Weekly Update 9/21

Reading

We have started our first module, “Inventors at Work”, of the new reading program, Into Reading. We read “The Inventor’s Secret” about Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, while focusing on different reading strategies and skills along the way. This week we will continue with Module 1 but using the text, “Winds of Hope”.

Writing

We are in the planning stages of writing an expository essay. Tying into the reading, we are researching inventors and drafting an essay about working hard to turn an idea into a real invention.

Math

Students have had a great transition into fifth grade math! We completed our beginning of the year benchmarks and started our first unit on place value through the millions. In the coming week, students will start to talk about dividing by 10/100/1000 and how to fluently multiply and divide using the traditional algorithm.

Science

Recently, we finished the Penny Drop Lab, as an exploration into the scientific method. Using the experimental question, “Which side of a penny will hold more drops of water?”, we learned about hypotheses, controlled variables, and gathering data to form conclusions. Our next experiment involves placing gummy bears in different solutions!

Social Studies

We read the story, “Encounter” by Jane Yolen as an introduction to the early relationships of English settlers to Native Peoples in the 1600s and 1700s. We then got right into the mystery of Roanoke. Kids are currently reading the different theories behind the disappearance of this ‘lost colony’. This week we will get into the establishment of Jamestown, Virgina.