6/24/21

It was a pleasure to have the nineteen boys and girls who graduated today in my classroom this year. We had an excellent year together. I enjoyed learning and laughing with them. I hope everyone has a great summer vacation and good luck to all the fifth graders as they get ready to start at the Gibbs next year. 

6/23/21

The fifth graders took part in an enrichment program called Parkour Boston. The kids really enjoyed this outdoor activity and they did a great job with it.

Tomorrow will be the last day of the year. The fifth graders will have their clap out starting at 11:15. Look forward to seeing families tomorrow morning for this. 

6/22/21

Our last full day together saw all of the kids receive a finished copy of their informational papers with a graded rubric attached. The fifth graders worked extremely hard on these over the last six weeks and they should feel proud of their accomplishments. The papers turned out great.

We also spent some time in math class working on some math puzzles in pairs. 

6/21/21

The fifth grade graduation ceremony turned out great this morning. It was nice to see family members in attendance and the kids did a great job.

6/18/21

Our last Friday together saw us wrap up our informational writing unit. The fifth graders were able to share their pieces with some of their peers and received a copy of their final piece. This unit saw the kids working very hard for an extended period. They should all be proud of their finished work.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and look forward to seeing families on Monday for the graduation ceremony. 

6/17/21

The fifth graders took their final math quiz of the year during the early stages of the day. This unit seven assessment concluded our work with multiplying and dividing fractions and whole numbers and visually representing our solutions. The kids did a great job throughout this concluding unit and I am sure the results of this exam with reflect that.

Fifth graders also continued to be hard at work on their informational papers. Many have crossing the published finish line and have moved on to the second part of their project. Others are finishing on a few last minute edits and changes. We will look to have everyone finished by the end of the day tomorrow. 

Tomorrow is also going to be a board game day. The kids are welcome to bring one board or card game to school tomorrow. 

6/16/21

This early release day was focused primarily on writing. The students continue to be hard at work on their informational writing pieces. Writer's conferences also continued today. These pieces are coming along very well and I can't wait to see all of the finished products.

This Friday, the 18th, the fifth graders are going to have board game day in the afternoon. They are welcome to bring one board or card game with them to school.

6/15/21

The fifth graders were able to visit with the principal of the Gibbs this afternoon. This was a nice way for the kids to get to know their new school and they were also able to ask some questions.

We also had a productive writing lesson during ELA time. Many of the fifth graders were able to finish their final drafts and move on to the second portion of this end of unit project.

6/14/21

We began our final full school week together this Monday by revisiting some of the work we have done over the last two weeks concerning multiplying and dividing fractions and whole numbers. Last week, the kids took a short assessment that many did very well on. Later this week, the fifth graders will take their final assessment of the year that will have them working on a variety of problems from unit seven.

In the second portion of the school day, the kids were able to visit with a 

6/11/21

We concluded the week by trying a pictionary like energizer during morning meeting, the kids really enjoyed this one.

Later in the day we returned to our informational writing and we also continued the important work that we have been doing in math class.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

6/10/21

Thankfully, the building and the classroom were much cooler today. We had the students look to complete the final session of their iReady exam this morning. The kids worked hard and I am sure the results will show that.

We also built upon yesterday's important math lesson. This week, the students have been working to divide whole numbers by fractions and representing their thinking with visuals and equations. The last two days have been fantastic. The kids in A303 are really doing well with this important skill.

6/9/21

On our third early release day in a row, the kids were able to get some quality writing done during ELA time. We continue to be on pace to complete our informational writing pieces by late next week. Some of the fifth graders were able to peer edit while writer's conferences with myself were also going on.

Tomorrow the kids will look to take the final ELA iReady exam and on Friday they will look to finish up the math portion of the exam. Please have the students charge their chromebooks overnight so that they are ready to go on Thursday and Friday morning.

6/8/21

It was another early release day due to the heat, but the kids didn't let that stop them as they continued to work on their arrays to solve multiplication problems involving fractions and whole numbers.

Thursday and Friday, we are hoping to complete the final two portions of the yearly iReady exam.

6/7/21

It is hard to believe that we only have three weeks left in this unique school year. There are going to be a number of enjoyable activities for the fifth graders over these last few weeks, and we also have some important work to complete these next few school days. The kids are continuing to make steady progress on their informational writing pieces. Many of the students have completed their first drafts and used today's time to refine and edit their writing. 

6/4/21

We wrapped up the week by returning to a normal schedule. The fifth graders had a healthy amount of time this morning to continue to work on their informational writing pieces. While the kids were working to complete their second body paragraph, I continued to hold writer's conferences.  These papers are turning out great, as the kids are injecting their deep understanding of the time period along with their passion into the writing. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Go Bruins.

6/3/21

Congratulations are in order for the fifth graders who officially wrapped up their MCAS testing today after completing the science portion of the test. It is nice to not have to worry about any more sessions moving forward this year.

We were able to spend some time later in the school day revisiting some of the concepts that we have been working on un unit seven of our math text. The fifth graders worked with partners to solve some word problems concerning distances.

6/2/21

We spent a fair amount of time this morning looking to craft a solid concluding paragraph for our informational writing pieces. The kids did a nice job of including some items from out checklist into their conclusions. I was also able to hold conferences with some of the kids. These pieces are turning out well. 

During out morning meeting we were able to use Kahoot to have the kids respond to some order of operation problems. Fifth graders were a big fan of this online quiz.

6/1/21

The final month of the school year began with some preparation for this week's science MCAS test. The kids looked to complete an online practice test that featured some open response questions. We were able to talk through some of the questions and the kids seem to be in a good place for the exam on Thursday.

We also continued deeper into unit 7 during math class. The kids continue to impress with their ability to solve problems that involve multiplying fractions by whole numbers. We will continue this work throughout the next two weeks.