5/1/24

The kids were able to spend a solid hour reading deeper into their fantasy book during our ELA time this morning. Each of the five groups is making quality progress and we had a nice share out at the end of our time today where the kids spoke about some interesting plot developments.

In the morning, the fifth grade had an enrichment program that talked about water pollution, storm drains and how to help avoid water contamination. The fifth graders were a captive audience.

4/30/24

The month of April concluded with the fifth graders continuing to work multiplying decimals by whole numbers in math class. Each of the students worked on a series of math pages and then, if time allowed, they worked in pairs on some review work.

During ELA time, we focused intently on our body paragraphs of our informational pieces. The research papers are coming along slowly but surely. The next two weeks will look to see everyone finish a draft.

Tomorrow, the Thompson School will take part in an enrichment program pertaining to the water cycle and the local storm drains around the school.

4/29/24

We are going to look to get some serious reading done in our fantasy book groups and to continue to progress in our drafting of our informational pieces of writing this week.

In math class, we are also going to conclude unit seven at some point this week.

4/26/24

It was excellent getting to return to our normal routine today. We met with our fantasy book groups during ELA time and finished our study of the French and Indian War in our social studies time. Next week the members of A303 are going to look to wrap up unit seven in math class.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

4/25/24

We completed our math MCAS this morning. Another significant milestone for the fifth graders. The only assessments left are our two science sessions in May.

Tomorrow we are going to look to have each of the members of A303 finish the draft of their lead paragraphs for their informational essays and we are also going to have another fantasy book club session.

4/24/24

The focus of our ELA time was crafting memorable lead paragraphs for our informational writing pieces. Each of the fifth graders drafted this paragraph and then returned to their research. The kids did a nice job with thie work.

Tomorrow, the kids will take the second session of their math MCAS test in the morning.

4/23/24

Compliments to the fifth graders for working through the first session of their math MCAS test this morning. The second and final math testing session will be on Thursday.

Tomorrow we are going to focus on the opening paragraph of our informational writing pieces.

4/22/24

During morning meeting this week, the fifth graders will get to share any highlights of their vacation week with their peers. We are also going to be working in earnest on our informational writing projects and continue to read deeper in our fantasy books this week and next.

As a reminder, the fifth graders are going to be taking the first session of their math MCAS tomorrow morning. The second session will be this Thursday.

4/12/24

We ended the week with a productive math lesson and with each of the fifth graders selecting a topic for their informational writing. After the vacation week, the kids are going to take the math MCAS and we are going to look to dig into our fantasy novels.

I hope everyone has a nice vacation week.

4/11/24

The fifth graders took the second and final portion of their ELA MCAS this morning. Once again, I compliment the kids diligence to this material.

Tomorrow each of the fifth graders is going to select a topic for their informational writing unit. We are fortunate to have over one hundred Revolutionary War texts in the classroom and the kids will utilize their ELA time to peruse these books and make their choice.

4/10/24

The fifth graders met with their fantasy book groups and began their novels this morning. We are focusing on setting and how that is impacting the plot of the story this week. 

As a reminder, tomorrow the fifth graders are going to take the second and last session of ELA MCAS in the morning.

4/9/24

It was nice to return to a regular learning day. We focused on diving unit fractions by whole numbers during our math time. The kids kept up the momentum from last week and I was impressed with the resiliency of the fifth graders during this lesson.

We continued our exploration of the French and Indian War during social studies. The kids are honing their map making skills to track the changing face of the North American continent.

Tomorrow we are going to take the second and final session of ELA MCAS. Please help to ensure that all students arrive at school on time tomorrow.

4/8/24

The fifth graders took the first session of their ELA MCAS this morning. The students worked hard and I compliment them for their attentiveness. The second session will be this Thursday the 11th.

Tomorrow, we are going to have our first fantasy book group session.

This Friday the 12th, we are going to watch a movie in class.

4/5/24

We spent our ELA time looking at an online practice exam in preparation for next week's ELA MCAS.  I commend the fifth graders for their attention to this.

As a reminder, the fifth graders will take their two sessions of ELA MCAS next Monday the Thursday. Please help to ensure that all students arrive at school on time.

Have a nice weekend.

4/3/23

The remaining lessons in unit seven in our math book will have the kids working to divide whole numbers by fractions. Today was an important introduction to this material. The fifth graders worked to use reasoning and representations to solve these problems.

We had one final introductory informational writing session during our ELA time. Next week, each of the students will choose a topic pertaining to the Revolutionary War to explore.

4/2/24

The members of A303 learned who is in their fantasy book groups and the novel that they will be reading together. We also had a productive discussion about the expectations during book group days and the first point of focus during our reading, which will start on Friday.

After lunch, some staff members of the Gibbs were nice enough to visit the fifth graders and speak to what to expect as a sixth grader. This was valuable and the fifth graders asked some good questions.

4/1/24

The first day of April began with the fifth graders using arrays to represent multiplication of fractions. Strong start to the math week and we will look to carry that over into tomorrow's lesson.

Tomorrow, staff members of the Gibbs School are going to visit the Thompson. The Gibbs staff will speak with the fifth graders about what to expect next year. There will also be time for questions.

3/28/24

The fifth graders looked at some examples of informational writing this week. As we move into April, the kids are going to be working on informational writing pieces in earnest. Each of the kids will select a topic pertaining to the Revolutionary War and they will start researching that topic. 

I hope everyone has a nice holiday weekend.

3/27/24

The fifth graders took part in a zoom presentation with the Gibbs language teachers this morning. Each of the teachers shared important information about their respective classes so the incoming sixth graders will be fully informed as to the choice that they make. We ended the time together with some questions.

During math class, we continued our important work of multiplying fractions by both fractions and mixed numbers. Tomorrow, we are going to end the week with a March Madness tournament to crown a champion for our decimal compare game.

Homework

Math - finish workbook page 447, if not done in class

3/26/24

We are going to spend some time over the next few days looking at poems in ELA class. The kids will be exposed to different forms of poetry and will look to respond to some questions pertaining to the poems. We began that work this morning.

Our social studies time was spent exploring the French and Indian War and how that conflict would lead to the Revolutionary War. 

3/25/24

The last week of April is going to see the kids select a novel to work with in their fantasy book groups. They are also going to start their Revolutionary War unit in social studies and writing. It's going to be a busy week, but a productive week.

3/22/24

We previewed our final unit of study for reading this morning. Our fantasy unit will see the kids working with a title or series to explore some common themes and elements of theses popular stories. The fifth graders are excited to get going with this unit.

My compliments for all of the students for completing and turning in their math homework.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

3/21/24

We continued to work with multiplying fractions by whole numbers during math class this morning. Impressive to see the kids carrying over knowledge from prior lessons into this new unit. 

Homework

Math - decimal worksheet due on Friday 3/22

3/20/24

The first few lessons in unit seven will see the fifth graders multiplying fractions by whole numbers using visual representations. Today was a nice introduction to this material and the work will be ongoing throughout the next two weeks. 

Homework

Math - decimal worksheet due on Friday 3/22

3/19/24

We wrapped up unit six during our math time this morning. The fifth graders did an excellent job on yesterday's assessment. We ended the decimal unit by working on some multi step word problems.

This afternoon the fifth graders met with their second grade book buddies to do some reading.

Homework

Math - decimal worksheet due on Friday 3/22

3/18/24

This week we are going to do some preparing for the ELA MCAS which is coming up in April. The fifth graders will have some time to familiarize themselves with the testing website. They are also going to work through the questions of a practice test.

We began this new week with an assessment during math class. This quiz will serve as a indication how the fifth graders are doing with their adding and subtracting of decimals. We are going to conclude unit six later this week.

3/15/24

We began our final trimester today. During math class, the fifth graders took part in one final lesson that saw them solving addition and subtraction of decimal word problems. On Monday, we will take our final assessment of unit six.

The kids were also able to get a significant amount of work done on their 13 colonies projects. Excellent teamwork the last two days. We will look to have all groups done by Tuesday of next week.

Have a nice weekend.

3/14/24

In the afternoon, groups continued to work on their 13 colonies posters. The last two weeks saw the fifth graders collecting information from various sources on graphic organizers. We are looking to have each of the five groups finish their projects by next week.

3/12/24

The final few writers finished their conferences today. Each of the members of A303 has now published their opinion writing pieces. These turned out great. Later this week the kids will receive a copy to take home that has a graded rubric attached.

3/11/24

We began the new week by taking part in a series of science experiments with a representative from the Discovery Museum in Action. The fifth graders worked in small groups to cycle through a series of interesting hands-on activities pertaining to states of matter. They enjoyed this a great deal and learned a lot. Thank you to the parent volunteers for their help this morning.

This afternoon, during math class the fifth graders continued to work to add decimals. We looked to create word problems to match each of the addition problems.

3/8/24

This week saw many of the fifth graders cross the finish line with their opinion writing pieces. It has been excellent getting to hold individual writing conferences with each of the writers. The pieces are detailed and contain passion and energy. The kids should feel proud of their efforts. We will look to have everyone finish up in the middle of next week.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

3/7/24

Today we began exploring addition and subtraction of decimals in earnest during math class. These next batch of lesson will see the fifth graders refining their strategies when comparing the values of decimal amounts. 

On Monday the 12th, the kids will take part in a states of matter series of science experiments put on by the Discovery Museum. This is usually a highlight of the year for fifth grade students.

Homework

Math - workbook pages 384 and 385, due Friday 3/8

3/6/24

We took our first assessment in our decimal unit this morning during math class. After that was completed that kids partnered up to play a new decimal game.

Homework

Math - workbook pages 384 and 385, due Friday 3/8

3/5/24

We spent one final day in math class getting ready for tomorrow's assessment. The fifth graders represented decimals values on both grids and number lines and then compared different values. It certainly seems as if all of the fifth graders are in a good frame of mind heading into this test.

In the afternoon, the members of A303 were able to share their almost completed non-fiction book projects with their second grade book buddies. The younger kids were also able to share a recent piece of work with their older buddies. These projects are coming along nicely and we will look to have all of the fifth graders across the finish line next week.

As a reminder, the book fair starts tomorrow.

Homework

Math - workbook pages 384 and 385, due Friday 3/8

3/4/24

The next two weeks will be important ones for the fifth graders. All of the members of A303 will finish their opinion writing pieces and their nonfiction book projects by next Friday. Today was an opportunity for a few more writer's conferences to take place as well as peer edits. The kids will have an opportunity to share their nearly finished book projects with their book buddies tomorrow.

As a reminder, the book fairs begins this Wednesday in the school library.

3/1/24

The month of March saw the fifth graders once again turn their attention to their writing. Conferences are ongoing. Many students are refining certain areas of their drafts while others have moved into an animal research project concerning adaptations. 

Next week, the fifth graders will be able to share their almost completed nonfiction Google Slide presentations with their second grade book buddies.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

2/29/24

We ended the month of February by placing decimals into number lines in correct orders of value. The kids worked well on this task and they were also able to preview a game that we are going to play tomorrow that will see them creating number lines using decimal cards with a partner.

This afternoon, the fifth graders watched the movie The Parent Trap as part of their all-school reward.

2/28/24

We had a productive writing session during ELA time this morning. Each of the fifth graders has finished an initial draft and they are now in the process of conferencing with me as we look to refine some of the finer points of their writing.

2/27/24

The focus of our science time this afternoon was decomposers and their importance to planet Earth. The kids used a video and a portion of their text to help them respond to a series of focus questions.

During math class, we explored the thousandths place and used grids to represent various values.

Homework

Math - finish pages 359 - 364, if not done in class

2/26/24

After our February vacation, it was nice to see all of the fifth grades back at school today. During morning meeting time, the kids shared a highlight or two from their week off.

We returned to decimals in our math time this morning. Using grids, the kids worked to represent the value of various decimals visually and make comparisons. This important work will be ongoing over the next few weeks.

ELA saw the members of A303 working to finish their drafts of their opinion writing pieces. Conferences are also ongoing.

Homework

Math homework will be given later this week

2/16/24

The last five weeks have seen the fifth graders working diligently and productively. They all deserve a relaxing vacation week. I hope everyone enjoys their time off and for those who are traveling, have a safe trip.

2/15/24

We completed unit five this morning during math class. The fifth graders did a wonderful job on yesterday's assessment and we carried that momentum into our final lesson of this important unit. After the break, we are going to turn our attention to decimals.

Tomorrow, during morning meeting, we are going to have time for show and tell. Each kid is encouraged to bring one item that holds special meaning to them. I strongly advise kids to not bring in something fragile or anything that involves technology. This is optional, but it would be great if each student could bring something in.

2/14/24

After surviving yesterday's snow storm, the kids returned to school this morning for a busy day. We took our second quiz in unit five during math class. This assessment will offer a glimpse into how the kids are doing with their data collection and line graphing.

We also returned to our opinion writing later in the day. Finally, the kids ended the school day by exchanging Valentines.

Two more days until vacation. 

2/12/24

This last week before vacation will see the fifth graders continue their opinion writing. Conferences are ongoing and students are refining their body paragraphs to ensure they have ample evidence to support their claims. We are also going to continue to work on our non-fiction project.

I hope every fifth grader is able to help parents and families with shoveling tomorrow.

2/9/24

Our work this week in ELA was excellent. The kids were able to get much done with their opinion writing drafts as well as their collection of essays for their non-fiction topics. We will look to carry this momentum into our last week before the vacation.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

2/8/24

We continued our work with perimeter and data analyzing during math class. The focus of today's lesson was to see the kids identify points in a graph with their corresponding ordered pairs in a table. Real quality lesson to start our school day.

Later in social studies, we began to explore the middle colonies and collected some information about the day-to-day lives of the residents. 

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night. Log due tomorrow 2/9

2/7/24

Our area of focus during our writing session this morning was on crafting strong conclusion paragraphs for our opinion pieces. The kids looked to sum up their thoughts and inject strong emotions into writing. We will return to our writing on Friday.

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes per night. Fill out log on nightly basis. Due Friday 2/9

2/6/24

Our math class saw the fifth graders working with area and perimeter problems. The kids looked to write equations that described the relationship between two varying quantities.

In the afternoon, fifth graders and second graders created Valentine's Day cards for Arlington senior citizens. These turned out great. 

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes per night. Fill out log on nightly basis. Due Friday 2/9

2/5/24

We returned to our opinion writing during ELA. Each of the fifth graders was able to draft their opening paragraph last week. This week, the kids are focused on their body paragraphs. We had a short lesson where we talked about the key components of these paragraphs and then the kids focused on writing.

Tomorrow, the fifth graders will meet with their book buddies to create Valentine's Day cards for local senior citizens. 

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes per night. Fill out log on nightly basis. Due Friday 2/9

2/2/24

We concluded the first portion of our current science unit this afternoon. Each of the kids worked well as part of a smaller group when constructing food chains and food webs. They then responded to some short answer focus questions. Next week, we will push into the second portion of our living systems unit.

Happy Groundhog Day.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

2/1/24

Today was a great writing day for the kids in A303. After drafting a lead paragraph earlier this week, the fifth graders turned their attention to their body paragraphs today. After a mini-lesson explaining what we want to include in these, the kids were off and running. A productive day. We will return to this next week.

1/31/24

The month of January ended with work being done in our nonfiction reading unit. Each of the kids read their books and then gathered some information pertaining to one of our core reading topics. Productive lesson. Tomorrow, the kids will return to their opinion writing drafts.

1/30/24

Today was a significant writing day for the fifth graders. We looked to draft our opening paragraphs for our zoo opinion writing pieces. Over the last few weeks, the fifth graders have exposed to a number of articles, videos and presentations about this important topic. We are going to focus on our body paragraphs supported by quality evidence over the next two weeks.

We also returned to the topic of food webs during science class this afternoon.

Next week, when we meet with our book buddies on Tuesday, the kids are going to make Valentine's Day cards for local senior citizens.

1/29/24

Heather Gozzard, a veterinarian and former zoo worker, was nice enough to visit the classroom and speak with the kids this morning. Her presentation was engaging and informative and the fifth graders enjoyed every moment of it. They were also able to ask Heather some questions about her experiences working with animals and practice using a stethoscope and medical gauze on stuffed animals. The kids are now going to turn their attention to drafting their opinion pieces.

1/26/24

This week was filled with quality work. Most so in science class. Working in small groups, the fifth graders did a great job of creating food chains and food webs. Today, we wrapped up our work by having the kids respond to some focus questions about the webs they created.

As a reminder, our special guest is coming into the classroom on Monday to talk with the kids about wildlife and zoos/sactuaries.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

1/25/24

We launched unit five in math class this morning. The kids are going to spend the next week working with temperature graphs of various American cities and then analyzing the data. 

In science class, small groups worked to create food webs using a deck of wildlife cards and answering some focus questions. The kids loved today's work.

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night

Math - workbook page 269. Due on Friday 1/26

1/24/24

Congratulations to the kids for completing their unit four math test this morning. The last four weeks have seen the fifth graders doing top notch work on a daily basis and I am sure the results will reflect that. Tomorrow, we are going to progress into unit five, which will see the kids working with data that they will analyze and graph.

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night

Math - workbook page 269. Due on Friday 1/26

1/23/24

Tomorrow, the fifth graders are going to take their unit four math assessment.

We also finished our excellent lesson on creating food chains during science. On Thursday, the kids are going to build upon that and look to do some work with food webs.

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night

Math - workbook page 269. Due on Friday 1/26

1/22/24

We began the new week by meeting Ivy the dog and her owners this morning. The fifth graders enjoyed this presentation and were engaged throughout.

During science class, we reviewed some of the key vocabulary from last week and then began a food chain activity using wildlife flash cards. This will continue tomorrow.

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night

Math - workbook page 269. Due on Friday 1/26

1/19/24

We only have a few more lessons in unit four in math class. Fifth graders completed their multi-step word problems this morning. The later stages of the class saw the kids doing some review work for next week's assessment.

On Monday morning, the kids are going to meet Ivy the Determined Dog. They are excited for this enrichment program.

https://www.ivysbook.com/

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

1/18/24

The kids began their living systems unit in science class this afternoon. We are going to be exploring food chains and food webs over the next two weeks and today was a quality introductory lessons to some key vocabulary we will be using.

During math class we continued our work with multi-step word problems. Next week, we will look to conclude the unit with our final assessment.

1/17/24

We began an exciting math lesson this morning. The fifth graders used date tables to solve multi-step work problems. Using both multiplication and division the kids worked in pairs during this lesson. We will continue this work tomorrow.

The students also had time to learn about African elephants before an important writing task tomorrow.

1/16/24

We looked at our next task in our opinion writing unit during ELA. The kids read and annotated an article that spoke to strengths and weaknesses of modern zoos. Tomorrow we are going to look at the challenges faced by elephants in 2024.

This afternoon we met with our second grade book buddies. After reading aloud a picture book on Martin Luther Kings Jr., the kids worked to respond to some short writing prompts. 

1/12/24

We concluded an incredibly productive week by working on our third opinion writing lesson. This one saw the kids balancing two conflicting opinions held by the authors of two articles and looking to decide for themselves which of the two arguments was the more persuasive. We will continue this important work next week. 

It was a pleasure getting to meet with parents this week. Thank you for all who took the time to come in. 

I hope everyone has a nice long weekend.

1/11/24

It was nice to return to a normal school day with the fifth graders. The last two ELA periods have seen the kids exploring an illness that is affecting some animals kept in captivity. Small groups have read an article and watched a short Discovery Channel video and gathered talking points for their upcoming opinion writing pieces. The kids are deeply invested in this material and we are sinking our teeth into these important topics. The work will continue tomorrow.

Homework

Reading - read for at least 30 minutes per night

Math - division worksheet, due Friday 1/12

1/10/24

Our second early release day saw the kids tackle task number two in their opinion writing unit. After exploring two zoos and their efforts to save endangered animals earlier this week, the kids looked at an article that went into detail about some wildlife that are suffering because they are kept in captivity. These first two lessons have been positive ones.

Homework

Reading - read for at least 30 minutes per night

Math - division worksheet, due Friday 1/12

1/9/24

This first day of parent teacher conferences, saw the fifth graders take their division review assessment. When complete, the kids returned to some of the left over work from yesterday's lesson.

Tomorrow will once again be an 11:30 dismissal.

Homework

Reading - read for at least 30 minutes per night

Math - division worksheet, due Friday 1/12

1/8/24

The kids braved the elements to arrive at school today and I am glad that they did. We kicked off our first opinion writing lesson concerning our topic of endangered animals this afternoon. The kids looked at a video about a zoo in Arizona and their efforts to restore the population of a critically endangered animal. They then collected data from the video using an organizer.

Also today, each of the realistic fiction book groups presented their poster to the class. These turned our very well and families will get a chance to look at these during parent teacher conference days.

Homework

Reading - read for at least 30 minutes per night

Math - division worksheet, due Friday 1/12

1/5/24

We officially completed our realistic fiction book unit today. Each of the five reading groups did a great job this week of finishing their two writing pieces and their posters. They turned out very well. Starting next week, we are going to start exploring non-fiction books.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and that the fifth graders help their parents with the shoveling.

1/4/24

Each of the realistic fiction book groups crossed the finish line with their book posters and writing pieces this afternoon. The last three days have been incredibly productive. Tomorrow, each of the groups will present their posters to their classmates.

We also began looking at our pre-unit opinion writing assessment. This important writing sample is going to preview the upcoming unit and provide me with a baseline where each of the kids stands in regards this important unit.

1/3/24

The kids continued to work on refining their division solving strategies in math class and book groups continued to make steady progress on their posters and pieces of writing. We are looking forward to having all groups ready to present their posters this Friday.

1/2/24

It was great to be back in the classroom together to start the new year. During morning meeting this week, the kids will have an opportunity to share the highlights of their week off from school.

We are also going to look to have all book groups complete their book posters and write up for their realistic fiction novels. On Friday, groups will share out and next week we will launch our non-fiction unit of study.