This year we will begin the district's new math adoption, Ready Math.

Our focus is on adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions and decimals, multi-digit multiplication and division, and 2- and 3-D surface area and volume.

5th Grade Math Homework

The only homework students will be responsible for is unfinished class work. You're welcome ;-)

Unit 1: Mental and Emotional Health

Unit 2: Disease and Illness Prevention

Unit 3: Growth and Development/Violence Prevention

Unit 4: Substance Use & Abuse Prevention

Curriculum: Wit & Wisdom

Module 1:  Culture in Conflict (How do cultural beliefs and values guide people?) Writing focus: Informative

Module 2: Word Play (How and why do writers play with words?) Writing focus: Narrative

Module 3: A War Between Us (How did the Civil War impact people?)  Writing focus: Opinion

Module 4: Breaking Barriers (How can sports influence people and society?) Writing focus: Informative/Research

Importance of Reading at Home
Students are encouraged to read 20 minutes a night. This is important and let me tell you why . . . or better yet let's look at it mathematically:

Student A reads 20 minutes, five nights of every week;
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night...or not at all!

Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.
Student A reads 20 min. x 5 times a week = 100 mins/week
Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 mins/week

Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.
Student A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads 80 minutes a month.

Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months (school year)
Student A reads 3600 min. in a school year.
Student B reads 720 min. in a school year.

Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days.
Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.

One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance. How do you think student B will feel about him/herself as a student?

Some questions to ponder:
Which student would you expect to read better?     Which student would you expect to know more?     Which student would you expect to write better?    Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?   

Which student would you expect to be more successful in school....and in life?

Novel Studies
We will do novel studies throughout the year. This will give us the opportunity to sharpen and fine tune our reading strategies. Be sure to ask your student what we are currently reading. I strive to pick engaging and thoughtful books for this study.

Homework

Students are encouraged to read regularly at home. I don't request any kind of reading log. It's just a good thing to do. Read. Kids -- you'll thank me. 

We are lucky to be selected to participate in a pilot of a possible new curriculum for Portland Public Schools. 

The curriculum was developed by the Smithsonian and promises to be engaging and informative. 

Unit 1: How can we use the sky to navigate?

Unit 2: How can we predict change in the ecosystems?

Unit 3: How can we identify materials based on their properties?

We also get classroom visits from our friends Ecology in the Classroom and Outdoors. 

We are fortunate this year to be selected to pilot a possible new Social Studies curriculum adoption for Portland Public Schools. 

The curriculum is InquireED and promises to be engaging and informative. 

Journey 1 Native America

Journey 2 The Colonial Era

Journey 3  Rights and Responsibilities