The Year at a Glance…

HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR CHILD’S FIFTH GRADE YEAR…

FYI For BrainPop videos:  Below are the user name and password:

username: dpsoxridge

Password: darienps

COMING ATTRACTIONS IN…

READING:

  • Class Read-Aloud Titles include: The Watson’s Go to Birmingham, 1963, Home of the Brave, Flying Solo, The Wednesday Wars
  • Whole-class Shared Reading Titles include:  Blood on the River, NightJohn, My Brother Sam is Dead
  • Daily Opportunity to enter The Reading Zone, and experience the joy and pleasure of reading! Instructionally, students will be asked to think critically about their books and Respond in their Reading Journals and later on The Blog.
  • Daily group book discussions in Literature Circles, in which students engage in deep thinking and discourse around literature’s Big Ideas.

Throughout the year at home, students should read for AT LEAST twenty minutes per night and complete a weekly response. This steady responding will lead to some Big Ideas, so three times a year, students will synthesize these ideas into a BOOK CLUB PRESENTATION, consisting of an oral presentation, a “microvisual,” and a Big Idea Long Letter. More about this in the future…

Deadlines: TBD

WRITING and WORD STUDY:

  • In the Watson’s Winners Writing Workshop, students will publish pieces in the following genres this year: Narrative (Small Moment); Persuasive Personal Essay (an online Feature Article); Expository (responding to a given prompt); Comparative Research Essays (through Social Studies topics); Informative Research Report (during study of the Colonies/American Revolution); and Historical Fiction Diaries or Letters (again during the Rev).
  • During weekly Word Study Lessons, students will learn and master sight and sound patterns in English, as well as study Latin & Greek roots, prefixes and suffixes. They will be asked to articulate their knowledge gained through a reflection on the words studied.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Our Over-Arching Statement is…

FORCE CAUSES MOTION, AND MOTION CAUSES CHANGE.

Topics this year include: Geography of the Americas; Explorers of the Americas; the Thirteen Original Colonies; The French and Indian War; the American Revolution; Intro to the Constitution; Connecticut History; Current Events.

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In-Class-At Home Connection Writing Projects — at the end of some units, there is a writing project that is planned- for in class, honed and further planned at home, and then written and executed back in class.  These are usually “essays in disguise,” as they are at heart essays, but encompass choice, creativity and exposure to other writing genres.

Open-Ended Projects — in order to give kids opportunities for self-study, promote intellectual curiosity, and provide enrichment and challenge (as well as extra credit!), students can complete an Open-Ended Project any time throughout the year — for EXTRA CREDIT! See below for info.

SCIENCE: Once again, our Over-Arching Statement is…

FORCE CAUSES MOTION, AND MOTION CAUSES CHANGE.

Topics this year include: Properties of Sound and the Ear; Properties of Light and the Eye; The Sun-Moon-Earth Connection, Health and Wellness

 

END OF YEAR PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES INCLUDE…

THE WATSON’S WINNERS SONGWRITERS’ HALL OF FAME! This year in Writers’ Workshop, we will study, write in and appreciate the power of the written word in a variety of genres, including SONGWRITING. In late spring, each member of our workshop (including me) will be asked to “nominate” a song into our Hall of Fame, based on how well it invokes images and feelings for the reader/listener. In order to nominate, one must choose a favorite lyric, print and share it with the class, highlight the effective strategies of good writing that were used, and write about two paragraphs explaining what makes the writing so great. Mrs. Watson’s example, and blank templates are below, for students to use as a “Mentor Text.”

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