October Insights:

12:15pm Dismissal:  10/21, 10/28, 10/29

School Closed: 10/22 - Parent Teacher Conferences 

Scholastic Orders: due 10/15. Our class code is: GMMFP.

Class DoJo: Don't forget to check Class Dojo to see and comment on your child's portfolio work! 

Please remember SBS is  nut free this year and no foods containing nuts are permitted for lunch or snack times. Thank you! 

ELA:
Students have learned many strategies in Reader's Workshop to build their reading life. They have created goals to begin the year, and they are currently responding to their reading by placing "post-its" in their books to grow their ideas. Additionally, we are reviewing their summer reading book,  Rules, and learning the importance of the author's message. We will also use this book to learn the 6 "Note and Notice" Signposts used in fiction to help develop students' close reading skills. These signposts will be used throughout the year as students continue to post-it during their own reading time. 

Students now have the opporunity to find and select books based on their guided reading level. The Fountas and Pinnell chart below shows the level where students typically begin, as well as their growth throughout the year. As students finish their current books, they may select books from our leveled classroom library. Also, you can access Epic's leveled library by clicking  here. If students are unsure of what level their current book is, they can look it up on Scholastic Book Wizard by clicking  here. 




In addition, your fifth grader is beginning their first writing piece, a personal narrative. They will work through the Writer's Workshop process, paying attention to revising and editing their rough drafts. Students will specifically work on "showing" their readers and not just telling them what occured, creating a "mental movie" their reader can visualize. Ask your child what techiniques they are using to keep their reader interested throughout their story! 

Science:
The students worked hard to plant their pallets in the Great Outdoor Learning Center, and they are currently watching escarole and chicroy sprout and grow. Students have been going out weekly to observe and record their observations. Pictures are posted on Class Dojo. Additionally, the students learned about aeroponic growing and have planted our Tower Garden! This indoor garden allows us to garden year round. The students are studying seeds, germination, and the process of photosythesis. Plants will be an ongoing study for us throughout the year.

In addition to our garden explorations, your 5th grader is focusing on Matter and its properties. They will learn about atoms and molecules and this will lead to their understanding of the periodic table. From there, students will investigate the difference between mixtures and solutions and physical and chemical changes. Students use the scientific method to help guide their investigations.  
 

STEM - Monday

PE  - Tuesday

SPANISH - Wednesday

ART & CHARACTER EDU - Thursday 

MUSIC & CIVICS - Friday