Dear Families, 
 
Your children have been very busy these past few weeks. Not only have they given 100% of themselves academically, they have continued to fight off the myriad of illnesses typical of this time of year. If your child has escaped a cold, strep, the flu, or a stomach bug, consider him or her lucky! If your child has missed school due to illness, know that extra time will be given to make up missed work. 
 
Students continue to read a variety of books in the classroom. Students have become good judges of what is a "just right" book for them. I encourage students to read from a variety of genres, so if your child seems stuck in fantasy or realistic fiction, please encourage them to try a biography or a historical fiction book. It is also a good idea to listen to your child read aloud at least once a week for a few minutes. This will help you hear one of the ways I give your child a fluency grade.Most students have completed at least four grade level books at this point in the nine weeks. This is what your child's reading goal grade on their progress report referred to. The goal for each nine weeks is to read six grade level books. An element of reading comprehension that we have been reviewing lately is understanding the themes of the book the student is reading. Themes are the life lessons or messages the reader learns through the characters. These are often big ideas like, not judging others, perseverance, or doing our part to make the world better. This would be a great conversation to have with your child about their book. How great it would be for you to model this for them with the books you read! 
 
The oral presentations on the students informational topics went well. The students received their "SPIES" badges recognizing their great investigative skills! The written reports on the same topics are in final stages of the writing process. Students are completing rough drafts, revising, and putting final touches on graphic features like charts, diagrams, pictures with captions, etc...Editing of spelling and punctuation and writing final drafts will occur next week. 
 
Language skills this week included a review of the eight parts of speech. A comprehensive test of the parts of speech, kinds of sentences, and prepositional phrases will be next Wednesday Feb. 27. Your child should have many worksheets to have as study guides. They also have been advised to review their language test from last week. I will probably include a few questions similar to those on that test. 
 
The state Writing Test will be on March 5th this year. Fifth graders across the state will be given the opportunity to show their writing skills. Students will be given a narrative, an informational, or a persuasive writing prompt. We have worked on how to address a particular prompt, how to use time wisely, as well as all the wonderful words, sentences and ideas to portray in their writing. I feel confident they will all do a fine job. 
 
As you can tell, your child works very hard throughout the day. I appreciate their attentiveness in class and their consistent efforts to be the best students they can. Thank you for all your support from home. It makes such a difference! 
 
Until next time, 
 
Karen Persinger