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February Newsletter
Dear Parents,
As we begin the second half of this year, please help remind your child about how important it is to take responsibility for the following:
Math- study links, math journal assignments and unfinished class work, test reviews.
Spelling- pre-test results and words to practice on Monday.
Social Studies & Science- sharing and discussing class notes with parents, Chapter and Unit Review questions, projects, etc.
Language Arts- Practicing vocabulary words. Reading independently when they have missed one or more days of school.
Please check your child’s homework each night in order to help your child develop responsibility and organization skills. There will occasionally be homework on the weekend. Thank you for being so involved in your child’s education.
Please remember that I am always interested in knowing about any concerns or problems that you or your child might have.
Upcoming activities:
2/22 No School
3/5 End of 2nd Marking Period
3/10 Middle School Band Fittings
3/23 American Revolution Projects are due
3/29-4/4 Spring Break
4/14 McAlear Sawden 5th grade students visit Western Middle School
4/29 6:00 p.m. Middle School Orientation for 5th graders and their parents
5/4 Talent Show Tryouts
5/6-5/8 Camp Timbers
5/24 Mackinac Island trip (arrive at school 4:45 a.m., return by 7:30 p.m.)
5/19 Talent Show
6/1 5th grade Track Meet at Western High School track
6/3 5th grade Send Off (afternoon time to be announced)
Social Studies: We will be moving into the study English colonies and the roots of self government. This will all lead to the study of the American Revolution. Each student will be assigned a Revolutionary War topic for a research project. You’ll receive information about this project later this month. (Research Assignment Now Posted Below)
Math: Most students did well on the last test. We are well into Unit 8 which is a continuation of the study of fractions and percents. This is a challenging unit because students need to learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions and mixed numbers.
Students are always encouraged to ask for additional support if they are confused about what we are learning. Let me know if you want your child to always bring home the Student Reference Book.
Language Arts: All of the students enjoyed reading Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol before winter break. They told me that I should use this book again next year.
We have finished reading student selected Reading Workshop books that students have been reading. Please ask your child about the book that they chose to read.
Later this month we will begin reading the book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor. It is a Newberry Award winning book and an excellent choice for fostering in depth classroom discussions. The setting is Mississippi in 1933.
Science: Our next science unit is the study of Objects in the Sky. It is a new unit for fifth grade, so we’ll be learning about the Earth and its axis, the seasons, ocean tides, etc.
Mackinac Island
I have reserved a Mitchell Bus for Monday, May 24. I have estimated the cost for students at $43. This includes bus cost, ferry cost, tour of Ft. Mackinac, and bike rental.
I hope that we can have all students come on this trip. Please let me know if the cost is a problem.
We need to have 19-22 parents come with us on the bus to help pay for the bus expense. The cost for parents is $60. and includes all of the activities listed for students. Adult fees are higher.
American Revolution Research Project
In Social Studies we will soon be studying the American Revolution! This is an incredible period in history, and I am interested in having students learn as much as possible about the people and events of this era. Students will be our resident expert on their selected topic and they will be able to contribute additional insight and information during our Social Studies lessons.
Students have the opportunity to choose a person or an event to research. Please read the attached list of topics and help your child choose three possible topics. Return the response form by Tuesday, March 2. Final topic decisions will be made in class, after we compare choices and assign topics so that most of the topics will be covered. Your child will know his or her research topic by Wed. March 3. Students will be able to check out materials in our library on Wednesday, March 4. You may also wish to find information at your local library and on the internet. We are encouraging students to locate primary resources (words or information recorded at this time in history.
Students should bring their notes and materials to class on Tuesday, March 4, so that I can see where they are in their research and give them time to share what they’ve learned so far.
Projects are due on Tuesday, March 23. On that day, students will turn in their research papers and begin to share their projects with the class. When students give their report,
they may use notes, but they may not read from their report. My intent here is that students know the information well enough to share the information with enthusiasm and authority.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Matulis
The research project should include:
*A one and a half page report (double spaced if typed, single spaced if handwritten, 12 font, Times Roman). Students may use library books and internet resources to gather information, but students are not allowed to copy and paste information from the internet directly onto their report. Students have been learning how to take information from text, choose the significant information, and write the information in their own words. (If students use the internet, they must attach web addresses or copies of web research pages so that I can see that they have written the information in their own words.)
This report should answer the following questions:
I am asking students to create a very interesting lead paragraph. We will work on that part at school. The
rest of the report should be written at home. The report paragraphs should include the following information:
rest of the report should be written at home. The report paragraphs should include the following information:
- What caused the person to do what he/she did? What led up to the event?
- What did this person do during the American Revolution OR what happened during this event?
- How did this person or event make a difference for the Revolution?
- What else is really interesting or important about this person or event?
As students gather information, they could write information on note cards. Note cards labeled with the number “1” could contain information that answers question number 1. (use same idea for questions 2 - 4) The note cards should serve as the basis for a paragraph or paragraphs that answer the specific question. We will be learning about introductory paragraphs and conclusion paragraphs in class.
*An additional product chosen from the following list:
- newspaper article
- poem
- song
- board game
- a skit or play
- diary entries
- letter
- TV / Radio news report – recorded on tape or DVD
- map with annotations about important locations and strategies
- picture book
- memorize parts of a speech given by the person you researched – then, in your own words, tell what each part means.
- make an annotated collection of quotations attributed to the character that you studied
- a power point presentation
- a skit
- dress up as a character and talk to class
- read aloud from something written by the character that you studied
- another product, with my approval
American Revolution Report Topics
People Events
Abigail Adams Boston Massacre
John Adams Boston Tea Party
Samuel Adams Stamp Act
Mercy Otis Warren Intolerable Acts
George Washington Sons of Liberty
King George III Committee of Correspondence
Crispus Attcus First & Second Continental Congress
Phyllis Wheatly Battle of Lexington and Concord
Paul Revere Fall of Fort Ticonderoga
Sybil Ludington Battle of Bunker Hill
Patrick Henry Declaration of Independence
Benedict Arnold Battle of Long Island
Thomas Jefferson Crossing the Delaware
John Hancock Battles of Trenton and the Battle of Brandywine
Thaddeus Kosciuszko Valley Forge Encampment
Thomas Paine Treaty of Alliance and Commerce
Lydia Darragh Battle of Yorktown
Ethan Allen Treaty of Paris, 1783
Nathan Hale
General Thomas Gage
Marquis de Lafayette
Fredrich von Steuben
John Peter Zenger
Thomas Paine
John Paul Jones
John Parker
James Armistead
Martha Washington