Hello 5th grade families! In this newsletter, you will find all the wonderful things your learner has been studying this past month. We are looking forward to another fun-filled month in November!

Important Dates

• November 1 & 2 - Parent/Teacher Conferences  - no school for students
• November 11 - 2 Hour Student Early Release 
• November 24, 25, 26 - Thanksgiving Break

Reminders

• Please ensure your child brings a water bottle, an extra mask, and small snack each day.  
• If there are any changes in how your child will go home in the afternoon please email your child’s teacher and let the office know.

Language Arts

What We Learned This Past Month:

Reading: 

• We made connections with characters to develop theories about characters’ motivations, relationships, and conflict.  
• We considered multiple points of view within a text.
• We expanded our thinking by hearing the perspectives of other readers in the classroom and built on ideas in our discussions. 

Writing: 

• We wrote memoirs which are true stories from the writer’s life.  We used these stories to communicate a lesson or reflection the author has learned through his or her experience.

What We Will Be Learning Next Month: 

Reading:

We have just started our unit on Critical Literacy.  In this unit we will: 

• look carefully at advertisements and media messages
• determine the difference between fact and opinions communicated in media messages. 
• consider what the author wants us to believe.
• think about how different people, ideas, or issues are represented in texts.

Writing:  

• We are working on persuasive essays that express our ideas or opinions with reasons or evidence. 

Math

What We Learned This Past Month:

We are solving single-step and multistep practical problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers.

What We Will Be Learning Next Month: 

We will estimate and determine the product and quotient of two numbers involving decimals.

Advanced Math 

What We Learned This Past Month:

• We are learning to multiply and divide fractions and mixed numbers.
• We are learning to solve multistep practical problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of decimals.

What We Will Be Learning Next Month: 

• We will compare and order positive rational numbers.
• Identify, represent, compare, and order integers.
• Identify and describe absolute value of integers.
• Recognize and represent patterns with whole number exponents and perfect squares.

Science

What We Learned This Past Month:

We just wrapped up our landforms unit!  We can:

• identify and describe the layers of the earth and how they interact.
• describe how changes in Earth’s crust cause earthquakes and volcanoes.
• describe the rock cycle and how rock types can change.
• make a connection between Earth’s history and fossil evidence.
• determine the effects of human impact on Earth’s landforms and how it can be controlled.

What We Will Be Learning Next Month: 

Our next science unit is Oceans!  We will learn: 

• ocean geographical features and their impact on ocean depth.
• the location of the Gulf Stream on a map.
• the cause of waves and tides.
• that ocean organisms are producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Social Studies

What We Learned This Past Month:

We are developing an understanding of world history and geography with a focus on Classical China and Mesoamerica. Our big ideas include:

• where people live affects how they live.
• geographical features impact daily life for people around the world (food, clothing, shelter).
• the idea that contributions of ancient cultures and civilizations continue to impact our world today.

What We Will Be Learning Next Month: 

We will continue developing our understanding of word history and geography by studying early civilizations.