Summer 2017 Dear Parents and Guardians, With the end of the school year quickly upon us, we know that you are making plans for your child's summer vacation activities. Like most parents, you are aware that while the summer months are a welcome opportunity for fun and relaxation, the break from school activities often causes students to experience a lag in learning upon returning to school in the fall. In an effort to lessen this effect, the fifth grade teachers have created summer reading requirements. These requirements aim to help reduce the usual summer learning loss by providing assignments and suggestions for students summer reading. The guidelines for the program are simple. All students are asked to read at least one age-appropriate book from the fifth grade summer reading list over their vacation. The students are then to create a report on the book they choose to read from the list. Their report will be due the first day of school. Ideas for book reports include, but are not limited to: papers, posters, displays, etc. (See the following page for more alternative book report ideas.) Students may read more than one book and may complete more than one project. This is highly encouraged in order to get them geared up for fifth grade. We hope that you will join us in this important effort and assist your child in their summer reading. Thank you, The Fifth Grade Team
Fifth Grade Summer Reading List Bud, Not Buddy (Level 5.0) by Christopher Paul Curtis "It's funny how ideas are, in a lot of ways they're just like seeds. Both of them start real, real small and then... woop, zoop, sloop... before you can say Jack Robinson, they've gone and grown a lot bigger than you ever thought they could." So figures scrappy 10-year-old philosopher Bud--"not Buddy"--Caldwell, an orphan on the run from abusive foster homes and Hoovervilles in 1930s Michigan. And the idea that's planted itself in his head is that Herman E. Calloway, standup-bass player for the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, is his father. Frindle (Level 5.4) by Andrew Clements, Brian Selznick (illus.) When he decides to turn his fifth-grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control. Holes (Level 5.5) by Louis Sachar As further evidence of his family's bad fortune, which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish boys' juvenile detention center in the Texas desert. As punishment, the boys here must each dig a hole every day, five feet deep and five feet across. Ultimately, Stanley "digs up the truth" -- and through his experience, finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself. HOLES is a wildly inventive, darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment -- and redemption. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Level 5.1) by Brain Selznick Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Level 5.7) by C.S. Lewis They open a door and enter a world - Narnia... a land frozen in eternal winter... a country waiting to be set free. Four adventurers step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia -- a land enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change... and a great sacrifice. A Long Way from Chicago (Level 5.0) or A Year Down Yonder (Level 4.5) by Richard Peck A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with his sister during the Great Depression to visit their larger-thanlife grandmother who is always up to no good. The story continues in the sequel, A Year Down Yonder, when 15-year-old Mary Alice is sent to live with her feisty grandmother. Matilda (Level 5.0) by Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (illus.) Matilda Wormwood started reading books at the age of four, but her crooked father and bingo-playing mother regard book reading as a waste of time -- and much prefer watching TV. In fact, they take no notice of their genius daughter at all! Only Miss Honey, Matilda's lovely and gentle teacher, recognizes her special gifts. Yet Miss Honey has problems of her own. Number the Stars (Level 5.0) by Lois Lowry Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think about life before the war. But it's now 1943, and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching in their town. When the Nazis begin "relocating" the Jews of Denmark, Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be part of the family. And as Annemarie helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis and embarks on a dangerous mission, she learns how to be brave and courageous -- to save her best friend's life. Shiloh (Level 4.4) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor and Barry Moser (illus.) When 11-year-old Marty Preston chances upon a mistreated beagle pup in his hometown of Friendly, West Virginia, he is not prepared for the ethical questions he has to face. Should he return the dog to its owner, only to have the animal abused again? Should he tell his parents? Should he steal food to help the poor creature?
Alternative Ideas to the Traditional Book Report 1. Compare and/or contrast yourself with one of the main characters from the book. 2. Compare the book to the TV or Movie version of the book. 3. Convert a book to a radio drama. Record it with sound effects and different voices etc. Write the script. 4. Convert the plot into a ballad or song. Write down the lyrics. 5. Cook some foods mentioned in the book. Put together a cook booklet for the class. 6. Create a job application for a main character. What job would they be applying for and why? 7. Design a newspaper based on the events of the book. 8. Design and make your own t-shirt to illustrate some aspect of the book. 9. Design costumes for the movie version of the book. Explain them. 10. Do a dramatic reading of a scene in the book. Write down the script. 11. Fashion a mobile/display from items related to the story. 12. Find a critic s review of the book. Photocopy it and then write a comparison of your thoughts with the critic s. 13. Illustrate a number of important scenes in the book on overhead transparencies, PowerPoint or KidPix which you will use to tell the class the story of your book. 14. Impersonate a character and tell an episode in the book. 15. Interview a character from the book. Write down the invertiew questions and answers. 16. Invite one of the characters in your book to dinner. Tell him/her why you have selected them above the others. Leave a note for your mother describing the person and including a few do s and don ts to follow so that your guest will feel right at home. 17. Make a wanted poster for several of the characters in the book. 18. Make an IMovie for your book and bring it in to share with the class. 19. Make a new book jacket (cover) for the book 20. You re the teacher. Make a test based on the book. 21. Make a travel poster describing the location of the book s action. 22. Prepare a TV commercial about the book. 23. Put yourself in the place of the main character and describe how his or her life would have been different if you had been living it. 24. Select a character from the book who appealed to you. Write a diary with at least one week s worth of entries that this person might have kept. Be sure it relates to the events in the book.
25. Shrink down the entire book into a poem. 26. Tell what way this book has added to your life. What has it taught you? Did you discover anything about yourself or other people by reading this book? Be specific! 27. Transform the major characters in your book to animals. Decide upon an animal for each based upon personality traits. Write a letter to each telling why he/she is similar to the animal selected. 28. Turn your book into a soap opera. You can write the script or you can put it on tape as if it were designed for radio. 29. Use a collage to represent the mood of the book or its theme. 30. Write and illustrate a comic book version of your book. 31. Write a different ending for the book. 32. Write a character sketch of a person in the story. 33. Write a letter to a friend recommending the book. 34. Write a letter to a major character asking about specific thing they did in the book. Now, answer the letter by being the character. 35. Write a letter to the author. 36. Write a magazine article by the main character in your book entitled: My Greatest Challenge 37. Create a promotion campaign for a new movie about the book (posters, commercials, etc.). 38. Create a jeopardy game based on the plot, setting, theme, character, etc. from the book. 39. Write an essay explaining why you would or wouldn t like to live in the world portrayed in your book. Be specific. 40. Write another chapter or episode for the story. Add yourself as a character. 41. Write the same story from a different characters point of view. 42. You are a fortune teller and have been asked to predict what each of the characters in your book will be doing ten years after the story ends. Be sure to explain why you feel this will happen. 43. You are planning a party with a theme based on your novel. Describe your ideas, invitations and decorations as well as food and entertianment. If you re ambitious make samples of the invitations. Explain what the theme is and which characters you will invite. If you have a costume party, describe the costumes of the characters. Be sure to explain why and how this theme relates to the book. 44. You can give a gift to a character of your choice and you have as much money as you need. Tell what the gift you would buy would buy and why it would be appreciated. 45. You have been asked by one of the main people in your book to write a letter of recommendation for him/her for a college admissions committee. Describe good and bad points as honestly as possible. 46. You have just been informed that every character in your book has a deadly disease. You are a doctor who has 47. Create a passport, travel-log, and map showing everywhere the main character in the book visited
Summer 2017 Dear Parent and Guardians, In addition to their required reading and book report, the students will also need to work on their mathematics this summer. It is our goal that every student know all of their multiplication facts when they enter the fifth grade. It is very important that every child know his/her facts as it is a third grade math standard. If a student enters fifth grade without knowing their facts they will fall behind and we want to ensure that this does not happen. Students must know their multiplication facts not just to multiply, but also for division, fractions, percents, prime and composite numbers, area and volume calculations, and conversions between measurements. Because these skills require multiplication, students who know their facts tend to get much higher math grades than those who do not. Please help your student to be successful in fifth grade math by starting them off on the right foot. Practice multiplication facts with them for 20 minutes a night until they learn all the facts. After the facts are mastered, continue to practice for ten minutes a night after that to guarantee they retain all the facts they learned. Thank you for you help, The Fifth Grade Team Math Practice Websites www. xtramath.org www.funbrain.com go to math arcade www.mathplayground.com www.coolmath4kids.com www.gamequarium.com go to math section www.aplusmath.com www.playkidsgames.com go to math games
Multiplication Facts 0 x 0 = 0 1 x 0 = 0 2 x 0 = 0 3 x 0 = 0 4 x 0 = 0 5 x 0 = 0 6 x 0 = 0 7 x 0 = 0 8 x 0 = 0 9 x 0 = 0 0 x 1 = 0 1 x 1 = 1 2 x 1 = 2 3 x 1 = 3 4 x 1 = 4 5 x 1 = 5 6 x 1 = 6 7 x 1 = 7 8 x 1 = 8 9 x 1 = 9 0 x 2 = 0 1 x 2 = 2 2 x 2 = 4 3 x 2 = 6 4 x 2 = 8 5 x 2 = 10 6 x 2 = 12 7 x 2 = 14 8 x 2 = 16 9 x 2 = 18 0 x 3 = 0 1 x 3 = 3 2 x 3 = 6 3 x 3 = 9 4 x 3 = 12 5 x 3 = 15 6 x 3 = 18 7 x 3 = 21 8 x 3 = 24 9 x 3 = 27 0 x 4 = 0 1 x 4 = 4 2 x 4 = 8 3 x 4 = 12 4 x 4 = 16 5 x 4 = 20 6 x 4 = 24 7 x 4 = 28 8 x 4 = 32 9 x 4 = 36 0 x 5 = 0 1 x 5 = 5 2 x 5 = 10 3 x 5 = 15 4 x 5 = 20 5 x 5 = 25 6 x 5 = 30 7 x 5 = 35 8 x 5 = 40 9 x 5 = 45 0 x 6 = 0 1 x 6 = 6 2 x 6 = 12 3 x 6 = 18 4 x 6 = 24 5 x 6 = 30 6 x 6 = 36 7 x 6 = 42 8 x 6 = 48 9 x 6 = 54 0 x 7 = 0 1 x 7 = 7 2 x 7 = 14 3 x 7 = 21 4 x 7 = 28 5 x 7 = 35 6 x 7 = 42 7 x 7 = 49 8 x 7 = 56 9 x 7 = 63 0 x 8 = 0 1 x 8 = 8 2 x 8 = 16 3 x 8 = 24 4 x 8 = 32 5 x 8 = 40 6 x 8 = 48 7 x 8 = 56 8 x 8 = 64 9 x 8 = 72 0 x 9 = 0 1 x 9 = 9 2 x 9 = 18 3 x 9 = 27 4 x 9 = 36 5 x 9 = 45 6 x 9 = 54 7 x 9 = 63 8 x 9 = 72 9 x 9 = 81 0 x 10 = 0 1 x 10 = 10 2 x 10 = 20 3 x 10 = 30 4 x 10 = 40 5 x 10 = 50 6 x 10 = 60 7 x 10 = 70 8 x 10 = 80 9 x 10 = 90 0 x 11 = 0 1 x 11 = 11 2 x 11 = 22 3 x 11 = 33 4 x 11 = 44 5 x 11 = 55 6 x 11 = 66 7 x 11 = 77 8 x 11 = 88 9 x 11 = 99 0 x 12 = 0 1 x 12 = 12 2 x 12 = 24 3 x 12 = 36 4 x 12 = 48 5 x 12 = 60 6 x 12 = 72 7 x 12 = 84 8 x 12 = 96 9 x 12 = 108