We concluded the first week of December by doing some "close reading" during ELA in the morning. The kids looked at a passage from our anchor text and attempted to determine the structure of the story portion as well as noting powerful descriptive words being used by the author.
Next week, we will look to conclude unit three in our math book.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
The fifth graders refined their subtracting fractions strategies during math class this afternoon. As a whole, they did a nice job with yesterday's assessment.
To start the day, the members of A303 worked to come up with working definitions for some unfamiliar vocabulary words from our anchor text.
Homework
Math - fraction worksheet due on Friday 12/5
During math class, the fifth graders took a short quiz to track their progress. We then spent some time practicing adding and subtracting fractions.
The members of A303 were able to peruse the book fair this morning. During this time, they created wishlists of titles that they were interested in.
Homework
Math - fraction worksheet due on Friday 12/5
I hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving holiday. Look forward to seeing the kids back in school as we start December.
The last full school day in November saw the fifth graders working with some volume review problems and playing another round of fraction tracks during math class. The fifth graders had a productive last two weeks working with fractions.
Tomorrow is board game day. The kids are welcome to bring one board or card game with them to class.
All of the fifth graders have completed their literary essays. A lot of time and effort went into these and the kids should feel proud of their efforts. Next week, the kids will be placed into small groups and they will look to design an alternate cover for Esperanza Rising.
Tomorrow the fifth graders will take their first fraction quiz to gauge their progress.
The fifth graders put the finishing touches on their early English settlement projects during our social studies time this morning. Later this week, they will have an opportunity to share their projects with their peers.
Fitting that on Halloween, we spent time in A303 investigating one of the great mysteries of early American history. During social studies time, the fifth graders were presented with the story of the early English settlement of Roanoke. The fifth graders watched a short video and then read an article and answered some focus questions. Lots of enthusiasm for this lesson.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend. Next week is parent teacher conferences.
The fifth graders undertook an exciting math lesson this afternoon. Working in small group, the kids built one cubic foot using rulers and tape. Once that was constructed, they then turned their attention to determining the volume of the classroom. There was nice teamwork throughout the course of this activity. The second half of the lesson saw the members of A303 working on some volume problems in their workbook.
Homework
Tomorrow during our ELA time, the fifth graders are going to take the first portion of their mid-unit assessment. This test will see the kids responding to questions about metaphors and character reactions. We are also going to meet with our second grade book buddies.
The students did an excellent job working on a series of difficult problems during math class this afternoon. They worked to find the volume of solids composed of two rectangular prisms. Some fits and starts at the start of the lesson, but the kids did a wonderful job of persevering through the work. They are going to take a short assessment tomorrow to gauge their progress.
Homework
We spent quality time during math class solving for the volume of rectangular prisms. Using both grid paper and connecting cubes, the fifth graders worked through a series of challenging problems. I was happy with the resilience shown by many of the students during the lesson. We will look to carry that momentum into tomorrow's work.
Homework
The fifth graders read the next chapter in Esperanza during our ELA time this afternoon. Earlier in the day, they familiarized themselves with some of the key vocabulary words from the chapter. A productive reading/writing day for the members of A303.
Homework
During science class, the fifth graders continue to work on designed their ideal school playground area. This ties into our work with the water cycle and ensuring clean water within the Arlington community. The kids are being creative and well informed in their planning. We will look to finish these next week.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
The kids continued to explore volume during math class. They are using connecting unit cubes and grid paper to help them determine three dimensional objects' volume. I was impressed with the level of discourse during today's lesson.
Tomorrow, the kids are looking forward to meeting their second grade book buddies for the first time this school year.
Homework
Math - workbook pages 70 and 71, due Friday 10/17
Two points of emphasis this week for the fifth graders will be starting unit two in math class and doing some writing about various character perspectives during ELA time. Unit two will see the kids working on volume problems. Today was a nice start to this important section.
Thursday, the fifth graders are going to meet with their book buddies for the first time this school year.
Homework
Math - workbook pages 70 and 71, due Friday 10/17
The fifth graders are going to take a division assessment during math tomorrow afternoon. In preparation for that, they spent time reviewing various division problems and strategies during our time today.
Members of A303 also worked in pairs to respond to some focus questions pertaining to yesterday's reading of Esperanza Rising.
A point of emphasis in ELA this week will be analyzing important scenes within a book from the perspective of different characters. The fifth graders finished reading the latest chapter in Esperanza Rising this afternoon. They then worked independently to answer some questions pertaining to perspective. Tomorrow, we will begin our lesson by having the kids share out their thoughts.
On Thursday, the members of A303 are going to meet with their second grade book buddies. We spent some time during morning meeting talking about setting a good example for their younger peers.
We spent out math time this afternoon using our knowledge of multiples of ten to help solve division problems. The kids reinforced the relationship between multiplication and division while working with a partner to complete a few workbook pages.
Next week, the fifth graders are going to meet with their second grade book buddies in Ms. Jensen's class. They are eager for this oppurtunity.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
All of the fifth graders put the finishing touches on their mid-unit 1 ELA assessment during our ELA time. Their diligence to the material was evident.
During our social studies time this morning, the kids worked with latitude and longitude. They were tasked with finding various American cities on a map using coordinates. They were engaged with this lesson and did a fine job on the work.
We began the second portion of unit one during our math time this afternoon. The kids did a nice job with their order of operation assessment yesterday. This part of our first unit will see the kids working with a variety of strategies to solve multiplication problems. Today was a good first start. There were a number of students who did a fine job of verbalizing their thinking when working with pairs.
Our ELA time saw the fifth graders read the next chapter in Esperanza Rising. This portion of the book will see our main characters undergo several important changes, both in their personalities and within the overall setting of the story. The kids are going to respond to some focus questions pertaining to these changes during our ELA time tomorrow.
The fifth graders took their first math assessment this morning. This quiz will gauge the kid's progress with our order of operation work.
Tomorrow, we are going to return to our reading of Esperanza Rising during ELA time.
This morning, the fifth graders looked to complete a few workbook pages concerning states of matter. They first watched a short video and took some notes. This fostered some nice discussion and the understanding was reflected in their responses to the questions. We are going to continue to explore these topics next week.
The kids also started to compile some key vocabulary words from their Esperanza Rising novels during ELA time. This will be an ongoing effort.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend. God Red Sox.
During our math time today, the fifth graders worked to identify prime and composite numbers. They relied on their background knowledge and work we've done the last few lessons concerning factors and multiples. I have been impressed with the level of discourse and the willingness of the students to participate in the full class setting. This was a productive lesson. We will look to carry that momentum into tomorrow's work.
I look forward to meeting parents and families tonight during open house hours, from 6 to 8 o'clock.
The fifth graders continued to work on a biographical poem called Important Me during our ELA time this morning. This work is a way for the kids to share some of their interests with their peers. These will be on display during open house on Wednesday the 10th.
Next week, we are going to launch our first unit of study in ELA. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
Homework
Decorate the cover of writing notebook for Monday 9/8. Kids can draw pictures, or attach photographs to the covers of their notebooks to personalize them.
Today, we began our first math lesson in the afternoon. The fifth graders worked on filling out a multiplication table. We then segued into a worksheet that had them respond to some multiplication problems.
Earlier in the school day, the members of A303 worked with a partner to talk about what makes a great classmate. We then came together as a full group to fill out an anchor chart with some of these suggestions.
Homework
Decorate the cover of writing notebook for Monday 9/8. Kids can draw pictures, or attach photographs to the covers of their notebooks to personalize them.
Yesterday, the fifth graders shared their Revolutionary War trading cards with their peers. These turned out excellent, and that was reflected in the grades.
Today, we practiced for the Friday graduation ceremony and worked on the mural that is being painted in the foyer of the school.
I look forward to seeing families on Friday morning for the moving on ceremony. As a reminder, if you intend to dismiss your student after the ceremony is over, please let me and Vicki Rose know.
We began our last full week together by putting the finishing touches on our Revolutionary War trading card project during social studies. The fifth graders were able to spend some time looking at their peers' work. These turned out well.
In the afternoon, the fifth graders had pizza while they watched a movie. A nice way to end the day.
The Thompson School took part in one last enrichment program this morning when the Taiko Drumming program visited the building. The fifth graders greatly enjoyed this.
Lots of excitement in the classroom, as tomorrow the fifth grade is going to be taking a field trip to Launch in Woburn.
Each of the fifth graders completed their compare and contrast essay during our ELA time this morning. A lot of quality time and effort went into these.
Tomorrow, the kids will take part in their final enrichment program of the school year when the Taiko Drumming program pays a visit to the school.
The fifth graders were able to exchange cards with their second grade book buddies this morning. They also received cards from their younger peers. My compliments to the members of A303 for their kindness and maturity in working with their second grade peers this year.
Tomorrow, we are going to look to have all of the fifth graders complete their Revolutionary War card project. These are shaping up very nicely.
After taking part in field day on Friday, the fifth graders returned to the classroom to begin their final ten days of elementary school. There are a few important pieces of work that we are going to look to wrap up this week. In ELA, our focus continues to be on a compare and contrast essay. Many of the fifth graders are editing their pieces, while others have crossed the finish line.
During math class, we are going to continue to work multiplying and dividing decimals this week in preparation for our final assessment later this week.
Tomorrow, the members of A303 will meet with their second grade book buddies one final time this school year.
Many members of A303 were able to finish their compare and contrast essay this morning during our ELA time. Fifth graders who have finished read over their pieces and made edits. Others worked on a vocabulary activity.
Tomorrow, it is Field Day at the school. Earlier in the day, the fifth graders will look to help the younger grades and from 1145 to 1215, the older kids will take part in their activities.
In math class, we continued to work with decimal division problems. The fifth graders made estimates and used number lines to help them gauge the solutions to a series of problems. We had quality participation throughout the room during this important lesson.
Friday is field day for the Thompson School.
Our ELA time was spent looking at an example of a quality concluding paragraph for a compare and contrast essay. The fifth graders then spent their work time drafting a conclusion for their essays. We are going to continue this work tomorrow.
In math class, the kids used visual representations and reasoning to divide whole numbers by powers of 10.
The Thompson fifth graders visited the Gibbs School this morning. The kids were able to tour the building with a sixth grade tour guide. During this time, the Thompson students visited classrooms and met some of their future teachers. This was a worthwhile experience and we thank the Gibbs for having us.
After returning to school and having lunch, we had a productive math period.
On Friday, it is field day here at the Thompson.
The fifth graders had a productive start to the day. During ELA this morning each of the kids was able to draft their first proof paragraph, which was used to compare an athlete of their choosing with Jackie Robinson. We are going to look to complete our first drafts by early next week.
As a reminder, we are traveling to the Gibbs on Monday morning. Kids should be at Thompson by 740, so that we can leave at 745.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
Today was one of the more enjoyable days of the school year, as Jim Parks from the Wingmasters program visited the Thompson. Jim brought five birds of prey, all of whom have been rescued and rehabilitated, into the school to visit with the fifth graders. The kids learned about the uniqueness of each of the birds and their adaptations. This was an excellent session and the kids were engaged and entertained throughout.
Here is some more information about this wonderful program:
https://www.wingmasters.net/aboutus.htm
The fifth graders continued to work on the early stages of their compare and contrast essay during our ELA time this morning. A handful of the kids began their first draft, while others are nearing that point. We will look to have everyone in the class working on a draft by tomorrow.
The focus of our math lesson today was on multiplying decimals. The fifth graders called to mind previous strategies that we have used to help them solve these problems. A productive lesson and we will look to carry that momentum into tomorrow's work.
We also continue to work on a social studies project that has each of the kids creating a series of Revolutionary War themed trading cards. These are shaping up nicely.
We ended the week by starting a new project in social studies. Each of the fifth graders will be creating six Revolutionary War themed trading cards. These can represent either a person or event. There was a lot of creativity and enthusiasm for this today and we will look to carry that over after the holiday weekend.
The students received two permission slips today for upcoming field trip. Please fill these out and return as soon as possible.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
The fifth graders completed their final MCAS test this morning. My compliments to all of the kids for their diligence throughout this testing window.
Tomorrow, we are going to compare and contrast Jackie Robinson will another baseball player.
The kids took part in a workshop moderated by the author Grace Lin. This enrichment took the shape of a reader's theater and a draw along activity. The kids enjoyed this a great deal.
Tomorrow we will conclude the MCAS testing schedule when the kids take the second and finals session of their science test.
Each of the fifth graders has crossed the finish line with their opinion writing. Lots of time and effort went into this work and the kids should feel proud of their effort. Tomorrow, we will move into module three in our current EL unit.
Also tomorrow, the author Grace Lin will be visiting the Thompson and hosting a workshop for the kids.
As a reminder, we will also take our second and final science MCAS test on Thursday 5/22.
The kids took an assessment in math class. After that was complete, we returned to our work dividing fractions and mixed numbers.
Next week the fifth graders will take their science MCAS tests on Monday and Thursday.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
The kids looked at an online practice test in preparation for next week's science MCAS. I continue to be impressed with the attentiveness that the kids are showing to this work. Two more sessions, next Monday and Thursday, and the testing season will be complete.
Our ELA time was spent continuing to work on our opinion writing.
Many of the fifth graders are close to completing their opinion pieces of writing. It was great to see so many of the kids on task and hard at work during our ELA time this morning. The goal is to have the rest of the class cross the finish line during our ELA and all-block time tomorrow.
The fifth graders took part in a wonderful field trip this morning. We visited both the Old State House and the Old South Meeting House, where we took part in in mock debate concerning the lead up to the Boston Tea Party. Much thanks to all the chaperones who came along.
The members of A303 continued to make progress with their long form opinion writing concerning an aspect of Jackie Robinson's success during ELA. Later this week, the kids will begin typing their final draft.
As a reminder, tomorrow the fifth grade is traveling into Boston to visit the Old South Meeting House.
We spent quality ELA time working on a draft of our opinion piece. Using graphic organizers, the kids looked to craft their two proof paragraphs. This was a nice opportunity for the fifth graders to bounce some ideas of off each other and to make some serious headway in their writing. I was happy with the productivity during this session.
As a reminder, next Tuesday the 13th will see the fifth grade traveling into Boston to visit the Old South Meeting House. There is a lot of excitement for this Revolutionary War themed trip.
Have a nice weekend.
The fifth graders spent ELA time using a graphic organizer to help them with a piece of opinion writing. Today was a nice first step on an important work item that we will be working on over the next two weeks.
Homework
Reading - read for thirty minutes each night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due in class on Friday 5/9
Congratulations to all of the students involved with the school play. We were able to watch a portion of the performance this morning. These turned out excellent.
During math class later in the day, we focused on multiplying fractions by mixed numbers. Tomorrow, the fifth graders will take an assessment to gauge their understanding of the recent material.
Homework
Reading - read for thirty minutes each night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due in class on Friday 5/8
The last two days, the fifth graders learned about the Old South Meeting House and its importance to Revolutionary era Massachusetts. They also have been assigned a role to play at our mock debate during next week's field trip.
During math class, we used arrays to help us solve some multiplying fractions problems. Great effort during this session.
Homework
Reading - read for thirty minutes each night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due in class on Friday 5/8
This week, the kids are going to finish their Jackie Robinson mid-term assessment during ELA time. Throughout this week, the fifth graders are going to continue to multiply fractions and mixed numbers using visual aides. They will take an assessment later this week.
Homework
Reading - read for thirty minutes each night, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due in class on Friday 5/8
The fifth graders completed the second portion of their math MCAS testing this morning. My compliments to all of the students for their attentiveness to this. Tomorrow, we will return to a normal schedule.
The last day in the month of April saw the fifth graders taking part in a busy day. After gym this morning, the entire grade level took part in a school assembly.
When the kids returned to the classroom they explored a "traveling trunk" from the Concord Museum. This saw the members of A303 working in small groups to travel from station to station and explore artifacts from the Revolutionary War era. They worked collaboratively to answer some focus questions. The fifth graders seemed to enjoy this and based on their shared out of answers, learned a great deal.
Tomorrow will be the second and final math MCAS testing session.
The fifth graders took the first of two math MCAS tests this morning. They will complete the second portion on Thursday.
Tomorrow, the kids are going to take part in a school wide assembly.
During our morning meeting today and over the next few days, the kids are going to share out any high points from their vacation week. It was nice getting to hear about trips and experiences the fifth graders took part in.
Later in the school day, the kids worked on the second half of their Jackie Robinson ELA assessment.
The fifth graders will take the first of their two math MCAS sessions tomorrow morning. The second will be on Thursday. The kids should arrive at school on time to ensure that the class is able to start testing on time. Help with this would be greatly appreciated.
We spend some time this morning looking at point of view during our ELA time. The kids are going to be comparing and contrasting the perspectives of two figures from our Jackie Robinson unit.
I hope everyone has a nice vacation. The fifth grade will be taking their math MCAS on the Tuesday and Thursday after the break.
Today, the fifth graders worked to multiply while numbers by fractions and whole numbers by mixed numbers. This was a challenging lesson. The kids did a nice job of persevering through the early stages and by the end of the lesson the members of A303 were doing a fine job with these problems. We will continue this important work tomorrow.
We continued to progress further into our new unit of study in math class. The fifth graders worked on a series of word problems that saw them multiplying whole numbers by fractions. They did a nice job with these word problems.
The kids also spent time with their second grade book buddies working on an Earth Day activity.
Today was an exciting day at the Thompson. The author George O'Connor visited the school and spoke the to fifth graders about his work and writing. The kids enjoyed this a great deal.
We also began our new unit in math class.
Tomorrow the kids are going to work on an Earth Day activity with their second grade book buddies.
As a reminder, the kids do not have school this Friday in observance of Good Friday.
The fifth graders took a decimal assessment this afternoon. They then had some time to play a subtraction game with a partner. A nice way to end the work week.
Next week, the author George O'Connor will be speaking to the students on Monday and we will meet with our book buddies on Tuesday.
Have a nice weekend.
Compliments to the fifth graders for finishing the second and final ELA MCAS session this morning. Tomorrow, we will return to a normal routine. The kids will have a decimal assessment tomorrow afternoon. We also want to continue to make headway with our read aloud book.
Members of A303 spent time listening to a Jackie Robinson interview and then responding to some focus questions about the content of the interview.
The fifth graders will take their second ELA MCAS test tomorrow. Please come to school with a physical independent reading book.
Our ELA lesson was centered on perspectives, how different people view an event differently. The kids watched a short animated film and then reread an excerpt from our Jackie Robinson anchor text. A productive lesson.
We also continued to practice adding and subtracting decimals during our math time.
As a reminder, our second ELA MCAS session is on Thursday.
The fifth graders took their first of two ELA MCAS sessions this morning. The second session will be on Thursday. Once again, it would be excellent if all students could have a physical independent reading book with them for testing days.
Tomorrow, we are going to return to our normal work schedule.
The kids put the finishing touches on their Jackie Robinson baseball cards this morning. Each of the students wrote about four traits that Robinson displayed and then attached those to a poster card. These turned out great.
Next week, the fifth graders will take their ELA MCAS. Session one is scheduled for Monday, while the second round is going to be on Thursday the 10th. It is important for each of the fifth graders to have a physical independent reading book those days. Thank you in advance for your help with this.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
Today we finished looking at a practice ELA MCAS exam. The kids did a nice job of drafting a open response question. Nice sharing out throughout the room.
Tomorrow, we are going to return to our regular Jackie Robinson curriculum.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and log due in class on Friday 4/4
We had a productive math class this morning. The fifth graders worked on some decimal addition workbook pages and then used their remaining time to play a decimal game that allowed them to compare decimals with a variety of different strategies.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and log due in class on Friday 4/4
We spent time during ELA doing some MCAS practice. The fifth graders will take their two session ELA test next week. Today was a useful day of practice.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and log due in class on Friday 4/4
We concluded the month of March by moving into the later stages of our decimal unit in math class. Today the fifth graders worked to estimate the sums of decimals and to using visual representations to add tenths and hundredths.
Our ELA time was spent exploring Jackie Robinson's legacy and his continued impact on the game of baseball and the wider world.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night and log due in class on Friday 4/4
We concluded the week by working with decimals in the context of number lines during math class. The fifth graders did a nice job with yesterday's assessment, and they carried that spirit into our last lesson of the week.
The members of A303 also responded to a focus question about the read aloud book, The One and Only Ivan.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
The fifth graders completed their first decimal assessment during our math time this morning. After the test was complete, we returned to some of the important work that we have been doing comparing the values of decimals using grids.
We wanted to thank Lynda Johnson for her guidance running the four-week theater enrichment program within the classroom. The kids enjoyed this a great deal.
Homework
Math - workbook page 385, due on Friday 3/28
Today in math class, the fifth graders worked on a series of decimal problems, including some challenging word problems. They then transitioned to played a decimal compare game in pairs. Tomorrow we are going to take a decimal assessment
Homework
Math - workbook page 385, due on Friday 3/28
We spent time work to round decimals during math class. Each of the fifth graders was tasked with completing two workbook pages concerning that matter. With the remaining time, the fifth graders partnered up and played a division review game.
During social studies, the kids worked to answer some questions about the creation of the Deceleration of Independence.
Homework
Math - workbook page 385, due on Friday 3/28
This week, our focus will be to continue to learn about Jackie Robinson's life and do some writing about a key moment in his playing career. We are also going to dive deeper into our decimal unit. Finally, we are going to look to have the fifth graders practice for their upcoming ELA MCAS test.
Two items of note for the fifth graders this week. On Thursday, we will have the final session of our Backyard Theater program in the classroom and on Friday, we are taking part in a full school program featuring Taiko Thunder.
The kids took part in a zoom meeting with the world language teachers from the Gibbs this afternoon. This was a good opportunity for the fifth graders to learn more about the classes that will be offered next year.
We also took part in an enrichment program where the class learned about the states of matter while observing and in some cases participating in experiments.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
Working in pairs, the fifth graders were tasked with placing decimals onto number lines and to have a conversation about comparing values. This was a productive lesson. We will continue this work tomorrow afternoon.
Also tomorrow, the fifth graders will take part in a science enrichment program concerning the states of matter.
Homework
Math - graphing worksheet due on Friday 3/21
The fifth graders have done some quality writing the last two days. They have been summarizing key components of our anchor text in their workbooks. We also continue to focus on expanding our vocabulary base with some work with unfamiliar words from Promises to Keep. We will look to carry that momentum into tomorrow's work.
The kids are also doing a fine job with our early decimal lessons. I have been impressed with their willingness to share their thinking with peers and to draw comparisons with our previous fraction work.
Homework
Math - graphing worksheet due on Friday 3/21
We explored the thousandths place during math class. The fifth graders continued to represent decimals using grids and they then completed some review work that touched upon unit five items.
On Thursday the kids will have their next Backyard Play enrichment session.
Homework
Math - graphing worksheet due on Friday 3/21
We are going to work to represent decimals on grids this week. The fifth graders are going to call upon many of the lessons that they worked through in our fraction unit to help them with this work. Today was a quality first step.
Homework
Math - graphing worksheet due on Friday 3/21
We explored Jackie Robinson's college years and his time in the military during ELA. We also spent some time watching a short video about the Tuskegee Airmen.
In the afternoon, the fifth graders took part in the second part of their Backyard Play enrichment program.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night, fill out log on nightly basis. Due on Friday 3/14
The kids did some writing this morning during their ELA time. Each of the fifth graders was tasked with summarizing a portion of Promises to Keep, our Jackie Robinson book. They relied on a graphic organizer that they worked on yesterday. With the remaining time, the kids familiarized themselves with some unfamiliar vocabulary from the early portion of the text.
Tomorrow afternoon, we will have our second enrichment program with a representative of the Backyard Play group. The fifth graders are looking forward to this.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night, fill out log on nightly basis. Due on Friday 3/14
The fifth graders took their last assessment in unit five this afternoon. This test had them interpreting the shape of a graph and interpreting numerical patterns in a data table. Later this week, we will begin working with decimals.
Earlier in the day, the fifth graders met with their second grade book buddies. The fifth graders were able to share their recently completed Rain forest digital books with their younger peers.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night, fill out log on nightly basis. Due on Friday 3/14
This will be a busy week for the fifth graders in A303. The kids are going to continue to read deeper into our Jackie Robinson anchor text along with doing some practice work on summarizing the key portions of our reading. In math class, the fifth graders will take their last assessment in unit five tomorrow.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of reading per night, fill out log on nightly basis. Due on Friday 3/14
The fifth graders ended the week by undertaking a writing assignment about our current read aloud book, The One and Only Ivan. Each of the students was tasked with writing about a focus question pertaining to a recent portion of the text.
In math class, we are preparing for an assessment next week. To that end, we continued to work with comparing arrays and graphing data.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
I wanted to thank all families for coming into the classroom this morning for math game time. The fifth graders loved getting to play with their families. Your participation made the morning special. Thank you again.
We returned to our Jackie Robinson book during ELA time. The kids are continuing to work with some unfamiliar vocabulary. We also spent some time talking about verb tenses. This grammar portion of the lesson was valuable.
In the afternoon, the fifth graders took part in an enrichment program put on by The Backyard Youth Theatre. We will have some more sessions with this program later in the school year.
https://www.backyardyouththeatre.com/
Homework
Math - workbook pages 313 and 314, due Friday 3/7
We began our new ELA module this morning. The kids will be exploring the life and impact of Jackie Robinson. Today, we watched a short biography and then looked at some quotes of people who were impacted in one form or another by Robinson.
As a reminder, on Thursday March 6th, the fifth grade is hosting a math game session with parents and family. Families are invited into the classroom from 8 to 830 that morning.
Homework
Math - workbook pages 313 and 314, due Friday 3/7
We began the month of March with the fifth graders sharing their eBooks with their peers. A lot of time and effort went into these and the kids should feel proud of their efforts.
During math time, we looked at numerical patterns involving area and perimeter problems.
As a reminder, on Thursday March 6th, the fifth grade is hosting a math game session with parents and family. Families are invited into the classroom from 8 to 830 that morning.
Homework
Math - workbook pages 313 and 314, due Friday 3/7
The kids finished working on their digital books this morning during ELA time. Each of the students wrote a narrative, an author's note and then inserted those two components into their book creator app. These turned out excellent. Next week, they will receive a graded rubric for their narrative writing.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
As a reminder, on Thursday March 6th, the fifth grade is hosting a math game session with parents and family. Families are invited into the classroom from 8 to 830 that morning.
The fifth graders continued to work on their eBooks during ELA time. The kids will look to present these to their peers tomorrow morning.
In math class, the fifth graders worked with coordinate graphing worksheets. They did a fine job with this. Tomorrow, we are going to make our way into the second half of unit five.
Homework
Reading - read for 30 minutes each night and fill out reading log on nightly basis. Due in class on Friday 2/28
My compliments to the fifth graders. Each of them has published their final draft of their recent narrative writing. From what I have read, these are infused with humor and creativity. I look forward to reading the rest this week. The kids are now in the process of creating an eBook that will include their narrative, an author's note as well as some pictures and maps. We will be working on this throughout the rest of the week.
Homework
Reading - read for 30 minutes each night and fill out reading log on nightly basis. Due in class on Friday 2/28
We had another productive school day in A303. The kids are going to be working on the last stage of the second module in ELA the rest of the week. Beginning today, the fifth graders are going to create an online book that will accompany their narrative essay.
Homework
Reading - read for 30 minutes each night and fill out reading log on nightly basis. Due in class on Friday 2/28
The fifth graders worked on their end of unit assessment during ELA time. Each of the kids drafted a narrative essay before the break and they used their time today, typing these pieces of writing. We will look to finish these tomorrow before we turn our attention to creating an eBook to accompany the essays.
Homework
Reading - read for 30 minutes each night and fill out reading log on nightly basis. Due in class on Friday 2/28
The kids took a critical first step in their ELA mid-term assessment. They used a graphic organizer to gather material for a narrative piece of writing that they will compose after the vacation week.
We ended the school day with the exchange of Valentines and some board game time. I hope everyone has a nice vacation week.
We launched a two part mid-unit assessment during ELA this morning. The kids are going to be writing a narrative story from the perspective of a character in our anchor text. Today was a day to collect some ideas on a graphic organizer. Tomorrow, we will look to start writing.
The kids are welcome to bring in their Valentine's Day cards to exchange tomorrow. They are also able to bring one board or card game with them.
All of the kids have successfully completed a piece of narrative writing. A lot of time and effort went into this writing over the last few days. I look forward to reading these pieces.
Tomorrow in science class, the kids are going to work in small groups to create a food web using animal cards.
In math class today, the fifth graders worked to interpret the shape of graphs and to generate ordered pairs that corresponded to the data on a table. The kids worked incredibly hard and remained on task during this important lesson. Later this week, the members of A303 will take a short assessment to gauge their progress.
The last week before the vacation will see the fifth graders put the finishing touches on their Boston Tea Party projects during social studies. We will also be looking at food chains and food webs in science class. Lastly, the members of A303 will look to make some headway in unit five in math class. It will be a busy week and hopefully a productive one.
Also, on Friday the 14th, the kids are once again welcome to bring in a board or card game. They will have some time to play with peers later in the school day.
There is no homework this week.
We returned to school to wrap up the week after yesterday's snow day. The fifth graders continued their work with their narrative essays this morning in ELA. Each of the students turned their attention to the proof paragraphs. We are looking to add figurative and concrete language to these sections. Many of the kids were able to get a fair amount of work complete.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend and that the fifth graders help out with any shoveling that needs to be done this weekend.
We only have a few more days in unit four in our math class. We continued to work on word problems concerning larger numbers. Special attention is being paid to slowing down and checking our work. The fifth graders are looking to avoid some of the smaller errors.
Homework
Math - double sided word problem sheet. Due in class on Friday 2/7The kids used a graphic organizer to analyze the narrative story that we read in class yesterday. The second portion of ELA was spent having the kids generate a narrative writing idea of their own. We will continue this work tomorrow.
Homework
Math - double sided word problem sheet. Due in class on Friday 2/7This week we are going to move into the last portion of our rainforest unit in ELA. The kids did a nice job of writing their essays last week and we want to carry that momentum into this final leg. We explored how a writer's point of view influences the story being told.
We are also nearing a transition point in math class. These next few lessons will see the fifth graders working through the final lessons in unit 4.
Homework
Math - double sided word problem sheet. Due in class on Friday 2/7
My compliments to each of the fifth graders. They are completing their homework and turning those assignments in on time. This is much appreciated. The writing that this did this week was of a nice quality as well.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
The kids took part in an important ELA lesson this morning. The fifth graders undertook the first part of their end of unit assessment. This entailed having the kids read an excerpt from our anchor text and then using a graphic organizer to begin to formulate an essay that spoke to the importance of sensory language. This dovetails nicely with the work that we have been focused on in the last two weeks. The kids remained on task throughout this session and many were able to completely finish their organizer. We will look to have each of the fifth graders begin the writing phase tomorrow morning.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night and fill out reading log each night. Due in class on Friday 1/31The fifth graders progressed in the final portion of unit 4 during math class. After yesterdays assessment, we are going to spend time solving a variety of multiplication and division problems as fluently as possible. Our focus today was on using various methods to solve multi-step word problems. Quality work was done today and we will look to carry that over into the final two days of the week.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night and fill out reading log each night. Due in class on Friday 1/31The fifth graders took their mid unit assessment during our math time this afternoon. When that was complete, they returned to some pages that they needed to finish from last week. We will kick off the final leg of unit four tomorrow.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night and fill out reading log each night. Due in class on Friday 1/31We spent time in ELA revising and editing our proof paragraphs from our literary analysis. The goal is to have each fifth grader done with their final copy by the end of the school week.
Tomorrow, the fifth graders will take a math quiz to gauge their progress within unit four.
Homework
Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading per night and fill out reading log each night. Due in class on Friday 1/31
The fifth graders completed their sensory language piece of writing during ELA time this morning. The kids were attentive to this important piece of work and I am sure that will be reflected in the pieces.
We ended the school day by having a whole school assembly in the gym. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
The fifth graders completed their sensory language analysis piece of writing this morning during ELA. We utilized our time wisely and each of the kids was able to complete this important piece of work.
We continued to work through multi-step division word problems during math class in the afternoon. This week has been a nice opportunity for the fifth graders to practice their division skills. We will continue this important work to wrap up the week tomorrow.
Homework
Math - workbook page 241, due Friday 1/24The fifth graders finished analyzing a model essay that explored concrete and sensory language in one of our anchor texts. The kids then used a graphic organizer to start putting together an essay of their own. Tomorrow, the goal will be to have the kids begin writing a draft of their own essay.
In math class, the fifth graders looked to continue to review and tighten up their division strategies.
Homework
Math - workbook page 241, due Friday 1/24This week we are going to explore the Proclamation of 1763 and the phrase "no taxation without representation" in social studies. The kids will look to read some articles and respond to some focus questions.
Homework
Math - workbook page 241, due Friday 1/24
We concluded the week by taking one last extended look at some concrete and sensory language that was used in our rainforest anchor text. The students completed a graphic organizer and an exit ticket. We had an excellent week filled with quality work in ELA.
Compliments to the students for bringing their completed homework assignments back to school today. We spent a portion of our math time in the afternoon sharing out answers.
I hope everyone has a nice long, holiday weekend.
We spent time reviewing idioms this morning during ELA. The kids discussed the meaning of common idioms and then practiced using them in sentences. We then had a close read of a portion of our anchor text. While reading, the fifth graders explored concrete and sensory language. This was a productive ELA lesson.
The homework is due in class tomorrow.
Homework
Math - multiplication worksheet, due Friday 1/17We continued exploring examples of figurative language in our rainforest texts this morning during ELA. The kids then spent some time responding to a few prompts about recent passages from the text.
Our math time was spent creating a division poster and then working on a few workbook pages.
Homework
Math - multiplication worksheet, due Friday 1/17The fifth graders took their first assessment of unit four this afternoon. Each of the kids looked to answer some multiplication problems and then a per-algebriac bonus page.
Homework
Math - multiplication worksheet, due Friday 1/17
We are going to explore the French and Indian War in social studies this week. The kids are going to see how this event lead directly to the fight for American independence.
Our math time this week will be spent reviewing some important multiplication and division concepts. We are slowly making our way towards our decimal unit.
We kicked off our work with the Revolutionary War this morning by filling out a KWL chart. This allowed the fifth graders time to share some things that they already know about the war and the people involved and also share some things that they are interested in learning more about in the unit.
This afternoon, the fifth graders watched a movie in the gym as a school-wide reward for earning pineapple tickets. A nice way to conclude the week.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
Unit four, which we began today, will see the fifth graders review some multiplication and division concepts. The fifth graders did some quality work this morning.
We wrapped up our science talk during ELA time this morning. The kids pulled excerpts from our anchor text that spoke to the question of why scientists study the rainforest.
Tomorrow, we start unit four in math class.
Tomorrow is an early release days because of parent teacher conferences. I look forward to meeting with families this week.
This week, the fifth graders are going to begin their exploration of the Revolutionary War in social studies and are going to launch unit four in math class. That unit will see the kids reviewing multiplication and division concepts. We are also hoping to meet with our second grade book buddies tomorrow.
Tomorrow and Wednesday are early release days because of parent teacher conferences. I look forward to meeting with families this week.
Our first week of 2025 was a quick one, but also a productive one. The fifth graders completed their mid-unit assessment during ELA time this morning. They worked to identify the text structure of an essay and then wrote a summary. The kids remained on task and did a nice job of proof reading their writing.
In the afternoon, the members of A303 took their final assessment in unit three. This test saw the kids solving some addition and subtraction problems that involved mixed numbers.
As a reminder, next Tuesday and Wednesday are early release days because of parent teacher conferences.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
Happy New Year to all A303 families. It was nice to see everyone back at school this morning. During our morning meeting time, the kids were able to share some highlights of their vacation.
This week, the fifth graders are going to take their first assessment in our second EL module. This one will see them do some writing pertaining to different informational formats that we have been working with in class. Today, we read two articles and tomorrow the kids will look to start their writing.
We are also very close to turning our attention to the Revolutionary War during social studies time.
