Cha-cha-cha-Changes

GROWTH & POWER
CHANGES 
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:
All life is interdependent and interacts causing change.
All things change over time.
Patterns, interactions and change over time, help us learn about our earth and it’s culture. 

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
How do innovations and technology effect change?
How do environments effect change over time?
What causes changes in industry?
How do interactions influence change?

SCIENCE

Before Winter Break, students completed the Survival Unit taking a unit test on all the information learned during the unit and creating Nitrogen and Carbon Cycle Cartoons. Below are some examples of the interesting and informative cartoons students wrote and illustrated! 

This trimester students will focus on two units that connect with our theme, "Changes." Students have already started learning about Landforms, Watersheds, and Oceans covering concepts such as plate movement, erosion, deposition, and types of landforms. We will finish out this unit learning about features of the ocean floor, watersheds, waves, currents, tides, and the impact humans have on watersheds and oceans! Students are already starting to make connections to our theme, Changes, noting how natural processes change the surface of the Earth, as well how human activity plays a major role in our ever-changing environment. 

SOCIAL STUDIES

We have started our 2nd trimester off with a focus on our new theme, CHANGES, and have tied this into our studies of the Industrial Revolution.  The students are viewing these events through the perspective lens of individuals who are living in both rural and urban environments.  It has been interesting to see how these two distinctively different areas were CHANGED due to the influx of new inventions, industries and immigrants coming to our country.  Many new jobs were created and opportunities were provided, but there were negative impacts as well.  Prejudice against those who were "different" comes to light as well as pollution issues from factories and overcrowding.  The effects of these had an impact on both society and the work place.
Our focus has been on the inventions that came about at the turn of the 20th century and how these inventions have CHANGED the course of history.  To better understand this concept, students were asked to either select an item that they use every day and research it or create their own invention  to solve a problem in their lives.  Through these activities, students learned a lot about Edison’s idea:  Genius=1% Inspiration and 99% perspiration.  Inventing is hard work! These are posted in the 5th grade hallway so stop by and take a look!

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

As we began our second trimester of learning, we are focused on the theme "Changes." In ELA, students will soon start reading their second novel based on the unit. We will continue to build our comprehension by making connections, discover points of view of characters, practice main idea/details and making inferences.  Students will learn to use a new "Close Reading" strategy to capture a deeper meaning and analyze the readings. Students will be working independently, or in their book clubs throughout this book.  Students listen closely to the comments of others, and thinking critically for themselves.  They formulate thoughtful responses by using supporting evidence from the text by finding quotes or actions. They will be able to analyze different types of textual structures.

In Writing, we are also working on improving our spelling and grammatical skills while also starting to practice our responses to prompts.  Students will also be learning how to write an argumentative essay.

MATH

Another trimester of learning is upon us and we are focusing on the big idea of "Changes." Students are working hard to understand and master the different concepts and patterns of change in number operations. For instance, what changes have to occur for a number to increase, decrease, or become equivalent? We will continue to analyze these patterns as we explore common factors, common multiples, greatest common factors, least common multiples, least common denominators, and multiplying and dividing fractions.

Whether students are working independently, in partner pairs, or in a group, the perseverance, cooperation and mindfulness they are showing in the classroom has been impressive. I am so proud of them and love watching the changes and growth in their learning on a daily basis! Keep up the fantastic work!!

Boeing: Dream Learners Field Trip

Cox and Sumner- CLICK HERE ​for pictures from our Boeing Field Trip!
Scheper and Stevens- CLICK HERE for pictures from our Boeing Field Trip!

Students enjoyed seeing the Boeing facility, learning about STEM occupations, and participating in a paper airplane competition. During the competition, students took on roles such as finance, engineer, mechanic, and test pilot, in order to build and test a paper airplane within their given budget; through this activity students learned about all of the people, money, and hard work it takes to construct an airplane, as well as utilize math science, core value skills- cooperation and mindfulness.

The Holidays with our Buddies

During the holiday season, each fifth grade homeroom spent time with our first grade buddies doing fun holiday theme activities!