Week of 8/18

Here's a slideshow of some of the work students did last week! Information about the upcoming week is below the slideshow. 

Dear families,

School is moving along at quite a nice pace! We have been working on some introductory units to get students prepared for academics. Now we are going full-steam ahead! We are also introducing specialized Skills classes. See below for more information.

PS - Happy birthday to Christopher! His birthday was on Saturday. Hope it was a great day! :)

What's Happening This Week:

• Thursday, 8/21: Math homework (decimals)
• Friday, 8/22: Library Orientation; Economics Test

Skills Class (7:30 am)
Students who attend MPACT and ESOL classes leave for those teachers during this time period. Other students will be divided up to receive specialized instruction based on their particular strengths and weaknesses. Please email me or call if you have any questions.

Reading/ELA
Standards

• RI.5.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Essential Questions

• What are the features of informational (nonfiction) text?
• How can we use text features to help us read informational text?

Activities

• Text-mapping several informational articles. Last week, we read about people who illegally smuggle exotic animals. The students really enjoyed that topic, so we are continuing the theme of exotic and interesting animals into this week!
• Friday: Text-mapping (informational text features) assessment

What We're Reading

• "Hide and Sneak"
• "Deep Sea Monsters"
• "Cougars on the Move"
• "Wild Animal Pets"
• Skinnybones by Barbara Park

What We're Writing

• Opinions about exotic animal laws in the United States

Mathematics
Standards

• 5.NBT.A.3 Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths. 

Essential Questions

• What is a decimal?
• What are some different ways we can represent decimals? (Base Ten blocks, standard number form, word form, expanded form)
• How are decimals and fractions related?

Activities
Our math class will be very flexible each week. I will watch and listen as students practice math to decide when we need extra practice and who might need to try something harder, and also to determine the pace at which we should move. We may finish all of these activities this week, or we may need to save some of them for next week. 

• Place value foldables for interactive notebooks
• Greg Tang math games (visit this website to play and select "decimals")
• Practice making decimals and the different ways to write them
• Create Decimal Designs to calculate decimals using hundreds charts
• Relating money values to decimals
• Human Decimal game
• High Rollers (competitive game where partners create decimals by rolling dice)
• Homework on Thursday

What We're Writing

• What we've learned about decimals and decimal place value

Social Studies
Standards

• SS5E2 The student will describe the functions of four major sectors in the U. S. economy. 
  
• SS5E3 The student will describe how consumers and businesses interact in the U. S. economy. 
  
• SS5E4 The student will identify the elements of a personal budget and explain why personal spending and saving decisions are important. 
  

Essential Questions

• What are the four major sectors in the US economy?
• What is fair trade?
• How does competition work in our economy?
• What is the benefits of saving versus spending?
• How are budgets created? Why are they useful?

Activities

• Play economics games! (Gas Station Game, Fair Trade, A Tale of Two Villages)
• Create a foldable for the four sectors of the US economy
• Create a zoo and discuss how economic principles are at work in running a business
• Watch videos on budgeting, taxation, and supply and demand (www.brainpop.com)
• Analyze banking brochures
• Final assessment on Friday

What We're Writing

• How to create a budget
• How our economic system works

BONUS SLIDESHOW!
Because Shark Week was on TV last week, we spent some time on Friday doing some creative shark-related activities! Thanks to Will for bringing in some shark teeth to share with us!