Anything in magenta is optional.
Anything in blue should be turned in as homework on the next school day. (Science and history journals homework will be collected and graded periodically.)
BLOG KEY
General:
Act – Activity
Ch – Chapter
Ex – Exercise
L – Lesson
p – Page(s)
Math:
TG – Teacher’s Guide
TB – Textbook
WB – Workbook
FP – Facts Practice (A, S, M, or D denotes which sheet to use)
Writing:
IEW- Institute for Excellence in Writing
KWO - Key word outline
Writing:
IEW- Institute for Excellence in Writing
KWO - Key word outline
Science:
TB – Human Anatomy Textbook
NBJ – Notebooking Journal
WDYR - What Do You Remember?
TLFS – Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds
COMING SOON...
Wednesday, August 11 - Spirit Day! Students may wear a Fortis T-shirt with jeans or denim shorts. Students who do not wear a spirit shirt must wear regular uniforms.
"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands..."
Psalm 90:17
DOCUMENTS you'll need this week (uploaded to the Google Drive): 5th Grade Documents
BIBLE/VIRTUES: This month, we'll be focusing on the virtues of wisdom and responsibility in our classroom. (Creativity is the schoolwide virtue.) As we study the Proverbs, we will gain an understanding of the value of wisdom for bringing blessing into our lives and the lives of those around us. Being responsible means doing the things you are expected to do and accepting the consequences--good or bad-- that result from your actions. The beginning of the school year is a great time to set an expectation for responsibility: for our choices, our assignments, our homework, our behaviors, and more! Additionally, our read-aloud for the first six weeks of school is a biography of George Muller, who relied solely on prayer to care for thousands of orphans in Bristol, England. The story of his conversion is one that always resonates with the students, as George goes from mocking God, making a series of terrible life choices, and refusing to take responsibility for any of them, to wholeheartedly repenting, trusting God to provide for his every need, and taking full responsibility for the thousands of children he rescued, nurtured, and taught about Jesus. He exemplifies wisdom, responsibility, and creativity!
MATH:
- Investigate large numbers
- Read, write, and interpret numbers to one billion
- Multiply a whole number by 10, 100, and 1000
- Understand the relative size of the digits in each position on a place-value chart
- Divide a whole number by 10, 100, and 1000
- Multiply a whole number by a multiple of 10, 100, and 1000
- Divide a whole number by multiple of 10, 100, and 1000
Please make copies of the four math facts pages (A, S, M, or D) that were sent home in binders (inside front pocket). These are master copies. You will use these all year. We'll be using sheet A (addition) for the first few weeks. Here are the instructions for administering facts practice sheets:
1. Set a timer for five minutes. Have your child complete as many facts on the page as possible before the timer goes off.
2. When the five minutes is up, if your child has not finished, please mark the place where he/she left off, and then have the student finish the sheet.
3. Parents, please use the key sent home in binders to check your child's work. (Save these to use for grading all future facts pages.) Have the student make any corrections.
3. Turn the sheet in as homework on the next school day. I will take it as a homework completion grade. (100 if they complete it; 0 if they didn't complete it or don't turn it in)
WORKBOOK AND TEXTBOOK EXERCISES:
Parents should check the work and have students make corrections until all problems are right and students understand the concepts. Initial the top of the workbook page when all problems have been completed correctly. (I will do the same on campus days.) Complete textbook practice and review exercises on notebook paper. Parents should also grade these, but they do not need to be turned in. Please note that we will usually have quizzes over the practice exercise concept in class on the next on-campus school day.
SPELLING:
- Review spelling and syllable division rules.
- Review phonograms from previous levels.
SENTENCE DICTATION:
Sentence dictation is about so much more than just spelling. It teaches the students listening skills; sharpens their working memory; reinforces punctuation, capitalization, and usage rules; and helps them practice handwriting. Read the note in the top, left-hand corner of p24, and follow these rules when dictating sentences:
1. Say the sentence only once.
2. Have your student repeat it aloud.
3. Have the student write the sentence neatly in CURSIVE. (If this is a new skill for your student, have him/her print it first, and then copy it in cursive below.)
4. Look at the sentence your student wrote, and guide him/her to make corrections on his/her own. (Ex.: "I see one capitalization error. Can you find it?" "What type of a sentence is this? So what kind of an end mark does it need?" "You spelled that word with an OU. Can you think of another way to spell that sound?" "Read that sentence back to me. Does it make sense the way you have it written? I think you might be missing something," etc.)
5. If your student still has remaining errors, point them out so he/she can correct them.
6. To make it fun and encourage your student to become adept at dictation, you might want to offer a small reward, such as an M&M or a sticker, for each sentence they get completely correct the first time.
GRAMMAR:
Sentence dictation is about so much more than just spelling. It teaches the students listening skills; sharpens their working memory; reinforces punctuation, capitalization, and usage rules; and helps them practice handwriting. Read the note in the top, left-hand corner of p24, and follow these rules when dictating sentences:
1. Say the sentence only once.
2. Have your student repeat it aloud.
3. Have the student write the sentence neatly in CURSIVE. (If this is a new skill for your student, have him/her print it first, and then copy it in cursive below.)
4. Look at the sentence your student wrote, and guide him/her to make corrections on his/her own. (Ex.: "I see one capitalization error. Can you find it?" "What type of a sentence is this? So what kind of an end mark does it need?" "You spelled that word with an OU. Can you think of another way to spell that sound?" "Read that sentence back to me. Does it make sense the way you have it written? I think you might be missing something," etc.)
5. If your student still has remaining errors, point them out so he/she can correct them.
6. To make it fun and encourage your student to become adept at dictation, you might want to offer a small reward, such as an M&M or a sticker, for each sentence they get completely correct the first time.
GRAMMAR:
- Know what synonyms and antonyms are and understand their value in good writing.
- Know what nouns and verbs are and be able to identify them in sentences.
- Name the four types of sentences and be able to identify them.
WRITING/VOCABULARY:
- Learn the definitions of the four vocabulary words and be able to correctly use each word in an original sentence.
- Practice dictionary skills.
- Write key word outlines.
- Retell a story using only a key word outline.
- Know what banned words are and why we avoid using them when writing.
- Understand the importance of using good structure and style when writing.
COMPOSITION:
We’ll work on creating good key word outlines from a historical reading passage. Retelling is a critical part of this process, so please don’t skip that part of the assignment.
VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES:
Please make copies of the vocabulary activities worksheet that was sent home in binders (inside front pocket). This is a master copy. You will use these all year.
Please make copies of the vocabulary activities worksheet that was sent home in binders (inside front pocket). This is a master copy. You will use these all year.
1. Cut out the blue cardstock PAGE (not the individual cards) in the back of the IEW book that corresponds to this week's lesson. Color the picture on the front and fill in the word in the blank on the back. Hole punch the page, and place it behind the "writing/grammar" tab in your binder. Study the meaning of each word.
2. Use the vocabulary activity homework sheet, and a dictionary if necessary, to complete the
following for each word:
a. Write the word.
b. Draw a line between letters in the word to correctly divide the syllables (if applicable).
c. Write the part(s) of speech. NOTE: The acronym NVP AA PIC is used in Shurley grammar to help students remember the parts of speech. We will encounter it in a few weeks in our grammar studies, but it should be review for most students.
d. Write the definition(s) of the word.
e. Use the word in a sentence (other than the one on the back of the card).
f. Try to find at least one (more if you can) synonym and antonym for each word. Write these on the back of the card.
g. Using a dictionary (online or print copy), look up the etymology for each word. Write the oldest form of the word available and what the roots mean. Does it come from Latin, Greek, or some other root? What do those roots mean? Can you understand how the words got their meaning in modern-day English?
h. OPTIONAL: Write other forms of the word. For example: "prosper" (v) and "prosperous" (adj) would also be acceptable forms of the word for students to use in their writing assignments.
i. After the homework sheets are completed, please hole punch them and place them behind the corresponding page of vocab words in the binder. I will periodically look in binders to check them for completion in order to record the homework grade.
READING:
- Learn about the lifestyles of Native Americans prior to the arrival of the Europeans.
- Be able to summarize a passage through oral narration.
- Expand vocabulary.
- Identify virtues, as well as elements of truth, beauty and goodness, in reading passages.
LATIN:
- Learn ten vocabulary words and the chapter maxim.
- Memorize the first conjugation "amo" chart and be able to use the chart to conjugate a verb.
HISTORY:
- Know how Native Americans came to populate the Americas.
- Understand that native peoples had diverse cultures, lifestyles, and languages, depending on where they lived.
HISTORY JOURNALS: Students will have weekly history journal assignments that will vary from things like writing paragraphs, to conducting basic research, to completing simple projects. This week, they need to write a paragraph, using proper mechanics, about a tribe of their choice. Students will receive a homework grade each week based on how much time and effort they put into the journal assignments. Before you get started, be sure to read the instructions on the first page of the journal and review the sample journal format located behind the history tab in the binder.
SCIENCE:
- Know the definitions of "anatomy" and "physiology."
- Learn some basic history of anatomy and physiology and understand what different cultures have contributed to our modern understanding of the body.
- Identify key facts from a reading passage.
SCIENCE JOURNAL: As students read, they should make notes about the most important facts they discover. Bolded words may be important new vocabulary. Dates and names may also be important. The first sentence of a paragraph is often the main idea and the most important sentence. Parents will have to help the student learn to discern between key facts and extraneous information. This is a skill we will work on all year long. Try having your child limit him/herself to two facts per paragraph if he or she has a tendency to want to write down too many facts. This is also an important opportunity for your student to practice comprehending with non-fiction reading passages.
GEOGRAPHY:
- Develop a heart of compassion for the peoples of the world who don't yet know Christ.
- Know the names and locations of the world’s seven continents and five oceans.
- Understand how the northern and southern hemispheres are different, and how they work together to keep the planet in balance.
- Know the terms "equator," "prime meridian," "tropics of Cancer and Capricorn" and "Arctic and Antarctic circles."
- Know some characteristics of the tropics and the polar regions.
MEMORY WORK:
Geography: We'll be working on the continents and oceans for the first few weeks. A hard copy of the map can be found behind the "memory" tab in your child's binder. Additional maps, as well as MP3s of the song, are available at this link: Geography Resources.
History: Students will memorize a portion of the Declaration of Independence (bolded portion only - recitation on 11/10) and 21 key dates. The key dates have accompanying jingles that do not have to be memorized, but will help students memorize the dates and retain details about the events to which they correspond. We will test over the first six dates on 9/29:
1. Leif Ericsson Explores America - 1000
2. Columbus Sails to the Americas - 1492
3. Lost Colony of Roanoke - 1583
4. Founding of Jamestown - 1607
5. Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth - 1620
6. Salem Witch Trials - 1692
1. Leif Ericsson Explores America - 1000
2. Columbus Sails to the Americas - 1492
3. Lost Colony of Roanoke - 1583
4. Founding of Jamestown - 1607
5. Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth - 1620
6. Salem Witch Trials - 1692
Poetry: This quarter, we'll work on memorizing and reciting Proverbs 2:1-11 (NIV). Recitation will be on 10/6.
My son, if you accept my words
and
store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and
applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and
cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and
search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of
the Lord
and
find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from
his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the
upright,
he
is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and
protects the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand what is right and
just
and
fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and
knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
and
understanding will guard you.