5th

Dear Parents of Gifted Students,

I would like to take this time to express to you how much I have loved having the opportunity to teach your creative and caring children! It has truly been an honor.

On the last day of gifted class, we will have a fun day themed as the “Classroom Olympics”! Information can be found below regarding donations that will be needed for this event.

To our lovely 5th graders- Happy graduation! I’ll miss you and I wish you the best in middle school!

                                                                                                                               

Last Days of Gifted

MONDAY, May 21^st- K-2^nd Grade

TUESDAY, May 22^nd- 3^rd Grade

WEDNESDAY, May 23^rd- 4^th Grade  

THURSDAY, May 24^th- 5^th Grade

Classroom Olympics- Students will compete in teams to participate in activities that mirror the Olympic Games, such as cotton-ball shot put, straw-javelin throw, paper plate discus, and more!  

Items needed for Classroom Olympics

• Cotton Balls
• Round paper plates
• Straws that do not bend
• Small Plastic containers of all shapes (cylinder, square, rectangular) (holds 1-3 oz)
• Plastic cups, plates, napkins, plastic-ware for party
• If your child wants to bring sports gear (like headbands, team shirt, etc.)- cool!

Food for the Celebration!

Of course we’d appreciate any snacks, but here are a few Olympic-themed ideas that might be fun!

• Gold Medals- Golden Oreos for Medal, Fruit by the Foot as the Chain
• Torches- Small Ice Cream Cones with Cheetos or Popcorn inside for the flame
• Pretzel Javelins- pretzel sticks, maybe even chocolate dipped
• Ring-shaped Treats- like donuts, bagels, or candy
• Veggie/Fruit Tray- in the 5 colors- black (olives), green (celery, cucumbers), yellow (pineapple), red (watermelon, strawberries), blue (blueberries) etc.
• Rehydration- drinks like water, Gatorade, fruit juice

Of course anything else from your imaginations would be great too! Please let me know if you can bring in anything! Volunteers are also welcome to help out in the classroom on the special day of festivities. A sign-up genius will be sent home shortly!

THANK YOU! J            Have a great summer!!!!!!!!    

Unit 6: March

Dear Parents of 5^th Graders,

We are winding down to the end of the year. Even though we are coming off a nice Spring Break it is important to maintain our focus on the last weeks of school. I know we have a lot planned so let’s bring our best game!

Project Based Learning- the 50 States- See the USA Simulation

Your children are about to embark on an exciting cross-country expedition! This cooperative group unit integrates social studies, economics, visual arts, and language arts as students research the geography, government, history, people, and culture of selected states.

Throughout the unit, students practice and apply math, reading, writing, and oral presentation skills. In Travel Teams, students explore the unique characteristics of the United States. They visit many diverse sites along their route and prepare projects to communicate interesting facts they discover. As they drive through each state, Travel Teams produce written and creative projects as a group, as well as an individual final project.

 Unit 5: Feb.

Dear Parents of 5^th Graders,

Right here in our very own classroom, we have a number of little “stars” who will be performing this month in Oasis Arts’ production of “Madagascar Jr. – A Musical Adventure”! We hope you will all be able to see this wild journey come to life on stage! The dates are: Feb. 7, 8, & 9 at 6:30 PM at Ida Baker High. Tickets will be sold at the door or they can be purchased online right now at showtix4u.com. Just search “Oasis Arts” and you will find the event! We hope to see you there!

Project Based Learning- Westward Expansion- Lewis and Clark

In this unit, students form “corps” to follow the route that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark charted on the Missouri and Columbia Rivers to the Pacific Ocean. As a group they will embark upon a journey where they will learn about the Northwest Passage and westward exploration circa 1803-1806.

Students will play a variety of explorers’ jobs within their teams, such as Captain, Interpreter, Journal Writer, and Private.

They will complete “daily dilemmas” and work on tasks that mimic actual activities that explorers had to encounter, in order to advance further on the map toward the Pacific.

Students will learn much about the significance of certain individuals and events in history such as: Lewis & Clark, Sacagawea, Thomas Jefferson, and the Louisiana Purchase.

Literature- The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood

Unit 4: Jan.

Dear Parents of 5^th Graders,

Welcome back from winter break! I hope you all enjoyed your time off and made amazing memories with your family and friends! Now that we are all well-rested and full of positive hopes and aspirations for the future, let’s dive into the second half of our school year!

Project Based Learning- Newton’s Laws of Motion

During the month of January fifth graders will be studying Newton’s Laws and force and motion.  They will be participating in a simulation in which they will have to perform experiments to figure out why “Rollercoaster Land’s” roller coasters are malfunctioning. 

Students will explore inertia, motion, acceleration, centrifugal force, etc., by evaluating the laws in the form of physics experiments.

Literature: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Donations Needed

If you could be so kind, the following items are in short supply in our classroom and would greatly be appreciated:

pipe cleaners, pom poms, feathers, straws, glitter, googly eyes (any general craft supplies)

small prizes for the treasure box

Thank you!

 Unit 3: Nov-Dec.

Dear Parents of 5^th Graders,

Gifted learners have varying levels of abilities and talents in different areas. Some students are great readers and love music while others are good at math and enjoy hands-on building projects. Most children will not excel in every aspect of school either. If your child starts to waiver in a subject and needs extra help, please remind them that gifted learners do not have to be “gifted” at everything and we all have something to bring to the table. It is best to appreciate ourselves and our children for what makes us special and help each other in areas that need attention.

Have a great month!

Project Based Learning: Scientific Explorations

Students will explore scientific properties by conducting various experiments observing physical characteristics of substances, as well as testing the quality of certain products. We will also observe matter and its forms, as we change solids to liquids. We will explore the scientific process and the proper way to identify properties such as texture, color, hardness, etc.

The learner will follow the scientific process and record lab reports with predictions, observations, data, and conclusions.

Students will apply specific descriptions of specimens he will observe during experiments.

Students will observe and record scientific properties such as texture, color, size, mass, shape, and reaction to other substances.

Literature:

Bartholomew and the Oobleck  by Dr. Seuss

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norm Juster

Unit 2: Oct.-Nov.

Dear Parents of 5^th Graders,

We had a… rocky beginning of the school year, to say the least. With all of the crazy weather our area has experienced, unfortunately it has taken us a little while to get in a groove. However, amongst all of the interruptions we did get to explore the Mayan culture through the Chichen Itza, Mayapan, Tululm, and Uxmal civilizations. Meanwhile… our next unit has much in store.      

Project Based Learning: Renaissance

Students will take a journey through the Renaissance. They are time travelers from NASA whom are asked to retrieve important artifacts from the Renaissance that are stuck in a weird time zone. They will research important people, inventions, and events of the time in order to save the Renaissance.

Students will develop an appreciation for the greatness of human achievement during the Renaissance.

Students will explain where and when the Renaissance flourished, who the people of the times were, and what everyday life was like.

Students will explore what artistic, scientific, and technological treasures we inherited, and how the events of this period affect us today by linking the past and present.

Literature:

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Unit 1: Aug.-Sept.

Dear Parents and Guardians of 5^th Graders,

It is thrilling to begin a new year of investigation, enrichment, and exploration! We have begun our Interactive Notebooks. I want to reiterate the importance of having the 3-subject notebooks and what we will be doing with them. We are going to be completing Interactive Notebooks in class. The purpose of the interactive notebook is to enable students to be creative, independent thinkers and writers. Interactive notebooks are used for class notes as well as for other activities where the student will be asked to express his/her own ideas and process the information presented in class. We will glue in diagrams, pictures, vocabulary, and much more! It will also serve as an ongoing portfolio of all their gifted work. Ours will be divided up into three sections: Critical Thinking, Project Based Learning, and Reflections.           

                                                         

Project Based Learning: Mayan Civilization Simulation

      

Students will become a part of an ancient culture by partaking in trade with other simulated cities, studying the Mayan calendar and number system, and determining appropriate valuables for the Great Chac. They will create ceremonial headdresses, trade corn, turtle shells, obsidian, etc., with the other nearby cities such as Tulum, Uxmal, Chichen Itza, and Mayapan.

Students will research how the Mayans developed communication and a technological system.

Students will construct an ancient Stela for their city, utilizing creative art mediums.

Students will use deductive reasoning and critical thinking strategies to complete Mayan Math for their cities. Students will explore the importance of trade and ceremonies through role playing.

Literature: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster