Greetings Grade Five Parents!

Here’s an update on all of our adventures!

History: Out with Akkadia and in with Babylon….this week students are learning about Hammurabi and his code of laws, the first set to be written down. Students will be creating their own laws and consequences this week, as well as selecting a location for their year-long civilization project. We will also be exploring several versions of the epic of Gilgamesh, another first—the oldest recorded heroic tale. Mesopotamia continues to surprise us with all of its innovations…and catch out the photos below of our attempts to write in cuneiform, one of the four pristine writing systems of the ancient world.

Math: Comparing, rounding, and reviewing place value are helping us to introduce a unit on decimals. We’ve been noticing in class how we can use our facility with coins and money to help us understand decimals and percents. Most likely students will have a quiz or test on decimal concepts in the next week or two.

Writer’s Workshop: We’re exploring how good writers often recycle ideas. Inspired by David Wisniewski’s book, The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups, last week ,we generated our own explanations for why parents say the things they do. Students also completed peer edits for their personal narratives, and additional revision.

English: Our weekly grammar focus has been on identifying subjects and predicates. Students are now receiving a weekly subscription to Time for Kids for which they will have assignments to help develop their non-fiction reading skills. Please encourage your child to do this work independently. Finally, we are all enjoying reading Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.

Helpful Hints:

  • PTR projects are due Wed. October 5. Please encourage your child to practice his/her presentation several times at home in order to stay within the 5-minute limit. All written work must be original and in a student’s own words (not taken from the internet).
  • Weekly spelling words are posted in the planner. Tests are on Fridays and students should know the meanings of the words as well.
  • Please remember to check in with your student before you sign off on the planner each night.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

I am so excited to be working with this creative group of learners.

Cheers!

Jilly