MEET THE TEACHERS
Mrs. Arcangel
Mr. Messina
Mr. Serra
Our major goal is to help your child be a successful, responsible student as well as prepare them for middle school. We offer many opportunities for a lot of FUN in 5th grade, but also expect the students to work on developing ownership of their work and behavior.
We look forward to working with all of you throughout the year!!
CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Our district uses a reading program called Houghton Mifflin. The program includes a variety of fiction and non-fiction text that is enjoyable for the students to read. The program includes whole group, small group and independent work. All students participate in guided reading groups where students will work directly at their reading level. The program also includes spelling, writing and grammar components. In fifth grade we focus highly on fluency, reading comprehension strategies and developing an understanding of the 4 types of comprehension they are expected to be able to answer. In writing we will be focusing on expository and compare and contrast writing.
The six themes that we will cover throughout the year are:
· Nature’s Fury
· Give It All You’ve Got
· Voices of the Revolution
· Person to Person
· One Land, Many Trails
· Animal Encounters
Here is a website where you can learn more about our reading program! Your child can play games, access story summaries and show you the vocabulary we have been working on!
http:// www.eduplace.com
Mathematics
Our district uses Houghton Mifflin for math as well. There are many math concepts that are covered throughout the year which focus on Algebra readiness for middle school.
Our year is broken down into eight units:
· Place Value
· Properties of Multiplication
· Fractions and Decimals
· Geometry and Measurement
· Plane Figures and Geometric Concepts
· Probability, Data and Statistics
· Number Sense and Computation of Decimals and Fractions
· Exposure to Solid Figures, Surface Area, Ratios, Proportions and Volume
Here is a website where you can learn more about the math program! Your child can play games, print homework and show you the vocabulary we have been working on!
http:// www.eduplace.com
SCIENCE
In science we have 3 units. Each unit has a lot of fun and exciting hands on materials to explore!
· Light, Color and the Eye
· Sound and the Ear
· Earth, Moon and Sun
SOCIAL STUDIES
In social studies we cover a variety of topics. We begin with Native Americans, move to covering Explorers and Colonial Times and end the year in history with the Revolution. We also work on our map reading skills and read about current events.