1/31/19

We wrapped up the month of January by continuing to progress on a number of fronts in A303. A number of writers met with me today to look at an early draft of their opinion pieces. The students have done a nice job of applying some of the key parts of the last few writer's lessons to their work.

Later in the school day, our science lesson saw the students using a graphic organizer to gather information about the concepts of weather and climate.


Homework

Math - workbook pages 225 and 226 (due Friday 2/1)

Reading - logs due Friday 2/1

1/30/19

The students took the first portion of their mid-year iReady reading assessment today. I applaud the effort that the students put into this. Part 2 will take place on Friday.

Later in the school day, we returned to the Battles of Lexington and Concord during our social studies time.


Homework

Math - workbook pages 225 and 226 (due Friday 2/1)

Reading - logs due Friday 2/1

1/29/19

The students turned their attention to one final writing piece in our clean water reading unit today. Fifth graders are looking to compose an editorial in which they speak to the ongoing water problems faced by many in the world. They will also look to suggest a solution that may make a change for the better.

We continued to look at division problems during our math time.


Homework

Math - workbook pages 225 and 226 (due Friday 2/1)

Reading - logs due Friday 2/1

1/28/19

Time was dedicated in writing class to the rules of using quotes. We wanted to focus on some of the grammatical areas that will be of importance this year and moving forward into sixth grade and beyond.

Later in the school day, we looked at Paul Revere's Ride. A poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was examined.

Homework

Math - workbook pages 225 and 226 (due Friday 2/1)

Reading - logs due Friday 2/1

1/25/19

The fifth graders made excellent progress in all areas today. Math class saw the students cycle back to working with some division problems. The members of A303 created posters that encompassed a story problem, a visual representation of the story and a solution.

During social studies, we began to look at the famous ride made by Paul Revere.

I hope everyone enjoys the weekend.

1/24/19

The students continued to work on their opinion writing during ELA. Special attention was given to attributing credible sources inside the student's writing today. I was also able to spend some time conferencing with some of the writers.

The main topic of discussion during science class was the water cycle. We were able to make some nice connections with our current reading unit as well.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night

Math - workbook pages 221 and 222 due Friday 1/25

1/23/19

We spent more time looking at the standard U.S. algorithm during math class in preparation for an assessment tomorrow. I applaud the students for continuing to work through these problems and striving to master this strategy.

We continued to work with the book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind during reading class. The kids were tasked with responding to a short writing prompt at the conclusion of the lesson.


Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night

Math - workbook pages 221 and 222 due Friday 1/25

1/22/19

The students returned to their opinion writing pieces during ELA time. Today's writing lesson began with some instructional time on the proper use of quotations. The students then worked on incorporating reliable sources into their body paragraphs.

We ended the day by continuing to practice our standard algorithm during math class.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night

Math - workbook pages 221 and 222 due Friday 1/25

1/18/19

The students continued to work with the standard multiplication algorithm during math class. I applaud the effort of the students in working with a concept that some of them are unfamiliar with. You could see, just in the last two days, the progress being made.

Students were also able to finish a digital project that they developed concerning one of the books in our clean water reading unit.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. Go Patriots 

1/17/19

The focus of our writing lesson was incorporating opposing opinions into our body paragraphs and then refuting those opinions with strong, factual evidence. The students continue to impress me with their dedication to the overall topic and one can see the early stages of strong pieces being created.

In math class, we began to take a look at the standard multiplication algorithm. This work will continue into tomorrow's lesson.



Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due Friday 1/18

Math - workbook pages 203 and 204 due Friday 1/18

1/16/19

We began unit four during math class this afternoon. This unit will focus on multiplication and division problems that build on the ones we have worked on earlier this year and ramp up the difficulty level. Today was a solid first lesson.

During our reading lesson, the students worked with their reading groups to brainstorm some possible solutions for the ongoing water crisis faced by some parts of the globe. They then spent some time working on a project on their iPads that relates to the book, One Well.


Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due Friday 1/18

Math - workbook pages 203 and 204 due Friday 1/18

1/15/19

The students are wrapping up our current fraction unit in math class. The students finished one of their final workshops today. Tomorrow, we will take a quiz as we prepare to transition to the next unit.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due Friday 1/18

Math - finish workbook page 195 if not done in class

1/14/19

The fifth graders continued to work on their opinion writing pieces today. Many of the students have segued from their introductory paragraph into their body paragraphs. Today was a nice day for the students to continue to fashion their evidence into paragraph form. I was able to touch base with many students and was impressed with the lead paragraphs that I was reading.

A big day in social studies daw us begin to tackle the Boston Tea Party. The wealth of background knowledge that the kids are bringing to bear on their work continues to impress.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due Friday 1/18

Math - finish workbook pages 194 and 195 if not done in class

1/10/19

The focus of our writing lesson today was crafting a lead paragraph for our opinion pieces. Over the last two weeks, the students have been gathering evidence to stake a claim concerning zoos and the work that they are doing. The fifth graders did a great job of remaining on task and we had some time towards the end of the session to share out ideas.


Homework

Writing - Answer three questions pertaining to A River Ran Wild. Each of these questions can be answered on the paper given. At least 5 sentences per answer. Due Friday January 11th.

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night

Math - workbook page 185 - 186 due Friday the 11th

1/9/19

The fifth graders finished exploring the Boston Massacre during social studies class. We spent time taking a close look at the engraving made by Paul Revere, which served to start uniting the colonies in their opposition towards Great Britain. The kids then turned their attention to creating a timeline of events on that winter night in Boston.

Reading class saw the members of A303 continuing to answer questions pertaining to One Well. It was great to hear students connected this new text with the one that we finished working with last week.


Homework

Writing - Answer three questions pertaining to A River Ran Wild. Each of these questions can be answered on the paper given. At least 5 sentences per answer. Due Friday January 11th.

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night

Math - workbook page 185 - 186 due Friday the 11th

1/8/19

The fifth graders were presented with an article that laid out evidence for and against zoos during writing class. Using a graphic organizer, they collected evidence and began to formulate their thesis statement for their longform opinion writing pieces.

We also spent some time answering some questions pertaining to the first portion of the new book One Well. 


Homework

Writing - Answer three questions pertaining to A River Ran Wild. Each of these questions can be answered on the paper given. At least 5 sentences per answer. Due Friday January 11th.

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night

Math - there will be some math homework given later this week.

1/7/19

The first full week of the new year began with the students moving on to the second anchor text in our clean water unit. One Well is a book that stresses the interconnectivity of all of the water on the planet. Reading groups responded to come focus questions about the first section of the book.

During math class, the students continued to use various strategies for adding and subtracting fractions to help them play another fraction track game.


Homework

Writing - Answer three questions pertaining to A River Ran Wild. Each of these questions can be answered on the paper given. At least 5 sentences per answer. Due Friday January 11th.

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night

Math - there will be some math homework given later this week.

1/4/19

The fifth graders wrapped up a short but productive week today. Reading groups put the finishing touches on their timeline posters. These posters pertained to the events of the book A River Ran Wild. They turned out great. Next week, we will start looking at another anchor text in the unit.

We were also fortunate to have an enrichment opportunity through the Museum of Science. The fifth graders were shown a number of different experiments that tied into states of matter. It was an informative and exciting session.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

1/3/19

The fifth graders continued to look at taxation without representation during social studies. After answering some focus questions, the students created a flip book pertaining to this next step on the road to the Revolutionary War.

Members of A303 worked with data in graph form during our writing lesson. Students compiled some statistical evidence that will play a part in our ongoing unit of writing. The kids were invested throughout this work.

Tomorrow, we will have some visitors from the Museum of Science. The fifth graders will be sitting in on an enrichment lesson that will be focused on the states of matter.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading

Math - workbook page 177 and 178 due tomorrow Friday 1/4

1/2/19

The new year began with work continuing on multiple fronts. During our ELA time, the members of A303 looked at a video and an article pertaining to African elephants. This lesson was part of our larger opinion writing unit. The students annotated the piece and then began to formulate an opinion statement that they could potentially build a writing piece on.

During math class, the fifth graders began to use different strategies to subtract fractions. The students did an admirable job of using skills developed in the two weeks before winter break to help them with these problems.


Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night

Math - students will receive math homework tomorrow, that will be due on Friday