Welcome to Mrs. Harms' Fifth Grade
|
|
 Health/Science |
 Reading |
 Math |
 Social Studies |
Parent Notes:
Reviewing math facts would be very beneficial for the students. Thanks for practicing spelling words with your child and for providing a positive learning environment in your home.
January through March - Students will prepare for the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment tests. This will familiarize students with the test in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. The fifth graders will be reviewing math skills, reading strategies, and writing complete paragraphs.
Building teamwork and exploring different techniques for handling conflicts to create a nurturing environment in the classroom where students' self-concepts can grow as they become competent decision-makers.
September - The fifth graders participate in many electrifying experiments using the Scientific Method. Electricity leads into the world of magnets.
October - Continue to work with electricity and magnets. Also one body system with be introduced which will be reviewed in January with the booklet. The skeletal system will open the door to the way each system works and how to keep it healthy.
November - Energy and motion - As fifth grade scientists, we ask many questions in regard to energy and motion. For example, What Forces Affect Objects on Earth Every Day? What Are Balanced and Unbalanced Forces? What Is Work and How Is It Measured? These questions will be answered using the Scientific Method.
December - Continue with energy and motion. The students will take a look at how inertia and gravity affect the moon's orbit and the planets.
January - February; Working on a body system booklet which includes a description of each system, ways to keep the system healthy, diseases of the system, and interesting facts.
February - The fifth graders will welcome a nutritional unit including the food pyramid.
March - A nutritional unit will continue along with a look at healthy snacks.
April - May; An aids unit will be covered along with social skills to finish out the year.
Reading
Reading Unit 1 - Time of
My Life - We sometimes find memorable experiences in unexpected places.
Theme Connections
Each of the five selections relates to the unit theme Time of My Life as well as to the global theme Experience. These thematic links will help students to make connections across texts.
The Wise Old Woman - An old woman saves her village by solving three tricky puzzles.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Three young people are swept into an adventure in a strange land.
Wilma Unlimited - Wilma Rudolph overcomes steep obstacles to become the fastest woman in the world.
The Wreck of the Zephyr - An old sailor spins a tale about a boat that glided on the winds.
Tornadoes - Tornado chasers have learned a lot about tracking nature's most powerful storms.
Reading Unit 2 - Building Bridges - Knowing what we have in common helps us appreciate our differences.
Theme Connections
Each of the five selections relates to the unit theme Building Bridges as well as to the global theme Connections. These thematic links will help students to make connections across texts.
The Gold Coin - A thief follows an old woman, hoping to steal her gold, but finds something better than gold.
John Henry - John Henry was the strongest person in the world, but could he beat a machine?
It's Our World, Too! - Two young people try to right some of the wrongs they find in the world.
Dear Mr. Henshaw - Leigh, a young author, has moved to a new town, where he deals with the problems in his life.
Digging Up the Past - Archeologists are uncovering objects that provide clues to life in Jamestown, America's first English colony.
Reading Unit 3 - Imagine That - The way we express our thoughts and feelings can take different forms
Theme Connections
Each of the five selections relates to the unit theme Imagine That as well as to the global theme Expression. These thematic links will help students to make connections to the texts.
The Marble Champ - Lupe wants to excel in sports and decides that marbles is the game for her.
The Paper Dragon - To save his village from a fire-breathing dragon, artist Mi Fei consults his painted scrolls.
Grandma Essie's Covered Wagon - Essie recounts her experiences as a young girl crossing the prairie to Kansas and Oklahoma.
Going Back Home - Michele Wood creates a series of pictures about going home to the south.
A Mountain of a Monument - When this memorial to chief Crazy Horse is finished, it will be the biggest statue in the world.
Reading Unit 4 - Investigate! - We never know where the search for answers might lead us.
Theme Connections
Each of the five selections relates to the unit theme Investigate! as well as to the global theme Inquiry. These thematic links will help students to make connections across texts.\
Carlos and the Skunk - Carlos learns an unpleasant lesson when he tries to impress his friend Gloria.
How to Think Like a Scientist - Four examples highlight the value of the scientific method in everyday life.
An Island Scrapbook - The author and her daughter investigate everyday life and beauty on a barrier island.
The Big Storm - People are still talking about the storm that blew across the United States in 1982.
Catching Up with Lewis and Clark - Historians are trying to trace the steps of explorers Lewis and Clark.
Reading Unit 5 - Bright Ideas. - Some problems require unusual approaches.
Theme Connections
Each of the five selections relates to the unit theme Bright Ideas as well as to the global theme Problem Solving. These thematic links will help students to make connections across texts.
The Riddle - A charcoal maker with a bright idea receives 100 gold coins.
Life in Flatland - Flat people cope with living in a flat world.
Tonweya and the Eagles - Tonweya befriends two young eagles that help him rejoin his tribe.
Breaker's Bridge - A magician helps a bridge builder complete a seemingly "Impossible" task.
Cleaning Up America's Air - Stricter guidelines help curb the problem of air pollution.
Reading Unit 6 - Crossroads - Decisions cause changes that can enrich our lives.
Theme Connections
Each of the five selections relates to the unit theme Crossroads as well as to the global theme Expression. These thematic links will help students to make connections across texts.
Amistad Rising - People make decisions about slavery.
Rip Van Winkle - Rip decides to go hunting and returns 20 years later.
Sea Maidens of Japan - A Japanese girl decides to conquer her fear.
The Silent Lobby - A group of African Americans decide to make their votes count.
Amazon Alert! - Decision to clear land devastates the Amazon rain forest.
_________________________________________
Daily Language Review - Monday through Thursday -
Two sentences to edit - corrections need to be made in punctuation, capitalization, and grammar.
Three items that practice a variety of language and reading skills.
Enrichment
Using the Trade Book Library students extend the skills and strategies and apply them to new literature with a guided reading period every day.
Unit 1 - Place Value of Whole Numbers and Decimals
Add and subtract whole numbers and decimals
Unit 2 - Algebra, data, and graphing
Writing and solving equations using addition and multiplication
Collecting, organizing, making, and analyzing graphs
Unit 3 - Multiply Whole Numbers and Decimals
Unit 4 - Divide Whole Numbers and Decimals
Dividing a whole number by 1-digit, 2-digit divisors and decimals. Dividing decimals by decimals too.
Unit 5 - Number Theory and Fractions
Unit 6 - Operations with Fractions
Unit 7 - Algebra and Geometry
Unit 8 - Measurement
Unit 9 - Ratio, Percent, and Probability
Accelerated Math is a daily challenge for the Fifth Graders.
Unit 1 - Explorers - Identify the contributions of significant individuals during the period of early European exploration and colonization of the Americas.
Unit 2 - The Thirteen Colonies - Compare and contrast the geography of the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies.
Unit 3 - Colonial Life in North America -
Unit 4 - American Revolution -
THE FOLLOWING ARE LEARNING LINKS TO WEB SITES THAT MAY ENHANCE THE CURRICULUM AT PLEASANTVIEW ELEMENTARY. CLICK ON THE HIGHLIGHTED SITES TO EXPLORE!