Welcome Back, Fifth Grade! 🎉

January 7, 2026

Dear Fifth Grade Families,

Happy New Year! I hope your winter break was filled with rest, relaxation, and quality time together. I'm thrilled to welcome our fifth graders back for an exciting third quarter packed with engaging learning opportunities.

Third Quarter at a Glance

We have an action-packed quarter ahead! Here's what your child will be exploring:

Mathematics

• Unit 5: Working with Expressions Students will dive into order of operations and begin working with variables, essential algebra readiness skills! We'll learn to simplify numerical expressions and explore how variables can represent unknown quantities in real-world problems.
  

• Units 7-8: Geometry and Measurement We'll investigate perimeter, area, and volume, including developing formulas for the area of right triangles and volume of rectangular prisms. Students will also classify angles and triangles, measure angles with protractors, and solve problems involving metric measurement.
  

English Language Arts

• Unit 5: The Renaissance Students will explore this fascinating period of art, science, and discovery while building skills in informational reading and writing. They'll research Renaissance artists and create biographies using multiple sources.
  

• Unit 6: The Reformation We'll continue our historical journey while practicing narrative and informational writing, and students will create multimedia presentations.
  

• Unit 7: A Midsummer Night's Dream Get ready for Shakespeare! Students will experience this beloved comedy, learning about iambic pentameter, analyzing characters, and even performing scenes. This unit is always a class favorite!
  

Science

Sound, Light, and Electricity Third quarter brings exciting hands-on investigations as we explore:

• How sound is produced and transmitted through different materials

• The properties of visible light, including reflection and refraction

• How electricity flows through circuits and transforms into other forms of energy
  

How You Can Help at Home

Reading: Continue encouraging 20-30 minutes of reading each night. Ask your child about what they're reading. Who are the characters? What's the conflict? What do they predict will happen?

Math Facts: Quick, regular practice with multiplication and division facts keeps computational skills sharp and helps with our fraction and expression work.

Conversation: Talk with your child about their school day. What did they learn? What was challenging? What are they proud of?

Looking Forward

Third quarter is often when fifth graders really hit their stride. They've adjusted to the expectations of upper elementary, built strong foundational skills, and are ready to tackle more complex thinking. I can't wait to see the growth ahead!

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns. I'm here to partner with you in your child's success.

Here's to a wonderful 2026, and making sure each student is prepared for the start of their middle school career!

Mr. Green Fifth Grade