The Week of September 3rd

Hi everyone! Welcome back to our 5th Grade blog. Thank you for reading again. We hope that you will bookmark this link and visit this blog often, as it will be an important source of communication between our teaching team and our Town Center fifth grade families. 

Please see the Google calendar embedded above with important dates and reminders. 

Important Reminders: 

• As you know, we had Curriculum Night this past Thursday, August 30th. During Curriculum Night, we shared a presentation that has a lot of important information about this year. (Click here for the link.) If you were not able to make it to this event, please take a minute to read through the presentation. If you have any questions, please email your son/daughter's homeroom teacher. We are happy to answer any questions! 

What's Happening Around TCE? 

• On Thursday, September 6th, the students will take individual school pictures! The picture order form went home with the students last week. You can also view online purchasing information here. 

• Please plan on joining us Friday, September 14th for Special Friend's Day, a fun-filled day at Town Center! We have designated times throughout the day for "Special Friends" (family & family friends) to visit our learners' classrooms in order to see some of the great things they are learning and doing. The designated time for 5th grade is 8:30-9:30. Our campus book fair will also be open during this time. In order to expedite the check-in process for our Special Friend's Day visitors, please fill in the form above (click here or on the picture) BY THURSDAY, SEPT. 13TH AT 10:00AM in order for us to quickly sign in the special friend and send them to meet up with your child.

A Peek into Our Classrooms

Learners used digital apps to create a visual presentation to accompany their Where I'm From poems.

Learners used digital apps to create a visual presentation to accompany their Where I'm From poems.

Learners used digital apps to create a visual presentation to accompany their Where I'm From poems.

Learners used digital apps to create a visual presentation to accompany their Where I'm From poems.

5A students had their first guidance lesson from Ms. Matlock!

Learners in Miss Perry's class made observations about household crystals before testing their solubilities to find our unknown!

Learners in Miss Perry's class made observations about household crystals before testing their solubilities to find our unknown!

You can always follow the hashtag #tce5th on Twitter to see more pictures from our classrooms. 

Curriculum Updates: 

Math
This week in math we will be expanding our multiplication and division abilities! We will be working on multiplying 3 digit numbers by 2 digit number and dividing 4 digit numbers by 2 digit numbers. In multiplication we will be utilizing the Area Model and Algorithm as strategies. In division we will be utilizing Partial Quotient and Algorithm as strategies. We will begin posting weekly, optional homework on next weeks blog.

Science
This week in science, we will be exploring density. The learners will be participating in a whole group demonstration and then will be working on a online interactive. They will be taking a quiz over physical properties of matter, solubility, and density. They will then begin exploring the differences in mixtures and solutions.

Social Studies
This week in Social Studies, learners will continue to understand the causes and effects of European Exploration. They will explore the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies through guided activities.

Reading & Language Arts
This week in readers workshop, the learners will practice writing about reading and reading with a writer's mindset. Learners will focus on forming big ideas about their reading and finding evidence in the text to support those big ideas.

Our 5th graders wrote their own versions of "Where I'm From" poems. Learners then created visual presentations to showcase their poetry. You may access the instructions and rubrics for these assignments in this presentation. Throughout the next week, the fifth graders will be posting their finished products on this link. Please do not be alarmed if your son/daughter's product is not on this link, as we are still in the publishing phase of the writing process.

The Week of August 27th

Hi everyone! Welcome back to our 5th Grade blog. Thank you for reading again. We hope that you will bookmark this link and visit this blog often, as it will be an important source of communication between our teaching team and our Town Center fifth grade families. 

Please see the Google calendar embedded above with important dates and reminders. 

Important Reminders: 

• Last week, Coach Erickson talked to the 5th graders about signing up for Safety Patrol. Any 5th grader that is interested in signing up needs to complete this application by Tuesday, August 28th at 3:05 pm. (Students have already been made aware of this deadline.) 

What's Happening Around TCE? 

• Curriculum Night - You and your family are invited to join us for 5th Grade Curriculum Night on Thursday, August 30th, from 6:30-7:30. During this presentation, we will share details about our curriculum, academic goals, and grade level policies & procedures. If you are unable to make it on this night, we will be happy to share a digital copy of our presentation. 

• On Thursday, September 6th, the students will take individual school pictures! The picture order form went home with the students last week. You can also view online purchasing information here. 

A Peek into Our Classrooms

Fingerprint formulas in Miss Seifert's room! 

Paper airplanes in Miss Seifert's classroom!

Practicing our ABCDs while drawing Accurate, Big, Colorful & Detailed diagrams in the garden with Miss Perry!

Practicing coding skills with Miss Seifert!

Science group work in Miss Perry's classroom!

This week the 5th graders started running the daily announcements show. Between hosting the show, working the equipment, and stepping in as announcement helpers, the 5th graders are on top of it! 

You can always follow the hashtag #tce5th on Twitter to see more pictures from our classrooms. 

Curriculum Updates: 

Math
This week in math, we will begin our unit over whole number operations which includes lessons over estimation, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Science
This week in science, we will be wrapping up our exploration of the scientific processes. We will begin our unit over Matter and Energy. The learners will be participating in hands on investigations to learn about the physical properties of matter.

Social Studies
Learners will continue understanding causes and effects of European colonization in the United States. Students will understand why groups of people settled, explored, and colonized in the United States.

Reading & Language Arts
This week we will begin getting into our reading workshop routine. The learners will set personal goals for reading and begin to explore what it means to write well about reading. In addition, learners will continue to get into the routine of updating their digital reading logs and sharing their reading with their classmates.

Our 5th graders have been writing their own versions of "Where I'm From" poems. This week, learners will finish writing their final copies which will then be turned into a class poetry anthology. Next, learners will create a video project to accompany their poems. We look forward to sharing these with our final products with our students' families!

The Week of August 20th

Hi everyone! Welcome to our 5th Grade blog. We hope that you will bookmark this link and visit this blog often, as it will be an important source of communication between our teaching team and our Town Center fifth grade families. 

Please see the Google calendar embedded above with important dates and reminders. 

Important Reminders: 

• If you have not already completed the online Back to School Information forms that your teacher has emailed, please complete those as quickly as possible. 
• 5th Grade Schedules - Our specials time on Mondays-Thursdays is 9:55-10:50. Our specials time on Fridays is 11:10-12:00. Our lunch time is always 12:30-1:00, and our recess is always 1:00-1:30. 

What's Happening Around TCE? 

• Curriculum Night - You and your family are invited to join us for 5th Grade Curriculum Night on Thursday, August 30th, from 6:30-7:30. During this presentation, we will share details about our curriculum, academic goals, and grade level policies & procedures. If you are unable to make it on this night, we will be happy to share a digital copy of our presentation. 

A Peek into Our Classrooms

 

You can always follow the hashtag #tce5th on Twitter to see more pictures from our classrooms. 

Curriculum Updates: 

Math
This week in math, we will be exploring math norms in the classroom. The learners will be creating a math goal that they want to achieve by the end of the year. They will also be taking a beginning of the year assessment. On Friday, they will be taking their first pre-assessment over multiplication and division.

Science
This week in science, we will be exploring the Scientific Processes. The learners will be participating in a hands on investigation and discussing when they use certain processes throughout the investigation.

Social Studies
Learners will begin understanding causes and effects of European colonization in the United States. Students will understand why groups of people, settled, explored and colonized the United States.

Reading & Language Arts
This week we will focus on setting up our classroom reading communities. Learners will set goals for their independent reading, learn the ways in which they can share about their reading with their classmates, and begin to rebuild their independent reading stamina.

May 21st-25th

Hello everyone! It was another event packed week with our field trip and 5th grade talent show. Shoutout to all our talent show performers and parents who made it all possible! Also, a special shoutout to Tim Tidwell for helping backstage! Please see below for the filmed performance and make sure to read all of the end of the year reminders and updates.

Announcements

There is no school Monday, May 28th for Memorial Day.

Graduation

Graduation will be in the Town Center Gym at 1:00 on Tuesday, May 29th. We ask that learners to bring their Sunday best to change into for the graduation ceremony. We recommend khaki, navy, or black slacks with a button-up shirt or polo for boys and a dress or skirt and nice shirt for girls. All parents and family members are invited to join us in the gym at 1:00, and we will have a reception in the cafeteria after the ceremony. 

Talent Show Video

Please click here for the video recording of our 5th Grade Talent Show.

Germs and Bacteria Presentation

On Wednesday, May 30th, Dave Greenberg, an Infectious Disease doctor, will be coming in the morning to talk with 5th grade about germs and bacteria. We will then get to explore the school and hunt for GERMS!  We are all super excited to hear him speak.

Board Game Day

5th Grade will be allowed to bring board games and cards on Wednesday, May 30th. We will play these games in the afternoon. 

Last Day Information

-The last day of school is Thursday, May 31st.
-Learners can meet at the Cozby Library at 7:00 AM for peanut-free donuts and juice. They will all walk to school together for the last time.
-The 5th Grade Goodbye Walk will be at 12:00. Learners will walk around the school to say goodbye. Parents are welcome to join. We recommend coming a little before noon to find a good spot.
-All learners will be released at 12:15. Please let your child's homeroom teacher know if they are getting home a different way on this day.

Yearbooks

Yearbooks are on sale at the office for $25. You may purchase one with a cash or a check made out to TCE PTO. These will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. We will also allow learners to sign each other's yearbooks on Wednesday, May 30th during game day. 

Summer Learning Ideas

2018 Summer Reading Activities 
Please click the link for information:
https://tinyurl.com/summerreadingtce2018

License Plate Math
This game involves fraction, multiplication, and division. You chose a “number of the hour,” and your children need to figure out how they can combine numbers they see on passing license plates or even road signs to reach that number. To make it trickier, you can award only one point for each plate, and whoever thinks up the last combination wins the point. For example, if the number of the hour is 15, and the plate reads JR-1435, your son might spot “3×5,” but then your daughter could call out “(1+4)*3.” (link)


License Plate Codes
Keep track of any vanity plates you see. Use a basic alphanumeric cipher to substitute the letter on plates for numbers. (The easiest code is just giving each letter of the alphabet the number of its position in the alphabet, in which A = 1 and Z = 26.) Calculate to see which vanity plate has the highest numerical value. (link)


License Plate Place Value
Have each passenger find a license plate and write down the number, taking out any letters. Ask your child to read each number to you (if she can), and compare them and see whose number is the largest. Ask: Can you identify the number in the tens place in each license plate? What about the hundreds place? Does anyone's plate have a larger place value than hundreds? What is it? Whose license plate number is larger if you add the numbers on each plate together? (link)


Distance and Time
Turn “Are we there yet?” into a learning opportunity. Create paper tickets for each trip and share how many tickets long the trip will be. At even intervals, collect one ticket from your child. This fun exercise gives children a tangible and visual way to understand distance and time. Using different colors allows your child to practice patterns and learn early addition problems or fractions. (link)

Counting Game
Basic counting games might sound dull, but they can be a fun way for your child to practice their counting and addition skills if you throw in a competitive edge. Have your children make predictions about what they think they’ll see on the road and keep points for sightings. For example, each child can choose a color of car and a kind of animal (birds don’t count!), and get a point for each time they see their attributes. Your kids will pit their favorite colors against each other, or maybe it’ll be a battle between horses and deer, but they’ll learn not only to hold cumulative sums in their minds, but they’ll start to notice probability principles, too. (link)


Attribute Finds
Each child chooses a color of car, a make, and an attribute, for example “green,” “Subaru,” and “bumper stickers.” You’ll want to think of a list of “attributes” beforehand, things that are easy to spot and equally probable, like bumper stickers, dents/damage, backseat passengers, or rearview mirror decorations. Every time they see a car that has one of those three attributes, they call it out and claim points. The points scale according to rarity— e.g., you get one point for any green cars, two points for any Subaru’s, and three points for bumper stickers. If a green Toyota with a clean bumper drove by, you’d get one point, and if a white Chevy with a bumper sticker drove by, you’d get three. The real fun comes in when a vehicle has multiple attributes, in which case you add the numbers for the attributes—to use our example, a green Subaru with bumper stickers would be worth six points. You can add all kinds of variations to make it harder and more intellectually involved, like multiplication for multiple attributes, or giving your children the ability to “call” each other’s attributes out first for half points. (link)

May 14th-18th

Hello 5th grade parents! We are so close to the end of the year and have many exciting events coming up! Please see below for lots of information:


You're invited!

What's Happening at TCE:

Biodiversity Center

The 5th Grade will be taking a field trip to the Biodiversity Center on May 21st. We are looking for a few chaperones from each class to come with us. Please email your homeroom teacher if you are interested. Please have your learner bring in their yellow permission form.

Lost and Found

The last day to collect anything from lost and found will be Wednesday, May 16th. All items still in the lost in found on Thursday, May 17th will be donated around lunchtime.

Field Day

Please remember to have an updated background check if you are planning on walking with the classes during field day. You can complete this at https://www.coppellisd.com/Domain/3443. Also, please fill out the PINK permission slip to allow your learner to walk to the park and swim with their class. Your learner will not be able to participate in these activities if the form is not returned and signed.

Lunch Changes

Due to the end of the year quickly approaching we have had some changes in our 5th grade lunch schedule. Please note the changes below:

May 29th and 30th lunch will be at 12:00pm for 5th grade.

Summer Learning Ideas

License Plate Math

This game involves fraction, multiplication, and division. You chose a “number of the hour,” and your children need to figure out how they can combine numbers they see on passing license plates or even road signs to reach that number. To make it trickier, you can award only one point for each plate, and whoever thinks up the last combination wins the point. For example, if the number of the hour is 15, and the plate reads JR-1435, your son might spot “3×5,” but then your daughter could call out “(1+4)*3.” (link)

License Plate Codes

Keep track of any vanity plates you see. Use a basic alphanumeric cipher to substitute the letter on plates for numbers. (The easiest code is just giving each letter of the alphabet the number of its position in the alphabet, in which A = 1 and Z = 26.) Calculate to see which vanity plate has the highest numerical value. (link)

License Plate Place Value

Have each passenger find a license plate and write down the number, taking out any letters. Ask your child to read each number to you (if she can), and compare them and see whose number is the largest. Ask: Can you identify the number in the tens place in each license plate? What about the hundreds place? Does anyone's plate have a larger place value than hundreds? What is it? Whose license plate number is larger if you add the numbers on each plate together? (link)

Distance and Time

Turn “Are we there yet?” into a learning opportunity. Create paper tickets for each trip and share how many tickets long the trip will be. At even intervals, collect one ticket from your child. This fun exercise gives children a tangible and visual way to understand distance and time. Using different colors allows your child to practice patterns and learn early addition problems or fractions. (link)

Counting Game

Basic counting games might sound dull, but they can be a fun way for your child to practice their counting and addition skills if you throw in a competitive edge. Have your children make predictions about what they think they’ll see on the road and keep points for sightings. For example, each child can choose a color of car and a kind of animal (birds don’t count!), and get a point for each time they see their attributes. Your kids will pit their favorite colors against each other, or maybe it’ll be a battle between horses and deer, but they’ll learn not only to hold cumulative sums in their minds, but they’ll start to notice probability principles, too. (link)

Attribute Finds

Each child chooses a color of car, a make, and an attribute, for example “green,” “Subaru,” and “bumper stickers.” You’ll want to think of a list of “attributes” beforehand, things that are easy to spot and equally probable, like bumper stickers, dents/damage, backseat passengers, or rearview mirror decorations. Every time they see a car that has one of those three attributes, they call it out and claim points. The points scale according to rarity— e.g., you get one point for any green cars, two points for any Subaru’s, and three points for bumper stickers. If a green Toyota with a clean bumper drove by, you’d get one point, and if a white Chevy with a bumper sticker drove by, you’d get three. The real fun comes in when a vehicle has multiple attributes, in which case you add the numbers for the attributes—to use our example, a green Subaru with bumper stickers would be worth six points. You can add all kinds of variations to make it harder and more intellectually involved, like multiplication for multiple attributes, or giving your children the ability to “call” each other’s attributes out first for half points. (link)

May 7th-11th

Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all your kindness this week. We all feel very appreciated. The end of the year is quickly approaching, so please make sure to read all of the updates and check out our Google calendar.

You're invited!

What's Happening at TCE?

STAAR Testing

-STAAR Science will be on Wednesday, May 16th
-It is essential that your learner gets plenty of rest, eats a healthy breakfast, and arrives to school on time on these days.
-Learners will be provided snacks and a water bottle, so they do not need additional snacks.
-We will not be able to have any visitors in the building on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. This also means no visitors at lunch.
-During the test, we will need to take up all cell phones and smart watches. Learners will get their cell phones back at the end of the day. Teachers will also not have access to our phones or computers, so please call the office if there is an urgent message.
-Due to testing, there will be no homework this week.

Biodiversity Center

The 5th Grade will be taking a field trip to the Biodiversity Center on May 21st. We are looking for a few chaperones from each class to come with us. Please email your homeroom teacher if you are interested.

Lost and Found

The last day to collect anything from lost and found will be Wednesday, May 16th. All items still in the lost in found on Thursday, May 17th will be donated around lunchtime.

Field Day

Please remember to have an updated background check if you are planning on walking with the classes during field day. You can complete this at https://www.coppellisd.com/Domain/3443. Also, please fill out the PINK permission slip to allow your learner to walk to the park and swim with their class. Your learner will not be able to participate in these activities if the form is not returned and signed.

Lunch Changes

Due to the end of the year quickly approaching we have had some changes in our 5th grade lunch schedule. Please note the changes below:
May 14th and 15th lunch will be at 11:15am for 5th grade.
May 29th and 30th lunch will be at 12:00pm for 5th grade.

We also wanted to give a special thank you to everyone who helped support Teacher Appreciation Week this week. Thank you for all of the wonderful gifts and surprises.  

What's Happening in the Classroom?

In language arts, we revisited figurative language through our mentor sentence. Moreover, we have started our TCE legacy papers. Learners have reflected and explored the impact they have made at TCE.

In math,  we continued to work on our end of the year projects. Some of them include Budgeting a Dream Vacation, Length of a School Year, Designing a Floor, and a House Design Challenge.

For writing, we have been working on our TCE Legacy papers. These are very special for our learners and they have been working extremely hard on them. Your child can share their journey through TCE with you as they continue to write these papers. You might also have some extra memories that you can share with them to add to the stories.

In social studies, we are learning about the various causes of the Civil War. We also learned about states seceding from the United States. 

April 30th-May 4th

We had SUCH a fun trip to Sky Ranch last week. Parent chaperones, please upload any pictures you took while we were at Sky Ranch for the graduation slideshow!

You're Invited!

Classroom Updates

In reading and writing, we are starting book clubs where learners are using teamwork and time management skills to plan meetings. Learners also finished working on their end of the year writing piece, as well as they finished their crayon papers and shared them with others. We are also writing letters to show gratitude.

In social studies, we are beginning to delve into the causes of the Civil War by exploring the tensions between the North and the South. 

In math, we have been completing projects to help us practice our content skills such as a planning a vacation project and a hosting a party project.

In science, we have been continuing our exploration of Life Science by learning about the structure and function of animals, inherited traits and learned behaviors, and adaptations of animals. Learners are also designing an animal with certain features based on a specific environment.