As the month of October approaches, it is exciting to see how much our fifth graders have learned in a short period of time. At the beginning of each school year, students navigate new routines, responsibilities, behaviors, social and emotional needs, and trying hard to follow the Golden Rule (treat others the way you want to be treated). These tasks can be challenging but with continued support at school and home, they can be achieved.
Academically, what have we learned and where are we going?
In reading/writing, our first unit focuses on “Depending on Each Other”. Fifth graders have completed their first novel, The Night of the Spadefoot Toad along with a few shorter stories. Some skills students will continue to focus on are: making inferences, comparing & contrasting, determining author’s purpose, and the theme of each story. In writing, fifth graders have sharpened their writing and grammar skills by working on narratives. They will continue to practice various grammar skills as they plan, expand, and edit their future research project.
In math, students built on their prior knowledge of place value, addition, subtraction, and multiplication of whole numbers. They applied these concepts to larger numbers and numbers containing decimals. Students will dive into division of whole numbers soon. Please encourage your child to practice their basic math facts (addition/subtraction/multiplication/division) daily. Faster recall will help your child to be more confident in future lesson. For example, If a student has difficulty recalling multiplication facts, future lessons in division and fractions can become very frustrating.
In science, our first unit is “Web of Life”. Students have learned about food chains/webs, what plants eat, the role fungi play in decomposing dead materials, and created a mold terrarium to investigate the factors affecting decomposition. Moving forward, students will discover what happens in unbalanced ecosystems. How can this alter our environment?
To close the month of September, fifth graders enjoyed a walking trip to Memorial Park where they were able to play and enjoy the beautiful weather. This was the first of six behavior incentive celebrations. The purpose is to recognize positive choices our students have made during the first half of this trimester. If a student was not able to participate in part of the first celebration, they are given a new opportunity to earn future celebrations. Mistakes will happen and are part of the learning process. As a team, parents and educators, our primary goal is to help our children/students learn, grow, and become good citizens. We truly appreciate your continued support and teamwork.
Happy Fall from all of the fifth grade staff at H.E.D.
