9/29/23

Big day in math this morning as the fifth graders pushed into the last section of unit one. This portion of the chapter will see the kids working with division word problems. Today was a nice way to reintroduce the kids to the operation and work through some problems together.

Fifth graders also read their next short story as part of our literary essay writing unit.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Picture day is October 3rd.

9/28/23

The fifth graders sunk their teeth into out next short story during ELA time. After reading Spaghetti by Cynthia Rylant, the kids paired up to answer some questions pertaining to theme and author's intent. Very productive lesson.

We also met with our second grade book buddies in Mrs. Dichter's class in the afternoon. After taking part in a get to know you activity, the kids they read some books selected by the second graders. The fifth graders were encouraging and helpful throughout this time.

Look forward to meeting with parents and guardians during back to school night tonight.

Picture day is October 3rd.

9/27/23

The fifth graders took their second math assessment this morning. Using the multiplication strategies that they have learned over the last two weeks, the kids worked through a series of problems. Based on the effort and participation, I am sure the kids did very well.

Everyone is excited for our first meeting with our second grade book buddies in Mrs. Dichter's class tomorrow afternoon.

I also look forward to meeting parents and guardians during tomorrow night's back to school gathering.

Picture day is Tuesday October 3rd.

9/26/23

This week will see the kids take their second math assessment of the new year. We have been working hard on multiplication problems and this test will gauge the fifth graders progress with the material. Today was spent reviewing some important concepts from last week.

We are also just about ready to launch our realistic fiction book groups. The kids will find out which novel they are going to be working with later this week.

9/22/23

The kids continued to work with cluster problems during math time. Each of the fifth graders also received back their first math assessment that they took earlier this week. The grades were strong across the board and the kids should feel proud of their efforts throughout these first three weeks. Parents should ask their child to share their mark with them.

I hope everyone has a nice long weekend.

9/21/23

The fifth graders continued to work with multiplication problems in math class. We explored cluster problems and used these to help us estimate and then solve a series of workbook pages. With time left, the kids partnered up and played multiplication compare.

Pictures will be on October 3rd.

Homework

Either by this Friday the 22nd or Tuesday the 26th, the fifth graders should decorate their writing notebooks with pictures or images that are important to them.

9/20/23

We finished our responses to our first official writing lesson during ELA. The kids explored a video and article about a youth soccer team from Thailand. They did a wonderful job focusing in on traits and themes.

Multiplication continued to be the order of the day in math class. We were working to solve problems using marked and unmarked arrays.

Pictures will be on October 3rd.

Homework

Either by this Friday the 22nd or Tuesday the 26th, the fifth graders should decorate their writing notebooks with pictures or images that are important to them.

9/19/23

We are hard at work on two digit by two digit multiplication problems in math class. Many of the students worked on creating a word problem that they solved with an equation and with a visual. These turned out very good.

As this week progresses we are going to start reading a series of short stories. These texts are going to be used as part of our literary essay writing unit.

School pictures will be taken on October 3.

9/18/23

We bagan the week with the kids taking their first math assessment. The work last week was strong and I am sure that will be reflected in the results. After the assessment, the kids returned to work on order of operation problems.

Our ELA time saw the fifth graders put the finishing touches on their book group pre-assessment. Within the next two weeks the kids will be assigned groups and will select the novel that they are going to be reading.

School pictures will be taken on October 3.

9/15/23

We conducted our first science experiment today. The fifth graders went outside this morning and this afternoon and chalked their shadows on the ground. This lead into an interesting lesson on shadows and the sun. The kids worked well in pairs.

The fifth graders are also hard at work on order of operation problems in math class. Next week, they will take their first assessment to gauge their understanding on these types of problems.

Have a nice weekend.

9/14/23

The fifth graders began work on a piece of writing that will serve as a pre-assessment for our realistic fiction book groups. We are going to look to have the kids finish this important task tomorrow afternoon.

Room A303 students also launched their first science unit this afternoon. We are going to be exploring the solar system and the kids seem excited to dig into this material.

9/13/23

The fifth graders used a picture book story to model some of our guiding reading principals during ELA time. Working in pairs, the fifth graders responded to prompts and then had the chance to share their thinking with their peers. This was a worthwhile session.

We also wrapped up our two day number puzzle activity during math class. The last two days have seen the kids working hard and working constructively together. Great to see.

9/12/23

We continued our series of introductory lessons in social studies this afternoon. Yesterday, the fifth graders created a compass rose and in today's work they used those directions to help them work through a series of map worksheets. Some nice teamwork was taking place in room A303.

9/11/23

Thank goodness the weather has cooled off for the fifth graders. We began our first week together with a busy day. Continued to work with arrays during math class. The kids also launched our first reading lesson by talking about genres. We are going to lay the groundwork for important work to come this week in ELA. Lastly, the kids had their first art class of the new school year.

9/8/23

It was an unpleasant week weather wise, but not for the 18 members of A303 in the classroom. We concluded our first week together with another exciting energizer during morning meeting. During math class we continued our early exploration of multiplication using arrays. We also began our introduction to some key reading concepts during our ELA time. It was great getting to meet and learn about the kids this week and I look forward to starting our first full week together on Monday. Have a nice weekend.

9/7/23

The fifth graders kicked off the first unit of our math work this morning. After another exciting morning meeting, the kids looked to recall multiplication facts as they filled out a times table. This lead us into some work with arrays. This important work will be ongoing over the next few weeks. Very impressive start to the year for the kids in A303.

9/6/23

Great to see all of the fifth graders return for day 2 this morning. Despite the heat and humidity, the kids had another quality day. Starting today and continuing into tomorrow, the members of A303 are going to be crafting a "Special Me" poem that will tell their peers a little about their interests and hobbies. Parents will also get to see these during Back to School night later this month.

Tomorrow we are officially going to launch unit one in math class.

9/5/23

Today was an exciting day at the Thompson School as we officially launched the 2023 - 2024 school year. It was exciting for me to begin getting to know the 18 fifth graders who will be in room A303 this academic year. We took part in some getting to know you activities this morning and began familiarizing ourselves with the routines of the classroom and the building this year. These activities will continue into tomorrow. Later this week, we are going to kick start our math and reading units.

Thank you to all families who contributed to the classroom supplies, it is greatly appreciated.

As a reminder, tomorrow and all Wednesdays this year, dismissal time will be at 1 o'clock.