The Anne Sullivan School
P.S. 238
5th Grade Newsletter
October Events at P.S. 238
Welcome back students and parents! I
would like to thank all of the parents who came
to our Parent Tea on September 22.
This month, our third grade will perform for
us on October 21st.
There will be no school on Monday, October
12th in observance of Columbus Day.
Please make sure your child is doing his/her
homework. Your signature is required on all
homework that is assigned.
Our next letter is due on October 16, 2009.
Please make sure your child is following the
proper format which was given out in class.
Reader’s Workshop
In October, the fifth grade will be
reading realistic fiction chapter books as
well as social studies and science
informational books. We will practice
reading for stamina during independent
reading. The fifth grade will be focusing
on important reading strategies and skills
during Reader’s Workshop to increase
their literacy and fluency skills which will
be applied during guided reading.
Encourage your child to select good
books on his/her “Just Right” reading
level. Ensure that your child reads for a
minimum of 30 minutes and completes
his/her Reading Log entry every night.
Your signature is required on the Reading
Log. Children must answer one question
each night from the sheet titled “50
Sentence Leads for Reading Responses.”
1633 East 8th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11209
October 2009
Volume 1, Issue 1
Writer’s Workshop
In October, the fifth grade will write a
Report of Information on a creature of the
sea. The report of information will be in
conjunction with the fifth grade’s theme this
year which will be featured in our show in
February. The students will be learning how
to engage the reader, develop a controlling
idea, create an organized report which
includes appropriate facts and details and
provide a sense of closure in their writing.
Please make sure your child goes to the
library and selects appropriate books,
magazines, and websites to help them write a
great writing piece!
Mathematics
In October, the fifth grade will cover Unit
2 of Everyday Math which focuses on
Estimation and Computation. The
students will learn how to devise an
estimation strategy to solve a problem,
subtract multidigit numbers using the trade-
first and partial-differences methods, review
and apply vocabulary associated with
chance events, and review and practice the
lattice method for multiplication of numbers.
Please make sure you read the Parent
Letter for Unit 2 in your child’s Study Link
book.
Science and Social Studies
In October, the fifth grade will learn about Earth
Science. The students will learn what minerals are,
how rocks are formed and how rocks are changed.
They will also learn about the earth’s landforms
and what causes changes in them.
In October, the fifth grade will be preparing for
the Social Studies State Exam which will be held
on November 16th and 17th. Day 1 consists of 35
multiple choice questions and several short answer
questions. Day 2 consists of several document
based questions that the students must read and
answer. The students will also be given a question
they must answer using several of these
documents in a well thought out essay.