Barranca Mesa Elementary School – 5 th Grade Newsletter
“Be your best, Make it count, Excel today, Succeed tomorrow”
Student’s Name:__________________________________
Homework
Week of: January 14, 2013
English/Language Arts
Back to Learning!
Unit 4: America in Conflict (9 weeks) This nine-week unit focuses on aspects
the causes and consequences of the
American Civil War, as revealed through
literature and informational text.
Essential Question: How are
fictionalized characters and
real people changed through
conflict?
Overview: Students read historical fiction
and informational text about the Civil War
in the United States and compare and
contrast the ways in which each type of
text describes key historical events. In
order to gain a deeper understanding of
the period beyond what is addressed in
print, students listen to music and
examine art from the Civil War Period.
The culminating activity is to compose a
narrative that is set within a historical
context, includes a fictional character
with a conflict to grow from, and
incorporates authentic facts, photos, or
artwork.
EDMODO: You will be seeing Edmodo
assignments that your child will have to
complete, but they will work on them in
class.
BOOK REFLECTIONS: They will be
reflecting on books pertaining to the Civil
War and the cause of the Civil War and
people involved in the Civil War. I have
Spelling Contracts: Due Friday, Jan. 18, 2013
Unit 5: Number Theory and Fractions Framework:
Chapter 13: Students will demonstrate proficiency with division,
including one-and two-digit divisors, find the factors and multiples of
whole numbers, and will find the factors and multiples of whole
numbers.
Chapter 14: Students will demonstrate how a situation can be
represented in more than one way, identify prime and composite
numbers to 50, find the factors and multiples of whole numbers, and
use graphs, tables, and charts to describe data.
Chapter 15: Students will use diagrams or pictures to model problem
situations, and represent and use fractions and decimals in equivalent
forms.
Green Group: Test on Monday, Jan. 14th
and begin Chapter 14. Exponents and
Prime Numbers:
Math Vocabulary: exponent, base, square
number, composite number, prime
number, prime factorization, factor tree,
and square root.
I will begin have weekly multiplication
fact tests with this group. (Every Friday)
Blue Group: Begin Chapter 15 Fraction Concepts
Math Vocabulary: equivalent fractions, simplest
form, and mixed number
We will test on Friday, Jan. 18th.
We will start Chapter 16 Jan. 22nd.
Unit 6: Operations with Fractions:
Chapter 16: Students will add and subtract fractions and mixed
numbers without regrouping and express answers in simplest form.
Chapter 17: Students will add and subtract fractions and mixed
numbers without regrouping and express answers in simplest form,
and will solve simple problems involving the addition and subtraction
of fractions and mixed numbers.
Chapter 18: This chapter is a foundation for Grade 6. Students will
multiply fractions by a fraction, multiply fractions and whole numbers,
multiply fractions and mixed numbers, and multiply with mixed
numbers.
many of the books, so they will check
them out and then they will fill out their
reflection.
Reading: Read at least 100 min. a
week.
Reading Logs are due every Monday. This
semester, reading logs are mandatory as
well as Math logs.
* Your child should be
reading every night for at
least 20 minutes.
Discovery Quest Schedule:
January 17: Pin #’s 1-8
January 24: Pin #’s 9-16
January 31: Pin #’s 17-23
Current Event Schedule:
January 25
February 8
February 22
Upcoming Events/Deadlines
January: Jan. 11, 14-­‐18: Human Growth & Development (All 5th grade) Jan. 17: DQ Pin Numbers: 1-­‐8 Jan. 21: No School-­‐MLK Day Jan. 22: District –Wide Spelling Bee (Good Luck Sruthi!) (Chamisa Elementary) Jan. 24: DQ Pin Numbers: 9-­‐16 Jan. 25: Professional Day: I will be at the roundhouse for passing my national boards. I will be inducted that night in Albuquerque.  Jan. 25: Current Events due Jan. 25: County Science Fair Set-­‐up Jan. 26: County Science Fair (LAHS) Jan. 31: DQ Pin Numbers: 17-­‐23 Jan. 31: Present Poems in class Chapter 19: This chapter is a foundation for Grade 6. Students will
explore division, using fractions.
These two groups work independently and if they need help they
come to me for instruction. They will test when they feel ready.
(Red) This group is working independently on
Chapter 16 Add and Subtract Fractions.
(Rainbow): They will continue working on Chapter
18: Multiply Fractions.
Discovery Education (short-cycle)
Assessment: We will test the week of
January 22nd. It should only take
around 90 min. for the Reading and 90
min. for the Math.
It is a computer-based assessment,
which follows Common Core. They
will have to answer 1 problem in
writing to be scored by the district
reading specialist. The other 2 written
pieces will be scored by myself.
Science
Unit: Motion and Design
Science Key Terms for this Unit:
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position
speed
force
energy
machine
gravity
balanced forces
unbalanced forces
Inertia/Newton’s 1st Law of Motion
momentum
friction
simple machine
pushing force
pulling force
Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion
Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion
pulley
lever
wedge
screw
wheel and axle
inclined plane
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Please remember that things are subject to
change. I try and have everything
updated, but circum stances som etim es
change. If I see that m y students are not
understanding a concept, or are
fascinated by som ething discussed, then I
will either re-teach a lesson, or add
another lesson to follow their interest, so
lessons m ight not follow the plan for the
week. Thank you for your support. 
Solar Energy
Mechanical Energy
Thermal Energy
Electrical Energy
Sound Energy
Chemical Energy
Kinetic Energy
Potential Energy
Health: We will also begin Human Growth and
Development on Friday. Please make sure you
read and discuss nightly using the booklet we will
be sending home. (They have to bring back
everyday.) Also, the nurse will give them a final
on everything discussed in class.) They will take
notes during presentations from nurse.
Please sign cut and return the bottom portion and send back informing me that you have read this week’s newsletter. Please
keep this newsletter handy so you know what is coming up. I will inform you of any changes.
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