -sion along with high-frequency words that students should spell correctly in all of their writing.

Math

This week in math students will be rounding and estimating whole numbers and decimals.  Students should continue to complete 1 lesson of Xtramath.org every night, Monday through Thursday.  We can already see the progress students are making in their math facts fluency!

Homework:

Monday: One Xtramath.org lesson, IXL Math H.1 - Add decimals
Tuesday: One Xtramath.org lesson, IXL Math A.7 - Rounding

Wednesday: One Xtramath.org lesson, Moby Max - Rounding and Adding
Thursday: One Xtramath.org lesson, IXL Math G.7 - Round Decimals

Social Studies

This week in Social Studies class we will be learning a bit about Honduran painter Moises Becerra and studying his works of art. We'll also be continuing our Geography unit.

Thank you for all of your support, parents! Please feel free to email us if you have any

questions.

Ms. Amy and Mr. Andrew