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5JS Weekly Update Check here to see what’s happening in our classroom!

Marine population 'halved since 1970' says new report

Populations of marine mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have dropped by 49%

since 1970, a report says.

The study says some species, which people eat a lot of are doing even worse,

with a 74% drop reported in the populations of tuna and mackerel fish.

The report says human activity, such as overfishing, and climate change is having

a big impact on marine life.

The study highlights the decline of habitats - such as seagrass areas and mangrove cover - which are important for food and

act as a nursery for many species.

Climate change has also played a role in the overall decline of marine populations.

The report says carbon dioxide is being absorbed into the oceans, making them

more acidic, damaging a number of species.

This Week with our Macs

Last week, we learned how to access our Google Drive and share documents with others. If students do not have Microsoft Office on their computers, it’s no problem, as we now all have gmail accounts and will use Google Docs and Google Slides. We also got set up on Google Classroom and are ready to go! Google Classroom is a place where I can post assignments or activities and the students can access it and work on it either individually or collaboratively. This next week we will be setting the students up with their edublogs and beginning to create their own blogs. If you haven’t done so already, please remember to sign up to my blog at sites.uasdubai.ae/jstarling where you can subscribe using your email address on the right side of the home page!

S E P T . 2 0 T O O C T . 1

Eid Al-Adha:

Sept. 23 to Sept. 24

There will be no school these days. Please note

there will now be

school on Tuesday,

Sept. 22nd.

Extra! Extra!

Marley loves PB! When I am finished with a jar of peanut butter, I give it to Marley! After licking out all

she can get, she carries it with her around the apartment like

it’s gold!

5S WEEKLY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 20 – OCTOBER 1, 2015

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This week in Math: We will have our unit 1 math test on October 4th. There will be a review during the week of September 27th and it will be sent home with the students on Thursday, October 1st. It will be marked by me so you will be able to see if your child is still having difficulty with any of the concepts and they can use the weekend to prepare. They will need to have the following skills mastered for the test: • What are factors and factor pairs? Students will have to list all

factors and factor pairs of a given number in order to receive a “3” on the test

• What are the divisibility rules for the numbers 2, 3, 5, and 10? • What are prime and composite numbers? • How do we properly write large numbers (up to the millions) in

words, including numbers with decimals (up to the thousandths)? • How much time has passed between two time periods? Students will

be given an analog clock with which they will have to determine the time and then determine the time it will be or was with a given earlier or later time. For example, If the clock reads 2:12, they may be asked what time it will be 30 minutes later or what time it was 2 hours earlier.

Please refer to the previous newsletters’ math pages if you need help understanding any of the above concepts, as they have detailed explanations for each of the above concepts (aside from telling time).

5S WEEKLY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 20 – OCTOBER 1, 2015

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Our Unit of Inquiry:

Every piece of art has a story to tell.

Last week, the students looked at different pieces of art and wrote down what they saw (what stood out for them), how the piece made them feel, and a question they had about the piece or the artist. They also wrote a true story with an emotion connected to it - a time they felt

happy and a time they felt angry, sad, or upset. We will use these pieces later on to help us create our own art work.

This week, the students will start to inquire into aspects of artistic techniques that help convey emotions, thoughts, ideas, events, and that help tell a story.

How We Express Ourselves

This week in Reading: We have already begun our reader’s workshop! The students have chosen a book to read and each day, we have a mini-lesson (about 10 to 15 minutes) focusing on a specific reading skill. Then the students are able to read independently practicing these skills. Meanwhile, I will be conferencing with each student regularly to check their progress and understanding.

Last week during reading, we: • Talked about character traits and

learned about analyzing characters using evidence from the story

This week we will:

• Discuss what to consider before “abandoning” books

• Look at how to write a good book recommendation

This week in Writing: We are exploring narrative fiction writing during this unit. Narrative fiction is a made-up story of connected events written in sequence where the narrator is communicating directly with the reader. It is often a more informal approach to writing, as stories are written in an imaginative, entertaining way that appeals to the target audience. Throughout this unit, we will: • Learn how to use paragraphs in fiction

writing • Explore the appropriate ways to use

dialogue in fiction writing • Discuss problem/solution in narrative

fiction • Look at character development in

narrative fiction • Use descriptive language in our writing,

including similes, metaphors, and figurative language

5S WEEKLY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 20 – OCTOBER 1, 2015

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This week, the home learning activities will be due on October 1st due to the short week this week. The students must complete 7 activities (or more if you wish!) from the menu below. Each student must choose one activity from every column and then the others can be of their choice. Please check their work and make sure they have followed instructions and chosen a good variety of activities that are challenging and not too easy or difficult.

MATH LITERACY VOCABULARY INQUIRY 1

Tell me if the number 1,608 is divisible by 2, 3, 5, and 10 and explain how you know for each number.

1

What is a hyperbole? Define it in your own words and give two different examples of sentences that contain a

hyperbole.

1

Create a word scramble for ten of your words and then

solve them.

1

On my blog, I have posted a piece of art by Michael Shapcott. In your home

learning book, respond to the art piece by:

• Describing what you see • Explaining how it makes

you feel and why • Telling me what you think

the artist was trying to express through this art

2

What number am I?

I am a common factor of 36 and 48. I am also a

factor of 30.I am an even number.I am divisible by

3.

What number am I?

Show all work.

2

Draw a picture that shows something that happened in

the story you are reading. You may use speech bubbles,

captions, or anything you wish. It should be a picture of one moment of time in your story.

Be neat, colorful, and creative!

2

Total the value of your words! Write each word out

and then add up how much each word is worth if vowels are 1 AED (1.00) and consonants are 50 fils (0.50). Once you have the amount for each word, add up the total for all words and see how much they are worth!

2

Who is your favorite artist? What works has he/she done and why do you like them? What kind of art techniques

or art forms does he/she use?

3

Students can choose one of the following study links

from unit 1: Study Link 1.4 Study Link 1.5 Study Link 1.6

You can find the link on

my blog under “Learning Resources – Everyday

Math Study Links”

3

Write a letter to someone telling them about a book you are reading. What is the story

about? Who are the characters? What is the

problem in the story? What characters do you like or

dislike? Be sure to use proper letter-writing format. It should not be longer than one page.

3

Write out your most difficult words ten times each.

3

What three things have you learned in our unit so far that is new or interesting for you?

4

Challenge Question: What is the divisibility rule for 7? Explain it in words

then give two examples – one number that is

divisible by 7 and one that is not divisible by 7.

4

Read Susie and the Rover and answer the 4 comprehension

questions in full, complete sentences. I will post the story and questions on my blog. Do

not glue any papers in your book – just write the title of the

story at the top and number the questions.

4

Create a word search using all of your spelling words. You may use an online

program that creates word searches (Puzzlemaker is a good website). Print it and

solve it. Glue into your home learning book. Or you

can make your own.

4

Post a picture of your favorite painting or art picture on

your blog. Explain the painting/picture – who is the artist? Why did he/she create the art piece? What art form

is it? What techniques did the artist use?

This week in Home Learning