5/31/16

As we ended the month of May together in room 312, the fifth graders worked on a challenging math word problem that dealt with taking a summer road trip. The students did a nice job of working together on these problems.

Later in the day, we continued to progress with our informational writing.

This upcoming Friday is field day at the Thompson School. The fifth grade will be representing the United States of America during the day. It would be great if all students could wear clothes that have red, white and blue colors.


Homework

Math - complete quadrilateral information sheet if not done in class

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Trivia

What is the largest land mammal in Africa?

5/27/16

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend with friends and family.

5/26/16

Today was a big writing day for the students. The fifth graders are at different points in the process. Today, some students were able to grade themselves on their informational writing using the same rubric which I will be grading them. Students took an honest look at their pieces and looked to assess themselves on items such as their introduction, their organization and their command of grammar. Other students used their time to put the finishing touches on an early draft or to type a final draft. I continue to enjoy going through this process with my class.

I was also quite happy with the results of the math assessment from yesterday. The fifth graders impressed me with their grasp of fractions and decimals.

I would also like to ask families to have their children bring in empty 2 liter soda bottles. The students are using these in science class and as of right now, there are not enough for each student. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. 

Homework

Math - Engage New York worksheet (metric conversions)

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Trivia

Who was the last person to sign the Declaration of Independence?

5/25/16

During today's lesson, the fifth graders got together with their small reading groups for one last time concerning Number the Stars. The students worked together to continue the story after selecting from a list of unanswered questions. The students were creative and worked well together to craft a continuation of the novel. The students did such a nice job throughout our work with this novel and I thought today was a fun and productive way to wrap up our time with the story.

Earlier in the day, room 312 had some time to work on their biography poems. We are going to spend some time on poetry as we approach the conclusion of the year and this was a nice way to kickstart the mini unit.


Homework

Math - expressions # 3 worksheet

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Trivia

What player has hit the most homer runs in Fenway Park?

5/24/16

The fifth graders spent some time investigating the Battle of Trenton today. The members of 312 were presented with an article about this important Revolutionary event and were tasked with working together to answer some comprehension questions.

Later in the day, we were able to return to our informational writing. The students were hard at work and I enjoyed the conferences that I was able to have.

Tomorrow, room 312 will have a math assessment.


Homework

Math - assessment tomorrow

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Trivia

What day was the Battle of Trenton fought?

5/23/16

Congratulations to the fifth graders for completing their testing today. The students rose to the occasion and approached each testing day with a positive attitude.

I look forward to returning to a normal work schedule with my students starting tomorrow.





Trivia

Who is the only president to hold a patent?

5/19/16

This Thursday saw the students continuing with their writing. I have enjoyed my time conferencing with the students and I am truly impressed with the early drafts that I am seeing. The students paid special attention today to the use of transition words in their writing. This work will continue into next week.

Earlier in the day, room 312 continued to work with converting units of measurement. Students are becoming quite adept at converting units in the metric system. They are taking their prior knowledge from the decimal unit and applying it to this new work.

I would remind everyone that tomorrow is a fifth grade testing day. The students will take the first portion of the science MCAS assessment. I would ask all students to be in school on time tomorrow and to try to get a good night's sleep tonight.

Homework

30 minutes of quiet reading

Trivia

Who has scored the most goals in Bruins team history?

5/18/16

The students finished reading Number the Stars today and then turned their attention to a comprehension assessment. The students worked with their small reading groups to answer these questions. The second part of the ELA session was spent writing about some unanswered questions that the novel had. The fifth graders used their creativity to continue the story.


Homework

Math - workbook page 89

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - MCAS practice, due tomorrow


Trivia

How many United States presidents were born in New England?

5/17/16

During this early release day, the members of room 312 were able to return to their informational writing pieces. The students are making steady progress and I feel like every day there are positive elements added to each piece. The students have been eagerly sharing their writing with their classmates and I continue to enjoy getting to read this early drafts.

Homework

Math - complete workbook page 83

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - MCAS practice, due tomorrow


Trivia

What year did the swan boats open in Boston Common?

5/16/16

As we returned to school on this Monday, the students started to work with metric conversions of measurement. The students have some prior experience with this topic from earlier this year and I was happy with the encouragement and cooperation that the students displayed as they worked with one another.

Earlier in the day, we spent time investigating the Battle of Yorktown and its overall importance in the American Revolution. The students were engaged during this lesson.



Homework

Math - workbook page 88

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - MCAS practice, due tomorrow



Trivia

What was the first book that Lois Lowry wrote?

5/13/16

The fifth graders spent a large part of this Friday continuing to work on their informational writing pieces. Many students were able to share their early drafts with their peers today. I was also able to conference with some students and enjoyed reading their drafts. We will continue with our writing next week.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

5/12/16

The fifth grade completed their math testing window today. The students have worked incredibly hard over the last few testing weeks and I am proud of the effort that they have shown.

Today, the members of 312 were able to share their early drafts of their informational writing pieces with some of their peers. Students were looking to make edits and comment on their classmate's writing. A productive writing session.


Homework

Science - MCAS packet due on Friday May 13

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Trivia

What is the earliest recorded 90 degree day in the city of Boston?

5/11/16

Today, the students completed the third unit in their math portion of the PARCC assessment. I am proud of the students for their dedication and level of attention during these testing days. They are never fun, but the students are rising to the challenge.

Later in the day, room 312 approached the conclusion of Number the Stars. Students are eager to see how the story resolves and I continue to be impressed with the work that is being done by the small reading groups.

Tomorrow is the final day for fifth grade math PARCC testing. Let's finish strong.


Homework

Science - MCAS packet due on Friday May 13

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Trivia

What is the fastest time to win the Boston Marathon in the women's division?

5/10/16

The fifth grade was able to spend some time today using protractors to help them correctly measure various types of angles. The students did a nice job of using some of our recent math vocabulary and worked well together.

Later in the day we continued to read further into My Brother Sam Is Dead. This novel ties in nicely with what we are currently investigating in social studies.


Homework

Science - MCAS packet due on Friday May 13

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Trivia

What is the fastest time to win the Boston Marathon in the men's division?

5/9/16

The fifth graders took the first portion of their math PARCC assessment this morning. The students appeared to all put their best foot forward and I am confident that this week of testing will go well.

Later in the day, the fifth graders continued to explore the advantages and disadvantages that the American and British armies had during the Revolutionary War. This is a meaningful lesson, as there is a lot of overlap into the informational writing topics that many students have selected.




Homework

Science - MCAS packet due on Friday May 13

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Trivia

Who has scored the most points in Boston Celtics' history?

5/6/16

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

5/5/16

During math today, room 312 spent some time learning how to convert units of metric measurement. The students asked meaningful questions and worked well together to answer some conversion problems.

The later part of the day was spent working on our informational writing pieces.



Homework

Math - placing decimal in product worksheet

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - finish MCAS packet for Friday

Trivia

How many World Series titles have the Boston Red Sox won?

5/4/16

Room 312 spent some time taking a close look at the Declaration of Independence during our social studies time. The students explored the inalienable rights guaranteed in this document and its importance in American history.

Later in the day, the students returned to their reading groups to continue to dig deeper into Number the Stars. As we approach the conclusion of this novel, I can sense the anticipation building amongst the students to see what happens next. The work in and around this book continues to be quite strong.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - finish MCAS packet for Friday

Trivia

How many homeruns has David Ortiz hit at Fenway Park?

5/3/16

The fifth graders continued to work with multiplication of decimals and fractions during our math lesson today. The students have acclimated well to this new material and I thought that the group work, in particular, was a positive. Students are helping one another and discussing misconceptions. It was a treat to see.


Homework

Math - multiplying decimals worksheet

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Science - finish MCAS packet for Wednesday

Trivia

What day did George Washington die?

5/2/16

I wanted to commend my students for finishing the ELA portion of the PARCC test today. Once again, the fifth graders were in school on time and came prepared to work.

Later in the day, room 312 continued to make progress in their informational writing. The students had the opportunity to peer edit their early draft today. I have loved what I have seen from the students to this point. I was also impressed with the constructive critiques that the students offered one another today.

Homework

Science - practice MCAS packet due on Wednesday




Trivia

Which battle ultimately led to the surrender of British forces during the Revolutionary War?