11/26/14

I want to congratulate those fifth grade students who put together the powerpoint presentation and others who volunteered to speak at today's assembly. I thought it went very well and you could feel the enthusiasm from the younger grades about their eventual participation at science camp.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with their friends and loved ones. I will see everyone back at school in December.

11/25/14

Students were able to get much accomplished on our last full day before the Thanksgiving break. Students are putting the finishing touches on their Native American project. Using the book creator app on their iPads, students have done some informative writing on their assigned tribe. I look forward to having students present their work to the class.

Students have also continued their work with fractions in math class. Students have been doing strong work and I hope that it continues as we progress deeper into this unit.

There is no written homework tonight, but students should read for a half hour tonight.




Trivia

Which president officially set aside the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving?

11/24/14

Grade five continued deeper into Bud Not Buddy today. One of the things that I have enjoyed so much about this current group of students is that the book group discussions have been great. I can tell that students are enjoying the book and that enthusiasm carries over into the classroom. Students are eager to see where our main character ends up.

Students also used their knowledge about comparing fractions to play an educational game in math today. Members of room 312, were tasked with ordering fractions cards and explaining their reasoning for doing so.




Homework

There is no written homework this week, but I would encourage all students to continue to read for at least 30 minutes each night

Reading - if not complete in class, students need to finish their 3-step journal entries about chapter 14 in Bud Not Buddy


Trivia

Which state is the largest turkey producer in America?

11/21/14

As we approach the end of November, I continue to applaud my students for their performance. Today the grades for term 1 closed and members of room 312 continued to put their best foot forward.

Students continued to diligently work in math class on comparing fractions with unlike denominators. I have enjoyed getting a feel for where my students are in regards to this important subject matter. We will continue our work with this material into the new year. I continue to encourage my students to come for extra help on Wednesdays should the need arise.

As grade five gets deeper into both Wonder and Bud Not Buddy, I am having a difficult time judging which book my class is enjoying more. Students are active listeners and participants while working and discussing both books. This bodes very well for the rest of the year as students will have the opportunity to read other thought provoking books.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and want to remind students and families that next week is a short week due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. There is no school Thursday and Friday and Wednesday is an early release day.


Homework


I have a few students who need to complete their blog post by 8 this evening.

11/20/14

Quick post today, students are hard at work on their final task in our Native American unit. They are in the process of putting together a presentation on their iPads concerning a specific tribe and the cultural region they were located in.

Students also continued their work in comparing fractions with different denominators. It has been worthwhile for me to get to listen to my students explain their thinking during these exercises.




Homework

Math - complete last page in packet

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading. Finish reading chapter 13 in Bud Not Buddy, need to make at least three STRONG entries in 3-step journal. No more rhetorical questions.

- Blog topic: What is something that you have liked or disliked about Bud Not Buddy to this point in the novel? Be as specific as possible and use examples from the text.

Spelling - test tomorrow, it would be a good idea to look over words for 10 - 15 minutes each night

Trivia

Where is the world's largest totem pole located?

11/19/14

Today was a momentous occasion in room 312. All students have now officially completed their narrative writing essays. I can attest to the amount of time and effort put into these pieces by all of my students. I have enjoyed getting to read these stories. Over the course of the next few days, students will get to share their work both with their fifth grade peers and their younger friends in second grade. I can't wait for my students to share their work with a wider audience.

In math class, we had a productive lesson comparing fractions. Students have been great listeners and have been active members of our math lessons.


Homework

Math - complete third page in packet

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

- Blog topic: What is something that you have liked or disliked about Bud Not Buddy to this point in the novel? Be as specific as possible and use examples from the text.

Spelling - test on Friday, it would be a good idea to look over words for 10 - 15 minutes each night

Trivia

Which state built the first subway system in America?

11/18/14

We officially began our work with fractions today. Students began to look at landmark fractions and to place these fractions onto number lines. It was an important first step into our new math unit. I continue to tell my students that I am here on Wednesdays after school for extra help. Students can come whenever they are having any issues.

Students continued their work with Bud Not Buddy today. Room 312 had a nice discussion concerning turning points. We also began to read chapter 11. I also collected students' three step journals today. These pages will be a grade on the first report card.


Homework

Math - complete second page in packet

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading. If not complete in class, need to finish reading chapter 12 of Bud Not Buddy. Students also need to have a least 3 entries in their 3-step journal.

- Blog topic: What is something that you have liked or disliked about Bud Not Buddy to this point in the novel? Be as specific as possible and use examples from the text.

Spelling - test on Friday, it would be a good idea to look over words for 10 - 15 minutes each night

Trivia

What is the largest owl species in North America? 

11/17/14

Room 312 began an important week today. Grades for term one close this Friday, the 21st. Students want to finish strong and go the extra mile with any work that needs to be completed.

Grade 5 began our work with fractions today. Students were tasked with taking a beginning of the unit assessment. This was a challenge, considering that fractions have not been looked at to this point in the year. We will be spending a good amount of time on fractions over the course of the next few weeks, and today was a good first step.

I am also happy to report that all of the grade five students are now in the process of completing their narrative story as a final publishable copy. A lot of time and effort have gone into this writing and I am eager to give my students the chance to share their work with their peers.

Homework

Math - complete first page in packet

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

- Blog topic: What is something that you have liked or disliked about Bud Not Buddy to this point in the novel? Be as specific as possible and use examples from the text.

Spelling - test on Friday, it would be a good idea to look over words for 10 - 15 minutes each night

Trivia

What was the original name of the Boston Red Sox?

11/14/14

Today was a significant day for room 312 today. Grade 5 completed their assessment for unit 1 in math. I look forward to going through these over the course of the next few days. I hope that the hard work my class has been doing is reflected in these assessments.

Students also worked to complete an in class assignment which concerned the seven regions of North America where Native Americans settled. We have been learning about dwellings and artifacts that were local to different tribes.

We ended another week by once again meeting with out second grade friends in Ms. Dichter's class.

I hope everyone has a great weekend



Homework

Students who have not already done so need to complete their blog post by 8 tonight. The topic is: How does the author of Bud Not Buddy create a sense of suspense in the novel? Provide examples from the text.


Social Studies - Native American vocab quiz on Monday

11/13/14

Students returned to Bud Not Buddy today. As we passed the halfway point of this novel, students continue to actively engage with the text. They are participating in lively discussions and are doing an excellent job of staying on top of important events with their three step journals. I look forward to reading responses to this week's kidblog prompt. Students need to focus in on the idea of suspense as it pertains to this novel.

Tomorrow, room 312 will have their unit 1 assessment. Since the start of school, grade 5 has been diligently working in math class. Over the course of the last two days, students have been presented with review work. I believe that all of my students are more than capable of achieving a strong grade on this assessment. Starting next week, grade 5 will be moving on to work with fractions.

I think it is also worth pointing out that students in my class are enjoying reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Recently, the class created portraits of what they believe the main character in this novel, August, looks like. They turned out very well.

Tomorrow, students will get back into narrative writing and we are also looking forward to meeting up with our friends in Ms. Dichter's class for book buddies.





Homework

Math - test on Friday, complete last page in math packet.

Reading - Finish reading chapter 11 in Bud Not Buddy. Must make at least two entries into three step journal

- blog post for Friday: How has the author of Bud Not Buddy built suspense to this point in the story? Use evidence from the text to support your writing (chapter 10 is a great example to use)


Trivia

Who was president of the Confederacy during the Civil War?

11/12/14

Students are continuing to make progress towards out goal of finishing the narrative writing paper. I have had the opportunity to read a handful of the rough copies and I continue to conference with writers during this process. What I am reading and hearing, continue to impress me. Within the next two weeks, all students will have finished their first publishable piece of writing in fifth grade. This will be a significant day in our class and I look forward to having my students share their pieces with the class.

We also continue to make great progress in math, as room 312 continued their work with division. Students have been using different strategies to solve division problems, that I would consider to be challenging. I am confident that as we  approach the end of this unit, that students will be prepared for their assessment.




Homework

Math - complete next page of homework packet. Finish division word problem sheet for tomorrow.

- Math test on Friday

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

- blog post on Bud Not Buddy due by Friday: How has the author built suspense in the novel to this point? Use examples from the text (chapter 10 is a great place to look to help answer this question)


Trvia
What is the name for an abnormal fear of spiders?

11/10/14

As we approach the close of grades for term one, students continue to be hard at work on their narrative stories. Many students are in the process of typing their work into Google docs. The goal is to have all students publish their final copy by November 21st.

Room 312 was presented with some challenging division word problems today. Students were able to call upon the various methods we have been working on to help them solve these problems. In a chapter that often creates problems for fifth graders, I am pleased with the work that is being done this year.

Students also leaned about different regions that Native Americans settled in. Using a graphic organizer, students began to focus in on specific areas and listed pros and cons for the different habitats.

I hope everyone enjoys their day off tomorrow and takes a moment to reflect on the sacrifice made by  the men and woman who have chosen to serve their country in uniform. Happy Veteran's Day.


Homework

Math - complete first two pages of homework for Wednesday

Reading - if not complete in class, finish reading chapter 10 and make 2 entries into three step journal

- blog post on Bud Not Buddy due by Friday: How has the author built suspense in the novel to this point? Use examples from the text (chapter 10 is a great place to look to help answer this question)




Trivia

In which state did the battle of Gettysburg take place?

11/7/14

Today was an exciting day for the Thompson community. Students and teachers throughout the building voted on a new motto for the school to adopt. Ballots were cast for one of the three following choices:

•  Thompson CARES
•  Be Your Best Self
• Try Your Hardest
• It will interesting to see which one of these Thompson adopts as their new motto.

In math class, students developed another strategy to help them solve division problems. Later in class, students broke up into small groups to solve some challenging word problems. Students worked well together and rose to the occasion.

Room 312 continues to be hard at work to publish their narrative stories. As I continue to conference with my students, I have been impressed with the quality of the work. This paper will be an important first term grade, but students are also taking pride in their work and striving to make their papers as strong as possible.

Trivia

George Washington grew up in what state?

11/6/14

In social studies, we continued investigating Native Americans. Students compiled a graphic organizer which clearly showed some early inventions that Native Americans were responsible for. We are going to start looking more closely at particular tribes over the next few days.

In math today, we had a lesson about the rules of divisibility. Students have continued to practice multiple strategies to solve a division problem. I continue to be impressed with the level of work being done by my classroom.

We also dived back into Bud Not Buddy. Students had an enlightening discussion about the idea of seeds growing in Bud's mind. Particularly the idea that Herman Calloway is in fact Bud's father. The level of participation in our class discussion is great. Students are eager to dive deeper into the book to see what happens next.





Homework

Math - final sheet in math packet

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Writing - students should continue to fine tune their narrative story idea, as we reach the final publication date

Grammar - verb quiz tomorrow



Trivia

True of False: Polar Bears prey on penguins.

11/5/14

After being out the building for meetings on Monday and students having the day off tomorrow, it was great to formally begin the month of November with my class.

Students continued their work with division strategies in math class. Students continue to impress me with both their involvement in the material and with their willingness to ask questions when something is not clicking for them. Keep up the good work.

Our writing lesson today, concerned focusing on the ending of our narrative stories. Students were read endings to some classic books to help them focus in on the components of a strong ending. Within the next week, students will begin to publish their stories. I am looking forward to seeing these finished products.


Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Math - next page in math packet

Writing - reread narrative story, looking to strengthen the ending of the story. Students should also get an adult at home to read their story. A fresh set of eyes will hopefully help to add key details or conclude the story on a strong note




Trivia

What is the smallest mammal on planet earth?

Progress Report Dates

New Progress Report Card Dates

·      SPECIALISTS SUBMIT GRADES November 14, 2014

·      PLC MEETING November 18, 2014

·      Grades Close on November 21, 2014

·      PROGRESS REPORT MEETING November 25, 2014

·      Kindergarten Progress Reports go home December 1, 2014

·      Grade One - Grade Five Progress Reports go home December 5, 2014

Please let your parent community and your staff know about these new dates.