5th and 6th Grade Team Talk
By Janice Bartosic
December 10, 2007
Happy Holidays from the 5th/6th grade team!
We wish everyone a safe and Happy Holiday Season!
Fifth Grade Reading/Writing: As they read theEsperanza Rising, Mrs. Musacchio’sfifth grade readers got a glimpse of what is was like to be a legal immigrant from Mexico to California in the early 1900s. Esperanza went from being the pampered daughter of a wealthy Mexican landowner to having to work in the fields and live in poverty conditions at a California migrant workers camp. Although fictional, the story is based on the experiences of the author’s grandmother. The students also learned more about that region of the country by doing research and creating a travel brochure. They will soon be learning more about life in pioneer times through some nonfiction selections.
Having spent considerable writing time for their state research reports, Mrs. Musacchio’s students have recently been learning about nouns and will also learn and practice the proper format for a business letter.
Mrs. Kirby’s fifth grade students are reading selections in their literature books. The theme of the unit is “It’s a Mystery.” They read a Sherlock Holmes play, a humorous mystery, and now we are working on a real-life mystery about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. In December, students will read a fictional diary of a young girl living in Hawaii in 1941. That will be exciting!
In December, fifth grade will begin using reading/writing workbooks to focus on specific strengths and weaknesses. They will learn strategies to help them improve.
Fifth Grade Math:
The fifth grade began November by reviewing the operation of division with whole numbers and decimal dividends. The students chose between the traditional method and partial quotient method of division. We also solved division number stories, paying special attention to interpreting the remainder in division.
We have now moved into a study of fractions, decimals, and percents. We used pattern blocks to learn basic fraction and mixed number concepts, and we formulated rules to find equivalent fractions. We will be practicing converting fractions to equivalent decimals and percents.
Fifth Grade Science:
Fifth graders have been busy with space! They are studying the inner and outer planets and we’re amazed at how different the other planets are compared to Earth. Venus is 900’ F while Mercury can get to nearly –300’ F at one time and also can get to 900’ F at other times! How’s that for an extreme difference! The students will be creating their own planet books. They will need to find information on the planets that is different than what we learned in class! Internet and other books have so much information!
In class, we sometimes do short little activities called labs. These labs will have some sort of response that goes along with them. I am hoping to get students to stretch their thinking with these labs by having them describe and give reasoning behind their answers. Simple one-sentence answers won’t get the job done! THINK LIKE A SCIENTIST!!
Fifth Grade Social Studies:
Fifth graders are immersed in a comparative study of Native American cultural regions: Northwest Coast, Southwest, Plains, and Eastern Woodlands. Representative tribes under study are the Tlingit, Hopi, Lakota Sioux, and Iroquois. The BIG IDEA for this unit is that Native American culture, including art, clothing, shelter, religion, and food, is shaped by the environment. As a culminating activity, the students will make model Native American villages!
Sixth Grade News
Sixth Grade Reading/Writing:
Mrs. Musacchio’s sixth grade readers have enjoyed several interesting novels so far this year. Now, however, we are concentrating on using effective strategies to comprehend nonfiction. The students will be reading two books that describe separate expeditions to the polar regions and will compare various aspects of the texts, including the authors’ style. In writing, the sixth graders have recently finished a persuasive essay and used the information they gathered to give a speech supporting their opinion about a topic of significance to them.
Mrs. Kirby’s sixth grade students have been reading The Borrowers by Mary Norton. It is a fantasy novel that explores different points of view. Imagine being six inches tall!
In December, sixth grade will begin using reading/writing workbooks to focus on specific strengths and weaknesses. They will learn strategies to help them improve.
Sixth Grade Math:
During November, the sixth graders studied that numbers in all forms are part of everyday lives. We used decimals when dealing with measure and money, and we use fractions and percents to describe parts of sets. Our study of rational numbers included scale drawing, following recipes, measuring distance, and expressing time.
We explored methods of solving addition and subtraction problems with fractions and mixed numbers. We looked at estimation strategies, mental computations, algorithms, and calculation procedures. The students also worked with multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers. Finally, we used percents to make circle graphs to display the results of surveys and learned about sales and discounts.
Sixth Grade Science:
Sixth graders have been taking things apart by the seams…or by the cells anyhow. They are beginning to understand just how complicated organisms are. When we are through with our studies of chromosomes, they will better understand and sympathize with various diseases we’ve all heard of, but never really understood how they could start. We’ve been building models of plant and animal cells, but we also can build representations of mitosis and meiosis AND we can tell the difference! Ask us!
In class, we sometimes do short little activities called labs. These labs will have some sort of response that goes along with them. I am hoping to get students to stretch their thinking with these labs by having them describe and give reasoning behind their answers. Simple one-sentence answers won’t get the job done! THINK LIKE A SCIENTIST!!
Sixth Grade Social Studies:
The sixth graders recently finished their study of the Fertile Crescent and ancient Mesopotamian cultures, including the Sumerians, Hebrews, Assyrians, and Phoenicians. They met such historical figures as Abraham, Moses, Hammurabi, and Solomon, and such places as Babylon, Israel and Thebes. Your child should be able to tell you that the first civilizations arose in the Fertile Crescent about 7,000 years ago as people began farming and domesticating plants and animals.
The sixth graders will now take a trip back to ancient Egypt with a study of the Nile River Valley culture. They will explore the mysteries of ancient Egyptian religion and the pyramids, and meet famous celebrities like King Tut and the egomaniac pharaoh Ramses II, who was obsessed with building monuments to himself!
