3/18/26

The fifth graders did some writing after reading the most recent section of our Jackie Robinson anchor text. The kids continue to practice drafting quick, cogent summaries of their readings. I was impressed with the level of dedication during our ELA time this morning. Tomorrow, we are going to wrap up this lesson and have some of the kids share their writing with the larger class.

3/17/26

During our math time this morning, the members of A303 learned a new decimal game called "In Between". The kids worked in pairs to order decimals by their value. This lead into working on some review math pages.

In the afternoon, the students took part in an enrichment program called "Arabiqa."

3/16/26

Today was an exciting day for the fifth graders at Thompson. The four classes traveled to Fenway Park this morning for a tour of the ballpark. As part of our larger Jackie Robinson unit, the kids were able to learn about the history of Major League Baseball's oldest park and the Red Sox. The kids had a great time.

Tomorrow, the fifth graders are going to take part in a zoom presentation in the afternoon that is part of the town's "Understanding Our Differences" series. The fifth graders are going to learn about autism and meet some people who are going to share of their experiences living with autism.

Here is a video that will share some additional information:

https://youtu.be/981PGhyyd1Y

3/13/26

A productive week concluded today with the members of A303 exploring the momentous moment when Jackie Robinson played his first game in Major League Baseball. The kids read a section of our anchor text and then worked to answer some important focus questions.

As a reminder, the fifth graders are traveling to Fenway Park on Monday morning for their second field trip of the school year.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

3/12/26

The fifth graders enjoyed getting to meet the world language teachers from the Gibbs this afternoon during a zoom call. Each of the educators gave a short presentation about their respective class and the fifth graders learned much during this time.

The members of A303 also met with their book buddies in second grade this morning. In preparation for the upcoming school-wide door decorating contest, the kids created "kindness" themed hearts to decorate the two classrooms.

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night, fill out log on a daily basis. Due in class on Friday 3/13

3/11/26

The kids dug into Jackie Robinson's first foray into professional baseball during our ELA time in the morning. We began the lesson by discussing some of the traits that Jackie exhibited that lead to his success on the baseball field. The kids did a fine job of working in pairs to read a chapter and then answer some questions pertaining to the text.

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night, fill out log on a daily basis. Due in class on Friday 3/13

3/10/26

The fifth graders are hard at work on a social studies activity, that is seeing them create a timeline of events of the night of the Boston Tea Party. This is building on our recent field trip and the kids are doing a nice job working pairs on this Google Slides project.

On Thursday, all of the fifth grade classes will be taking part in a zoom call with the Gibb's world language teachers. This will be an opportunity for the members of A303 to learn more about their choices for sixth grade.

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night, fill out log on a daily basis. Due in class on Friday 3/13

3/9/26

The fifth graders began their decimal unit this morning during math class. We began the lesson by brainstorming every day uses for decimals. This segued into some work that saw the kids representing decimals as part of areas. A productive first lesson.

On Thursday, the fifth graders will take part in a zoom meeting with the Gibbs world language teachers. Each of the teachers will share with the fifth graders information about the class that they teach. The kids are eager to learn more about these class options for next year.

Homework

Reading - read for 30 minutes each night, fill out log on a daily basis. Due in class on Friday 3/13

3/6/26

An area of focus for the fifth graders this Friday was on launching their decimal unit during math class. To set the ground for what's to come, the members of A303 worked to show various decimal values using tenths, hundredths and thousandths grids. These visual aids will hopefully help the fifth graders over the next few weeks. A productive lesson.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

3/5/26

It was refreshing to return to a normal length school day this Thursday. We had a busy day in A303. During math class, the kids took one final assessment to conclude our work in unit five. The kids did excellent throughout the course of this unit. Tomorrow, we are going to transition into unit six. The fifth graders are going to be working with decimals and looking to build a bridge with the fraction work that we undertook earlier this school year.

During our social studies time, we returned to the events of the Boston Massacre. The fifth graders worked in pairs to respond to questions pertaining to Paul Revere's engraving of the important moment. The level of interest and discourse during this time was wonderful to see.

We have the final batch of conferences taking place tonight.

3/4/26

The fifth graders did some writing during our ELA period on this early release day. After rereading a portion of our Jackie Robinson anchor text, the fifth graders drafted a one paragraph summary of the key details. The fifth graders did a nice job with this. Tomorrow, we will read a new portion of the book.

3/3/26

During this early release Tuesday, the fifth graders put the finishing touches on unit five in math class. They spent one final day working on some coordinate graphing. They once again looked to interpret the shape of a graph and numerical patterns in data tables. The kids also received back their most recent assessment. They did well on these.

As a reminder, the kids are going to be dismissed early tomorrow to accommodate the next round of conferences. 

3/2/26

We spent time during our morning meeting sharing our thoughts and highlights of our Friday field trip. The fifth graders did a fine job taking part in the mock debate concerning the tea that would be at the heart of the Boston Tea Party. The kids also enjoyed visiting the Old South Meeting House.

During our math time, the kids took part in one of the final lessons in unit five. This unit has seen them working to graph and interpret data tables. They did a fine job with an assessment that we took last week. In the next few days, we will be moving into our decimal unit.

As a reminder, the kids are going to be dismissed early tomorrow and Wednesday to accommodate the next round of conferences. 

2/26/26

The fifth graders were introduced to our ELA anchor text this morning. The book, "Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed the World" was written by Jackie's daughter Sharon. We read a portion of the text today and called attention to some important information that we learned from making inferences.

As a reminder, the fifth graders are taking their first field trip of the year this Friday. The four fifth grades will be traveling into Boston to take part in a mock debate concerning the Boston Tea Party at the Old South Meeting House. Kids should not bring anything with them to this field trip. We will be eating lunch when we return to the school, hopefully around 12:30.

2/25/26

It was nice to see everyone back at school after the extended time away. During morning meeting, the fifth graders shared some of their favorite moments from the just concluded vacation week.

In ELA, room A303 launched the next unit of study. This unit will look at athletes who have had a significant impact both on the playing fields and in society at large. The focus of our first few weeks will be Jackie Robinson.

As a reminder, the fifth graders are taking their first field trip of the year this Friday. The four fifth grades will be traveling into Boston to take part in a mock debate concerning the Boston Tea Party at the Old South Meeting House. Kids should not bring anything with them to this field trip. We will be eating lunch when we return to the school, hopefully around 12:30.

2/13/26

The fifth graders put a lot of time and effort into their rainforest narrative e-books. They were able to present their creations and stories with their peers today. These turned out great.

I hope everyone has a restful vacation week.

2/12/26

Many of the fifth graders were able to finish their rainforest e-books during ELA time in the morning. A few more need to wrap up the author's note, which they will look to do tomorrow. We are going to have also have time tomorrow for the kids to share their books with their peers.

As a reminder, on Friday, the fifth graders are welcome to bring in Valentine's Day cards for their classmates.

2/11/26

As part of their larger piece of narrative writing, the fifth graders are also working on a short author's note to attach to the piece. This note will include their rationale for choosing which perspective and genre they chose to write in. Our goal is to have all of the kids across the finish line by Friday.

As a reminder, on Friday, the fifth graders are welcome to bring in Valentine's Day cards for their classmates.

2/10/26

During our math lesson in the morning, the kids looked to interpret numerical patterns in a table and to use symbolic letter notation to represent the value of various quantities. This was productive lesson and one that we will look to build upon throughout the rest of the week.

As a reminder, on Friday, the fifth graders are welcome to bring in Valentine's Day cards for their classmates.

2/9/26

The last week of school until February vacation, will see the fifth graders continuing to work on their narrative pieces of writing. When concluded, the kids will work with a partner to transform those narratives into an e-book. The kids worked diligently today on their writing.

As a reminder, on Friday, the fifth graders are welcome to bring in Valentine's Day cards for their classmates.

2/6/26

We spent more time in the ELA portion of the day working on our narrative essays. The fifth graders worked in pairs to compose their proof paragraphs. We ended the lesson by sharing our some of our key plot elements in the whole class. Lots of creativity from the fifth graders.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. Go Patriots. 

2/5/26

Each of the students worked on drafting the lead paragraph of their narrative essay during our ELA time. There was a discussion about the parts of a strong lead and then the kids worked in pairs to compose the beginning of their essays. We will continue this work tomorrow, as we shift our attention to the proof or body paragraphs.

Homework

Math - word problems worksheet due on Friday 2/6

2/4/26

The fifth graders began to formulate their narrative essays during ELA this morning. Each of the kids used a graphic organizer to begin gathering the elements of their story. Tomorrow, we will look to draft our lead paragraph.

A303 welcomed its newest member during morning meeting. Romeo, the ball python, will be in the classroom for the next few weeks. The students learned about pythons and were able to make some observations about Romeo. There was lots of excitement in the roo

Homework

Math - word problems worksheet due on Friday 2/6

2/3/26

During math class we continued to interpret values of the points on coordinate grids and the shape of a graph. The kids are doing a nice job with these early unit 5 lessons.  

Homework

Math - word problems worksheet due on Friday 2/6

2/2/26

The focus of our ELA work these next two weeks will be on reading and then creating a work of narrative fiction. To prepare us for this, the fifth graders read an example of a narrative text concerning an event in the rainforest. The kids worked in pairs to determine some characteristics of the form and then used an organizer to capture the gist of the story.

Homework

Math - word problems worksheet due on Friday 2/6

1/30/26

We finished a productive writing week during our ELA time this morning. Each of the kids was able to finish the first draft of their literary analysis essay. Next week we will look to refine these pieces before moving into the final portion of our rainforest unit.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

1/29/26

The focus of our work time today revolved around two important items. In ELA this morning, the kids worked to draft the concluding paragraph of their literary analysis essays. This was a productive session and many of the fifth graders were able to complete their draft. Over the next few sessions, the kids will look to edit and refine their pieces.

During math class, in the afternoon, we delved deeper into unit five. The kids are working with data tables and line graphs to explore the seasonal temperatures in major world cities. There is a long of engagement with this material and we will look to carry that momentum into tomorrow's work.

The members of A303 were also able to meet with their second grade book buddies. Working in pairs, the kids made some Valentine's Day Cards for local senior centers.

1/28/26

We wrapped up unit four during out math time in the afternoon. The fifth graders did a fine job of revisiting some important multiplication and division concepts during this unit.

Our ELA time was spent drafting body or proof paragraphs for out literary analysis essays. The kids are writing about some of the sensory language contained within our anchor text, The Most Beautiful Roof in the World. Over the next week, we will look to see the members of A303 continue to draft this important piece of writing.

1/22/26

The kids are approaching the end of unit four in their math class. Today and tomorrow are going to be spent reviewing some division strategies and solving multi-step word problems. The fifth graders will have time to share their thinking with peers and with the larger class.

1/21/26

During our ELA time this morning, the fifth graders returned to their study of sensory details and concrete language used in our anchor text. The kids worked in pairs to pull quotes from the text and jot down what these quotes helped them to understand about the rainforest.

1/20/26

This week, the kids will look to put the finishing touches on their 13 colonies project in social studies. Another point of emphasis will be on close reading in ELA. The fifth graders will be looking to analyze some examples of concrete words and sensory details.

1/16/26

The fifth graders put the finishing touches on their mid-unit assessment during ELA this morning. The focus today was on comparing author's perspective and doing some writing analyzing the question. My compliments to the kids for being so attentive to this important piece of work the last two days.

I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend.

1/15/26

Today was an assessment day. The fifth graders tooker the first part of their mid-unit assessment in ELA. This test posed the kids questions about figurative language and author perspective. We will look to complete the second portion tomorrow.

During math class in the afternoon, the kids took their mid-unit 4 math quiz.

Homework

Math - decimal worksheet due in class on Friday 1/16

1/14/26

The fifth graders worked to compare two recent short stories that we read in ELA. Our focus was identifying examples of figurative language used in the texts. Tomorrow and Friday, the members of A303 will take their mid-unit assessment. 

Homework

Math - decimal worksheet due in class on Friday 1/16

1/12/26

During our science time this morning, the fifth graders learned about biospheres. After watching a short video, they then undertook a project that will see them design their very own biosphere. They were energized during this lesson and there were a lot of creative ideas shared. This work will continue later this week.

Homework

Math - homework will be given later this week.

1/9/26

While continuing to pay special attention to narration type, the fifth graders read a story called "The Great Kapok Tree." The kids also answered some focus question about the text. There was quality partner work being done throughout the room during this time.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

1/8/26

During our ELA time, the kids explored the differences between first and third person narration in the context of two recent stories concerning the rainforest. Tomorrow, we are going to look at another one of our anchor texts while thinking about the type of narration used.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due in class on Friday 1/9

1/6/26

The fifth graders continued to work on unpacking a Brazilian folktale during our ELA time this afternoon. They worked in pairs to answer some focus questions and we had time at the end of the lesson to share out some interpretations of the story.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due in class on Friday 1/9

1/5/26

This week in ELA, the fifth graders are going to be looking at a folktale from Brazil through the context of the author's point of view. The kids were able to read the story called "The Dreaming Tree." After, they worked with a partner to summarize portions of the text.

Tomorrow in math class, the members of A303 are going to take a short assessment to track their progress as we reach the mid way point of unit four.

Homework

Reading - 30 minutes of reading, fill out log on a nightly basis. Due in class on Friday 1/9