What is happening this week in room 34!

One theme this year that we are focusing on is having a growth mindset! The above image is an example of how to change our thinking from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. You may have heard some quotes from your students that we use in class--- "When you're done, you've only just begun!" or "We learn from our mistakes!" and "It's okay to fail- that's how we get better!" There is ALWAYS room to grow and room for improvement- this is just another reason why we always set goals and WORK to achieve them!

Here is what is happening in room 34......


Science- We are wrapping up our unit on scientific investigations with a test on Wednesday! Students should study their science notebooks and study guides (we will go over these in class on Tuesday). Students can also use this link to study the vocabulary words---Scientific Investigations Quizlet We will begin our next unit on weather this Friday!

Test Information: Please use the study guide, science notebook,

and Ch.1 in the science book to review. We did not cover all of Ch. 1 in the book though so I strongly advise you to stick with the notebooks and study guide for review. The test covers the following topics:

• science tools
• types of observations
• testable questions
• hypothesis
• variables
• how to perform a fair test
• steps of an investigation (scientific method) in order 

Writing- Thank you for taking the time to celebrate your 5th grader's 1st personal narrative in their writing portfolios and supporting them as they evaluated their work using the checklist! Today, we made goals based on the checklist and will be working towards them as we complete our 2nd personal narrative. As we draft and revise our narratives this week we will focus on stretching out the tension, catching the action or the image that produced emotion, and noticing how each character has an important role in our stories. We are learning that we become better writers by working hard to apply what we learn in mini-lessons to our own writing!

Reading- This week we are continuing to work on having meaningful and thoughtful discussions within our book clubs. All of our book clubs have finished theirfirst book and starting a 2nd one! Students are expected to be reading up to their group's stopping point each day so they are prepared to be an important contributor within their book club discussions. This week we are:

• debating to promote rich book club discussions
• reflecting on ourselves as books clubs
• comparing more than one text
• rethinking our themes to allow for more complexity
• comparing characters' connections to a theme

Math-  We are wrapping up our study of Ch. 2 this week as we learn partial products & the distributive property, estimating products using rounding & compatible numbers, and multiplying 3-digit numbers by 1-digit and 2-digit numbers. We will review on Thursday and Monday with a test on Tuesday, Sept. 27. 

It is SO IMPORTANT that your student knows their basic multiplication facts. Please quiz your child and have them practice in ALEKS (Quick Tables) or try this site---MATH MAGICIAN

Thank you for all your hard work at home- it REALLY pays off! 

Social Studies- We are continuing our study of Ch. 2- Ancient Americans. Students are participating in stations that include using mycapstonelibrary.com, creating a Native American regions map, and a textbook scavenger hunt gathering details about different tribes, while also meeting with a teacher to read and discuss parts of our textbook.

Reminder-- No School this Friday!