Franklin Borough School
Grade 5
 

Mrs. Briller

May 2012 Website Update

            Beautiful, blooming May is here with lots of warm and sunny weather.  Most importantly, we start the month with the children taking the NJ ASK standardized testing.  For 5^th graders, the testing starts on Monday, April 30^th and runs through that week.  Please help your child by making sure he/she is well rested and has a hearty breakfast each morning.  The testing information booklet was sent home several weeks ago with your child.  If you have any questions, please call me.

            In language arts, we are reading several selections from our Literacy by Design sourcebooks including a story about Lewis and Clark.  This marking period, the students will write a research paper on a famous historical figure.  The children should be reading their Battle of the Books selections and earning their Accelerated Reader points.

            In math, we are completing our unit on fractions, decimals, percents and graphs.  We will then learn about organizing data and the prominent features of a data set using metric and U.S. customary units of measurements, and stem-and-leaf plots.  Students will continue to work on word problems and problem solving skills.

            We have many exciting and fun things coming up.  We will be reading with our kindergarten buddies.  Field Day is at the end of the month, and the elimination rounds for Battle of the Books are approaching.  Our field trip to Liberty Science Center is on June 1^st.  I also have plans to do more cooking with the students.

            Continue to support your child by checking to see that all homework is completed.  Encourage your child to study and prepare for tests and quizzes.  Have a wonderful month!
 

The seventh and eighth graders have now finished their NJASK testing while the fifth and sixth graders will complete the process by Friday, May 4^th.  Remember a good night's sleep and breakfast will go a long way in helping the students to succeed. 

In the eighth grade ARM class, the students are now working on probability, odds, combinations, and permutations.  During this marking period , they have chosen to read a novel of their choice.  They should be reading at home every night. 

The seventh graders are working on conversions both in the English and metric system in Accelerated Math.  They will start the novel The Crazy Lady which is about a young boy and his mother who do not fit into society today. 

The sixth graders are now working on finding volume. This presents a challenge as they learn to use the formulas to solve their problems. They continue to read the novel War Horse by Michael Morpurgo.  It is a very moving story about a horse's life during World War I.  Also, they continue to develop their vocabulary words by using them correctly in sentences. 

In fifth grade, I am working with Mr. Sandor's students using the Literacy by Design program. At present, I meet with students in different reading groups to develop their vocabulary and comprehension skills. They continue to work on open-ended questions and are learning to restate and use details from their reading to answer questions.  This month, the focus will be on using at least one smiley-face trick in their answer.

United States History I 

The Fight Begins!

The Civil War 1861-1865 

Disagreements between the North and the South led to armed conflict between former friends, neighbors, and even family members.  The Civil War was the culmination of long-standing political, economic, and cultural differences between two parts of the nation. 

The focus will now be on the Civil War.  Major battles, famous generals, important people and strategic battle plans will be discussed.  The Gettysburg Address, The Emancipation Proclamation, and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln will be researched in their entirety.   Posters, time lines, songs, flags, and a new ending to the Civil War will be created.  Pink and Say, by Patricia Polacco (an AR book) will be read, and “The Red Badge of Courage” will be viewed.  Please study class notes which focus on Chapter 6 nightly.

Science

Your child will be learning about weather, climate,, and space for the months of May and June.  He/she will learn about the Earth’s atmosphere, including how it affects conditions on the Earth’s surface.  The greenhouse effect, global winds, air pollution, the four layers of the Earth’s atmosphere, thermal energy, conduction, convection, and even the coriolis effect will be the main topics of discussion in Unit 2.

Please have your child read Unit 2 online and prepare for a test or quiz weekly.

May Website Update 

            As May begins, there are a few important dates to remember.  The fourth marking period progress reports will be issued on May 11.  April 30- May 3 will be NJASK testing for 6^th and 5^th grade. Please remember to get a good night of sleep and eat breakfast every morning. There will be no homework the weeks of testing.  May 11 is the Mother’s Day Plant Sale and May 24 will be the Spring Concert.  May 25 will be Field Day, and school will be closed May 28. Please know that the field trip permission slips will be coming home soon.  Both grades will be going on a field trip in May.  

Please remember to read with your child at least 10 minutes every night.  Your child needs to earn 6 AR points by the end of the marking period. Students should be coming home with two pieces of homework every night.  They always have spelling and math homework. Please be certain to check the planner to find out exactly what the assignment is supposed to be. Also, please be sure to sign your child’s homework planner every night.  It is important to have an open line of communication and this is a great way to have questions answered.  Please help your child with homework if he/she does not understand it.  I do not want anyone to be frustrated.  Please help your child study for the vocabulary and spelling tests that are on Fridays.  

            Also, remember that the students have to hand in a current event every Friday.  Please be sure they write their answers in complete sentences to get full credit.  In science, we are working on a unit about heat and matter.  We will participate in the Battle of the Books during the month of May. Good luck to all the teams. Keep reading!  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. 
 

In May students will explore concepts and skills associated with pre-algebra.  The first lessons are concerned with the notational conventions associated with exponents.  Then we start to discuss the use of parentheses and rules of order of operations to avoid any ambiguities in the interpretation of number sentences.  We then address the need for negative numbers in certain situations and develop methods for comparing, adding, and subtracting positive and negative numbers.  This will all be done while including some fun activities for the students to use a hands-on approach.

Mr. Sandor’s 5^th Grade

Language Arts Monthly Update

May

(For the Parent Information Packet, please click: here) 

Unit 6 – Living With Natural Forces 

Theme 11 – What Goes Up Must come Down

“How does gravity affect your life?”

Reading Skills

Comprehension Skill:

Ask Questions: Visuals

Review Infer: Author’s Purpose

Vocabulary:

              Week 1: comical, force, gravity, resist, waver

              Week 2: release, brief, calculate, elevation, accelerate

Word Study: Abbreviations

Grammar: Pronouns

Fluency: Use Punctuation to Inform Meaning

Listening: Critical Listening

Writing Skills

Trait: Sentence Fluency

Form: Observation Log

Grammar:  Adjectives: Comparative and Superlative

                             Adjectives: Common and Proper

Theme 12 – The Science of Sports

“What are the effects of force and friction on athletes and their equipment?”

Reading Skills

Comprehension Skill:

Determine Importance: Rank Information

Review Ask Questions:  Visuals

Vocabulary:

              Week 1: attempt, courageous, athlete, estimate, friction

              Week 2: reaction, physical, movement, ability, consequence

Word Study: Idioms

Grammar: Adverbs

Fluency: Read in Phrases

Listening: Appreciative Listening

Writing Skills

Process: Publishing

Organizational Pattern: Sequence

Grammar:  Articles

                             Review Adjectives

Spelling Words – Theme 11 

Week 1: (05/07/12)

Core Words: Abbreviations

(Note – Students must know the abbreviations!)

cm (centimeters)               dept. (department)                           Inc. (Incorporated)                         

Jr. (junior)                          lb (pound)                                         oz (ounce)          

Pkwy.    (Parkway)           tsp (teaspoon)                    vs. (versus)                         yd (yard)

No Excuse Words:

doctor   first                       make                     shout    

Challenge Words:

etc. (et cetera)    Ltd. (Limited)     misc.      (miscellaneous) 

no. (number)      resist                     waver

Spelling Words – Theme 11

Week 2: (05/14/12)

Core Words:

another everyone              herself   itself                     mine

somebody           someone              themselves          whomever            yours                     

No Excuse Words:

could                   family    him                       horse

Challenge Words:

no one  theirs                    whose                   yourselves

elevation             accelerate

Homework:

Tuesday:                            Flash Cards

Wednesday:       Sentences

Thursday:                          Pretest

Friday:                              Test

Monday:                            Corrections

Spelling Words – Theme 12

Week 1: (05/21/11)

Core Words:

altitude                chocolate             exercise               grumble island

nation   pajamas reptile                   stubborn              tangle

No Excuse Words:

example              her                        maybe   more

Challenge Words:

mammoth           marvelous            adjective              particular             courageous          friction

Homework:

Tuesday:                            Flash Cards

Wednesday:                      Sentences

Thursday:                          Pretest

Friday:                              Test

Monday:                            Corrections

Spelling Words – Theme 12 

Week 2: (05/29/11)

Core Words:

clockwise            completely          constantly            crossways            extremely

home                    lengthwise           rather                    sideways              suddenly             

No Excuse Words:

beautiful                            color                     has                        round

Challenge Words:

gradually                            immediately                       repeatedly                          typically
physical                             consequence

Homework:

Tuesday:                            Flash Cards

Wednesday:                      Sentences

Thursday:                          Pretest

Friday:                              Test

Monday:                            Corrections