Headlines 1/17/17

I hope everyone enjoyed their three day weekend! 

We spent the last hour of class on Monday watching an excellent documentary about the Children's March in Birmingham. I asked the students to share with you what they learned and hope that it sparked some conversation about freedom and the legacy of Martin Luther King. 

Our class was focused and worked hard last week and I hope to see more of the same this week!

We still have some slots available for the field trip to the Reniassance Festival on Tuesday, February 28th, if you are interested in attending please let me know!

ELA:

We have enjoyed reading The Secret Garden in class and have been completing daily journaling based on the book. We also are focusing on comparing and contrasting setting in the story.

This week in Grammar we are beginning our next writing assignment. Students will be using the AZMerit rubric to help them complete an informative essay about the the interaction of humans and the environment. This will primarily be an in class assignment as we help prepare them for the writing prompts on AZMerit.

We will have our quiz over Roots 51-54 on Wednesday.  Students should study these nightly!

Our next poem is “The Road  Not Taken” by Robert Frost. We will take the time to discuss the meaning of the poem in class and recitations will be Wednesday, February 1st.

Math:
This week we will review finding areas of a triangle and will them move on to finding the area of Parallelograms and rectangular prisms and cubes.  We will have math groups on Wednesday!

Science:

We will continue to learn about the plant kingdom. This week will be our first lesson on reproductive life cycles in plants as well. Be on the lookout for science homework in  the form of journal entries too!

History:
his week, students will learn about the execution of King Charles I and Britain’s Puritan “King”, Oliver Cromwell. Students will also learn how King Charles I’s sons came to power after Cromwell’s death. Students will be writing a short newspaper article describing the circumstances around King Charles’s trial and execution. Students will be receiving the Unit study guide on Thursday (due on Tuesday, January 24th), and the test will be on Thursday, January 26th. The East Coast study guide is due on Wednesday, January 18th and the quiz will be the following Wednesday, January 25th.

Headlines 1/9/17

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed a restful break and was able to relax and enjoy our beautiful Arizona winter.  I also want to thank you all for your generous gifts. I know that Mrs. McKernan and I felt incredibly spoiled and blessed by you!

We have lots of new happenings in fifth grade this quarter and are looking forward to a wonderful second semester.  Also, we will be taking a field trip on February 28th to the Renaissance Festival.  This is a fun and interactive field trip and we would love to have your help. If you are interested in attending, please let me know.

ELA

We will begin third quarter by reading The Secret Garden. This is a fun book that the students will enjoy!  Please be sure to have the book to school by tomorrow.

This week in Grammar we will learn how to identify both direct and indirect objects.  We will be using all of the sentencing diagramming skills we have learned this year to diagram these in sentenced

We begin our next set of roots this week as well. Please remember that next Wednesday will be the first quiz covering Roots 51-54.  Study these nightly to make sure you are prepared!

Science

This quarter, we will be studying the Plant Kingdom! We will be introducing the topic this week and studying non-vascular plants.

History

This week, students will learn about Queen Elizabeth I and the Golden Age of England. Students will explore the success of Sir Frances Drake and King James I, and study the Civil War under King Charles I. In Geography, students will study the states in the South. Students will receive a study guide to fill out with the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and South regions. The Study guide will be due on Wednesday, January 18th and the quiz will be the following Wednesday, January 25th. This gives students plenty of time to refresh their memories and review the material.

Math

Today we began Unit 5 and learned how to find the base of a triangle and find the area of irregular shapes. We will continue discussing areas of irregular figures this week. We will have math groups on Wednesday!

Headlines, 12/19

I can't believe we are getting ready to end our first semester and that 2016 is coming to a close!  The students have worked so hard this year, and I am incredibly proud of all the hard work they have put forth.

We have some fun activities planned this week in addition to our normal studies.  Our class celebration will be on Wednesday; thank you for all of the donations! Here are a few reminders about schedules:

• Today is a full day with regular dismissal, and tomorrow and Wednesday are half days, with dismissal at noon.
• Winter break starts on Thursday, December 22^nd through Sunday, January 8^th.  School will resume on Monday, January 9^th.
• Quarter 2 Evaluations will be sent to parents on Friday, January 6^that noon.

And this is a special message from Mr. Naaktgeboren!

To 4^th and 5^th grade families:

We are holding a grade-level team competition called “Royalty for a Day” to see who can bring in the most tax credits to support Archway Arete’s extracurricular clubs and sports.  If 4^th and 5^th grades bring in the most tax credits, I will be crowned “King of Clubs” for a day when we return from our holiday break.  As the King, I plan on holding a dodge ball tournament for all my royal subjects!  I will also hand out a special treat at the end of the tournament.  I appreciate all your help in asking friends, neighbors, and family to help support Archway Arete and help us win this competition! 

 Most Gratefully,

Mr. Naaktgeboren, King of Clubs

ELA

We are finishing up our Poetry Unit this week by using all of the poetic devices we have learned to analyze poetry.  Students should also be prepared to recite their poems, Monday December, 19th.

In Grammar we will be reviewing parts of speech through games and activities.

Students should be prepared to take the roots test over 26-50 will on Monday, December 19th.

After break we will begin reading The Secret Garden, so please bring that to school on Monday, January 9th!

Science

We will be analyzing the data from our bacteria cultures. It is fascinating to see binary fission at work.

History

This week, students will learn about the rest of Henry VIII’s wives. Students will start learning about Elizabeth I and the Golden Age of England in January.

Math

Our Unit 4 math test is today covering multiplication and division of fractions.  On Tuesday we will be playing math games to review all the work we have done this year!

Have a wonderful week!

Headlines 12/12

It's so hard to believe this is our last full week of school before winter break.  We have a lot to finish this week, and we have several tests and quizzes, so please remind your student that we are going to have a strong finish to 2016!

ELA:

This week we will continue our final writing assignment for the semester, a five paragraph persuasive essay. On Monday students will be writing their rough drafts and we are very excited to have parent help on Tuesday to help with our editing.  On Thursday we will be typing our essays in class.  We can still use more help on Tuesday, so if you can make it in, please sign up here:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0e4eaaaf29a75-fifth

In literature we are continuing our poetry unit and will be using the skills we have learned to analyze poetry.  Students should be prepared to recite their poems on December 19th.

This is our last week of roots for the quarter!  Students will receive their root review on Monday and should work on it for the remainder of the week.  The test over  roots 26-50 will be on Monday, December 19th.
Math:
This week we will continue learning about division of fractions and will review for the Unit 4 test.  The Unit 4 Test will be on Monday, December 19th.  Please make a note that we will NOT have math groups this Wednesday.  

Science:

This week we will be studying cell division in preparation for Wednesday’s quiz and analyzing the data from our bacteria experiment.

History

This week, students will learn about other prominent reformers in the field of Science: Galileo and Copernicus. We will finish work on their foldables. Study guides will be due on Thursday, December 15th. The unit test on the Reformation will be on Friday, December 16th

Headlines 12/5

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and was able to enjoy some R&R and quality time with family.  I cannot thank you enough for your patience as I was gone and especially the parents who came in and volunteered their time.  We had a wonderful trip!

We are starting a few new things this week and still have lots to accomplish before the end of the year.  Continue to encourage your student to put forth their best effort as we make a strong finish to the first semester!

Math:
We will be studying how to divide a fraction by a fraction this week and today students will take a short quiz over multiplication of fractions.

ELA:

This week we will begin our final writing assignment for the semester, a five paragraph persuasive essay. We will begin by looking at the organization of the essay and then will do research and begin our pre-writing.

In literature this week we are beginning a short unit over Poetry. We will be studying various poetic devices and students will choose a poem to recite the week of December 19th.

100 Point projects are due on Friday!  If your child has recorded a skit please make sure to either email or send in a thumb drive.  We will begin presentations this week!

Students will be tested over the helping verbs on Tuesday, you can check out the link here to help study!

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=helping+verb+blues+youtube&view=detail&mid=0C0AB49C35090405B2B70C0AB49C35090405B2B7&FORM=VIRE

We will also have our roots quiz on Wednesday.

Science:
In science, we will be learning about cell division and doing a lab about bacteria!

History:
This week, students will learn about other prominent reformers: Zwingli, Calvin, and Henry VII. Students will also learn about actions the Catholic church took during the Counter-Reformation. We will continue working on their foldables. Study guides will go home this week. The unit test on the Reformation will be on Friday, December 16th.

Headlines, 11/21

Time is flying; it's hard to believe that this week we will celebrate Thanksgiving!  This week we have school today and tomorrow and the remainder of the week will be an R&R so you can enjoy the holiday with your family.

This week I will be leaving for London with my family to celebrate my grandfather's 90th birthday.  We are all very excited!  However, I will be out next Monday-Wednesday, so please direct any questions you have to Ms. McKernan. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

ELA

This week in Writing we are practicing our persuasive writing skills by writing an essay from the point of view of the poor Thanksgiving Day Turkey!  We will also take the time to share these essays with the class on Tuesday; hopefully your students won’t request pizza for their Thanksgiving dinner!

We have almost completed Where the Red Fern Grows.  Students should have be working on their projects for the 100 Point Project.  These are due December 9th.

Students will recite, “I Hear America Singing” on Tuesday.  The next roots quiz will be on Wednesday, November 30th.

Math

This week we will introduce Unit 4 which covers multiplication and division of fractions.  We will begin with concrete examples and will then learn the algorithm.  Math groups will be back to the regular time of 8:00-9:00 beginning Wednesday, November 30th.

History
This week, students will review for the history test. Students will be assessed on their knowledge of the Renaissance on Tuesday, November 22nd.

Science:We are finishing our study of cell parts. There is a quiz on Tuesday.

Headlines 11/14

I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing weekend and this fabulous weather!  It's hard to believe that we are in our last week before Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season.

We are so excited to watch our scholars perform this on Wednesday at the winter concert.  Please let Ms. Kaye or I know if you have any questions about the concert.

As a reminder, our winter dress code began today, so boys should be in long pants, and girls should wear long pants or skirts with tights or long socks.  Students are welcome to wear jackets to school, but only uniform sweaters or sweatshirts are allowed in the classroom.  Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this.

We are looking forward to a great week!

ELA

This week in grammar we will continue to review complex sentences and dependent clauses.  We will be taking a grammar test on Thursday covering conjunctions, independent, and dependent clauses.  We will finish the week by learning about persuasive writing with a fun Thanksgiving activity.

We are delving deeper into Where the Red Fern Grows. This week we will continue to focus on comparing and contrasting characters.  Students should have chosen their projects for the 100 Point Project and hopefully have begun working on getting some of the work completed.  This project has a TENTATIVE due date of December 9th.

Students will recite, “I Hear America Singing” next Tuesday and we have our next roots quiz on Wednesday!

Math

This week in math we will be learning to use our knowledge of fractions in word problems.  Out Unit 3 Test will be on Thursday and we will begin our new unit on Friday.  We will be having math groups from 8:45-9:45 on Wednesday.  Please let us know if you are able to help.

History

This week, students will learn about Michelangelo and his great works. Students will also take a look into proper etiquette as described by Machiavelli and Castiglione. Students will be taking home passages from The Courtier and The Prince to read and annotate on Tuesday for our Socratic discussion on Thursday. These passages are very difficult and should be read with a parent or older sibling to ensure understanding. We will also discuss the Renaissance in other parts of Europe and study guides will be sent home. The Renaissance test will be Tuesday, November 22nd. If you plan to be gone, please plan to have your child take the test early.

Science

To deepen our understanding of cells, we will be learning the difference between prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells. Then, we will begin learning about the various organelles found in eukaryotic cells. There will be a ton of brand new vocabulary so I suggest that students make flash cards of the new terms and study them daily.