3/31/23

We finished the month of March by taking our unit six assessment. This test will show the level of understanding of decimals for the fifth graders. The kids have been working hard throughout the unit and I am sure that will be reflected in the results.

Room A303 also finished our read aloud book Auggie & Me and we are going to be moving into another read aloud book next week. This book will be a work of fantasy to tie into our final unit of study.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. As a reminder, we do not have school next Friday 4/7 because of Good Friday.

3/30/23

As part of our MCAS preparation, the members of A303 looked at two poems this week. After analyzing and annotating the poems the kids responded to an open response question and then shared these responses with a partner. This was valuable practice and the fifth graders did a nice job of comparing and contrasting the two pieces of writing.

Tomorrow we going to return to our science project in which the kids are designing the blueprint for a successful compost bin.

3/29/23

The fifth graders learned who they will be working with in book groups for our fantasy unit. They were also able to peruse the many fantasy titles that we have in the classroom. Tomorrow, the groups are going to select the book that they are most interested in reading.

We also had another solid decimal lesson. Room A303 is rapidly approaching the later stages of the unit and we continue to prepare for the assessment. The kids will look to take this early next week. 

3/28/23

Adding and subtracting decimals continued to be the order of the day during math class. The students are doing a great job of applying their estimation and comparison skills to help them solve word problems. We are going to have an assessment later this week.

Also, tonight is a significant planetary event:

 https://www.wcvb.com/article/5-planets-in-night-sky-at-once/43409499

Homework

Math - finish pages 405 and 406, if not done in class

3/27/23

We are going to wrap up the month of March by putting the finishing touches on our 13 colonies projects during social studies. The kids are also going to work on subtracting decimals during our math time throughout the week ahead.

There will be math homework given later this week.

3/24/23

We wrapped up an exciting and engaging week by taking part in the States of Matter program offered by the Museum of Science. The fifth graders watched and in some cases volunteered in performing experiments pertaining to solids, liquids and gases. This was an awesome program.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

3/23/23

The fifth graders put a lot of time and effort into their animal research projects and the posters turned out very well. This afternoon they were able to share their posters with their second grade book buddies. The fifth graders were also a receptive audience as the second graders shared their country projects.

Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day, as we are going to take part in a states of matter enrichment program. This is be both exciting and informative.

Homework

Reading - read and complete Bulldogs packet, due Friday 3/24

3/22/23

The fifth graders took part in one more decimal game called fill 2 this morning. This game saw pairs of students drawing decimal cards and then using hundredths grids to shade in the portions that corresponded to their cards. This is a glimpse into the adding and subtracting work we will be starting tomorrow. Nice lesson this morning.

Tomorrow we are going to meet with our book buddies. The fifth graders are going to share their animal research posters with the second graders and Mrs. Dichter's class is going to share their world country projects with the fifth graders. 

Homework

Reading - read and complete Bulldogs packet, due Friday 3/24

3/21/23

We took part in an introductory fantasy book club lesson during our ELA time. The focus of our time was talking about common plot details in works of fantasy. The kids were actively involved and appear to be excited to kick this unit off and start working with their book groups. 

Homework

Reading - read and complete Bulldogs packet, due Friday 3/24

3/20/23

The fifth graders took part in an enrichment program this morning in the gym. The presentation, Traditions of Chinese Acrobatics, was an engaging one that the kids seemed to enjoy.

We also returned to our study of decimals. Both learning a new way to compare values and completing a few workbook pages.

Later this week, we will look to have all groups complete their 13 colonies project and make presentations to their classmates.

Homework

Reading - read and complete Bulldogs packet, due Friday 3/24

3/17/23

Next week the fifth graders are going to took some preparatory work for the upcoming ELA portion of the MCAS. We will also be taking part in an enrichment program on Monday that will see the kids watching a program entitled Traditions of Chinese Acrobatics. I hope everyone has a nice weekend. 

3/16/23

Our last few writers conferences were wrapped up this morning. The fifth graders have now all officially finished their opinion writing pieces. A significant achievement and one that the kids should feel proud of. Over the next few days the kids will get to share their writing and accompanying poster with their classmates.

Homework

Math - finished workbook pages 379 and 380, if not done in class.

3/15/23

After the snow saw, we continued our exploration of decimals during our math time this morning. Using decimal flash cards, number lines and hundredths and thousandths grids, the kids continued to compare values and work to build equivalencies with landmark fractions. We had a very productive lesson.

3/13/23

This will be a culmination week for the fifth graders in terms of ELA. They have been working tirelessly on both their opinion writing pieces and their non-fiction magazine projects. The goal if for all fifth graders to be complete with both of these important pieces of work by the end of this week. A few more writing conferences will be held as well.

The kids will receive a piece of math homework later this week.

3/10/23

The kids took part in another zoom presentation. Today's World Language Webinar allowed the fifth graders to meet the sixth grade language teachers. This was worthwhile and the kids enjoyed the presentation.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

3/9/23

More time was spent on our non-fiction magazine project during ELA time. Many of the fifth graders are in the process of inserting timelines or charts into their digital magazines. From walking around during the period, I was impressed with the enthusiasm that the kids continues to show while working on this. 

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night and fill out reader's log. Due Friday March 7th.

3/8/23

The fifth graders took part in the Understanding Our Differences presentation this morning. This valuable enrichment opportunity was a positive experience for the kids. We thank the presenters who took the time to speak with the kids.

We continued our work with decimals after the presentation. Using tenths and hundredths grids, the kids compared the values of decimals.

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night and fill out reader's log. Due Friday March 7th.

3/7/23

Many more fifth graders have crossed the finish line with their opinion writing pieces. These students have turned their attention to a poster project which will accompany their writing. More writer's conferences took place this morning. These papers are turning out fantastic. The kids should feel proud of their work.

Tomorrow we are going to take part in the Understanding Our Differences presentation. 

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night and fill out reader's log. Due Friday March 7th.

3/6/23

Today we kicked off our next unit of study in math class. This is an important one that will see the fifth graders working with decimals. We used grids to help us compare values of different decimals during today's lesson. 

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night and fill out reader's log. Due Friday March 7th.

3/3/23

Wonderful work was done across the board on this first Friday in March. The fifth graders put the finishing touches on unit 5 during math class. Next week we are going to launch or decimal unit.

During ELA time, the kids kept up the steady pace on their non-fiction magazine article project. These are shaping up nicely and we will look to have all of the kids complete this assignment sometime next week.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

3/2/23

A lot of work was put towards our 13 colonies poster project during social studies time. The groups are working well together and I was impressed by the delegation of work amongst the groups. Solid teamwork evident throughout the classroom.

Homework

Reading - read and complete The Goop Monster, due Friday March 3.

3/1/23

The month of March began with the kids analyzing and comparing numerical patterns during math class. Using colored tiles, the kids continued to compile data into tables and graphed their findings.

We also used out ELA time to return to various parts of the writing process.

Homework

Reading - read and complete The Goop Monster, due Friday March 3.