This Week in Room 33! Jan. 26-30

Don't forget- our field trip to the Sheldon Theater for a performance on the history of jazz is tomorrow (Tuesday!) Here's what to expect this week in 5th grade-

Science- We will continue our study on the inner and outer planets.

Writing- I am so proud of our memoir work! Our 1st memoirs will be going home on Tuesday to be shared with families and portfolios will be due on Thursday. 

This week we are beginning our 2nd memoir piece! We are challenging ourselves to look deeply within for a new perspective to focus our next piece on. We will be flash drafting, revising the expository portions of our memoir, and reconsidering the finer points (focusing in on important and revealing details). 

Below are some thought prompts we are using to study ourselves as we might study characters in a book. These thoughts can lead to new memoir ideas. I would encourage families to use these prompts to spark discussions at home! 

Thought Prompts to Help Us Better Understand Ourselves

• Some people think I'm... But really I'm...
• Early on, (I had this problem). Later, (I changed).
• My ideas about myself are complicated. On the one hand, I think... On the other hand, I think...
• Experiences/relationships/struggles can teach us...
• When ______ first happened to me, I thought it was about... But now I realize it was really about...

Math- This week we are adding/subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, problem solving, estimating sums/differences, adding/subtracting mixed numbers, and subtracting mixed numbers with renaming. We will be reviewing chapter 9 on Friday and Monday. Our chapter 9 test will be on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd! 

Reading- We are busy readers as we are beginning our historical fiction literature circle meetings this week! Lit. circles will meet on Tuesdays and Fridays. Students are responsible for reading their assigned chapters by the meeting so they can participate in group discussions and higher level thinking about their text. We are also reading aloud The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and learning how historical fiction readers think, connect, and relate the characters' experiences to the true historical event. 

Social Studies- This week we are discussing Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, and Spanish explorers such as Cortez, Ponce de Leon, Coronado, and deSoto.

Reminders-

1/27 Field Trip to Sheldon

1/30 Concord Family BINGO