2014
Volume 1
Issue 4 December
Grade 5 News
Curriculum Overview
Language Arts
During the month of December,
students will continue to
deepen their skills of selecting
and reading historical fiction.
When reading historical fiction,
students are asked to reflect
upon how the setting and
characters influence the story.
Please encourage the students
however, to continue to select
high interest non-fiction titles
to read as well. We suggest
talking with them about their
historical fiction selections and
challenge them to pair that
interest with a nonfiction title
that supplements their interest
in a specific time period or
historical event. For example,
in class we read Star of Fear,
Star of Hope about pre WW II
France where Jews were being
forced to wear yellow stars and
were taken from their homes.
We then suggested the
nonfiction Anne Frank and the
Diary of Anne Frank.
Our reading workshops
continue to focus on getting
students to read faster,
smoother, and with absorption.
Students have been
conferencing individually and in
groups about specific reading
skills taught and then practiced
during independent daily
reading in class and at home.
You can best support your child
by asking them about what they
are reading, why they chose
their books, and what are they
learning when they read.
Be sure to check in with your
child to see the progress on
their daily reading logs. Suggest
they compare what genres they
are reading and how their times
and page counts may differ
depending upon genre and
interest level. This will help
support their independence as
readers by encouraging them to
make good choices that will
promote reading growth.
Students will be taking the
Winter MAPS reading
assessment in early December.
We are the class of 2022
numbers with up to four-digit
dividends and two-digit divisors.
We will be using strategies
based on place value, the
properties of operations, and/or
the relationship between
multiplication and division.
Students will illustrate and
explain the calculation by using
equations, rectangular arrays,
and/or area models.
Science
In the month of November we
will be exploring the
interactions of matter and
energy and the changes that
occur.
We will:
Vocabulary, grammar, and word
work continue to be part of our
daily literacy instruction.
Writing instruction this month
continues to include answering
questions about both fiction
and non-fiction reading
passages and articles and
defending answers with text
references. Students will also
explore how writers find
inspiration in books and real-life
experiences. Classroom spelling
bees will
Math
This month we will be exploring
division as we find wholenumber quotients of whole
1. Review how the sun’s energy
impacts the processes of the
water cycle (including,
evaporation, transpiration,
condensation, precipitation and
runoff).
2. Compare the weight of an
object to the sum of the weight
of its parts before and after an
interaction.
3. Summarize properties of
original materials, and the new
material(s) formed, to
demonstrate that a change has
occurred.
Health
This month we will explore
Interpersonal communication
and relationships, as well as
mental and emotional health.
Mrs. Quattlebaum will be
visiting the classrooms to
2014
Volume 1
Issue 4 December
Grade 5 News
discuss internet safety. Mr. Sid
will be writing songs with the
students this month about how
to be “upstanders.”
Social Studies
During December students will
learn about the events leading
to the Revolutionary War and
the formation of our
government.
Washington, D.C. Field
Trip Update!!!!
We are so excited about our
upcoming field trip to
Washington, DC. During the
week of December 1, you will
get your balance packet. It will
include a balance letter, a
permission slip, an electronics
contract, behavior contracts
while on the trip for both
students and chaperones, and a
medical form for both students
and chaperones. The balance
will be due Thursday, January
8. You may pay at any time
between December 1 and
January 8. Remember, you pay
online at
http://osp.osmsinc.com/cms/.
You may also pay with a money
order or certified cashier's
check. No cash or personal
checks will be accepted. Also,
there will be a mandatory
meeting on Tuesday, January 12
for parents and students. The
meeting will be held at 6:30 PM
in the cafeteria. Don't forget
your to turn in your small
notebook before Winter Break!
Let's hope for wonderful
weather!!!
Support and Special
Area News
A proactive person is able to
make decisions and take action
to resolve problems or achieve
goals. For people with learning
disabilities or without learning
disabilities, being proactive also
involves self-advocacy (for
example, asking for a seat at the
front of the classroom,
requesting clarification when
the message was not
understood, etc.) and the
willingness to take responsibility
for choices.
-Talk with your child about
problem solving and share how
you approach problems in your
life.
-Ask your child how he or she
approaches problems. How do
problems make him or her feel?
How does he or she decide what
action to take?
-If your child is hesitant to make
choices and take action, try to
provide some “safe” situations
to test the water, like choosing
what to make for dinner or
thinking of a solution for a
scheduling conflict.
-Discuss different problems,
We are the class of 2022
possible decisions, and
outcomes with your child. Have
your child pretend to be part of
the situation and make his or
her own decisions
Music
In the month of December, we
will explore the winter holidays,
integrating the elements of
music, (melody, harmony,
rhythm, tone color and
expressive qualities), within the
pieces selected.
Art
Thank you to all of the students
and families who participated in
the Upcycled Art Contest!
Haley Whitley from Mrs.
Gregory’s class was the 5th
grade winner.
You can see photos of some of
the contest entries on the Bain
Art Gallery homepage at
http://bainartgallery.weebly.co
m/
Physical Education
Mr. Doster's classes will be
learning about the health
related fitness components and
associated exercises for each
component. Students will learn
how to take their heart rate.
They will be recording their
resting heart rate and trying to
reach their target heart rate.
Ms. Wilt's classes will be
practicing ball handling skills.
3rd-5th grades will be involved
2014
Grade 5 News
in basketball activities where
they will learn dribbling,
passing, and shooting. These
classes will finish with a 3 on 3
game of basketball. K-2nd
grade will be working on basic
ball handling skills such as
passing, catching and dribbling.
Both classes will finish out the
month of December by playing
a holiday game.
Media
The students are researching
geographical terms, to present
and use in a future game
format, using factmonster.com,
NC WiseOwl eBooks, and other
print reference sources such as
a dictionary, encyclopedia,
almanac, and nonfiction books.
They also explored the app
titled Stack the States Lite which
quizzes them on U.S. state
capitals and shapes.
Upcoming Events
12/1
PTA presents
“Digaradoo”
12/18
MHMS performance
Classroom Winter
Celebrations
12/20-1/4/15
Winter Break
No School!
Volume 1
Issue 4 December
We are the class of 2022