5th Grade

Jeffers Journal

Week of May 19th – May 23rd

May, the month of sunshine, blooming flowers, and endless possibilities. 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:

May 19^th: Fifth Week of Easter Mass with Father Ennis

May 23^rd: Memorial Day-No School or CASE

May 26^th: Memorial Day-No School or CASE

May 27^th – May 30^th– I-Ready ELA Diagnostic

May 30^th: Race for Education

June 2^nd: Mass with Father Ennis @ 8:50AM

June 2^nd – June 5^th: I-Ready Math Diagnostic

June 6^th: End of the Year Field Trip to Ellis Island

June 16^th: End of the School Year Mass with Father Ennis @ 8:50AM

June 18^th: Fifth Grade Graduation @ 6:30pm

June 18^th: Last Day of School

 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. Evaluating Expressions is the theme of our next topic and is a short topic. On the daily math worksheets each day, the students have been evaluating expressions. In order to evaluate expressions, you need to use the order of operations. The second lesson is writing numerical expression in which the students need to write simple expressions that show calculations with numbers.  The third lesson is about interpreting expressions. The Topic test will be on Thursday, May 22^nd.  Coordinate Geometry is the theme of Topic 14. It is another short topic. The first lesson shows how to locate points on a coordinate grid. They will learn how to evaluate and also write expressions.  Every 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.
   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: Chemical Magic is the theme of the Science Unit we will be exploring this week. 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. In the third lesson students will try to answer the question about what happens if you drink a glass of acid.  Do you know what fireworks, silly putty, and rubber have in common? We will explore this question in the fourth lesson of the unit. Why do some things explode? This question is the final question of the unit. All of these lessons include hands-on activities and lesson quizzes to check student understanding.
4. Religion: The theme of Chapter 17 is Jesus Establishes His Church. What are the qualities that make someone a leader? What are the roles of the pope and the other bishops of the Church? What is the name of our new pope? How has the church been able to pass down the faith from generation to generation? What is apostolic succession? What is the sacrament of Holy Orders?
5. 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.
6. Fifth Week of Easter Mass: Our next Mass with Father Ennis will be held on Monday, May 19^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.