11/30/21

The last day of November included a fantastic Night Sky enrichment opportunity offered by the Museum of Science. After the presentation, the kids were able to ask some lingering questions. This was a great experience for the students. 

We also continued our work with adding fractions using clock faces. 

Homework

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night. Fill out log on a nightly basis. Log is due on Friday December 3rd.

Math - Students will have a piece of math homework later this week

11/29/21

We had an excellent math lesson that focused on strategies for adding fractions. Using blank clock faces, the fifth graders worked on a series of problems. The kids did a fine job with this. We will continue this work throughout the week.

Here is a brief video explaining the clock face method:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEVD4Wz-ec8

Homework

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night. Fill out log on a nightly basis. Log is due on Friday December 3rd.

Math - Students will have a piece of math homework later this week

11/24/21

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday and enjoys the long weekend. Look forward to seeing the kids back on Monday, when we will start session two of unit three and begin adding and subtracting fractions. 

11/23/21

The fifth graders spent some time in math creating a batch of equivalent fractions. This skill will greatly help the kids as we begin to add and subtract fractions. This particular work will begin in earnest after the Thanksgiving break.

I also wanted to thanks Mike Adams, a parent of one of our students, for coming in yesterday to talk to the kids about the solar system and get them ready for our virtual night sky enrichment program next week. The fifth graders asked some great questions and learned a lot in a short amount of time. 

11/22/21

This short week will see the fifth graders closing in on the conclusion of their realistic fiction books. The book groups continue to work well together. On Wednesday, I will collect each reader's 3-step journal. 

We are also going to continue our work with fractions as we have two important lessons that will see us comparing values and making inroads into adding fractions.

There will be no homework this week.

11/19/21

We had one final fraction lesson to conclude the school week. The students continued to compare the value of fractions using a variety of different strategies. I was impressed with the language that the kids were using and their ability to share their thinking with partners. 

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and I look forward to seeing the members of Boys In Motion tomorrow morning for the race. 

11/18/21

Fifth graders had a math lesson focused on comparing the value of fractions. Using both visuals and manipulatives, the kids completed some workbook pages and then used fraction cards to play a comparing game. They continue to impress in this new unit.

Students also rotated through their ACE block schedules. While come of the fifth graders had instruments, others were either in digital literacy class, SEL class or an extra music class.

As a reminder, both math and reading homework is due tomorrow.

Homework

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due Friday November 19th.

Math - workbook pages 127 and 128 due Friday November 19th.

11/17/21

Members of A303 had another quality writing lesson during our ELA time in the earlier stages of the school day. Conferences are stilling being held and while those are going on there are some last minute refinements taking place amongst the other students. We will have another writing lesson on Friday.

The fifth graders also seem to be enjoying our new read aloud book, Auggie and Me by RJ Palacio. This book contains three novellas centered around supporting characters from Wonder. While we are reading, the kids are gathering some evidence for a future writing assignment. 

Homework

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due Friday November 19th.

Math - workbook pages 127 and 128 due Friday November 19th.

11/16/21

It was nice to have a calm, uneventful day at school this morning. We returned to our fraction work in math class. The students looked to create a chart of equivalent fractions and then used this to help them solve some workbook page problems.

Homework

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due Friday November 19th.

Math - workbook pages 127 and 128 due Friday November 19th.

11/15/21

The last full school week in November will see the kids continuing their work in their book groups as well as with their literary essays. The goal is to have all of the kids have completed both of these key term one pieces of work by the first week of December.

Today we began unit three during math class. This unit will see the fifth graders explore fractions. The students were able to share some ideas and concepts that they already know about fractions.

Homework

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due Friday November 19th.

Math - There will be math homework later this week

11/12/21

The kids appeared to be rested and ready to work after the holiday day-off yesterday. We had another productive book club meeting and also took an important assessment that concerned volume during math class. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

11/10/21

We are approaching the conclusion of the second unit in math class. On Friday, we will look to have the kids take an assessment. Today we continued to work on some multi-step volume problems and then also were able to fit in some multiplication review.

Homework

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night. Fill out log on nightly basis.

11/9/21

The students worked on a group volume project during math class. Working in groups of four or five, the fifth graders built a 3D cube using rulers. They then made as estimate as to how many cubes it would take to completely fill our classroom. This then required them to devise a measuring strategy that would allow them to come up with an answer. Good teamwork throughout the lesson.

Homework

Math - volume worksheet due Wednesday November 10th.

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night. Fill out log on nightly basis.

11/8/21

These next few weeks in November are going to be important ones for the fifth graders. We are pushing further ahead with our writing pieces. The students are inching closer and closer to the finish line. As conferences are continuing this week, other students are looking to refine portions of their writing. 

We are also pass the mid way point in our realistic fiction book groups. The students continue to be hard at work and their will be a piece of writing that will be completed this week pertaining to a key turning point in their novels. 

Homework

Math - volume worksheet due Wednesday November 10th.

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night. Fill out log on nightly basis.

11/5/21

We wrapped up the first week of October by continuing work on our planet projects during science class. The fifth graders were also able to meet with their book groups one final time before the weekend. Many groups are getting towards the later stages of their novels and will soon turn their attention to a piece of writing that goes along with the unit.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. 

11/4/21

The fifth graders are hard at work on a planet project during math class. Each student has selected a planet that they are going to research and they make a slide presentation using Explain Everything. They are eager for this activity and they all got off to solid starts today.

Homework

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night and fill out reader's log on a nightly basis. This is due on Friday November 5th.

11/3/21

The kids finished a science activity in groups this afternoon. Working together they organized planetary cards and then looked to use a graphic organizer to help them classify them further with their unique characteristics. 

We also had another productive writing lesson. I have been impressed with the writers who have conferenced with me this week. Quality work throughout the classroom.

Homework

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night and fill out reader's log on a nightly basis. This is due on Friday November 5th.

11/2/21

We continued in to part two of the math lesson that was begun yesterday. The fifth graders had another strong day and the results of the work that we completed reflected that. Very impressive work being done on a daily basis by the members of A303.

During read aloud time, many of the students continued to gather evidence from the text to help them build an essay that we will look to complete sometime next week.

Homework

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night and fill out reader's log on a nightly basis. This is due on Friday November 5th.

11/1/21

The fifth graders began the new month by working through an interesting math lesson that involved finding the volume of solids composed of two rectangular prisms and then combining them. The kids did a great job with this work. We ended the lesson by sharing our some answers and strategies for solving. Great start to the month.

During writing, the kids paid special attention to revising their conclusions of their literary essays. Writer's conferences also continued. We are making significant strides on a daily basis.

Homework

Reading - 20 minutes of reading per night and fill out reader's log on a nightly basis. This is due on Friday November 5th.