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.