What a First Week of 5th Grade!

Wow, what a week! Our new 5th graders have gotten off to a tremendous start this year. They are using the amazing energy they brought from summer into the classroom, and have shown lots of enthusiasm for their new classes and subjects. We as teachers are so excited to see all of their happy faces, and to see everyone start so strong! Below you will find a quick recap of the week from each teacher. We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Shabbat Shalom!

HUMANITIES: What a week in Humanities! In Reading, we began our short story unit by examining the “Big 3” of story structure: character, setting, and problem. Students identified these elements in an old favorite, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and practiced the language 5th grade readers use to discuss story elements. In Writing, students started their personal narrative unit by writing about their summers, and then used a mentor short story to write their own story about a time they discovered they were too old to behave a certain way. Finally, we practiced asking open-ended, thought-provoking questions in Social Studies, and applied our question asking skills in order to take a deep dive into the curious case of an orangutan who was given human rights in Argentina. What an amazing week in Humanities! I look forward to many more, and wish everyone a wonderful weekend.-Tony

MATH: Fifth graders began the year reviewing classroom procedures in order to help them be successful throughout the year.  Students are expected to complete their homework by the next school day when assigned and are given opportunities to correct their mistakes. It is important to be organized, keep track of their work, and most importantly, enjoy learning! Fifth graders were excited to expand their understanding of place value to include the billions place this week.  Our first unit of the year, Whole Numbers, will also include topics such as approximation, estimation, prime factorization and multiplying and dividing by powers of ten. Have a great weekend!-Geneva and Kelly

JUDAIC STUDIES: This week in Judaics we learned all about the classroom and what we will be learning this year. Students learned the routines that they will use all year when entering into Judaics. After learning all about the classroom and its rules and expectations we did a scavenger hunt challenge. Students had to solve puzzles using Gematria (numerical values for Hebrew letters) and had to find specific pages in the Tanakh using citations. It was so fun seeing them explore the classroom and help each other. We practiced the “Mindful Minute” which will be a part of our daily routine. Each day, after they finish the opening task “Do Now”, they will hear a chime. At this time they will put everything down and we will meditate together for one full minute. We discussed the benefits of taking this minute to focus on our breath and calm our bodies. I look forward to starting to learn about how to work in a chevruta (learning partner) and beginning our High Holiday unit next week! Shabbat Shalom-Laura

HEBREW: Wow, what a week! Short but full of positive energy.
It was great to see the kids after a long summer break and to meet all the new students. This week the students received their Hebrew materials (notebooks, folders) and we went over the curriculum for the next month. Looking forward to a wonderful year!-Yehuda

HEBREW HERITAGE:

הורים יקרים,

השבוע הראשון  הוקדש לפעילויות שונות הקשורות במשחקי היכרות.

משבוע הבא נתחיל ביחידת חזרה אשר תאפשר לתלמידים לחזור על אלמנטים שונים שנלמדו בעבר תוך כדי  תרגול העברית, אם בכתיבה, דיבור וקריאה.

אילנה