Information
WELCOME TO GRADE 5!
Our class rules as designed by the students are:
MATH
This year we will use the mathematics series, My Math, which has 100% Common Core State Standards Alignment, a focus on mathematical practices, personalized learning, and digital resources. Other resources will be used as well to enhance mathematics instruction. Check out this program’s website here. Students should have a calculator, pencils, and a ruler at home to assist with various assignments.
Topics of Study:
Math Games
Fact Dash
WRITING
Writing instruction will revolve around four major formats: Narrative, Informational, Argument/Opinion writing, and Poetry. Students will write daily, working on pieces of their own choosing as well as assigned pieces. We will employ Collins Writing Program's Five Types of Writing as well. Click HERE for a description of these types.
A writer’s workshop atmosphere will be employed to give students the most realistic setting for composing masterpieces. We will do the work of real writers. It is suggested that students have access to a print or online dictionary at home so their quest for the right words and spellings can be supported at all times. Student writing will be done primarily in Google Docs and is accessible by parents at any time by logging in to students' school Google accounts. Looking at the revision history will allow you to see all edits that have been made.
Students will gain a genuine love for words and a recognition of the power they have to inform, entertain, and spark change in our world.
Topics of Study:
Click here for tips on the Best Ways to Support Writing at Home.
READING
Our reading adventures this year will revolve around The Reader's Workshop where students will interact with various texts through mini-lessons, respond to texts in critical and reflective ways, make choices about their reading, engage in stimulating conversations about texts, and generally fall in love with books. Comprehension strategies will be a big focus area, encouraging students to think critically within the text, beyond the text, and about the text.
Topics of Study:
Click here to learn more about the Notice and Note strategies.
Book suggestions for fifth graders here.
List of Kids' Book Series - Searchable by F&P Level!
WORD WORK
The primary goal of word work is to help students develop the strategies they need to become independent word solvers in their reading and writing. Word study also expands student vocabularies. Students' knowledge of words transfers to reading to enhance their comprehension of new texts and aids them in the pronunciation of new words. High Frequency words will be included so that students can be exposed to words that do not follow a regular pattern but will be encountered frequently in their reading and writing. Additionally, there will be a focus on homophones this year. Word study will utilize a program called "Word Wisdom." For more about this program, click here.
SCIENCE
Inquiry will be at the center of our scientific explorations this year. A combination of hands-on lab activities and content area reading/research will be used to help students meet the Next Generation Science Standards. We will be using FOSS kits that are aligned to these standards.
Topics of Study:
SOCIAL STUDIES
It is important for students to gain an understanding of where we've been as a people to devise innovating ideas about where we're going in the future. Our world has become much more global in scope due to advances in technology and through our studies this year, students will come to appreciate history, recognize the cause-and-effect relationships in past and current events, and think critically about their own place in society.
Topics of Study:
HOMEWORK
Children will be expected to use the assignment planner in fifth grade to keep organized and parents should review the planner each night. Students will receive planners on the first day of school. Children should read for 20 minutes each night. A weekly letter-writing assignment will also be part of homework this year. See the HOMEWORK page for current assignments.
BEHAVIOR POLICY
Fifth graders will be expected to follow all OCRS behavior policies. Students must do their part by respecting each other, their teachers, and other adults in the building; acting as role models for the younger students; completing assignments to the best of their ability; and following directions. We will also focus on "making things right" when trouble arises among the school community, giving students strategies to problem solve in manners that are fair to all parties involved and that promote social and emotional learning. Responsive Classroom techniques will be employed to create an atmosphere of belonging, significance, and fun.
More about Responsive Classroom HERE.
SUPPLIES
It would be helpful if each student had the following supplies for grade 5:
Please avoid school supplies that are likely to cause your child to be distracted.
CONTACT:
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Mrs. DePetrillo – [email protected] (Best way to reach me! I check email every day.)
School Phone Number – 401-231-6613
Our class rules as designed by the students are:
- Be a role model.
- Be respectful.
- Be responsible.
- Be friendly.
MATH
This year we will use the mathematics series, My Math, which has 100% Common Core State Standards Alignment, a focus on mathematical practices, personalized learning, and digital resources. Other resources will be used as well to enhance mathematics instruction. Check out this program’s website here. Students should have a calculator, pencils, and a ruler at home to assist with various assignments.
Topics of Study:
- multiplication and division of larger numbers
- data collection and analysis
- algebraic expressions and equations
- adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions
- geometry
- problem solving
Math Games
Fact Dash
WRITING
Writing instruction will revolve around four major formats: Narrative, Informational, Argument/Opinion writing, and Poetry. Students will write daily, working on pieces of their own choosing as well as assigned pieces. We will employ Collins Writing Program's Five Types of Writing as well. Click HERE for a description of these types.
A writer’s workshop atmosphere will be employed to give students the most realistic setting for composing masterpieces. We will do the work of real writers. It is suggested that students have access to a print or online dictionary at home so their quest for the right words and spellings can be supported at all times. Student writing will be done primarily in Google Docs and is accessible by parents at any time by logging in to students' school Google accounts. Looking at the revision history will allow you to see all edits that have been made.
Students will gain a genuine love for words and a recognition of the power they have to inform, entertain, and spark change in our world.
Topics of Study:
- the writing process - brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, publishing
- narrative writing
- informational writing
- opinion/argument writing
- poetry
- punctuation - particularly comma usage
- grammar
Click here for tips on the Best Ways to Support Writing at Home.
READING
Our reading adventures this year will revolve around The Reader's Workshop where students will interact with various texts through mini-lessons, respond to texts in critical and reflective ways, make choices about their reading, engage in stimulating conversations about texts, and generally fall in love with books. Comprehension strategies will be a big focus area, encouraging students to think critically within the text, beyond the text, and about the text.
Topics of Study:
- Genres - realistic fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction, poetry, and fantasy
- Character development
- Notice and Note strategies/Comprehension strategies
- Vocabulary development - particularly using context clues and word parts
- Fluency
Click here to learn more about the Notice and Note strategies.
Book suggestions for fifth graders here.
List of Kids' Book Series - Searchable by F&P Level!
WORD WORK
The primary goal of word work is to help students develop the strategies they need to become independent word solvers in their reading and writing. Word study also expands student vocabularies. Students' knowledge of words transfers to reading to enhance their comprehension of new texts and aids them in the pronunciation of new words. High Frequency words will be included so that students can be exposed to words that do not follow a regular pattern but will be encountered frequently in their reading and writing. Additionally, there will be a focus on homophones this year. Word study will utilize a program called "Word Wisdom." For more about this program, click here.
SCIENCE
Inquiry will be at the center of our scientific explorations this year. A combination of hands-on lab activities and content area reading/research will be used to help students meet the Next Generation Science Standards. We will be using FOSS kits that are aligned to these standards.
Topics of Study:
- living systems - A system is a collection of interacting parts. This unit takes a close look at systems by investigating ecosystems, feeding relationships in food chains and food webs, composting, and the vascular systems of plants.
- mixtures and solutions
- Earth and sun
- the scientific method
- engineering
SOCIAL STUDIES
It is important for students to gain an understanding of where we've been as a people to devise innovating ideas about where we're going in the future. Our world has become much more global in scope due to advances in technology and through our studies this year, students will come to appreciate history, recognize the cause-and-effect relationships in past and current events, and think critically about their own place in society.
Topics of Study:
- using maps
- places and regions - where nations are in relation to the United States
- human impacts on the environment
- cultures
- historical inquiry
- early Americans
- explorers
- colonial America
- historical connections and perspectives
- government structures
- citizenship
- economics
HOMEWORK
Children will be expected to use the assignment planner in fifth grade to keep organized and parents should review the planner each night. Students will receive planners on the first day of school. Children should read for 20 minutes each night. A weekly letter-writing assignment will also be part of homework this year. See the HOMEWORK page for current assignments.
BEHAVIOR POLICY
Fifth graders will be expected to follow all OCRS behavior policies. Students must do their part by respecting each other, their teachers, and other adults in the building; acting as role models for the younger students; completing assignments to the best of their ability; and following directions. We will also focus on "making things right" when trouble arises among the school community, giving students strategies to problem solve in manners that are fair to all parties involved and that promote social and emotional learning. Responsive Classroom techniques will be employed to create an atmosphere of belonging, significance, and fun.
More about Responsive Classroom HERE.
SUPPLIES
It would be helpful if each student had the following supplies for grade 5:
- 1 three-subject notebook
- Dry erase board eraser or a sock to use as an eraser (We use whiteboards from time to time.)
- Headphones/Earbuds for use with Chromebooks
- Silent reading book (Students should always have one of these.)
- Homework Assignment Planner (Students will purchase these at school.)
Please avoid school supplies that are likely to cause your child to be distracted.
CONTACT:
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Mrs. DePetrillo – [email protected] (Best way to reach me! I check email every day.)
School Phone Number – 401-231-6613