FIFTH GRADE WEEKLY NEWS

August 19^th – August 23^rd , 2013

IMPORTANT DATES AND REMINDERS:
August 26^th – Professional half day – Dismissal at 12:00 for all students
August 27^th – After school activities begin
August 27^th – MAP Tests begin
August 29^th – Lower School PTA Social

Language Arts -  We are very excited to be giving students access to their own blogs this week! Through blogging, students are able to communicate their learning in creative ways. Beginning this semester, each student will have his/her own blog in which they will continue to develop their skills as effective communicators. Using a variety of digital tools, they can create video, audio/music, digital posters, animations, online comics, mind maps, maps, timelines, etc. that can be embedded in the blog. We are excited about the possibilities as our students engage in the process of publishing in the digital world.

Much of this week will be spent discussing what it means to be a responsible blogger. We will look at a variety of different blogs and discuss the following questions:

1. What is a blog?
2. How does LARK apply to blogging?
3. Why is blogging so powerful?
4. What makes a blog attractive and appealing?
5. How do you manage a blog?

We will continue to read The Kite Fighters and will be looking at how character change throughout the course of a novel. In writing, we will continue to work on small moments.

Math -    This week we will finish Unit 1.  The Unit 1 math test will be tomorrow, Tuesday, August 20th.  Here are the concepts that will be assessed on tomorrow’s test:·Factor numbers
·Identify place value in large numbers
·Identify prime numbers
·Use exponential notation to write square numbers
·Draw arrays of factor pairs
·Solve and compare multiplication facts
·Know the divisibility rules for 2,3,5,6,9, and 10

Later this week, we will begin with unit 2 in the math journal.  We will begin with developing estimation strategies, reviewing place value concepts, and review different methods of adding and subtracting decimals.  

Science –  Students continued discovering how scientific tools help scientists do their work. Tools allows scientists to make better observations, and the inquiry skills we have been working on help scientists gather information.  Last week we worked with the hand lenses, microscope, and pan balance. Students also made their first blog post at http://fifthgraded.blogspot.com.br/ answering the question: How does technology help scientists?  This week we will continue to refine our understanding of the scientific method.  Students will have a test at the end of the week on the concepts we have been studying.  They will prepare by completing the review and test preparation page in their science books in class.

Português 5 e Português Língua Adicional Avançado-  Seguem nossas atividades da semana:Leitura: continuação do livro A Ilha Perdida, da autora Maria José Dupré; leitura do livro escolhido na Roda de Biblioteca.Oralidade e escrita: descrição detalhada de objetos, lugares e pessoas (descrição física e psicológica); escrita do relatório de leitura do livro da Roda de Biblioteca.
Gramática: estudo de adjetivos específicos para descrição de objetos, lugares e pessoas.

PLA - Dear Parents,This week the students are going to start talking about what they did during the weekend, which will be repeated every Monday in order to work on Past tense in Portuguese.  Then they will learn some new vocabulary related to presenting themselves and preferences in order to fill their presentation sheet and be able to talk about themselves using Portuguese.  On Friday they will take a Portuguese book home and read it.

Have a good week!

Mr  Boisjoli,  Ms.Kintzer, Ms. Pendse,  Mr.Ro, Dona Mari, Dona Dani, Dona Sandra, Dona Rosana, Dona Nati and Ms Lissa