January 22-28

American War for Independence Week

The week of January, 22-28 is American Revolution week.  Students have been given an outline for creating a Revolutionary War time line which is due January 28.  Students will also be having a test on the American Revolution on Friday, January 25.  A study guide will be given out in class on Monday, January 22.  A thoughtfully completed study guide will earn a student extra credit points on her/his test score. The study guide and time line are considered homework, so students WILL NOT have a spelling book or fluency assignment this week; however, daily math homeworks will be given.

We the People

We have completed Unit 1 in our We the People constitutional studies. The mock Congressional Hearing, a culminating activity of our We the People studies, will be held on March 6, 6:15-8:00 pm. This is a very powerful learning opportunity for students.  Parents are strongly encouraged to attend and watch and listen as your child "shows off" her/his constitutional knowledge and speaking skills to a panel of judges.

Mixtures and Solutions

In science we are continuing our investigation of Mixtures and Solutions.  We have completed the first investigation examining separating mixtures.  Our next investigation with focus on solutions and saturation.

Math

Our area of concentrations is the wonderful world of fractions.  Students are using models to "see" fractions and then learning the  mathematical skills that apply to the models. Please ensure your child is working on their weekly IXL skills.

Reading

Reading has been incorporated into the content areas of social studies and science.  Students continue to work on locating details in text to support questions, as well as identifying  cause and effect and drawing conclusions. Students have been given new independent reading goals.  Please make sure your child is reading 20-30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week.  The more a student reads, the stronger and more fluent reader they will become.

Happy Holidays

In spite of the tragedy that has struck our nation and stained this holiday season with sadness, I wish you and your family a joyous holiday.  Hold your children close and enjoy the upcoming vacation time together. Our break begins on December 22 with school resuming January 7.

Field Trip

Caughlin's fifth graders are going on an Earth Science field trip this Friday, Dec. 21.  This field trip is in lieu of a holiday party. We will be visiting the UNR campus between 9:40-11:15 to tour the Keck Mineral Museum, the DeLaMare Earth Science Library, and seismology lab.  We will then head to the Bowling Stadium and view the Imax movie Ring of Fire. We will return to school in time for students to  participate in the Polar Express.  Students may change into pajamas at school.

Classroom News

Math: Formal division instruction is coming to a close, but the practice will continue. We are  beginning a fractions unit of study, which will continue in the new year.

Reading: In conjunction with our social studies American Revolution studies, we will be reading historical fiction relating to the Revolution and writing of the Constitution. We will also be reading informational text relating to our science study Mixtures and Solutions and Earth science.

Social Studies:  The American Revolution is still being studied.  We have spent a great deal of time analyzing primary source documents relating to the Boston Massacre.  The purpose of this intensive study to have students formulate an opinion on the "massacre" and cite the documents to support their opinions.  This is an activity that supports the critical thinking and writing aspect of Common Core Standards. 

We the People: We have begun one of the most important studies in our fifth grade curriculum, We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution program.  This program  is a supplemental social studies unit on the Constitution.  The program was created by a Supreme Court Justice in 1987 because he felt students were not receiving adequate civics instruction. He realized that in order to sustain a democracy, the citizens must be knowledgeable and informed on Constitutional topics. The program is designed to be used in fifth grade, with programs for eighth grade and twelfth grade, as well.  The highlight of the program is a mock Congressional Hearing at which students showcase their Constitutional knowledge and speaking abilities in front of a panel of judges.  Twelfth graders' Congressional hearing is a competitive event with the winning teams from each state competing in Washington D.C. Our mock Congressional hearing is tentatively scheduled for the first week in March. To learn more about this program visit the Center for Civics Education: http://new.civiced.org/programs/wtp

Science: We have started the FOSS unit Mixtures and Solutions.  This unit is activity based with several labs.  We will also be investigating Earth sciences in conjunction with our field trip.

Writing: Students have be using the writing process to write a personal narrative. I am sure you will enjoy reading them! And of course they continue to write in the content areas and to the prompts in their spelling books.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

A quick up-date on classroom activities is below.  I hope each and everyone of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Reading:

• Independent Reading Assignment (AR points, story map, book review, and WOW! words bookmark) are due Wednesday, Nov. 21.
• Our whole class novel Sign of the Beaver is drawing to a close. We will be discussing the overall plot structure, theme, and analyzing the characters.  Students will also watch a movie version of the book and write an essay comparing and contrasting the two.
• Students also completed a Common Core close reading of the story Eleven. You might ask your child what they thought of the story.

Math:

• We will be finishing up our geometry unit of study and begin focusing on division following Thanksgiving break. 
• Students have also be engaging in mental math activities and collaborating on solving word problems.
• For Thanksgiving week, students will be planning a Thanksgiving dinner and calculating the cost based on grocery store ads. 

Writing:

• Students continue to write to the prompt in their spelling books.  Many need to remember to use spelling words and proofread their writing. No run-on or comma splice sentences is our motto.
• A focus  in writing has been comparing and contrasting paragraphs using the transition words but  and however.  The semicolon has been introduced for combining sentences, especially with however.

 Science:

• Student will conclude their study of minerals by identifying a mineral based on its density number.  In order to do this, students must find the volume of the mineral using displacement and then calculate the density. 
• We will have a short investigation of buoyancy, and then head into our next major unit of study "Mixtures and Solutions."

Social Studies:

• To support students understanding of our recent presidential election, the Electoral College was investigated.  Students wrote their opinion as to whether or not to retain or rescind the Electoral College. You view their opinions on the bulletin board in the quad.
• We are reading about the "taxing" causes of the Revolutionary War. Students are using a cause and effect graphic graphic organizer to take notes on the events leading to the American Revolution.
• Students will be analyzing primary sources of the Boston "Massacre": Paul Revere's famous engraving, a newspaper article written shortly after the event, and  trial transcripts.

November 1- November 9

Virginia City

4th Ward School

The Virginia City field trip was a huge success!  The weather was perfect and so were the students.  Many thanks to all the parents that volunteered to accompany us that day. 


Virginia City Cemetery



Lunch at historic Piper's Opera House



 

 

 

 Tuesday, November 6

Voting Day!  No school.
Please remember to vote (how could you forget with all the phone calls and literature!).  Encourage your child to watch the election results on TV to support student learning of the Electoral College.

Most Wanted Mineral Poster

Students have been working on creating a Most Wanted Mineral Poster these last two weeks in the computer lab.  The final project is due this coming Friday, Nov. 9. Below is an outline of the project and the scoring rubric.  Students have been given a copy of this information to keep in their science pocket.

Feel free to be creative and add any other information or visuals that will enhance your poster. ONLY INCLUDE INFORMATION YOU UNDERSTAND. The poster size is up to you.

 Wanted: Name of  Mineral (you may not use quartz)

 

AKA (also known as):  Give the chemical formula for this mineral and list any other names this mineral might have.

Description:  Identify the physical properties of the mineral. i.e. color, streak, hardness, luster, transparency, crystal habit, magnetism, density (also known as specific gravity).

Last Known Location:  Where is this mineral commonly found?

Wanted For:  What are the uses of this mineral? Is it valuable as a natural resource?

 

*Include a drawing, picture, or illustration of your mineral on your poster.
**Please identify two sources of information. When identifying a website, give the name of the website and the web address. 
 

Scoring Rubric

A range	* All information asked for in the outline is present * Poster is neat & easily read *Student has gone beyond the basic outline--creativity & effort is apparent.
B range	* All information asked for in the outline is present * Poster is neat & easily read
C range	* Majority of information asked for is present  * Poster is neat & easily read
D- F range	* Information asked for is missing * Poster is disorganized; difficult to read

October 22-25

I greatly enjoyed meeting parents during conference week.  The commitment and support you have for your child's education is truly appreciated and inspiring!  An outline of our week ahead is below.

Nevada Day

Nevada's statehood  birthday will be celebrated on Friday, October 26.  There will no school that day.

 

Virginia City Field Trip--Monday, October 29

Our Virginia City field trip to celebrate Nevada Day and in lieu of a Halloween party was originally scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 25.  That date has changed due to a busing issue.  The new date for our Virginia City field trip will be Monday, October 29. A permission slip will be sent home on Monday, October 22.  To prepare for the field trip, students will be learning about the history of Nevada and Virginia City this coming week. We will not be having a Halloween Party in our classroom.

Atoms to Minerals Science Unit Wrap-up

Students were given a study guide on Thursday, October 18 for the up-coming test Atoms to Minerals.  The test was originally scheduled for Wednesday but has been rescheduled to Thursday, October 25. We will review for the test on Wednesday. A successfully completed study guide earns a student extra credit points on the test.

To further their appreciation for minerals, students are investigating a mineral of their choice and creating a Most Wanted Mineral poster.  Students were given an outline of the requirements for the poster, a list of suggested minerals, and website sources of information on Thursday. We discussed a due date, and students felt 2 1/2 weeks was sufficient time.  So the poster will be due on Friday, November 9.

Independent Reading

Students were given a new Independent Reading assignment on Friday.  Story map, book review, WOW! words, and AR points will be due on November 20.  I suggest you question your child as to what she/he is reading and how he/she feels about.  If your child is not happy with a book choice because it is too difficult, encourage him/her to find a more appropriate book.

Spelling Book

Due to the Friday holiday and field trip on Monday, October 29.  Unit 7 in our spelling book will not be due until Thursday, Nov. 1.  We will begin the unit this coming week.

Thank You! & The Week of October 15

I realize I have not been a very consistent blogger, so I am in the process of improving by promising attempting to blog every week.  First of all, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all the parents that prepared fabric, cooked, set-up, served, and cleaned-up for Colonial Day.  It was a huge success; an experience the children will remember for years to come.  Thank you again!

Looking at the week ahead of us:

• It is Conference Week.  Students will be dismissed at 12:50 each day
• Students will be having a test on Colonization of North America on Wednesday, Oct. 17.  They were given a study guide on Tuesday, Oct. 9.  We will review the study guide on Tuesday.  A successfully completed study guide will be worth extra credit points on their test.
• I reviewed students' rough drafts of their explanatory essays on physical properties of minerals. Making comments on their individual essays. We also reviewed the organization of the essay as a whole class.  Students have also been given a scoring rubric to guide them in making revisions for their final copy.  The final copy is due Friday, Oct. 19.
• Students first Independent Reading Assignment was due Friday. Several students did not complete all the requirements which were the following: AR points goal, story map, book review and WOW! Words bookmark.  This assignment was given to students 5 weeks ago. Please make sure your children are reading for 20-30 minutes a night.  Thank you!

Topics being studied by subject:

• Math--We are focused on addition, subtraction, multiplication of whole numbers and decimal numbers and corresponding word problems.  We are also investigating volume through our science studies. Decimal place value is being reviewed using IXL.
• Reading--Our focus in the classroom has been reading informational text using our social studies and the weekly Time for Kids. Students are learning the importance of rereading text to locate answers and support their responses with evidence from the text.  As a class, we have been reading the historical fiction novel The Sign of the Beaver.
• Writing--Writing is being integrated with science and social studies topics.  Common Core Standards indicate students need to pull information from a variety of sources to write cohesive multi-paragraph essays.  To that end, we have been writing about the physical properties of minerals. On Monday we will be learning how to write a comparing  and contrasting paragraph on the topic of Colonial Children vs. Modern Day Children.
• Science--Our unit Atoms to Minerals is coming to a close.  The last physical property of matter we are investigating is density.  Students engaged in two density labs so far, we 3 more to come. Students will be given a study guide for the Atoms to Minerals test at the end of next week.  The test will sometime the end of the month.
• Social studies--We are leaving the colonies and heading to the American Revolution!

Colonial Day is Coming!

In order to bring American history alive and understand how children of the past lived, Caughlin Ranch 5th grade will be hosting the 11 annual Colonial Day!  Colonial Day is a culminating activity to our Colonial America unit of study.  During the day students will play, eat, and even dance (thanks, Mrs. Jackson!) as children living in colonial Williamsburg in the 1770s.  Colonial Day 2012 will be on Thursday, October 11 (note the day has been changed from its originally scheduled day due to picture day on the 12th).

An informational flyer asking for parental help went home in Friday's, September 28, Folder. We will need parents to prepare food, cut cloth, and assist in the rotation activities during the day.  In my classroom, students will be making and dressing corn husk dolls, the more helping hands the better!

To make the event as historically accurate and fun as possible, we encourage students to dress in a colonial fashion.  For girls this means a dress or skirt.  I will provide each young lady with an apron, and the girls will be making their own mob caps.  For the young gents, I suggest they wear football/baseball pants or roll up pants to simulate breeches, knee length pants, and tall socks.  A dress shirt and, if possible, a vest or dress coat, will complete their outfit.  Boys will be fashioning cravats, precursor to the tie,  out of material.  Don't rush out to purchase clothing--raid every closet in the house.  One of the best dressed colonial lads I ever saw wore his mother's full sleeved blouse and her vest!  If you do decide to buy something, try Savers or one of the other used clothing stores.  Old Halloween costumes can be fashioned into colonial clothing, too.

Below are some examples of student clothing from last year: 

Colonial Ladies

Colonial Lads