Dear families,

   It's time for another week of school. We have a lot of learning packed into this week, but that will make our upcoming 3-day weekend even sweeter! Let's take a look.





School Events
Mon, 8/26 Shurley English Ch3 Test (MY Language Arts class ONLY)
Fri, 8/30 POW due (all language arts classes); Narrative Due (My language arts class only)

Dear families,

   We have finished the first week of school! Can you believe it? It seems to have flown by so quickly. Students are changing classes beautifully, and everyone seems to be getting to class on time each day. We are also jumping right into learning, and the students seem to be loving it! 
   Please remember that instruction begins at 7:30 each morning. All fifth graders have a writing block from 7:30 - 7:45. If your child arrives after 7:30, he or she is missing part of his or her writing class. Students who miss this writing block are still expected to turn in their writing on Fridays. Please contact your child's homeroom teacher if you have any questions or concerns about your child's writing assignments.

   Let's take a look at what's happening in Mrs. Thompson's classes this week.
   Reminder: your child may have me for several classes or just one. Please find the sections that pertain to your child and read them carefully. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: dallas.thompson@gcssk12.net.
   This will be a LONG blog post because I will try to explain how the classes work in great detail. Expect future blog posts to be shorter! :)

School Events
All Week Library Orientation (all classes)
Thurs, 8/22 Social Studies Test (Thompson's homeroom only)
Fri, 8/23 POW due (all language arts classes)

LANGUAGE ARTS
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POW Topic: Which season would you like to have all year long? Why?
   This week in language arts, we plan to discuss our Paragraph of the Week, or POW. These are worked on each morning during the 7:30-7:45 writing block. The writing block occurs during homeroom, but the POWs are turned in to the language arts teacher on Fridays for a grade. Students will have a POW each week. POWs are broken down into small steps for each day of the week. 
Monday: Brainstorm. 
Tuesday: Detail sentences. 
Wednesday: Topic and concluding sentences. 
Thursday: Final Copy. 
   On Fridays, students are encouraged to read over their work and make any corrections. Fridays are also good times for students to catch up if they have missed any time during the earlier part of the week. If time allows on Friday, students may illustrate if they are finished.
   This week, I will spend about 5-10 minutes reviewing my expectations for each section so students will be able to improve their writing. They will have a few minutes to edit what they wrote that morning before we begin our Shurley English lessons for the day.

Shurley English: Prepositions and plural nouns
Monday: Chapter 3, Lesson 1. Begin Classroom Practice; finish for homework.
Tuesday: Chapter 3, Lesson 2. Begin Classroom Practice; finish for homework.
Wednesday: Chapter 3, Lesson 3. Begin Classroom Practice; finish for homework.
Thursday: Chapter 3, Lesson 4. Begin Classroom Practice; finish for homework.
Friday: No Shurley English. Library Orientation. All POWs due at beginning of class.
Test: Next week, likely on Tuesday.

READING
   Last week, students got excited about blogging and working on Edmodo - this week, they actually get to begin! Students can't wait, so it will be a fun, new experience for them!
   Each week, all activities will be based on the Common Core standard that I am teaching in class. This week, we are looking at CCRL.10. For more information on this standard, please click the "Reading" tab at the top of the page. 
   HOMEWORK: Students in fifth grade are expected to read for 30 minutes each night. Students should bring the book they are reading at home to school every day. Teachers check to see who has done their reading homework each day using Status of the Class. 
   Your child's reading class is broken down into rotations, or centers. Below, I will describe what students will be seeing when they participate in each rotation.
Instructional Conversation, or IC
   Students participate in Instructional Conversations, or ICs, during reading group. This means that students are encouraged to discuss what they are learning. The students will talk more than the teacher during these reading group times. I will be there to lead discussions and ask questions, but students will be talking with one another about their learning.
IC #1: Genres. Students will work with Scholastic book flyers to find books that represent the different genres we will study in 5th grade.
IC #2: Genre task cards. Students will play a game with task cards, determining the genre of different short stories.

Literature Circles
   Students will have three opportunities each week to work in literature circles. Students will be broken down into smaller groups of 3-4 students to read the same novel. They each have a job, or a role, to play in their literature circles. These operate like book clubs. We are introducing literature circles this week, and all students will receive their assigned books on Wednesday.
Lit Circle #1: Book Tasting
Lit Circle #2: Practice lit circle roles using a 1-page short story
Lit Circle #3: First OFFICIAL lit circle meeting. Write basic publishing information, set a goal for the first week, and begin reading.

Computer
   Students will have two half-hour rotations on the computer. Each week should include at least one Edmodo or Kidblog assignment, but usually one of each. Sometimes students will have a Study Island or LearnZillion assignment to complete.
Computer #1: Edmodo Scavenger Hunt
Computer #2: Kidblog - set up account, choose theme, change password, and write your first post!

Independent Work
   Students will have one 40-minute rotation to complete independent work. This will be either Thursday of Friday, depending on your child's rotation schedule. Independent work will be taken for a grade to assess the standards your child is learning that week. (This week: CCRL.10)
   This week's assignment - Genre collage using Scholastic book flyers.

Read & Respond
   Students have 20 minutes in class to read independently every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. (There is no independent reading time on Thursdays.) On Fridays, all students have a 40-minute Read & Respond rotation. Students will have approximately 20 minutes to read during this block, and the other 20 minutes, students will respond to their reading in some way.
   This week, students will complete a DEAR reading response. We practiced these last week. Students will have the opportunity to complete a DEAR response on the book they are reading independently.

Reading I
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Reading II
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Social Studies
Mrs. Thompson's Homeroom Only
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   We are wrapping up our study of the Civil War this week. We had to change our schedule a bit last week to accommodate some district testing, so students were unable to go to the computer lab on Thursday. However, we will have some time in the lab on Monday for this.
   To learn more about the standards your child will be learning in this unit, click on the "Social Studies" tab at the top of this page. Look for SS5H.1 and SS5H.2.
Monday: Learn about battles and Civil War leaders. Computer lab: interactive journey of a runaway slave
Tuesday: Wrap up the Civil War with a retelling. Discuss Reconstruction amendments (#13, #14, #15), sharecropping, and the Freedmen's Bureau.
Wednesday: Play review games; begin study guide for tomorrow's test.
Thursday: CIVIL WAR TEST. 3 essay questions; online multiple choice test.
Friday: Play Civil War interactive game.