Welcome to the 5th Grade Hello everyone!  The fifth grade teachers at Randolph Heights are Sai Thao and Ron Moeller. Ms. Thao is in room 2206, and Mr. Moeller’s room is 2409. Randolph Heights is a CORE Knowledge school. Some of the units fifth grade study include, World Lakes and Geography, Age of Exploration, Mayan, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations, Civil War, and more.  The web site for CORE Knowledge can be found at http://coreknowledge.org/CK/about/3-5glance.htm.  This gives a more complete listing of content covered in 5th grade. Everyday Math will help your child learn many new concepts such as Number Theory, Estimation, Geometry, Division, Fractions, Decimals, Percents, Exponents, Negative Numbers, Coordinates, Area, Algebra, and Probability. We will using the Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop models for our Literacy Block.  Your child will be involved with Guided Reading Groups, Book Groups, and reading independently.  We will be learning reading strategies such as making connections, visualizing, making predictions, questioning, inferring, and summarizing through mini-lessons, authentic literature, and personal responses to their own reading. Your child will be gathering seed ideas and developing ideas in a writer’s notebook.  From these ideas, we will be writing and publishing Personal Narratives, Procedural Writing, Informational Writing, Writing Conventions, and Response to Literature.  We will use Mentor texts to study author’s craft.  Vocabulary will be developed with Word Wall and Spelling activities, and students will be practicing their handwriting skills with the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum.   You can reach us by email at: sai.thao@spps.org and ron.moeller@spps.org. We are looking forward to a year full of discovery, excitement and learning. Parents, feel free to stop by for a visit to our classroom. You are always welcome.