Greetings 5th Grade Social Studies Families,

 

We've be reading the novel, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, about a young African slave girl seeking liberty during the Revolutionary War when the British invade New York City. We may not finish the novel; due to other topics we need to learn before the end of the school year. Your child may want to reserve a copy from the library or the books that follow, Forge and Ashes.

 

This week, we will be learning about the rise of George Washington and French Indian War (Seven Years War) using the first episode of my favorite Survey of US history podcast, History That Doesn't Suck by Professor Greg Jackson. 

 

We'll then conduct a Socratic circle discussion on the topic along with other resources to practice communication skills building on and challenging ideas of peers as they present facts and form opinions. 

 

Your child may have been making or asking to import things into our colonial economy. They are purchasing land for resources that will build up to our final lesson, Westward Expansion, to help understand the tension building between the English Colonials, French Territory, and the Native Americans caught on both sides leading up to why British Taxation disenfranchises the American Colonies and the impact and contributions of Daniel Boone and other pioneers to open up land west of the Appalachians.  

Greetings Fifth Grade Families!

 

Inside the Friday Folders, your child should be bringing home weeks of Rocket Math sheets. They've been practicing their fact fluency. They spend two minutes practicing their set of math facts with a partner, then they are given on minute to answer the math facts. Their goal is based on the pace they set for themselves for copying numbers down. When they achieve their goal, they move up a level. Since we've begun this back in January, we have seen a lot of growth in fact fluency and have been able to target small groups of students who need intervention in fact fluency. Feel free to look over the sheets and see the challenges and victories in fact fluency. These are not graded but are excellent practice for helping them in their current and future academics.

Greetings 5th Grade Families

 

If you didn't see the email, here is the link again to sign up for conferences related to ELA, Math, and Social Studies.

 

Greetings 5th Grade Social Studies Families,

 

The Fifth Grade will be going on a Field Trip to Young Ameritowne, Friday, March 21, 2025, from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. 

 

In our Social Studies classes, we are learning about personal finance and the civic and economic principles needed to prepare the students to successfully run their own town for a day. 

 

At Young Ameritowne, the goal is "to develop the financial literacy of young people through real-life experiences and hands-on programs purposefully designed to enable them to prosper in our free enterprise system."

 

OPPORTUNITY FOR PARENTS SUPPORT: There will be two opportunities for parents and guardians to participate. Besides chaperoning the actual trip on March 21st, we need support conducting "job interviews" for students applying for the various roles and positions at Young Ameritowne during the afternoon on February 28th.

 

Please grant your child permission to go and let us know if you would like to be involved in the experience.

Greetings 5th Grade Social Studies Families!

 

This semester we're shifting over to Economics and Civics concepts through the historical lens of Colonial America. I've created a simulation that will continue to evolve over time to give students an "experience" that will hopefully anchor economic and civics concepts that have shaped the laws and values of our nation's birth. 

 

The simulation will stretch over a number of rounds corresponding with the generations during the colonial era. 

1. The Founding Generation (1607-1625)
2. The Expansion Generation (1626-1650)
3. The Consolidation Generation (1651-1675)
4. The Conflict Generation (1676-1700)
5. The Growth Generation (1701-1725)
6. The Pre-Revolution Generation (1726-1750)
7. The Revolutionary Generation (1751-1776)

Greetings 5th Grade Social Studies Families,

 

In Friday Folders, your student should be bringing home there planning sheet for their Explorer Narrative. The grade on there is the grade they earned for their writing online in HMH Writable. Some grades may be low or marked INC for incomplete, or missing. If that's the case, they can finish it and improve or complete their grade from what is posted in Infinite Campus. 

 

Thanks for your support and reach out to me if you have any questions.

 

Best Regards,

Mr. McGinnis

Greetings 5th Grade Families!

We kicked off Indigenous People's Day with our unit on European Explorers to gain understanding of the European perspective of the Americas as experienced through the Explorers. 

We'll now be learning about how the European's realization of these two continents' existence influences the politics and progress of European Nations to expand their influence and build their wealth in competition with one another as they vie for power over and security from one another.

This will lead us into both the legend and reality of the Thanksgiving Story and the beginnings of American Colonialism as we continue to see how Indigenous Societies are impacted and adapt to the European presence and how Indigenous Cultures shape colonial growth and experiences that lead us into becoming the nation we are today.

Best Regards,

Travis McGinnis

Greetings 5th Grade Social Studies Families!

 

Last week we kicked off our learning about European Explorers with a lesson around Indigenous Peoples Day and Columbus Day (and why Mother Cabrini is better suited to represent Italian American Pride).

 

After learning about the voyages and expeditions of Columbus, Balboa, Magellan, and Amerigo Vespucci, students are going to create their own Explorer story in the first or third person, that shares how they came to be the leader of an expedition, the destination their hoping to reach, their motive for risking their lives (Gold, God, Glory), the description of the land they find, their experience when they encounter indigenous peoples, the dangers of mutiny, starvation, cannibalism, and hull eating worms, and their own fate as they choose to resolve it. 

 

Because of Outdoor Education next week, we hope to complete this short creative writing assignment before we go. Feel free to ask them questions and offer ideas to help them brainstorm ahead of time.

 

Thanks for your support!

 

Best Regards,

Mr. McGinnis

Greetings 5th Grade Social Studies Families!

 

We are finishing up Geography of the United States. The students are excited to see how much they've grown in Geography over the quarter. Thank you for supporting their practice at home. 

 

We also finished up surveying the various cultures that have thrived uniquely over different periods of time throughout the different climates and regions of North America. Thank you for supporting their creativity and desire to be hands on in demonstrating their learning of the region they chose. The projects that have been flowing in have created quite a buzz, and they are eager to share their creations with their peers. 

 

When we come back from break, we'll switch perspectives and begin looking at the history of North America from a European perspective and the economics and civics that drove it towards what it has become today. 

 

Best Regards,

Travis McGinnis

Greetings 5th Grade Social Studies Families!

 

Have your student bring their Creative North America Culture Project to school as soon as it is complete. We'll start presenting them Monday, September 23rd.  

 

The goal is to create something that represents how human culture developed in the physical geographic region they chose. It could be a model or a diorama. In case they're struggling to come up with an original idea, I sent the craft packets. Not all crafts in the packet need to be created. 

 

Your student brought home a packet of suggested project ideas to present what they know about the culture of their chosen region of the United States. This project is to be completed at home. I had originally planned for a couple of days in class based on the materials they were able to bring in, but unforeseen changes in the schedule cut those days out.  

 

They did choose partners, but that partnership will just be for presenting their regions together. They don't have to work on the same craft together.

 

Please email me if you need more clarity or have additional questions. 

 

Best Regards,

Mr. McGinnis

Greetings 5th Grade Social Studies Families,

 

We have completed our survey of the regions of the United States; including climate, physical features, and wildlife. We are still working towards mastering where all the US States are and will be looking to grow on our next States Test. 

 

To prepare for this next test, please allow your child time to practice online using the site The U.S.: 50 States - Map Quiz Game - Seterra (geoguessr.com)

This game allows them to change the difficulty level to labels down in the bottom left of the game screen. It gives them time and accuracy to work to compete against themselves. Thank you for giving them time to do that.

 

Along with the Geography, we've been learning the history of humans in North America who adapted to the various climates and regions we've learned about. It's a limited survey of past cultures during specific times in specific regions to help show the diversity of culture produced by humans adapting to their physical environment and how they adapted the land to meet their needs. 

 

We had a guest speaker, Renee Chacon, Councilmember of Commerce City, Nonprofit cofounder of Womxn From the Mountain, and current Westgate Parent come in to present on how Native Americans live today here in Colorado now during modern times. The students enjoyed it, and it connected with many of the things they learned in fourth grade to help them see that indigenous peoples have not disappeared but rather show how their culture and way of life has adapted to fit the present. 

 

I will be soon rolling out student choice for projects related to what they've learned about various indigenous groups throughout the regions of the US.

 

Best Regards,

Travis McGinnis

Greetings 5th Grade Social Studies Families,

 

Your 5th Grader is learning the Political and Physical Features of the United States of America. You have the opportunity to help them develop their Geography skills.

 

In their Friday Folders, I've sent home their practice maps, one for reference and one to write on.

 

Throughout the quarter I will be testing their Geography skills. The goal is that they at least know the fifty states. Everything else is bonus and will help them have greater background knowledge and context for the rest of the learning we'll be doing this year.

 

I will be teaching them in more detail as we go through the different regions of the United States. I will be assessing them based on their growth in Geography over the quarter. 

 

Thank you for helping them independently label the states of our nation along with other features.

 

Best Regards,

Mr. McGinnis

We kick off the year with learning the Geography of the United States. Your child will be bringing home a practice map for labeling all of our country's states with the opportunity to extend by labeling major physical features, cities, and neighboring countries. Periodically over the quarter they will be tested on this knowledge which will contribute to their Geography grade. 

 

As they acquire this, we will be exploring the physical regions of our country and how humans adapted to each region to shape land and culture over time. 

 

My goal is to work in choice projects related to the content that will give them hands on and interactive experiences. 

 

You can help them by reviewing the fifty states and their location on the map along with relative features that will help them remember. 

Thanks for your partnership in helping your child grow in these areas.

 

Best Regards,

Mr. McGinnis