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Mr. Lynch's 5th Grade Class |
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 Weekly NewsletterImagination is more important than knowledge.
-Albert Einstein November 23 - 25
This is a very short week - only 2 1/2 days. The Book Buddies event originally scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed. A new date has not been selected yet. On Tuesday we have the Grand Opening of our class store, Bungles. The managers, sales representatives, and advertisers have all been working hard in preparation for our version of Black Friday. On Wednesday (the half day) students have been invited to a Readover in our classroom. This is like a Sleepover minus the sleeping part. Students have the option of bringing in books for a Book Swap in the morning and they can also bring in comfy clothes (like PJs), pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, etc. and healthy snacks. Most importantly though, they should bring in books and magazines to read as plenty of time will be provided to just relax and enjoy some great literature. I offer extra math help from 7:30 - 7:55 a.m. on Wednesday mornings by appointment only. If you ever have any questions feel free to call me (860) 404-4870 or e-mail me anytime at blynch@avon.k12.ct.us.
Upcoming Events: POSTPONED TBA 1st Grade Book Buddies (Tuesday, November 24, 2009) @ 9:30-11:00 a.m. Pine Grove
Readover (Like a Reading Sleepover without the sleep part) (Wednesday, November 25, 2009)
Sturbridge Village (Friday, April 30, 2010)
Math - We just finished Unit 4: Division last week and students took a test on this unit Friday. This week we start Unit 5: Fractions, Decimals, and Percents. Students now have four math tests that have been returned to them graded. They all have the opportunity to "correct" these tests and turn them back in to earn more points. See the Math portion of this website for more information on how to do this. This is the same program that students have been using for the past few years and it is also the last year that students will be using this program (as they switch to Connected Mathematics in sixth grade). It is a spiraling program which means that students will see concepts appear and reappear throughout the year. Many of the concepts they will learn this year either build on previous years or they have at least seen a hint of the concept in a previous year. Students will receive homework almost every night (except Fridays) and most of the time it will be from the Study Links book - they can tear the page right out and take it home. English - Students turned in their Powwow Expository Essays last week and these will provide some opportunity for writing feedback after Thanksgiving. Students all have samples of what a variety of expository essays look like. They have a copy of a not-so-good essay (4 or 5), a decent essay (8 or 9), and an excellent essay (11 or 12). Student all have these in their English folders and they should hold onto these for the remainder of the year as samples (and you could request to see them, too). Although technically I list it under Social Studies, the Current Event that students will be working on each week is a huge tie-in to both English and Reading. (See the Social Studies section of this website for more details.) In fifth grade students will explore expository writing. At the start of 5th grade I have them do a lot of short paragraph and creative writing to build them up to an entire expository essay. Reading - On Monday we will start reading non-fiction books and work on some non-fiction reading strategies. Students have been partnered up with another student and took a little field trip to the Thompson Brook Book Room a couple of weeks ago. This contains a large collection of both fiction and non-fiction books on a variety of levels. Students selected a non-fiction book (mostly short informational books about interesting topics like the Loch Ness Monster or the Bermuda Triangle). They will be using these in school for a few activities and lessons. Students have been reading articles, passages from books, and their own RIP (Read-In-Peace) books to work on these skills. Throughout the year students will be reading a variety of books and articles in 5th grade in addition to read-alouds that I do in class. Currently I am reading Hatchet by Gary Paulsen to the class. Every Friday students will visit the school library and have the opportunity to check out books. In my class everyone needs to have a "fun book" with them at all times. They can get this from home, a bookstore, the school library, our class library, or a public library.
Science - Last week students took a test on "Light and Lenses" and they will get that back graded on Monday. Students are currently working on Rocks. At Thompson Brook students have Science three times a week - twice in the lab (taught by me) and once in the classroom (also taught by me). I mention "taught by me" because in past years there were Science teachers, but now those Science teachers work with the sixth grade.
Social Studies - In the early 1770s there were four groups of people living in this part of the world: Colonists (not a King George III fan), Loyalists (loyal to King George III), those who didn't care either way, and American Indians. With our study of pre-American Revolution events and the Powwow Project we will be covering all four of these groups. So far we learned about how King George III's taxes were seriously irritating the colonists, we re-enacted the Boston Massacre, we learned about the Boston Tea Party, and we re-enacted a very taxing tax activity that got everyone riled up and angry as they were given a bunch of candy and Dingos and then taxed. It was great! Throughout the school year students will be expected to bring in a Current Event article each week (on Wednesdays). More information can be found on the Social Studies section of this website.
Supply List
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Avon Public Schools' Calendars: http://www.avon.k12.ct.us/info/webshare/ListFiles.asp?title=a%20full-year%20calendar&folder=district/calendar/ Avon Public Schools' Curriculum: http://www.avon.k12.ct.us/district/curriculum/ Thompson Brook School website: http://www.avon.k12.ct.us/thompsonbrook/ |
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