5th Grade

Jeffers Journal

Week of April 21st – April 25th

Happy Easter!  May the risen Christ bring you and your loved ones plentiful joy! Are you ready to board the learning train for another week of excitement and adventure? Please come to school each day with an open mind, positive “I can” attitude, a friendly smile, and eager to be a member of our team! 

Important Dates to Remember:

April 20^th: Happy Easter

April 21^st: Easter Recess Continued-No School or CASE

April 23^rd: New York State English Language Arts Test

April 23^rd: Happy Administrative Professionals Day-Thanks Mrs. Diehl!

April 24^th: New York State English Language Arts Test

April 28^th: Second Week of Easter Mass with Father Ennis @ 8:50AM

May 5^th – May 9^th: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 5^th: Third Week of Easter Mass with Father Ennis

May 7^th: New York State Math Test

May 8^th: New York State Math Test & Annie Kids Production

May 9^th: Penny War Fundraiser & Annie Kids Production

May 11^th: Happy Mother’s Day

Here’s a breakdown of our learning:

1. Math: Its important children learn math facts for addition/subtraction and multiplication/division with the goal of automatic recall. The theme of Topic 11 is Volume. How would you explain what volume is? What is the formula for finding the volume of a figure? Is it common to use volume in your everyday life? The first lesson explores finding the volume of solid figures.  In the second lesson, students will apply the volume formula to rectangular prisms.  To wrap up the week, they will find the volume of rectangular prisms that are combined.  Students will continue to review line plots and other math concepts in preparation for the New York State Math Test on May 7^th and May 8^th.  Each day they will complete a short Exit Ticket as a way to check there understanding of the lesson.  It is a great way for me to check and see who is ready for the next lesson.  We will also play different Math games to review previously learned concepts and skills. Students will also continue to work on their independent lessons in I-Ready Math each day. This is a great way to practice their skills.
2. English Language Arts:
   1. Grammar: Students will learn how to proofread their writing for subject-verb agreement, capital letters, and punctuation using the proofreading symbols.  We continue to review complete subject, complete predicate, simple subject, simple predicate, different kinds of sentences, verbs, and adverbs. What is a preposition?  Can you identify a prepositional phrase? Could a sentence have more than one prepositional phrase? What is a pronoun? Is there a difference between a pronoun and subject pronoun?  Should a subject pronoun have subject-verb agreement?
   2. Vocabulary: Each week students have 12 new vocabulary words and complete different activities each day (sentence completion, synonym/antonym, matching, word meaning, and context clues).
   3. Reading: An important skill we will be practicing is reading articles or passages and answering comprehension questions.
   4. Spelling:  Each week the students will be given a list of words that contain a certain spelling pattern. They will complete activities each day using the words. They will also learn some commonly misspelled words and mnemonic devices to help them remember how to spell them.
3. Science (Part 1): Our next Science unit is about Sound. How far can a whisper travel? What is the connection between sound and vibrations? Do you think it is possible to scream in outer space? How does sound move through the air? Did you know that sound is a wave?  Some sounds are high, while other sounds are low. The Sound Unit test will be on Monday, May 5^th.
4. Science (Part 2): The other Science unit we will be exploring is Chemical Magic. The first lesson in this unit explores whether magic potions are real. In the second lesson, students will explore whether or not it is possible to turn something worthless into gold. Both of these lessons include hands-on activities and lesson quizzes to check student understanding.
5. Religion: The theme of Chapter 15 is Living the Commandments. Why do we have rules and laws to follow? What are the commandments? Why did God give us the commandments? Is your conscience important? How did Saint Augustine change his life in order to put God first?
6. Google Classroom: Students have been using my Google Classroom to complete assignments and quizzes in English/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Please check with your son/daughter to show you what they have been doing.  If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to send me an email.
7. New York State English Language Arts Test: Students will complete the New York State English Language Arts Test on Wednesday, April 23^rd, and Thursday April 24^th in the morning. On Wednesday, they will read passages and answer 26 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer questions. On Thursday, they will read passages and answer about 9 multiple choice questions, a few short answer questions, and one extended response question.
8. Second Week of Easter Mass: Our next Mass with Father Ennis will be held on Monday, April 28^th at 8:50. Students will have the opportunity to volunteer to be an altar server and/or a lector for future Masses. If your child signs up to be a lector, he/she will receive their reading in advance to have time to practice both in school and at home.
9. Annie Kids Production: Come and see the St. Jude the Apostle School Drama Club production of Annie Kids on Thursday, May 8^th and Friday 9^th! The students have been working very hard and are excited to share it with everyone!
10. Penny War Fundraiser: We will have a jar to drop pennies or bills in for positive points! The class with the most positive points wins a prize!  The final day to bring in pennies and/or bills is Friday, May 9^th!!! Start collecting your change and help our class win a prize!