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Grade Five
Parent-Teacher Communication
May, 2008 Grade 5 M News
The beginning of adolescence is a vulnerable time in the lives of children as they discover more about who they are. It is important during this time of growth that parents become compassionate listeners willing to affirm the unique man or woman the adolescent is becoming. Thank you for taking the time to help your child learn more about their relationships with members of the opposite sex and with you their parents. Becoming a mature adult involves more than physical growth, it is also an emotional process and these talks are important.
By the middle of the 1800s the United States was almost its present size. Yet, as our history book tells us, it was also becoming more divided on the issue of slavery. This is the time we are presently studying and working on. This and other conflicts between the North and the South would cause the Southern states to form their own country and leave the nation divided. Students will come to release that people’s feelings about the issue of slavery and secession were so strong that some soldiers actually found themselves fighting members of their own families. A five paragraph essay on these turbulent times will be completed along with the studies of this time.
You can find examples of good persuasive writing almost anywhere. Advertisements, letters to the editor, newspaper editorials, and political speeches are just a few examples. The other place you will find them is in the fifth grade classroom. Students are going to try to make a reader agree with a position on a topic. Students have already realized that stating a position is easy, but persuading others to agree with you often requires presenting reasons that are supported by evidence. Drafting and rewriting are ways of making these essays stand out and persuade others about something of importance.
Progress reports are due out on May 9th.
May is also the month of Mary. Fifth grade has offered to lead classes in praying the rosary during the month. Along with our studies of the rosary, we felt that praying with others in our school community would be a wonderful way of sharing our faith and honoring Mary, Our Mother.
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