The year is quickly coming to a close and we are very busy in our fifth grade science and social studies class! I know there is a lot of information packed in this newsletter. Please keep it as a reference for our end of year activities.
In science, we are in full review mode for the EOG. In social studies, we’ll continue learning about the Civil War.
For homework, your child will take their science notebooks home each day. Create a plan with your child to review all the notes/experiments before the EOGs at the end of May. I am sending home a practice test this week. Have your child work on part of the test every evening. Encourage him/her to use their notes in the science notebooks to help “reason” through the answer choices to determine the correct answer. Please do NOT spend hours working on this or researching answers online. Your child will receive a grade for completing the sheet to the best of his/her ability and returning it on Friday. Students will use the answer key to check their answers during morning work on Friday and make any needed corrections. I just wanted to give the students more practice in thinking through the questions. I have also encouraged students to self-assess as they complete reviews such as this in class and at home. If a child notices that they are having trouble remembering the differences in clouds and air masses, then I tell them to jot a note to review their weather section of the science notebook.
Please remember there are additional resources on our class webpage to help your child review. Go to Classroom Links-Science. Students may visit topic pages that have informational links/videos. There is also a link that says “Science EOG Review.” It links to another NC fifth grade teacher’s page.
I also have many Kahoot quizzes available. Students in the past have created Kahoot accounts (it’s free.) You can search by my username (mparkpcis) and it pulls up the quizzes available. Students can scroll and choose to play the Kahoot they would like to review. This helped many of my classes in past years become more comfortable with the wording of the EOG questions.
-Rewards during the Last Week of School: We want to encourage your child to do his/her best on during the EOG. We understand that it is a long test and can be difficult. We’ll be looking for students who are taking their time, breaking down word problems, drawing pictures or working out problems, and so forth during the EOG. We will have special STEM, robot, and science activities planned for students to do during the last week of school to celebrate those who used their strategies during the EOG.
In order to participate in this reward, students will also need to have their classwork turned in for that subject area. Please have your child check PowerSchool to complete any missing assignments. Remember that he/she may also make corrections to any papers that have low grades and I will add in an additional grade for the corrections. I updated grades on Friday afternoon before PowerSchool went down for maintenance and will continue to do so as papers are turned in. Turning in the missing work will also greatly improve their overall grade for the final nine weeks.
-Proctors: Our school is in desperate need of proctors for EOG testing on May 29 and May 30. If you, your family members, friends, etc. are available to proctor, please contact the office or me. I totally understand it is not the most thrilling task, but it is important to have that extra person in the room to support our students during EOG testing.
-This is always a busy time of year. I’ve listed upcoming events below.
-May 24: Field Day: Field Day will take place on Friday, May 24. Please see the attached note for further information.
-May 27: No School
-May 29: The fifth graders will take the Reading EOG on Wednesday, May 29.
-May 30: The fifth graders will take the Math EOG on Thursday, May 30.
-May 31: The fifth graders will take the Science EOG on Friday, May 31.
-Change in Lunch Times: Please note that our lunch times may be different during the weeks of May 28 and June 3 due to testing schedules. Call or email ahead to check the times if you plan to eat with your child during those weeks.
-NO Devices on EOG Days: Students have been asked to NOT bring devices to school on EOG days. This includes Fitbits and Smart watches. Please double check with your child to make sure he/she does not bring a device to school on those days.
-Last Day of School: The last day of school will be Friday, June 7. Fifth grade parents are invited to a get together with their children at 9:15-9:45am in the cafeteria. The students are encouraged to wear their tie dye shirts made in art class or other brightly colored shirts on this day. The fifth graders will be marching into the Awards Day assembly and performing a song. The awards celebration will be at 10:00am.
If you have any questions/concerns, please feel free to contact me. You may jot a note in your child’s planner (just remind your child to show me!), call (704-736-1504), or send an email ([email protected]). Have an amazing week! Mrs. Melissa Park