5th Grade News

Language Arts/Social Studies:

• The learners started a new Junior Great Book Story, "No Guitar Blues", this week which included a character with quite the dilemma. In preparation of our "Great Debate" next week, the learners generated questions for our class to discuss. In Social Studies, students took on the role of an advertiser for their colony. They worked with a group to create a slogan, catchy statements, and visuals to use on their billboard. Another fun activity that the students enjoyed, was creating an ornament for the library tree that describes a "gift" they have.

Math/Science:

• The learners continued to work on their Holiday Feast project this week in math. They are converting recipe ingredient amounts in order to have the correct amounts for their holiday guests. In science, the learners started their design challenge which focuses on the question, "How does the climate of a region affect a community and its way of life?" They will be using a variety of technology resources in the coming weeks to both research and show their findings.

In Other News:

5th Grade News

Math Resource:

• With the holiday breaks approaching, we know many learners and parents are always looking for extra ways to practice their math skills at home. The screencast below shows directions on how to utilize an online math resource the learners have access to called Think Central. This online resource goes directly with their Go Math workbooks.

LA/SS:

• The learners were able to show off their wonderful "Fish" projects this week. We were amazed by the variety and excitement they shared. We also had a mystery skype with Mr. Bloecher who was in Honduras. The students had a great time putting their geography and questioning skills into action to figure out the mystery. They also had a chance to hear about what everyday life is like in Honduras. In Social Studies, students took on the role of an early English settler to explain what challenges they faced coming to the New World.

Math/Science:

• In Math this week, we continued working on our Holiday Dinner PBL. The learners are multiplying and dividing fractions in order to adjust the holiday recipes to fit the number of guests they will have at their holiday dinner. In Science, we wrapped up our discussions on force, motion, and energy, and began discussing how to cite sources for research with the help of Mrs. Montgomery. We will be using these skills for our next Science engineering design project after the break.

In Other News:

• Second Grade is starting their Canned Goods Drive on Monday. Click this link to learn more

5th Grade News

LA/SS:

• The learners have been hard at work this week on their independent Fish project, and they are anxious to present next week. We have such a great variety of ways the learners have chosen to show off their knowledge, and it has been wonderful seeing their excitement and hard work each day! We also started learning about some of the first English colonies and the challenges they faced moving to a new place.

Math/Science:

• In Math this week, we continued our "Operations with Fractions" unit by introducing our brand new Project-Based Learning (PBL) experience. We will be designing a holiday dinner by adjusting holiday recipes to fit the number of guests at our party! The learners are excited to jump into this learning experience next week. In Science, we explored the topics of force, motion, and energy through Discovery Education resources and class discussions.

Global Connections:

• This week Ms. Minton talked to us about her experiences helping at a school in Zambia over the summer, and Mrs. Chandra, one of our 5C parents, shared information about the culture of India. Both of these guest speakers connected to our discussions about the Enduring Understanding "Where you live affects how you live."

• We also had the opportunity to participate in a live webcast via www.explore.org called "Using STEM to Study Polar Bears."

School Activities:

• This year's Pansy Planting was a huge success!

In Other News:

• Our Turkey Drive is coming up in November. Please click on this link learn more

• Second Grade is starting their Canned Goods Drive on Monday. Click this link to learn more

5th Grade News

LA/SS:

• We have had an exciting week! The students made some great connections this week through Mystery Skypes. They were able to put their geography skills to work as they successfully guessed the location of other classes around the world. The students also researched various explorers and were able to present their new information to the class.

Math/Science:

• In Math this week, we began our "Operations with Fractions" unit with some introductory explorations utilizing online fraction manipulative tools. We also wrapped up our "lawn-mowing job" decimals performance assessment and began presenting some of them in class! In Science, we designed our own labs about the different properties of matter, and had the opportunity to test each other's labs and give feedback.

In Other News:

• Our Turkey Drive is coming up in November. Please click on this link learn more

• Second Grade is starting their Canned Goods Drive on Monday. Click this link to learn more

November 2

LA/SS:

• In Language Arts, we started a new Junior Great Book entitled Learning The Game.  It paints an interesting picture of the life of migrant farmers. The students continue to enjoy their connection with other students via Twitter Live Chat and  Kidblog. If you have a chance, look at our class' Kidblog.  Your students can show you the site.  In Social Studies,  we  researched specific European Explorers and presented the information to our classmates.  

Math/Science:

• In Math this week, we worked on completing our hallway Financial Literacy Frayer models with hand-drawn pictures, printed pictures, examples and non-examples. We also continued to work on our Lawn Mowing Summer Job project that went along with dividing decimals. We are getting ready to present our plans next week. In Science, we reviewed mixtures, solutions, and saturation. We had the opportunity to discuss the current heavy rain we've been getting in Coppell and connected that to our conversations about soil saturation and flash flooding.

In Other News:

• Our Turkey Drive is coming up in November. Please click on the following link to learn more.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_52vEGfDhcaY1llSnVHVllKUEk/view?usp=sharing​

5th Grade News

What's Happening Down C-Hall... 

LA/SS:

• In Language Arts, we started our Global Read Aloud, Fish.  The students are having a chance to connect with other students via Twitter, Edmodo and Skpe.  In Social Studies, we introduced our Explorer unit and look forward to our "sunken ship archaeological dive" next week.

Math/Science:

• In Science, we investigated mixtures and solutions using filters and screens. This week in math we began our study on multiplication of decimals. We looked at multiplying and dividing by powers of ten, as well as different strategies for multiplying decimals.

In 5th grade, your child will be exposed to more flipped homework. This means that we will send assignments home that will need to be completed that evening in order to be able to participate in the activity the following day. Some of these assignments will need access to technology. We understand that at times technology does not work properly. If this is happening to your child, will you please let us know in an email or a note for the next day, and we will accommodate accordingly. If you have any other questions or concerns about technology homework being completed at home, please do not hesitate to contact your child's homeroom teacher. 

Thanks!  

In Other News... 

• We will have a parent information meeting concerning our Sky Ranch trip on January 20th, 2016 at 5:30pm in the TCE Cafeteria.

5th Grade News

What's Happening Down C-Hall... 

LA/SS:

• This week the classes met "Charles", and they had a great time discussing him during our first Great Debate. We had student council elections which gave students the opportunity to practice public speaking. We completed our American Indians unit, and we will start exploring next week as we study Explorers!

Math/Science:

• This week we began to look at data with decimals. The learners looked at the average rainfall for Coppell and did some research on the different sizes of bugs and graphed their data. We also began the process of multiplying decimals and looking at the different strategies we can use. In science, we wrote our reflections on density and used the formula to calculate different densities. We will continue to work on states of matter and how we can classify different properties of matter.

Service Learning:

Kindergarten is collecting gently used shoes for our shoe drive! We will be using these shoes in our first Engineering unit as well as donating them to various charities in our community.

 

Kindergarten is also collecting any blue jeans that you are not using/wearing anymore! We are going to be doing our very first global service learning project this month. We will be helping to make closed toe shoes for children in Africa out of blue jeans. If you would like a little more information before we get started, please click on the link below! More information will be coming home as we get closer to starting this global service learning project!

http://www.solehope.org/

Homework: 

In 5th grade, your child will be exposed to more flipped homework. This means that we will send assignments home that will need to be completed that evening in order to be able to participate in the activity the following day. Some of these assignments will need access to technology. We understand that at times technology does not work properly. If this is happening to your child, will you please let us know in an email or a note for the next day, and we will accommodate accordingly. If you have any other questions or concerns about technology homework being completed at home, please do not hesitate to contact your child's homeroom teacher. 

Thanks!  

In Other News... 

• We will have a parent information meeting concerning our Sky Ranch trip on January 20th, 2016 at 5:30pm in the TCE Cafeteria.

• In order to help keep our students hydrated during these warm temperatures, we encourage them to bring a water bottle to school.
• Don't forget if you signed up for a conference this up coming week that you check your time and arrive with enough time to head down to the classrooms. Just like last year these will be student-led, please bring your child with you on Friday.

5th Grade News: September 28th-October 2nd

What's Happening Down C-Hall... 

LA/SS:

•  This week we participated in two mind missions which focused on American Indians' way of life. We also started a new Junior Great Book. Make sure to ask your learners about "Charles". 

Math/Science:

• This week we worked on our Decimal Must Do/May Do Board. The learners worked on decimal riddles and created some of their own. We also discussed the difference between expanded form and expanded notation. In science we continued talking about the properties of matter. We looked at displacement for finding the volume of irregular objects and began our study on density.

Homework: 

In 5th grade, your child will be exposed to more flipped homework. This means that we will send assignments home that will need to be completed that evening in order to be able to participate in the activity the following day. Some of these assignments will need access to technology. We understand that at times technology does not work properly. If this is happening to your child, will you please let us know in an email or a note for the next day, and we will accommodate accordingly. If you have any other questions or concerns about technology homework being completed at home, please do not hesitate to contact your child's homeroom teacher. 

Thanks!  

In Other News... 

• Please make sure you look at the Sky Ranch Information Letters. They are on a GREEN sheet of paper in your learner's folder. Please look over them and discuss this awesome opportunity with your learner. We will have a parent information meeting January 20th, 2016 at 5:30 in the TCE Cafeteria.  A $50 deposit to secure your learners' spot will be due by THIS FRIDAY, October 2nd, 2015.

• In order to help keep our students hydrated during these warm temperatures, we encourage them to bring a water bottle to school.
• Fall parent conferences will be Friday, October 9th. Please look for a e-mail from your child's homeroom teacher to sign up for your conference time.

5th Grade News: September 21st-25th

What's Happening Down C-Hall... 

LA/SS:

• This week in language arts, we published our autobiographies and even created an audio version to go with it. Some of these will be on display in our hallway and on all student Google sites. In social studies, the students explored American Indians and how their way of life was affected by their environment. Students were able to use their online interaction notebooks to share what they learned. 

Math/Science:

• This week in math we finished up our whole number operations math ports and began our new unit on decimals. We will cover decimal place value and decimal operations over the next few weeks. We will do working on some learning experiences to go with our unit. In science we began discussing mass, magnetism, and volume. We talked about the differences between mass and weight as well as the formula for finding volume. 

Homework: 

In 5th grade, your child will be exposed to more flipped homework. This means that we will send assignments home that will need to be completed that evening in order to be able to participate in the activity the following day. Some of these assignments will need access to technology. We understand that at times technology does not work properly. If this is happening to your child, will you please let us know in an email or a note for the next day, and we will accommodate accordingly. If you have any other questions or concerns about technology homework being completed at home, please do not hesitate to contact your child's homeroom teacher. 

Thanks!  

In Other News... 

• Please make sure you look at the Sky Ranch Information Letters. They are on a GREEN sheet of paper in your learner's folder. Please look over them and discuss this awesome opportunity with your learner. We will have a parent information meeting January 20th, 2016 at 5:30 in the TCE Cafeteria. A $50 deposit to secure your learners' spot will be due by October 2nd, 2015.
• If you are not getting Ms. Applegate’s e-mail with the blogs and updates at TCE, please let your learners' homeroom teacher know and we will relay the message to the office.
• Special Friend's Day and The Fall Family Picnic will be on September 25th. We hope to see you all there! The 5th Grade time for your Special Friend's visit is from 1:30-2:30.

• In order to help keep our students hydrated during these warm temperatures, we encourage them to bring a water bottle to school.

5th Grade News: September 14th-18th

Parents,

We are going to begin using a blog to update you on our important information going on in 5th grade.  This will take the place of the newsletter presentation that was being sent home. Your learners' homeroom teacher will still continue to send you the link at the end of the week or first thing Monday morning. As we update each week, the new posts will be at the top of the page. 

What's Happening Down C-Hall... 

LA/SS:

• Freedom was our theme this week as we participated in Celebrate Freedom Week! The students had a chance to create freedom poems of their own and explore the preamble of the Constitution. We also wrapped up the rough draft of our autobiography and the students will have a chance to clock their papers on Monday. 

Math/Science:

• This week in math we reviewed all of our multiplication and division strategies. We began the discussion on unknown quantities through our learning experiences. In science we began our unit on Matter and Energy. We talked about the different properties of matter and how they are connected to the real world. 

In Other News... 

• Sky Ranch information letters went home last week. They are on a GREEN sheet of paper in your learners' folder. Please look over them and discuss this awesome opportunity with your learner. We will have a parent information meeting January 20th, 2016 at 5:30 in the TCE Cafeteria. A $50 deposit to secure your learners' spot will be due by October 2nd, 2015.
• The BLUE emergency contact cards will be coming home with your learners. Please fill them out completely and send them back to school ASAP.
• If you are not getting Ms. Applegate’s e-mail with the blogs and updates at TCE, please let your learners' homeroom teacher know and we will relay the message to the office.
• Special Friends Day and The Fall Family Picnic will be on September 25th. We hope to see you all there! The 5th Grade time for your Special Friends visit is from 1:30-2:30.

• In order to help keep our students hydrated during these warm temperatures, we encourage them to bring a water bottle to school.

Geography Club

Please use the link below to view the flyer on the Geography Club for this year. The first meeting will be September 14th from 3:00-4:30. Contact information for questions can be found in the flyer.

Geography Club Flyer

First Week Back

We are so excited to be back at Town Center Elementary for another year of learning! Don't forget that Meet the Teacher will be Thursday, August 20th at 5pm.