May, 2008

We are six weeks into our last trimester of fifth grade.   The students are beginning to feel spring fever with the warm weather upon us.  Please remember, however, that the weather changes daily and there may be days when jackets and pants are necessary. 

What we are doing in class:

In Reading, we have completed our books on adaptations: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH  by Robert C. O’Brien and My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.  These books were about how people and rats adapt to their surroundings and changes that they have gone through.   The students enjoyed these books.   We will be finishing the year with their choice in books.  

In Language Arts, we continue to work on vocabulary development and have finished a unit on science poetry.   Early in June, we will host a poetry event, where you will be invited to come in and hear some of your children’s poetry.   In addition students will be required to memorize one poem and recite it either to the class or to the parents.

The students will be typing up their biographies in the coming weeks and we will have them share them with each other dressed as their character in early June.

In Science, we completed a great unit on density and forms of matter.    Students were able to see that air is a gas and how it is lighter than water (with an experiment with raisons).   They also looked at the densities of various liquids and created “oceans in a bottle.”   The activity, while somewhat

messy, was an effective way to show how different liquids have different amounts of density and can be layered.   We will finish up with designing and testing a noise reducer for our electric pencil sharpener!  

In Social Studies, we looked at the Constitution and the first ten amendments called the Bill of Rights.   The students are writing a piece in which they create a country and choose three of the ten articles in the Bill of Rights to use in their country’s constitution.  We will end the year looking at Westward Expansion and the Oregon Trail. 

In Math, we are now studying ratios, percents and probability.    Next week, we will be reviewing what we have learned this year in preparation for the MCAS tests.

MCAS testing begins tomorrow.   We will be testing May 15 – May 22.  There will be no homework during this time and I stress that all students should go to bed early and eat a nutritious breakfast.  We will have MCAS in Math, Science AND Social Studies.  

Again, please feel free to contact me with any questions.  We have a new voicemail system at school, so you can leave me a voicemail on there as well as contact me at reillym@tantasqua.org.

--Marion Reilly