Grade 5

Students have navigated their way through geography and have learned about landforms and different regions of the country, elevation, climate, and how these factors affect our daily lives. They have practiced pinpointing the exact location of cities on a map by determining their degrees of latitude and longitude and they have become familiar with a variety of specialty maps. Furthermore, they mastered identifying twenty-seven key locations in North America, including countries, bodies of water, mountain ranges, and capital cities!

Can you locate and name all fifty United States? Our fifth graders can, and they also know the state abbreviations! The culminating activity in our geography unit was The Home-to-School mapping project for which the students plotted their routes to school with beautifully illustrated maps and detailed written directions.
 
Students participated in a grade-level National Geographic Bee. The top contenders in fifth grade were Isabel Dolcino and Conor O’Mahoney, and the alternate was Mary Claire Penny. Isabel and Conor will compete in the school-wide National Geographic Bee on Tuesday, January 24.
 
In order to better understand and appreciate celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, during the week of January 16, students learned about the Civil Rights Movement by focusing on Ruby Bridges and Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
Also, students have been learning about the history of agriculture, and they are currently working on their agriculture maps in class. They will be sharing them soon with their classmates. Be sure to look for them at the Education Fair in April!

Writer’s Notebooks and binders are filling up fast! Fifth graders are exploring many interesting topics, some fact and some fantasy! Each assignment has a particular focus that dovetails with the grammar unit or writing strategy that the students are currently learning in the classroom. After completing an extensive unit on the “nuts and bolts” of sentences, students diligently worked to edit their writing to free it from all dreaded fragments and run-on sentences. They “amplified” their sentences by adding descriptive details, using as many senses as possible to “show, don’t tell.”  Through all of this, students continue to tackle spelling to help them become more proficient writers. It is exciting to watch the growing enthusiasm for writing as the students’ skill levels improve.

All fifth graders participated in a classroom spelling bee, the winners of which went on to compete at the grade 5 level. We were so proud of Calvin C., James J., and Zoe J. who did an outstanding job in the school-wide spelling bee on January 19. Abigail J. was more than ready to step in as the alternate, if needed.

Who was John Newbery anyway?  Students have learned all about the Newbery Award and immersed themselves in reading Newbery-winning books. They continue to do a great job reading at home and gaining new vocabulary.  Students will be learning about and finding the theme, style, and plot of the book they have chosen.  They are learning the importance of strong characters and the criteria used for judging winning books.  The 2012 winners will be announced on January 23, so be sure to ask your child who this year's winners are.  We will try to connect to a live streaming video of the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Texas where the winners of the children’s book awards will be announced.  It is truly an exciting time!

After reading these books, each student will learn how to use iMovie to create a book trailer including key quotes from their Newbery book, thematic images, characters, and music created from GarageBand.  These book trailers will be shared and enjoyed by all. This is an exciting way to encourage students to read other great Newbery books!

Grade 5 mathematicians recently completed a unit on problem solving.  We developed and utilized a plan for solving word problems, including the critical steps of Reading the problem carefully, Planning an approach with strategies, Solving the problem with the necessary algorithms, and Examining answers for accuracy and reasonability.  In addition, we investigated a variety of strategies, including logic boxes, working backwards, making organized lists, and using pictures, charts, diagrams, tables, and graphs.  Now that we have a variety of problem-solving “tools” in our “toolboxes,” problem-solving challenges have commenced.  These weekly assignments are given and collected on Fridays.  Students need to be sure to complete the “Explain Your Thinking” (EYT) portion of the assignment.

We are currently engaged in a unit on pre-algebra.  Throughout this unit, students will explore powers and exponents, the order of operations, expressions, and equations.  Students will engage in the critically acclaimed Hands-On Equations program.  This program does an amazing job of developing a strong foundation for algebraic thinking.  Check out http://www.borenson.com/ for more information on the program, which includes a short video on the program.

Grade 5 mathematicians are encouraged to continue practicing their multiplication and division facts.  The next testing round for Mrs. Girard’s Challenge is quickly approaching!  Strive to improve over your last performance! 

In 5th grade science, we learned about Earth by thinking in big and small ways.  Starting with the big, we researched and discussed Earth’s major geological events from 5 billion years ago to the present.  Each student made a 3-dimensional model of Earth to show its layers.

We learned that rocks are pieces of Earth’s outermost layer, the crust. The physical differences among igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock types piqued our curiosity about rock's origins and composition. The study of rocks helped us to get a sense of Earth’s age.

Thinking small, we learned that minerals are the basic building blocks of rocks. Our activities included examining rock’s physical properties of streak, hardness, color, luster, texture, density, and magnetism.  We also used vinegar to test for chemical reaction.

Thinking still smaller, we considered the role of minerals in food.  We looked for minerals in the foods we eat by reading the nutrition facts on cereal boxes and packages. As a class, we collected and compared nutritional data. We were surprised to find that many of our favorite foods were often devoid of good nutrients and minerals.

Moving from smallest to biggest, we reached beyond our Earthly bounds to take a look at current events in space exploration and technology.  This has been a busy period:

• In August, a sun-powered robotic explorer named Juno blasted off to Jupiter on an Atlas V rocket. By 2016, we will know more about Jupiter’s atmosphere, complex gravity, and whether or not the planet’s core is solid or gaseous.
• In late November, the Mars Science Laboratory was launched. Curiosity, a roving laboratory, will study the Martian rocks and soils in an attempt to determine whether life ever existed on this planet.  We will anxiously be watching the news on August 6, 2012 for word of the landing.
• An Earth twin, where?  In December, the Kepler Space Telescope discovered a planet that is similar to ours some 600 light years away.  Called Kepler-22b, this planet is located, as Goldilocks might say, in a “just right” zone where liquid water could exist.
• Also in December 2011, astronomers discovered two black holes that smashed all previous records. These monsters lurk in the centers of galaxies NGC 4889 and NGC 3842, and each has the mass of at least 10 billion (yes, billion!) suns.
• On New Year’s weekend, the GRAIL twin space probes entered our moon’s orbit to study its uneven gravity field.  The collected data will provide clues about the moon’s origins and may explain why the far side of the moon looks so different from the side facing Earth.

Thanks to the generosity of the Bow PTO, our 5th grade science classes were able to visit the Capitol Center of the Arts to see the dynamic, interactive Doktor Kaboom show at a reduced admission fee. The combination of originality, comedy, and good science and math made for an instructive and memorable experience.