New year, new curriculum, and a new marking period!

The third marking period is upon us and our little 5th graders are getting closer to middle school with each passing day!  Along with the new year, we have two new Language Arts curricula to try out, as well as a new math module.  Let's see what going on in Room 32 for the next few weeks...

Language Arts

Reading

As you may know, our class is piloting a new Language Art curriculum for the next 6 weeks!  The program is called Wit and Wisdom, and is published by Great Minds (the same as our Eureka Math program).  We are piloting the first module, called Cultures in Conflict.  The module revolves around the westward explanation of the United States, including the Lewis and Clark Expedition, The Nez Perce tribe, and a class novel: Rolling Thunder Down the Mountain.

This week our focus is writing a detailed summary with a main idea and supporting details from the text.  There may be occasional reading homework throughout the weeks, usually practicing vocabulary or reading fluency.

Vocabulary

The words for the next two weeks are all related to our reading.  At home practice is always encouraged!  You can find the words here!

Writing

Our writing will also fall in line with our ELA curriculum; writing about our reading and focusing on well-organized paragraphs with a main idea and supporting details.  This will lend itself to our Support/Evidence grade-level goal in informational writing as well.  Look for a sample to come home this week.

Science

This week we will be wrapping up our Spaceship Earth Unit with some really cool activities and experiences.  On Wednesday, we will be connecting with a classroom in Utqiagvik, Alaska (formerly known as Barrow, AK).  This is the northernmost town in the northern hemisphere and has been in the dark for the past 2 months due to the Earth's axis!  This is an awesome connection to our learning of seasons, Earth's rotation, and the Sun.

In addition, we show off our learning of the entire unit through group Podcasts!  These projects will be worked on throughout the next two weeks and should be amazingly creative!

Math

Moving on through the world of fractions, this week we will continue to multiply fractions using parenthesis and incorporating word problems! We are taking the Math MAP test on Tuesday, so look for homework on Wednesday-Friday.  Feel free to check out the homework videos for Module 4, Lessons 10, 11, and 12 for the week (linked on the right of this page).

Have a great week!  Make sure to check Twitter for daily updates of what's going on in Room 32!  Let me know if you have any questions of concerns!