Letter writing is a very engaging and authentic way to learn formatting, punctuation and grammar. The activities in this unit should be learned in tandem with actual letter writing to aunts, uncles or other special far-away people. That way, students can learn and practice the letter writing skills and then apply them in their own letters. It would be especially rich to include their thoughts about books they are reading.

In this 5th grade division unit, students will take their understanding to the next level by applying division skills with multi-digit numbers. Students will also begin to explore division with decimals and practice using estimation to check the reasonableness of their answers. Last, students will use their knowledge of the base ten number system to divide decimals by base ten exponents (i.e. .4 ➗ 104).

In this unit, students are encouraged to write letters to family and friends about a book they are reading. In the letters the will apply the skills learned in this unit, including how to structure a letter, punctuating titles of books and short stories, using possessives (in reference to the characters or ideas in the book), contractions and addressing an envelope. Don’t forget to request a response - getting a personal letter in the mail in this electronic age can be a thrill!

Multiplication facts can be tricky for students, but giving them plenty of practice can familiarize them with these numbers. From tables to questions to interactive games, there are many different ways that students can practice fact families. In this guided lesson, students will practice one-digit multiplication facts, preparing them for higher-level math skills later on. When they're comfortable with these facts, other math problems will become a breeze. Practice now!