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 of learning in December! Thank you for all of your support! Go Tigers!

Important Dates

• November 29 - December 3: Book Fair in the TLES library
• December 8: Q2 Interims go home in Wednesday folders!
• December 9 - 5:30-7:00 pm: Event: A Night in the Library
• December 20 - 31: Winter Break, no school. We will see you back on January 3rd!

Language Arts

What We Learned This Past Month:

Reading: 

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

Writing: 

• We  worked on persuasive essays that expressed our ideas or opinions with reasons or evidence.  
• We began writing narrative nonfiction pieces which teach the audience about a topic through a story. We followed the writing process while examining different examples of narrative nonfiction.

What We Will Be Learning Next Month: 

Reading:

• We will consider the perspectives of others to broaden our own thinking through discussion.
• We will use the most important information in a story to recognize the lesson/message.
• We will consider how literary techniques affect our understanding of the texts.
• We will revise or confirm opinions about our ideas through hearing the perspectives of other readers.
• We analyzed a nonfiction text to determine the main idea and supporting details.

Writing:  

• We will continue writing our narrative nonfiction pieces.

Math

What We Learned This Past Month:

• We estimated and determined the product and quotient of two numbers involving decimals.
• We solved single-step and multistep practical problems involving addition, subtraction, and multiplication of decimals, and solved single-step practical problems involving division of decimals.

What We Will Be Learning Next Month: 

• We will solve single-step and multistep practical problems involving addition and subtraction with fractions and mixed numbers.
• We will solve single-step practical problems involving multiplication of a whole number, limited to 12 or less, and a proper fraction, with models.

Advanced Math 

What We Learned This Past Month:

• We compared and ordered positive rational numbers.
• We identified, represented, compared, and ordered integers.
• We identified and described the absolute value of integers.
• We recognized and represented patterns with whole number exponents and perfect squares.

What We Will Be Learning Next Month: 

• We will add, subtract, multiply, and divide integers. 
• We will solve practical problems involving operations with integers.

Science

What We Learned This Past Month:

We started our oceans unit! In November, we learned about: 

• The human impact on our oceans
• ocean floor geographical features and their impact on ocean depth.
• Using models to show the different parts of the ocean floor.
• How atoms and molecules make up all matter.
• How the ocean organisms are producers, consumers, and decomposers.
• How ocean water contains mixtures and solutions of common substances.

What We Will Be Learning Next Month: 

We will be finishing up our oceans unit. We will: 

• Learn about ocean water currents
• Explore Ocean water salinity
• Explore ocean zones and what lives in ocean zones
• Classify ocean organisms and ocean food webs
• Analyze the human impact on oceans (continued)
• Complete projects that analyze the effects of plastic on living and nonliving factors in the ocean ecosystem.

Social Studies

What We Learned This Past Month:

We are developing an understanding of world history and geography with a focu on 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.