Welcome To 5th Grade
Ms. Martine Keller
Mrs. Rawya Khafaga
Mr. William Ahrens
Mrs. Amanda McCormack
Mr. Daniel Vialet
All About ELA
What's Going On In Reading?
This year in reading, the 5th graders will be reading grade level texts that are aligned to the complexity requirements outlined in the New York State Comon Core Standards. The students will further deepen their content knowledge and comprehension by close readings, learning academic vocabulary and foundational skills. In addition, your child will be given various assessment opportunities in order to gauge their progress toward the mastery of the New York State Common Core learning Standards.
What's Going On In Writing This Year?
This year in writing, the 5th graders will be focusing on various types of writing pieces. Some of the writing pieces that they will work on are Narrative Writing, Informational/Explanatory Writing, Opinion/Persuasive Writing and much more. The students will learn how to formulate their ideas into essays, which include the essentials such as an introduction paragraph, a well written body and a conclusion paragraph. With practice throughout the year, your child will master the craft of writing a well written and well organized essay, which is the foundation needed for the journey that they will embark in preparation for college and career readiness. Most of all, I will help your child discover that there is a young author that lives inside of them and that writing can be fun.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MY CHILD WILL BE WORKING ON IN ELA THIS YEAR?
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Summarizing the key details of stories, dramas, poems, and nonfiction materials, including their themes or main ideas
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Identifying and judging evidence that supports particular ideas in an author’s argument to change a reader’s point of view
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Integrating information from several print and digital sources to answer questions and solve problems
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Writing opinions that offer reasoned arguments and provide facts and examples that are logically grouped to support the writer’s point of view
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Writing stories, real or imaginary, that unfold naturally and developing the plot with dialogue, description, and effective pacing of the action
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Coming to classroom discussions prepared & engaging fully and thoughtfully with others
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Reporting on a topic or presenting an opinion with his or her own words, a logical sequence of ideas, sufficient facts and details, and formal English when appropriate
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Expanding, combining, and reducing sentences to improve meaning, interest, and style of writing
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Building knowledge of academic words with an emphasis on those that signal a contrast in ideas or logical relationships, such as on the other hand, similarly, and therefore
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Producing & revising writing on the computer
Writing Workshop:
Students will be writing Literary Essays.
1. Writers will analyze literary essays for reasoning and evidence.
2. Writers will read texts closely and respond to them in writing.
3. Writers will learn strategies for revising their literary essays.
4. Writers will learn strategies for editing their literary essays.
5. Writers will publish and share their literary essays
Reading Workshop
Readers will read several Historical Texts & focus on:
1. Understanding that authors support main ideas with key details, providing reasons & evidence to explain the relationships between individuals, ideas, & concepts within a text.
2. Students will deepen their understanding of the Main Idea through art & information presented in the text.
Social Studies
(2019 – 2020 School Year) – Ms. Keller & Mr. Ahrens
Unit 1: Geographic Features (September)
- Identifying Natural Landforms vs. Manmade Features (inquiry-based learning)
Unit 2: Ice Age (October)
- Infographic Projects (interest-based selections)
Unit 3: Pangaea (November)
- Continental Drift & Plate Tectonics (collaborative-based work)
Unit 4: Wonders of the World (December)
- Wonders of the World Model/Report Project (hands-on activity)
Unit 5: Artifacts (January)
- Distinguishing Artifacts from Fossils (making connections)
Unit 6: Vikings (February)
- Keels, Longhouses, & Mythology (discovering different cultures)
Unit 7: Inuit (March)
- Eskimos, Kayaks, & Igloos (discovering different cultures)
Unit 8: Canada (April)
- Focus on Ottawa & Toronto (discovering different cultures)
Unit 9: European Exploration (May)
- Explore Lands, Find Wealth, Seek Adventure (understanding American history)
Unit 10: Early Americans (June)
- Wampanoag, Lakota, Pueblo, Seminole, Navajo (understanding American