4/30/21

We wrapped up the week and the month of April by having one final lesson involving the comparison of decimal values. The fifth graders had a productive week of math and I was impressed with the continued effort that was in evidence during this final lesson.

An area of focus for our fantasy book group time was in setting. The students were looking for details that would allow a reader to grasp that they were reading a work of fantasy. We concluded the lesson by doing a short piece of writing.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

4/29/21

The kids created maps to track the shifting borders of America after the conclusion of the French and Indian War during social studies time. This activity went very well and it lead into some partner work answering some questions that tied into a video from yesterday and an article that we read today. A great two days of work on this from all of the kids.

We also had another really productive math lesson that continued our work with comparing the values of decimals. The fifth graders looked to use both number lines and hundredths grids to answer some questions.

4/28/21

The focus of our work in math class were number lines, specifically placing decimals onto the number lines. The students continue to work on place value and comparing. Today's lesson went well.

During ELA time, the book groups responded to a writing prompt concerning the main character in their fantasy book. They then had some time to continue to read deeper into their novels. 

4/27/21

The fifth graders launched their Road to Revolution during social studies this afternoon. We will be exploring key events, people and documents during this unit. Today, we explored the French and Indian War by using maps and a short video to help us answer some questions.

Fifth graders also met with their book groups again to read deeper in their fantasy novels. The groups are doing a fantastic job of not just reading with each other but also having meaningful conversations while reading. 

4/26/21

 It was nice to see everyone back at school after the spring vacation week. The kids were able to share some of the highlights of their week off during our morning meeting to start the day.

We continued to progress deeper into our decimal unit during math class. Today, the kids had one final lesson in which they used grids to represent the values of decimals, while also creating a list of equivalent decimals. 

During our ELA session, the fifth graders returned to their fantasy book groups. After spending some time reading a few chapters, the members looked to complete some writing pertaining to their main characters. 

4/16/21

The kids wrapped up their final week before vacation by putting the finishing touches on their 13 colonies group posters. These turned out very well and when we return from vacation, the kids will be able to present them to their peers. 

We also had another great fantasy book club session during our ELA time this morning. The fifth graders are continuing to track their thoughts about the stories and character development in their journals. 

I hope everyone has a great vacation week.

4/15/21

Fifth graders are going to be focusing on completing their 13 colonies project these final two days before vacation. Each of the groups did a nice job today of breaking up tasks so that all group members were involved. 

We also moved into our decimal unit today during math class. The fifth graders are going to be focused in this area over the next few weeks and today's lesson was a quality way to begin the investigation. 

4/14/21

The fifth graders took part in an enrichment opportunity with the Mimebox Theater group. The kids were engaged and they seemed to get a lot out of this zoom session.

The other item on our agenda this Wednesday morning was to play a round of math bingo that allowed the kids to practice some order of operation skills. 

4/13/21

The kids had their second fantasy book group meeting this morning. They continue to use a three step journal template to organize their thoughts about the novels. The first two days have went well. We will return to the books on Thursday.

Fifth graders also had another opportunity to work on their 13 colonies project. The group projects are turning out well and I can't wait to see the finished results later this week. 

4/12/21

The fifth graders started their second full week back in school today. Last week was a productive one across the board and we are looking to have that continue this next five days.

We began our fantasy book groups during ELA time. The kids are going to be reading with a critical eye to pick up on subtle plot changes and character development. While reading, the groups will be keeping track of important information and observation with a journal.

We are also getting close to starting a our decimal unit in math class. This is an important unit of study and one that will see us working on some interesting lessons. 

4/9/21

We wrapped up our first full, in-person week together today. It was a very productive week. The kids continued to progress deeper into their 13 colonies project during social studies. In math class, we completed one last lesson that tied into line graphs and data tables and the fifth graders also finished up their animal adaptation projects which tied up the work we were doing in science. 

It was great to finally have everyone back together and I look forward to seeing everyone again next week. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

4/8/21

The fifth graders had a good amount if time to collaborate on their 13 colonies project. A few of the groups have started their posters, which will touch upon six key areas of the regions. This work will continue tomorrow.

We also continued to work with line graphs and data tables during math class. The students looked to track the changing heights of some students their age and then plot the data.

4/7/21

This early release day saw small groups continue to work on their 13 colonies project. The students looked to gather information pertaining to the land conditions, economy and natural resources that each region had. I was impressed with the level of cooperation during our social studies work.

We also continued to work with line graphs during math class. Fifth graders have been comparing the temperatures in major international cities. 

4/6/21

Day two of our full in person return saw the students working to interpret the data collected in bar graphs during math class. The fifth graders did a nice job with this. Some students were also able to revisit some of our methods for solving division problems later in the lesson.

The fifth graders also read an excerpt from a fantasy text during our ELA time. This lesson tied in nicely with yesterday's, in which we discussed some of the elements that distinguish a work of fantasy. 

4/5/21

What a great day it was in room A303. All nineteen members of the class were together for the first time this school year. We began the day with a longer morning meeting that allowed the students to get to know one another in greater detail. Each day this week and next, we will be taking part in small activities and share outs to further this goal.

In math class, we have moved into unit 5. This section of our text will see us working with coordinate grids. We had a productive first lesson.

Finally, during social studies class the kids were put into groups. These small. groups will be working on a 13 colonies project over the next two weeks. Each group has been assigned a colony and will look to report on the details of that section.