4/29/16

Congratulations to the fifth graders for completing day 2 of their ELA PARCC testing. The students have one more day of ELA testing on Monday.

I hope everyone has a great weekend

4/28/16

I wanted to compliment my students for arriving at school on time and in a positive state of mind. It wasn't the most enjoyable day for everyone, considering the testing being done. Yet, the students soldiered through. As a reminder, the fifth grade will also being testing tomorrow and on Monday.


Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading


Trivia

Where was Paul Revere born?

4/27/16

Today, the fifth graders continued to progress with their informational writing papers on the Revolutionary War. The students have been using the resources at their disposal and have been working diligently to craft a meaningful writing piece about a topic pertaining to the Revolutionary War period. I was able to conference with individual students today and I am encouraged with the work that has been done to this point.

We also continued to progress deeper into Number the Stars. We are getting into the later stages of the novel. Today the students used some comprehension questions to guide them in their reading.

Tomorrow, the fifth grade begins the ELA portion of the PARCC assessment. I would encourage all students to get a good night's sleep, eat a nice breakfast and arrive at school in a timely fashion. I am confident that the students will do very well on this.


Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading


Trivia

Which hill in Charlestown actually saw the heaviest fighting during the Battle of Bunker Hill?

4/26/16

This Tuesday, saw the fifth graders take a small assessment during math class to gauge their progress in regards to their comprehension of the work done with decimals to this point in the unit. The students appeared to be quite confident in their performance on this assessment. I look forward to going through these results.

Later in the day, we did some work with a narrative writing piece that asked the students to put themselves into the shoes of a character in a short story. The students were enthusiastic and active participants during this work.


Homework


Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading


Trivia

How many colonial soldiers fought in the battle of Bunker Hill?

4/25/16

It was nice to see all of my students back at school today. The class appears to be well rested and came prepared to get back into the swing of things during today's lessons. This is an eventful week, with the start of the PARCC testing window. Room 312, kicked of the work week with a very productive day.

Fifth graders began to type their George Washington persuasive letters during our social studies time today. The students were quite convincing in their attempts to persuade Washington to accept command of the Continental Army.

Later in the day, the members of room 312 continued to work on their informational writing. I have begun to conference with my students and I have enjoyed getting to read these early pieces of writing.

Homework

Math - workbook page 68

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading


Trivia

Which president was on the 2 dollar bill?

4/15/16

I hope everyone has a great April vacation and I look forward to seeing everyone back at school the last week of April, as we enter the home stretch of the school year.

4/13/16

During social studies today, the fifth graders continued to craft their persuasive letters. These letters, which are written from the point of view of John Adams to George Washington, are coming along nicely. The students are making convincing arguments as to why Washington should take charge of the Continental Army.

Later in the day, the students read deeper into Number The Stars. We are getting to some of the more meaningful moments of the book and the students are very much enjoying this novel. After reading, the fifth graders continued to work together in their small reading groups on comprehension questions that dealt with important turning points to this point in the story.

I continue to encourage my students to visit a library outside of school to supplement their resources.

Homework

Math - workbook page 62

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - worksheet due Wednesday

Trivia

What date was the Battle of Bunker Hill fought?

4/12/16

I wanted to compliment the entire fifth grade class for their performance during today's concert. They really did a nice job and both songs sounded great.

Room 312 continued to work with decimals in conjuncture with tenths and hundredths grids during today's math lesson. Later this week, we will have a small math assessment before vacation.

I continue to encourage my students to visit a library outside of school to supplement their resources.

Homework

Math - workbook page 60

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - worksheet due Wednesday

Trivia

What day did World War II in the European theater end?

4/11/16

As we returned to school for the last week before the April vacation, the students in room 312 had a busy day across the board. The fifth graders were challenged with some decimal word problems during our math lesson. I continue to be impressed with the hard work that the students are undertaking during our lessons. Later this week, we will have a small assessment on some of the topics that we have been dealing with the last few weeks.

During our ELA time, the kids continue to be focused on their informational writing research papers. The students have all selected a topic and have begun to build the basic structure of their pieces using graphic organizers. I commend the students who have taken it upon themselves to do some additional research on their own outside of the classroom.

I continue to encourage my students to visit a library outside of school to supplement their resources.

Homework

Math - workbook page 57B

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - worksheet due Wednesday

Trivia

How many delegates attended the Second Continental Congress?

4/7/16

The members of room 312 are in the middle of having a NCAA Tournament style contest with a new decimal addition game that they have learned this week. The students are working well together and are having a great time, while improving their flexibility with decimals.

The fifth graders are also beginning a research project on a topic that pertains to the Revolutionary War. We have a number of sources for the students to use in the course of the writing, but I would strongly encourage students to travel to their local library to collect additional resources to use in the course of their project.


Homework

Math - workbook page 5

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - worksheet due Friday


Trivia

How many home runs has David Ortiz hit with the Red Sox?

4/6/16

Today, the fifth graders returned to Number the Stars. The students read in their small groups today and then dealt with some reading comprehension questions pertaining to the chapter in question. I was impressed with the level of discourse and compliment my students for their diligence in regards to this book. I look forward to progressing deeper into the text.

Earlier in the day, the students looked at the famous ride made famous by Paul Revere. The students looked closely at a famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and used that to help them dig into this important event.

The fifth graders are also beginning a research project on a topic that pertains to the Revolutionary War. We have a number of sources for the students to use in the course of the writing, but I would strongly encourage students to travel to their local library to collect additional resources to use in the course of their project.


Homework

Math - worksheet page 43

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - worksheet due Friday


Trivia

What cities did Paul Revere warn the night of his famous ride?

4/5/16

The fifth graders continued their work with rounding decimals today. During today's lesson, the students were tasked with coming up with a set of rules to follow as they are rounding decimals. I was happy with the work that the students were able to get done today.


Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - finish worksheet


Trivia

How many delegates did Massachusetts send to the First Continental Congress?

4/4/16

Rounding decimals was the topic of the day during math class. The students continue to use number lines to better frame their thinking. Room 312 also worked in some adding and subtracting of decimals in as part of this lesson. A very productive math block.

Later in the day, the fifth graders explored the First Continental Congress during our social studies time. This momentous occasion inches us closer and closer to the onset of the Revolution. The students are beginning to make plans for their informational writing topic. Each student will be tasked with selecting a topic pertaining to the Revolutionary War and compiling research to write a paper.

We also continued to get deeper into Number the Stars. The fifth graders seem to be very much enjoying this novel.

Homework

Math - worksheet 23 B

Science - worksheet

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading


Trivia

How many colonies were represented during the the First Continental Congress?

4/1/16

I wanted to congratulate all of the students who took part in the plays. They all turned out great. Whether students were acting or doing work behind the scenes, the teamwork produced some highly entertaining shows. The entire student body of the Thompson enjoyed all of the performances.

Later in the day, the fifth grade was lucky enough to see some birds of prey in the flesh. The students were a rapt audience as they were able to visit with owls and hawks.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.