Gecko Gazette

In class we are beginning our Buildings Study! Students will have the opportunity to explore and build using a variety of materials while learning which materials are strong, weak, or best suited for construction.

In our play areas, we will also be exploring Arctic wildlife and engaging with a variety of new sensory items connected to our winter theme.

In a couple weeks, we will also participate in our annual school Gingerbread Hunt as we read The Gingerbread Man Loose at School. Students will follow clues around campus to see if they can help us find the missing gingerbread friend!

To end the month, we will celebrate with a Holiday Classroom Celebration! Families are invited to join their child for festive activities and fun learning experiences. This event will take place December 17th.

We hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable Fall Break! We are excited to be back and diving into lots of learning before Quarter 2 wraps up. Students are continuing to work hard as we prepare for State Testing in April.

Reading: We are finishing our drama/play module. Students are learning about the important elements of drama and practicing how to identify the theme—the lesson the author wants readers to take away.

Writing: Students are completing their narrative story about someone who has helped them solve a problem or learn something new. They also recently finished the District Writing Assessment and overall did very well! This assessment helps teachers understand how to best support students as we prepare for the State Writing Test in late March. We have plenty to continue working on, but students are moving in the right direction.

Social Studies: We are continuing our learning about Arizona, but now we are stepping back in time to explore what the United States looked like before Arizona became a state. Students are beginning to study how our country developed from the original 13 colonies to where we are today.

Math: We are learning about area by counting square units and multiplying length by width. Students are enjoying the hands-on practice and real-world connections.

Science: We are studying ecosystems, including trophic levels, food chains, and how living things interact within their environments.

Mandarin: Students are expanding their vocabulary and practicing opinion writing in Mandarin.

As we head into the next few weeks, we know students are already looking forward to Winter Break. Please continue to support positive behavior and help reinforce school expectations at home. We recently reviewed expectations with the class and will revisit them again when we return from Winter Break. Thank you for your partnership and support!

Students worked incredibly hard on their Math Diagnostics and showed wonderful growth! We are wrapping up our unit on multiplication and division and will soon be moving into our next unit on area and perimeter. In science, we have been learning about animal adaptations, exploring how animals use mimicry and camouflage to survive, as well as the benefits of living in groups. We will continue examining how these adaptations help animals thrive in their environments through hands-on activities and discussions.

We have finished all of our mid-year assessments! The students worked very hard, and you will soon receive an updated parent letter with their new scores.

For the remainder of the quarter, we will begin Module 4, which focuses on Heroic Feats. Our lessons will explore text features, theme, and figurative language. We will also be wrapping up our informative writing unit with a piece on Walt Disney. In social studies, we will start learning about the explorers who began traveling to the “New World.”

December is a busy and exciting month in 5th grade! In Reading, students are strengthening their comprehension skills by identifying multiple main ideas, summarizing texts, and locating explicit details to support their inferences. In Writing, we’re working on crafting letters to request information as well as developing strong editorials that express clear opinions.

In Social Studies, students are diving into American history as they explore the Oregon Trail, learn about the experiences of Native Americans, and discover the impact of the California Gold Rush. Our Science unit focuses on force, motion, and friction through hands-on investigations and real-world examples.

In Math, we are building confidence with decimals and fractions, reviewing place value, addition, and subtraction, and moving into multiplication and division with these numbers.

We’re looking forward to a wonderful month of learning and growth! Let us know if you have any questions.