Dear families,

Another brisk weekend! I love it! I hope your weekend was restful and enjoyable. There were lots of Halloween activities in and around Hall County this weekend, too. Were any of you participating in those? We had a big campfire this weekend to roast hotdogs and marshmallows. It was fantastic on a cold night!



FalCan Food Drive
We are continuing the FalCan Food Drive (collecting canned and boxed goods for needy families) through Friday, November 8th. So far, CAA has raised over 1,000 food items! The office had to call the Falcons to tell them to come pick up those cans early; our bins are full!
   We are having a friendly competition with the other 5th grade classes to see who can bring in the most cans. So far, we have 69. Mrs. Weiser is in the lead with about 150 cans. While I don't want to encourage students to drive up your grocery bill in order to beat someone else, I do want to encourage their giving spirit. So give what you can. If you've given, you're not obligated to continue! Thanks for all of your support in this endeavor.

FIELD TRIP: MY HOMEROOM ONLY
My class has been invited to walk to the Guest House THIS Thursday on Halloween. Our class is working on writing spooky stories to read to the elderly guests who stay there during the day. They have prepared some special treats for us as well as an art project. We will leave around noon and plan to return by 2:15. This will be in lieu of a Halloween party in my classroom. 

School Events
Mon, 10/28 No Science or Social Studies; 5th Grade Writing Test Practice #1
Tues, 10/29 My homeroom library visit
Thurs, 10/31 My Homeroom's Field Trip to The Guest House (no costumes, please - fall attire is fine) and Spooky Stories due!
Fri, 10/25 POW due (all language arts classes); Figurative Language assessment in reading; WWI Test (Mrs. May's class)

SOCIAL STUDIES
(Mrs. May's homeroom)
Check out the social studies website to view resources and download notes! www.5socialstudies.weebly.com

Mrs. May's class is wrapping up the WWI unit. For more information, click the "Social Studies" tab at the top and look at SS5H.4.a.

Monday: NO SOCIAL STUDIES OR SCIENCE - WRITING TEST PRACTICE #1
Tuesday: SS5H4.a - Explain the impact of the Treaty of Versailles. Also learn about the League of Nations.
Wednesday: Complete study guide. Play BAZINGA to review!
Thursday: NO SOCIAL STUDIES OR SCIENCE - MRS. THOMPSON'S HOMEROOM FIELD TRIP
Friday: WWI TEST

Test: THIS Friday, November 1.

LANGUAGE ARTS
POW Topic: What if kids were in charge?
Monday: Brainstorm. 
Tuesday: Detail sentences. 
Wednesday: Topic and concluding sentences. 
Thursday: Final Copy. 
Friday: Proofread/edit.

Shurley English: Chapter 9
Skills: Indirect Object (who receives the direct object: Mom baked me a cake. Mom baked a cake for whom? Me - indirect object); quotation marks
*We are also working on our Passion Projects for #geniushalfhour in my class. The "Genius Hour" movement is sweeping the education world, allowing kids to spend part of their day working on something they are truly curious/ passionate about. We are going to be finishing up Shurley English very soon, so we plan to spend the rest of our time researching for our Passion Projects. I'll be sending home more information about this soon. 

Monday: Passion Project - work in computer lab (trello, KWHLAQ, begin research)
Tuesday: Chapter 9 Lesson 1 - indirect objects
Wednesday: Chapter 9 Lesson 2 - indirect objects and quotation marks
Thursday: Chapter 9 Lesson 2 - classroom practice
Friday: Chapter 9 Lesson 3 - indirect objects and quotation marks

READING
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes every day.

Essential Questions
How can we interpret figurative language in a text?
How can we determine the theme of a story based on how a character changes?

Common Core ELA Standards for Reading 1 and Reading 2
*Standards in bold are the main focus for the week. All other standards are being reviewed, but not necessarily assessed.
Literary (Fiction)
RL.5.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
RL.5.1. Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.5.2. Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
RL.5.6. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.
Informational (Nonfiction)
RI.5.9. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Gifted Standards for Reading 1
ARS1. The student investigates topics of interest and selects appropriate research tools and methods.
ARS2. The student formulates original and appropriate questions when researching.
ARS3. The student develops and uses systematic procedures for recording and organizing information.
ARS4. The student documents and cites references and resources.
ACS2. The student produces written and/or oral work, including products and presentations, that is complex, purposeful, organized, and that synthesizes information appropriately.
ACS3. The student participates in small group discussions and supports and defends his/her own opinions while respecting the opinion of others.
HOCTS2. The student responds to questions with supporting information that reflects in-depth knowledge of a topic.
HOCTS4. The student examines an issue from more than one point of view.
HOCTS5. The student draws conclusions based upon relevant information while discarding irrelevant information.

Monday: Whole Group
#1: Practice locating and explaining figurative language found in short stories (including but not limited to simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, alliteration, allusion). Read "Princess Penelope" and locate several examples of figurative language and discuss their meanings.
Standards: RL.4
#2: Read "Following Boo" and "The Fountain of Youth: Fact or Fiction?" Stop and discuss how Nate's character changes throughout the story.
Standards: RL.1, RL.2, RI.9, HOCTS2

Instructional Conversation, or IC
#1: Read figurative language story, "Dad's Barbecue." Find examples of figurative language and discuss their meanings.
Standards: RL.4, HOCTS2
#2: Reread "Following Boo" and "The Fountain of Youth: Fact or Fiction?" Answer close reading questions and critical thinking questions.
Standards: RL.1, RL.2, RI.9 HOCTS 2, 4, 5

Literature Circles
We are continuing to work on literature circles. This is the final day of lit circles for the books they are currently reading. We will switch titles next week. On this last day, students in Reading 1 have a research project to complete, and students in Reading 2 have a day to catch-up on any work they are missing or want to improve.
Reading 1 texts: Queen Anne's Revenge, For a Good Cause, and Eye on the Universe
Reading 2 texts: Big Digs, the Body in Motion, and Fossil Tales
Standards: RI.1, RI.2, RI.3, ACS2-3, CPS2, CPS4

Computer
#1: Edmodo Quiz on a figurative language story, "Grace's Canoe Trip"
#2: Edmodo Quiz on "Following Boo" and "The Fountain of Youth: Fact or Fiction?"

Independent Work
Reread "Are These Chips Too Tasty?" and "A Bloody History." Complete the "Connecting Texts" and "Summarizing" activities.
Standards: RI.1, RI.2, RI.9, HOCTS2

Figurative Language Assessment
THIS Friday, November 1

Dear families,

I hope everyone had a great weekend with this chilly weather! It finally felt like autumn to me!

PLEASE READ TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST. I have included a survey that will help me improve my website for parents!

I want to share about the fun research project we did in reading this week. All students in 5th grade learned about the origins and meanings of their names. We will begin discussing word origins soon (and how that helps us spell them and understand their meanings), so the 5th grade reading teachers wanted the children to understand that all words, including our names, come from somewhere! The kids were given a website, www.behindthename.com, to find information on their names. I was so surprised at how this "little" project turned into a huge research opportunity! Students were coming up to me suggesting new websites they'd found which gave them even more information about their names. I'm so proud of how much they learned and the creative thinking skills they developed. As a fun treat, they got to wear nametags with their name meanings on them. if you haven't had the opportunity yet, ask your child about it! Also, many of the children want to know the stories behind their names - why their parents picked their particular names for them. I told the students my story behind my name (Mom named me after a Sophia Loren character in a John Wayne movie). If you've never told your child the story, this might be a great time to share!

FIELD TRIP: MY HOMEROOM ONLY
My class has been invited to walk to the Guest House next Thursday on Halloween. Our class is working on writing spooky stories to read to the elderly guests who stay there during the day. They have prepared some special treats for us as well as an art project. We will leave around noon and plan to return by 2:15. Please look for a permission slip to come home this week in Tuesday folders.

School Events
Tues, 10/22 My homeroom library visit; REPORT CARDS COME HOME
Wed, 10/23 Italian Ice $2 due; School Governance Council meeting at 2:30
Fri, 10/25 POW due (all language arts classes); Editing quiz (my LA class only); Figurative Language assessment in reading

SOCIAL STUDIES
(Mrs. May's homeroom)
Check out the social studies website to view resources and download notes! www.5socialstudies.weebly.com

Mrs. May's class is beginning their learning journey for WWI! For more information, click the "Social Studies" tab at the top and look at SS5H.4.a.

Monday: SS5H4 - describe US involvement in WWI. What caused the war to begin? How did alliances factor into the problem? If Archduke Franz Ferdinand hadn't been assassinated, would WWI have started? Why or why not?
Tuesday: SS5H4.a Explain how the sinking of the Lusitania led the US to join WWI. Was the sinking of the Lusitania fair? Why or why not?
Wednesday: SS4H4.a - Explain US contributions to the war. Discuss victory gardens, wartime economy, and wartime control of railroads and other industries. Also learn about scientific firsts of WWI.
Thursday: SS5H4.a - Explain the impact of the Treaty of Versailles. Also learn about the League of Nations.
Friday: SS5H4 - learn about doughboys and read quotes from soldiers, families, and nurses during WWI.

Test: NEXT Friday, November 1.

LANGUAGE ARTS
POW Topic: What if all the streets were rivers?
Monday: Brainstorm. 
Tuesday: Detail sentences. 
Wednesday: Topic and concluding sentences. 
Thursday: Final Copy. 
Friday: MY HOMEROOM: Spooky Story final copy; all other homerooms, Proofread

Shurley English: None this week
We'll be working on editing this week. I expect to see fewer grammar and punctuation mistakes in the POWs starting this week.
We will also be working on making our POWs sound more like middle school writing. We will be focusing on adding rich details and a variety of sentence types.

Monday: Editing - Commas
Tuesday: Editing - Even more commas 
Wednesday: Editing - Homophones (commonly misused in my class: their, there, they're)
Thursday: Editing - Pronouns (objective, subjective, plural, possessive, etc.)
Friday: Editing Quiz

READING
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes every day.

Essential Questions
How can we recognize figurative language in a text?
Why is it important to compare texts on a similar topic?

Common Core ELA Standards for Reading 1 and Reading 2
*Standards in bold are the main focus for the week. All other standards are being reviewed, but not necessarily assessed.
Literary (Fiction)
RL.5.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
Informational (Nonfiction)
RI.5.1. Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RI.5.2. Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
RI.5.3. Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
RI.5.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
RI.5.5. Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.
RI.5.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
RI.5.9. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.


Gifted Standards for Reading 1
ARS1. The student investigates topics of interest and selects appropriate research tools and methods.
ARS3. The student develops and uses systematic procedures for recording and organizing information.
ARS4. The student documents and cites references and resources.
ACS2. The student produces written and/or oral work, including products and presentations, that is complex, purposeful, organized, and that synthesizes information appropriately.
ACS3. The student participates in small group discussions and supports and defends his/her own opinions while respecting the opinion of others.
HOCTS2. The student responds to questions with supporting information that reflects in-depth knowledge of a topic.
HOCTS4. The student examines an issue from more than one point of view.
HOCTS5. The student draws conclusions based upon relevant information while discarding irrelevant information.
CPS2. The student uses brainstorming and other idea-generating techniques to solve problems or create new products.
CPS3. The student develops original ideas, presentations, or products.
CPS4. The student independently or through collaboration with classmates clarifies, illustrates, or elaborates on an idea.

Monday: Whole Group
#1: Learn about types of figurative language (including but not limited to simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, alliteration). Read short stories to pick out examples of figurative language and discuss their meanings.
Standards: RL.4
#2: Read "Are These Chips Too Tasty?" and "A Bloody History." Stop and discuss each section of the text.
Standards: RI.1, R1.4, RI.5, RI.8, RI.9, HOCTS2

Instructional Conversation, or IC
#1: Figurative Language Match cards - match type, definition, and example. Read "The King's Feast" and text-map examples of figurative language.
Standards: RL.4, HOCTS2
#2: Reread "Are These Chips Too Tasty?" and "A Bloody History." Answer close reading questions and critical thinking questions.
Standards: RI.1, RI.2, RI.9 HOCTS 2, 4, 5

Literature Circles
We are continuing to work on literature circles. Students will create a final project for the book this week. They have 3 projects to choose from. Each group must work together to produce 1 project.
Reading 1 texts: Queen Anne's Revenge, For a Good Cause, and Eye on the Universe
Reading 2 texts: Big Digs, the Body in Motion, and Fossil Tales
Standards: RI.1, RI.2, RI.3, ACS2-3, CPS2, CPS4

Computer
#1: Edmodo Quiz on "Are These Chips Too Tasty?" and "A Bloody History"
#2: Research! Visit www.choosemyplate.gov and choose a food you find irresistible! Answer three research questions about that food. Blog about your findings.
Standards: RI.1, RI.2, RI.8, RI.9, W.2, ARS1, ARS3-4

Independent Work
Reread "Are These Chips Too Tasty?" and "A Bloody History." Complete the "Connecting Texts" and "Summarizing" activities.
Standards: RI.1, RI.2, RI.9, HOCTS2

Figurative Language Assessment
THIS Friday, October 25

Dear families,

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! Let's take a look at the week ahead.









School Events
Tues, 10/8 My homeroom library visit
Wed, 10/9 Picture Day
Thurs, 10/10 FACE Night for CAA on the Square at 6pm - come see all the teachers and interact with other families for the Homecoming Parade! 
Fri, 10/11 POW due (all language arts classes); Chapter 8 Shurley English test (my LA class only)
NO SCHOOL NEXT MONDAY (10/14) OR TUESDAY (10/15) - FALL BREAK!

SOCIAL STUDIES
(My homeroom)
Check out the social studies website to view resources and download notes! www.5socialstudies.weebly.com

My homeroom is back with me for WWI! For more information, click the "Social Studies" tab at the top and look at SS5H.4.a.

Monday: SS5H4 - describe US involvement in WWI. What caused the war to begin? How did alliances factor into the problem? If Archduke Franz Ferdinand hadn't been assassinated, would WWI have started? Why or why not?
Tuesday: SS5H4.a Explain how the sinking of the Lusitania led the US to join WWI. Was the sinking of the Lusitania fair? Why or why not?
Wednesday: SS4H4.a - Explain US contributions to the war. Discuss victory gardens, wartime economy, and wartime control of railroads and other industries. Also learn about scientific firsts of WWI.
Thursday: SS5H4.a - Explain the impact of the Treaty of Versailles. Also learn about the League of Nations.
Friday: SS5H4 - learn about doughboys and read quotes from soldiers, families, and nurses during WWI.

Test: NEXT Thursday, October 17.

LANGUAGE ARTS
POW Topic: This week is a POW assessment! Students can choose their topic from the following: Something that makes me 1) sad, or 2) scared.
Monday: Brainstorm. 
Tuesday: Detail sentences. 
Wednesday: Topic and concluding sentences. 
Thursday: Final Copy. 
Friday: Proofread

Shurley English: Chapter 8
Grammar: Mixed review for Patterns 1 and 2, Object Pronouns (Standard 5.L.1.a)
Skills: Verb tenses in paragraphs and principal parts of verbs (Standards 5.L.1.b and c)

Monday: Chapter 8, Lesson 1; begin Lesson 2
Tuesday: Finish Lesson 8; Classroom Practice #35 (finish for homework if needed)
Wednesday: Chapter 8, Lesson 3; Classroom Practice #36 (finish for homework if needed)
Thursday: Chapter 8, Lesson 4; Classroom Practice #37; Start Chapter Checkup #38 (definitely finish for homework)
Friday: Chapter 8 Test

READING
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes every day.

Essential Question
How do ideas in nonfiction texts relate?

Common Core ELA Standards for Reading 1 and Reading 2
RI.5.3. Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

Gifted Standards for Reading 1
ARS1. The student investigates topics of interest and selects appropriate research tools and methods.
ARS2. The student formulates original and appropriate questions when researching.
ARS3. The student develops and uses systematic procedures for recording and organizing information.
ARS4. The student documents and cites references and resources.
ACS2. The student produces written and/or oral work, including products and presentations, that is complex, purposeful, organized, and that synthesizes information appropriately.
ACS3. The student participates in small group discussions and supports and defends his/her own opinions while respecting the opinion of others.
HOCTS2. The student responds to questions with supporting information that reflects in-depth knowledge of a topic.
CPS3. The student develops original ideas, presentations, or products.
CPS4. The student independently or through collaboration with classmates clarifies, illustrates, or elaborates on an idea.

Monday: Whole Group
Read text, "Turmoil in Boston." Use close reading steps for standard RI.3. How do John Hancock's ideas relate to other individuals and ideas in this text?
Standards: RI.3, S.L.5.1.c, ACS3, HOCTS2

Instructional Conversation, or IC
Read "Homework Hubbub." How are students influenced by the different ideas presented in the text? Write a response. Then read "Water Cycle" and "Water Woes." How do ideas presented in "Water Cycle" help us understand Carmen's story in "Water Woes?" Write a response. 
Standards: RI.3, RI.9, W.5.4, W.5.9, ACS1, ACS3

Literature Circles
We are starting nonfiction literature circles! Students will be focusing on summarizing for the next four weeks in addition to technical vocabulary and organizational structures. This week, students will do some in-depth discussions about text predictions before they begin, then they will read the books and make notes along the way.
Reading 1 texts: Queen Anne's Revenge, For a Good Cause, and Eye on the Universe
Reading 2 texts: Big Digs, the Body in Motion, and Fossil Tales
Standards: RI.2, RI.3, RI.4, RI.5, ARS1-4, ACS2-3, CPS3-4

Computer
Top 10 Blogging Challenge! on Kidblog. Students will then read and comment on other students' blogs.
*Some Reading 2 students have a Study Island quiz to take first. They will need to log in to check before they get started on Kidblog.
Standards: W.5.1, W.5.6, ACS1, ACS2, ACS3, HOCTS2, HOCTS3

Independent Work
Write a letter to a 6th grade student
W.5.4

Read & Respond
Complete a DEAR
RL.1 and RL.2

Compare & Contrast Assessment
THIS Friday, October 11