9/30/25

After one final quality day of multiplication work in math this morning, the fifth graders are going to turn their attention to division work tomorrow. The kids also received back their most recent math assessment. The results were quite good.

Our science time was spent exploring the different components of the water cycle and reviewing some important key vocabulary words.

9/29/25

During our science lessons this week, the kids are going to be undertaking some activities and experiments that will expose them to the parts of the water cycle. Today was a nice table setter lesson. The kids were engaged and are bringing lots of quality background information into the work.

We are also getting ready to shift into working with division during our math time.

As a reminder, we do not have school this Thursday 10/2.

9/26/25

We ended the week by taking a multiplication assessment during math class. The kids seemed confident and comfortable with the material throughout the last two weeks and I am sure that will be reflected in the results.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

9/25/25

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.

9/24/25

The fifth graders worked with cluster problems during our math time this morning. We continue to refine various strategies to solve multiplication problems. Today's lesson exposed the kids to yet another potential strategy. With the remaining time, the kids partnered up to play the multiplication compare game.

9/22/25

As we approach significant events in our reading of Esperanza Rising, the fifth graders began work on their unit one mid term assessment during ELA this afternoon. The kids will continue to work on this important item tomorrow. I was impressed with the perseverance that was in evidence throughout the classroom during this work period.

The fifth graders also are going to start learning and playing a series of multiplication games that will reinforce some important concepts from the past few lessons. 

As a reminder, there is no school tomorrow.

9/19/25

We wrapped up the week by answering some questions involving multiplication in math class. The kids used arrays to represent their solutions and created word problem to match the equations. This was a productive period.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

9/18/25

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.

9/17/25

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.

9/16/25

The fifth graders responded to some focus questions pertaining to our most recent chapter in Esperanza Rising during ELA. An area of discussion during our reading was the story structure. This lead to some interesting discussion amongst pairs of students.

As a reminder, tomorrow the kids will be taking an assessment during math class that will concern order of operation problems.

9/15/25

Points of emphasis this week for the members of A303 will be states of matter, order of operation problems and story structure. We had a strong start to the week exploring all of those concepts throughout our school day. Later this week, the fifth graders will have their first math assessment.

On Wednesday, the fifth graders are going to take their first math assessment of the school year.

9/12/25

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. 

9/11/25

During our ELA time this morning, the fifth graders spent some time learning about Mexican history during the time period that our novel is set. This important background lesson will hopefully make for a deeper connection to the novel. The kids also responded to some of the questions concerning chapter one.

It was nice to meet so many of you last night during the open house. Thank you for taking the time to visit the classroom.

9/10/25

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.

9/9/25

We began our first unit of study for science this morning. The fifth graders are going to spend some time exploring the water cycle over the next few lessons.

As a reminder, tomorrow night, Wednesday 9/10 is Open House night at the Thompson from 6 o'clock to 8 o'clock. I look forward to meeting families.

9/8/25

Today was a significant day for the fifth graders. We launched our first EL unit of study during our ELA time. This unit will see the kids working with a historical fiction novel. We spent some time talking about what a constructive and productive ELA lesson looks like when working independently and with small groups. These norms will serve us well in the long run. Tomorrow, the kids will be introduced to the novel that we will be reading together.

During our math time, we began working with factors and multiples. The members of A303 had a wealth of background knowledge and this served the discussion well.

Over the rest of this week, the kids are going to be sharing their decorated writing notebooks with their peers.

9/5/25

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. 

9/4/25

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. 

9/2/25

We began the 2025-2026 school year at the Thompson this morning. There was lots of energy and excitement in the classrooms and hallways throughout the day. In A303, the new fifth graders began to familiarize themselves with the classroom and the routines. 

The kids began their day with their first morning meeting of the year. During this time, we are going to do some sharing out of highlights of the summer months. Later in the day, the kids took part in two activities to get to learn about their teacher and each other.

This was an action packed day and we are going to continue that momentum into tomorrow. A point of emphasis will be in setting each of the fifth graders up on Goggle Classroom and having them create their Google Drive subject folders.