5th Grade

Jeffers Journal

Week of May 6th – May 10th

Hello May! Make this month count!  Accomplish your goals!  You can do this!  Are you ready to board the learning train?  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 7^th: New York State Math Test

May 7^th: Scholastic Book Fair

May 8^th: New York State Math Test

May 9^th: Ascension Thursday Mass with Father Pat @ 9AM

May 12^th: Happy Mother’s Day

May 13^th: Mass with Father Pat @ 9AM

May 23^rd: Race for Education

May 24^th: Memorial Day Observed (No School or CASE)

May 27^th: Memorial Day Observed (No School or CASE)

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. To begin the week, we will be learning how to convert units of time. How many seconds are in a minute? How many minutes are there in an hour? Can you convert days to weeks and weeks to years? We will also review what we have learned about customary and metric measurements in preparation for the test on Wednesday, Math 8^th.  Evaluating and Writing Numerical Expressions is the theme of the next topic which we will be starting at the end of the week. The first lesson focuses on using the order of operations to evaluate expressions.  The second lesson focuses on writing numerical expressions.  This topic consists of four lessons, which means the test will be on Wednesday, May 15^th.  As a way to review previously learned concepts and skills, students will spend time working on I-Ready Math each day. Students will also continue to practice how to find the volume of different figures. The New York State Math Test will be on May 7^th and May 8^th.
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. What are titles?  Are there specific rules for titles of books, magazines, poems, and songs? Can you proofread someone else’s list of titles to see if they are written correctly?
   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.  We have been learning that reading is not just about reading the words on the page it involves so many other pieces like asking questions, making connections, using context clues to help determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. We are also going to learn how to make inferences.
   4. Summary: A summary is a short retelling of a text. It only includes the most important details.  A useful strategy to help you when writing a summary is: “Somebody Wanted But So Then (SWBST).”  Who is the main character? (Somebody) What did the main character want? (Wanted) What is the problem (But) How does the character try to solve the problem? (So) How does the story end? (Then) We will practice writing summaries in class this week and students will be asked to write a summary each night and turn it in the next day.
3. Writing (Part 1): We are going to continue to use a strategy to help answer text dependent or short answer questions, which is known as RACES. The first letter of the acronym, “R,” means restate the prompt. The “A” means answer the question in your own words. The “C” means cite text evidence or examples. The “E” means explain and give details. The final letter of the acronym, “S” means summarize what you wrote. Students will practice using this strategy as they answer questions in all subject areas.
4. Writing (Part 2): Our third writing unit of the year is Opinion writing. To begin the unit we are going to identify the elements of opinion writing.  Next, we will brainstorm ideas that address an opinion prompt and expand on those ideas using evidence from a text.  Then we will learn how to quote the works of others, which is extremely important because you want to give credit to the person who did the research.  Then we will move into the Introduction. The introduction has two main parts-the lead and also the claim.
5. Science: The last unit of the year is Web of Life! The first lesson focuses on Food Chains, Producers, and Consumers. What is the difference between a producer and a consumer? The second lesson is about Matter and Plant Growth. Do you know the surprising nutrient that accounts for most of a plant’s food? The third lesson is Decomposers and matter cycle. To end the week, we will learn about worms and whether they really eat dirt.
6. Religion: Living the Commandments is the theme of Chapter 15. Last week, we shared rules that we learned from our families. We also talked about what would happen if people didn’t follow rules, for example when driving a car.  This week we are going to learn about our consciences. What is the difference between a mortal and venial sin?  What does Jesus teach us about forgiveness and love?  Who was Saint Augustine? How did he change his life to put God first?
7. Twenty-fourth Mass of the School Year: On Thursday, May 9th we will be attending Mass with Father Pat at 9:00 to celebrate Ascension Thursday. All students need to be wearing their dress uniform. Everyone is invited to attend Mass.
8. Scholastic Book Fair: The Scholastic Book Fair will be here on Tuesday, May 7^th! Bring your appetite for reading and find the next great book to dive into!
9. Race for Education: It’s that time of the year to raise money for our school and have some fun! It is time for Race for Education! Don’t forget to send in your donations! If we reach our school goal, every student who sends in one donation will have the opportunity to dunk Mrs. Hoffay in a dunking booth! Our goal is to reach $20,000! Race for Education will be on Thursday, May 23^rd.