12/22/22

Today was an exciting day for the fifth graders. They took part in an activity block called "Winter Wonderland". This time saw the kids working on fun activities pertaining to the season. Thank you to the parent volunteers who lead this session.

Fifth graders were also able to play board games with their second grade book buddies. The older kids did a nice job of explaining the rules and playing with their younger partners.

The kids are going to have board game time tomorrow. 

12/21/22

The last two days we have used Pixar short movies to help us better understand some important reading focus questions. The kids have enjoyed watching Soar and Snack Attack and they did a nice job responding to these questions.

We also took our final math assessment of 2022. The kids looked to answer questions pertaining to mixed numbers and adding and subtracting fractions.

There will be no homework this week and the kids are going to have board game time on both Thursday and Friday. 

12/20/22

The fifth graders used date tables and line plots to help them answering questions pertaining to range during this morning's math lesson. Perseverance was evident throughout the classroom. This was not an easy lesson, but the kids rose to the challenge. We will continue with this important work tomorrow.

There will be no homework this week and the kids are going to have board game time on both Thursday and Friday. 

12/19/22

The last school week of the year will see the kids looking to wrap up their posters for their book groups, complete our current science unit and lay the groundwork for the next unit of study in writing. We are also going to start another read aloud book this week. After finishing Wonder last week, we are going to turn our attention to Auggie and Me over the next few days.

There will be no homework this week and the kids are going to have board game time on both Thursday and Friday. 

12/16/22

We completed our water cycle unit this afternoon. The kids did a great job throughout this unit of study. We are going to take a short assessment next week to gauge their level of understanding of some of the important concepts from the last three weeks.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

12/15/22

The kids worked on a science activity this afternoon that ties into our larger study of the water cycle. Working in small groups, the kids walked around the Thompson grounds looking for pervious and impervious surfaces. They collaborated to label and color code a school map which called attention to areas of the grounds that have quality pervious surfaces. This was a fun lesson that the kids did well with.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and fill out reading log on a nightly basis. Due in class on Friday December 16.

12/14/22

Another positive math lesson was had by the fifth graders this morning. Building upon the subtraction lesson we had yesterday, the kids worked to solve some multi-step word problems and then preceded to play a game involving the deconstruction of mixed number. Solid work across the board.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and fill out reading log on a nightly basis. Due in class on Friday December 16.

12/13/22

All of the book groups have finished reading their novels and today the last few fifth graders were able to complete their end of novel piece of writing. The kids did a nice job working through these books. The final task, which we began yesterday, will see the kids making a movie poster for their book. There was some nice collaboration today. We can't wait to see the finished products.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and fill out reading log on a nightly basis. Due in class on Friday December 16.

12/12/22

We are approaching the conclusion of our exploration of the water cycle in science class. This week we are going to have the kids work on a few activities and take part in a few experiments to wrap up the unit.

Our focus is going to shift to subtracting fractions in math class. The fifth graders continue to impress with their resilience during these lessons.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and fill out reading log on a nightly basis. Due in class on Friday December 16.

12/9/22

Report cards go live on Powerschool this afternoon at 2:30. The students worked extremely hard throughout the first term.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

12/8/22

The kids played a game called fraction tracks during our math time. This game calls on the kids to use various adding fraction strategies that they have learned the last two weeks. Today was another important building block as we get ready to transition to subtracting fractions. Nice dialogue within partnerships during this time.

We also met with our second grade book buddies for some reading time.

12/7/22

The fifth graders took a fraction assessment during their math time this morning. This test saw the kids adding fractions and comparing their values over a series of questions. Many of the students appeared quite confident throughout and I am eager to go through the results. Tomorrow, we are going to start playing another new fraction game. The last two weeks have been excellent. Compliments to the fifth graders on their effort.

12/6/22

More fifth graders were able to wrap up their literary essays this morning. These pieces of writing are turning out well. There are only a few more conferences to go and then each of the students are going to receive a copy of their story as well as a rubric with a grade attached.

12/5/22

We are going to make a concerted effort to have all of the fifth graders in A303 complete with their literary essays this week. The fifth graders have worked extremely hard on these pieces over the last few weeks. 

Fractions continue to be the name of the game in math class. This week we are going to continue to practice adding and subtracting fractions. Many of these lessons include fun games that will allow the kids to practice the skills we are learning.

12/2/22

The kids put the finishing touches on a very productive week. We began our work with adding fractions during math class. During science class, the kids finished part two of our experiment involving evaporation and condensation. Many of the students were also able to finish their literary essay during ELA time.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

12/1/22

The month of December opened with a rotation of our ACE block. Students who had digital literacy in the first term now have an extra music session, while students who had music will now have digital literacy. Those fifth graders who play an instrument will continue will that in the second term.

Our math class was an engaging one this morning. Using blank clock faces, the kids learned another way to compare the value of fractions. The faces also allowed kids to collect equivalent fractions which will be helpful for the next series of activities that we have planned next week.

In the afternoon, we conducted a science experiment concerning evaporation and condensation. Our next few sessions will see the kids exploring the water cycle.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night, fill out reader's log on a nightly basis. This is due on Friday December 2.