3/31/26

The month of March wrapped up today with the fifth graders taking the second and final session of their ELA MCAS test. My compliments to the kids for putting their best foot forward these past two days. Tomorrow, we will return to a normal routine. On Thursday we will meet with our second grade book buddies.

3/30/26

The fifth graders took the first portion of their ELA MCAS this morning. Tomorrow, they will take the second session. We will return to a regular schedule on Wednesday.

3/27/26

We spent our ELA time wrapping up yesterday's work with our Jackie Robinson text. We also dedicated some time to working specifically with grammar and punctuation. The kids were tasked with correcting errors that they identified in a series of sentences. The kids did a nice job with this.

As a reminder, the fifth graders are taking their ELA MCAS test on Monday and Tuesday next week. Please work to ensure that all students arrive at school on time so that testing can commence at the expected time. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

3/26/26

The kids used various strategies to compare values of decimals and them to add them during math class this afternoon. With the remaining time, the fifth graders played another round of "Fill 2".

Homework

Math - decimal worksheet, due in class on Friday 3/27

3/25/26

The kids continued to read about Jackie Robinson's life during our ELA time this morning. They dealt with a portion of the text that same how Robinson's life was changing in numerous ways as his fame grew. The later stages of the lesson saw the kids responding to a writing prompt.

Homework

Math - decimal worksheet, due in class on Friday 3/27

3/24/26

The fifth graders took a decimal assessment this morning in math class. Their work has been top notch throughout the early going in this unit, and I am sure that will be reflected in the results. Tomorrow, the kids are going to start working to add decimals.

Homework

Math - decimal worksheet, due in class on Friday 3/27

3/23/26

The fifth graders undertook a writing assignment during our ELA time this afternoon. After revisiting a key portion of the text from last week, each of the fifth graders responded to a writing prompt. This work will continue tomorrow.

Tomorrow, the fifth graders will take their first decimal assessment during our math time.

Homework

Math - homework will be given later this week

3/19/26

The focus of our ELA work this morning was taking a closer look at the people in Jackie Robinson's life who helped support him during his playing career. Using our an excerpt from our anchor text, the fifth graders looked to gather evidence to support their opinions. The kids did a fine job with this.

In the afternoon, all of the fifth grade classrooms took part in the "Understanding Our Differences" zoom presentation.

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.