4/28/23

We had an awesome math lesson this morning that saw the kids dividing whole numbers by fractions. To a student, the kids were on task and were solving the problems correctly. A great way to end the school week.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

4/27/23

The fifth graders began to think about potential topics for their informational writing pieces today. They had an opportunity to peruse dozens of books pertaining to people, battles and events from the Revolutionary War era. Each student will get to choose a topic and over the next few weeks research and write about said topic. A few of the fifth graders made their choice today and we will look to have everyone else make a choice tomorrow.

Although we have many books in the classroom, it would also be beneficial for students to supplement their choices with books from the town library if possible.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and fill out log on daily basis. Due in class Friday 4/28

4/26/23

In math class, we began to use arrays to help us visualize how to multiply fractions by fractions. This was another productive day as we get ready for an assessment later this week. Quality participation was evident throughout the lesson. 

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and fill out log on daily basis. Due in class Friday 4/28

4/25/23

We continued our study of the French and Indian war during our social studies time this afternoon. The kids will wrap up this lesson tomorrow. Quality map making skills were evident throughout the classroom. 

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and fill out log on daily basis. Due in class Friday 4/28

4/24/23

Nice to see everyone back at school this morning. We began the day taking some time during our morning meeting in sharing out highlights of the vacation week. The class also talked about our goals for these next few weeks in ELA and math. Along those lines, we returned to unit seven work during math class. Many of the kids picked up where they left off before the break, but it was nice to spend some time reviewing key concepts.

We also explored the French and Indian War as part of our larger Revolutionary War unit this afternoon in social studies. The kids looked to create maps that tracked the changing control of North America from before the war to after. 

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and fill out log on daily basis. Due in class Friday 4/28

4/14/23

We ended the week by having fantasy book groups continue their reading. Special attention was paid to the motivations of the characters that they are encountering. Each of the fifth graders has a log with which they are going to keep track of various plot developments and character arcs. The groups seem to be enjoying their novels.

I hope everyone has a relaxing vacation week. Look forward to seeing the kids back for the last week of April.

4/13/23

Congratulations to all of the fifth graders for completing their ELA MCAS test this morning. We now have a few weeks off until we take the math section in May.

The kids are welcome to bring a board or card game to school with them tomorrow.

4/12/23

The kids did a great job of working through a challenging math lesson this morning. The topic of the lesson was multiplying mixed numbers by whole numbers. I was impressed with the quality of the work done throughout this time.

Tomorrow we will look to wrap up the second and final session of ELA MCAS testing.

4/11/23

After taking the first portion of their ELA MCAS test, the kids turned their attention to a continuation of yesterday's math work. The kids continue to multiply fractions by whole numbers and express their thinking with visuals. Quality work is being done that is very impressive.

Thursday, the fifth graders will take part in part two of the ELA MCAS.

4/10/23

This is an important week for the fifth graders. We are going to have fantasy book groups begin their novels during ELA time. While reading, the kids are going to be using a comprehensive set of organizers to collect their thoughts and provide fodder for pieces of writing that they will periodically be working on.

The kids are also going to be taking their two ELA MCAS sessions tomorrow and Thursday.

Tomorrow and Thursday, the fifth graders will be taking their ELA MCAS. I would ask parents to help ensure that all students get a good night's sleep and arrives at school on time those two days. 

There will be no homework this week.

4/5/23

The fifth graders learned which fantasy book they will be reading within their book groups during our ELA time. This lead into an activity about making predictions for the text. The kids are eager to start reading these books and that will begin in earnest next week.

4/4/23

The fifth graders finished the last lesson in unit six during math class. Our work with decimals is going to culminate in a day of free choice tomorrow, in which the kids will get to select one of the various decimals games we have learned and play with a partner. Their work throughout this unit has been stellar.

Tomorrow, all three Thompson fifth grade classes are going to take a group picture that will be used for the yearbook.

4/3/23

This week will see us undertaking one last preparation activity for next week's ELA MCAS sessions. The kids are going to take a practice test online to familiarize themselves with the functions of the testing website.

We are also going to wrap up our decimal unit over the next two days. We have a few more important pages to complete in our workbooks and we are also going to learn one last decimal game.