Language Arts
· We began the 100 Book Challenge in mid-September. Through this program, the students try to earn 100 “books.” Every 15 minutes they read, they get 1 book on their chart signed by an adult who witnessed them in the act of reading. Each student should be reading 30 minutes each night; therefore, they should have 2 books signed at home.
· For the month of September, our class had 488 books signed—that means we independently read for 7,320 minutes!
· For October, our goal is for each student to earn 100 books. Students who reach the goal will have read 1,500 minutes! The best way to grow as a reader (and as a learner) is to read. So, pick a book you love, find a cozy spot, and get lost in a great story!
· In readers’ workshop, we also began learning Power Mapping during guided reading. One team is reading about robots and another team is exploring a book about special effects in movies. The last two teams will begin meeting next week.
Science
· In science, we wrapped up our study on observation and measurement (although we’ll be refining these skills throughout the year). All the students took the science quiz on Thursday and Friday. They did a great job focusing, double checking to make sure it was their best work, and respecting others’ need for a quiet, thinking environment.
· We also began our science fair unit. The students selected a topic, worded it in the form of a question, and wrote a purpose for their investigation. Our class project will be: Does boat design affect the amount of cargo it can carry? Ask your 5th graders to explain how we’ll be testing this question.
· Upcoming science fair due dates are:
o Pre-approval form: due on Thursday (The students
will receive a copy of this on Tuesday.)
o Project research: due Wednesday, October 15th
(We’ll begin science fair research this coming
Tuesday.)
o Variable list: due Friday, October 17th (We’ll discuss
variables during that week.)
Social Studies
· We concluded our discussion on the Conquistadors. We also worked on mastering the locations of the seven continents and the 3 main European countries that created North American settlements: Spain, France, and Great Britain (England). We’ll continue practicing this next week.
· The students worked on creating an Exploration and Settlement scrapbook during our computer lab time. They will continue working on this project over the next two weeks.
· We began discussing English settlements in the New World. Roanoke, the “lost colony,” was the first English settlement, but it mysteriously disappeared. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement, and was also the setting of the real-life Pocahontas story. Next week we’ll dig deeper into these two stories.