Dear Fifth Grade Parents,
It is hard to believe that school begins in just a couple of weeks! I hope you’ve had a great summer and that your children have had a chance to rest and re-energize for the coming school year.
I’m really looking forward to getting to know you and your children. Fifth Grade is an exciting year. At this stage, students really begin to prepare for the work ahead of them in middle and high school. The expectations and workload increase and there is a real emphasis on writing skills. Students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning. Organizational skills also become very important. At the same time, we have a lot of fun in our classroom! I am in the process of updating a curriculum overview of the year and I will pass it on as soon as it is ready. I have also included a list supplies that would be helpful for fifth grade. If purchasing any of these items is a problem, please let me know.
During the first few weeks of school, we’ll be talking a lot about our hopes and dreams for the year. This is such an age of discovery for children and I look forward to sharing this journey with you and them. They are developing their own ideas, gathering the strength and background for future independence, and expanding the definitions of who they are and what they can accomplish independently and as part of a cooperative group. Please take a few minutes before the start of school to discuss this with your child and encourage them to come up with their own ideas.
I will be spending a good deal of time at school over the next two weeks and I would be happy to meet you to discuss your child and the upcoming year. If this is something you would like to do, you can leave a message at school (222-4077 ext 429) or if you have internet access, email me at
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. This year, we are planning to have a school wide Open House on Wednesday, August 26th from 5:30 – 7 pm. This is a chance for you and your child to come in and get familiar with the classroom before school starts. I hope to see you then. In the meantime don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Enjoy the rest of your summer.
Sincerely
Rowe Williams
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Welcome to our webpage! Enclosed you'll find some interesting and and exciting things that will give you some insight into some of the things we are doing in (and outside!) our classroom! Also check out our weekly newsletter to find out what we have been up to in each subject area. |
Now that was one complicated real estate transaction!
In 1803, Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for 15 million dollars. At the time this territory encompassed about half of the United States. Jefferson paid around 3 cents an acre and the size of the U.S. doubled! We have all learned what a complicated deal this actually was. Students studied ten different people who were involved in this dating from 1682 when French explorer La Salle claimed Louisiana for France to 1803 when the Purchase was finalized. Each represented a different person and we formed the human timeline pictured here. I know we all enjoyed this “hands on” approach.
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November 14: We have begun a new unit on Geometry! The students are excited as Investigations takes a very hands on approach. After talking with many of you about struggles with math homework, I thought it would be useful to mention a few things here. Investigations takes a very different approach to learning than the math programs you may be used to. We allow students to create their own strategies to solving problems including multiplication and division. These strategies are based on what they already know and what works best for them. As they are learning these strategies, they may forget when they go home. It is a temptation for parents to step in and show their children the more traditional approaches to multiplication or division. Unfortunately, this tends to confuse students even more. What’s the answer?
The Student Math Handbook! Your children have been urged to keep this at home or at least keep it in their binders. Each homework page has an icon in the upper right corner that refers students and parents to the Handbook page or pages that will help with the homework. The strategies described there will be more familiar to your children. It will also help you to learn math in a new way! If all else fails, send in the homework with a note that says you tried! Please try to avoid teaching additional strategies unless you speak with me first. Don’t be afraid to call me here at school!
I will also post a list of questions you can ask your child while they work with the homework. This is put out by Investigations and should help.
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5th graders have been working hard to improve their communication skills through an exciting series of outdoor activities we like to call “Team Time”. These activities focus on building trust, problem solving skills and cooperation among students. They often allow us to get at underlying social issues in a very real way. Ask your child to tell you about Willow in the Wind, Mine Field or the Poison Peanut Butter Pit! Most agree that this is a part of the week they do not want to miss.
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