10/31/14

We wrapped up another great week of school in room 312 today. Students had a buddy activity with Ms. Dichter's class that involved some fun seasonal activities. The fifth grade class has been great mentors to their younger peers.

In math class, we finished our partial quotient lesson. The students created some great word problems and augmented them with some images from online. We moved on into an array model today. We want all fifth graders to have the ability to understand what is actually happening in a division problem and to have the tools necessary to solve these problems in a variety of ways.

I would also like to remind everyone that I offer extra help on Wednesdays after school should the need arise.

I hope everyone has a great and safe Halloween and enjoys their weekends.

Homework

Reading - blog post must be complete by tomorrow. This is a graded assignment.

10/30/14

I wanted to give special thanks to author Nicola Davies for coming into Thompson today. Ms. Davies was nice enough to share some of her experiences with fifth grade and read some of her books to the children. Grade five were active listeners and asked some great questions when the time came.

Thanks also to Ms. Halley for setting this unique experience up for the Thompson community.

Students in room 312 had an amazing math class today. We worked on the partial quotient division method. Students were active participants and were engaged fully in the material. A very productive math class. They are close to finishing a division word problem story using this method. Over the course of the next few days, we will begin developing a variety of methods to help solve division problems.




Homework

Math - final page in homework packet

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading. Finish three step journal entries for chapter 9.

Prompt question for Friday (2 paragraphs): How does Bud Not Buddy remind you of yourself, people you know or something that happened in your life? Explain your thinking.

Spelling - test on Friday


Trivia

What color is a polar bear's skin?

10/29/14

Students continued their work with division today in math class. We completed our division story posters, which will be displayed in the math corner in the classroom. I enjoyed getting to hear students show their understanding of new concepts by creating these stories.

Our lesson in writing today concerned focusing in on parts of our narrative story that are the most important. We learned some elaboration strategies that should serve us well as we approach the final steps before the stories are published.

Tomorrow, the Thompson School is lucky enough to have author Nicola Davies. Ms. Davies is a zoologist turned author from originally from Great Britain. I am sure that this will be a rewarding experience for all of the students in room 312.




Homework

Math - third page in homework packet

Reading - those students who did not finish, read chapter 7 and 8 in Bud Not Buddy. Must make at least two entries into 3-step journal as read.

Prompt question for Friday (2 paragraphs): How does Bud Not Buddy remind you of yourself, people you know or something that happened in your life? Explain your thinking.

Spelling - test on Friday


Trivia

Who is the only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms in office?

10/28/14

We continued our work on division in math today. Students created a word problem and images which served to help students fully understand the concept of what division really is. These turned out very well.

Students also continued to read Bud Not Buddy. The class is using close reading strategies to help them develop a deeper meaning for the text. We had a meaningful discussion of what family means to our main character. Students have been asked to write this week about the story on kidblog. This writing assignment focuses in on students making a connection between the story and their own life. I look forward to reading these as the week moves on.




Homework

Math - second page in homework packet

Reading - Finish reading chapter 7 and 8 in Bud Not Buddy. Must make at least two entries into 3-step journal as read.

 Prompt question for Friday (2 paragraphs): How does Bud Not Buddy remind you of yourself, people you know or something that happened in your life? Explain your thinking.

Spelling - test on Friday


Trivia

What team did the Bruins defeat to win their first Stanley Cup?

10/27/14

It was great to see everyone back at Thompson today. I enjoyed getting to hear about the different experiences that my students had while at science camp. I expected some sluggishness on the part of the class, but that wasn't the case. Everyone came back ready to work.

We continued to investigate the interesting case of the Kennewick Man in social studies. Students are about to begin a mini project concerning the discovery of this ancient man. I can't wait to see how they turn out.

In math, we began our unit on division. This can be a challenging piece of work, but I am confident that my class is going to be giving it their all. We began our work today by filling out a graphic organizer and using connecting cubes to ensure that all students have a certain baseline of information on which to draw upon as we work throughout this material.

Finally in writing, students chose a seed idea with which they are going to eventually publish. Students identified this idea with a special green paperclip.


Homework

Math - first page in homework packet

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading. Prompt question for Friday (2 paragraphs): How does Bud Not Buddy remind you of yourself, people you know or something that happened in your life? Explain your thinking.

Spelling - test on Friday


Trivia


Which five animals comprise the 'big five' in Africa?

10/20/14

You could feel the excitement in the air today, as the fifth grade finished their last school day before departing for science camp. Students were shown their grades for their math exam. I was quite pleased with the scores that the class earned. You could tell that they put in the time and work necessary to get good grades. It definitely made me happy to see. They will be able to take the test home when everyone has completed it.

We continued our work with Bud Not Buddy during reading. Students read chapter six and had a nice discussion about the actual circumstances that Americans were faced with in the early 1930s. I look forward to picking this book back up after science camp.

During social studies, we continued are lesson on the first people in arrive in the Americas. Special attention was paid today to the nomadic lifestyle these people led. When we pick back up after the break we will investigate the mysterious case of human remains found in Washington state within the last two decades.

I would advise all of my students to make sure that they have everything that they need for their trip. Also, I think it would be wise for everyone to get a good nights sleep so they are ready to go early on Tuesday morning. I look forward to seeing everyone early tomorrow.



Trivia

In which country does the the goliath bird eating spider live?

10/17/14

Room 312 wrapped up another busy week today. Students took a test in math, which concerned multiplication strategies and order of operation problems. Students have worked hard these first few weeks in math and I am confident that it will be reflected in their grades.

We also officially began our unit on Native Americans today. It was a very interesting lesson about the first peoples to set foot in North America. Students were engaged with the lesson and were asking some great questions and impressed me with their background knowledge.

Book buddies went very well today. Room 312 chose a great buddy class to work with. The students in Ms. Dichter's room have made active partners for the fifth graders.

We have also started to read Wonder by R.J. Palacio in class together as a read aloud book. I have never read it before, but from talking to some students and other teachers, I have heard great things. Students have enjoyed getting into the early stages of this book.

Next week is an abbreviated week because of science camp. I am not planning on giving any homework next week and look forward to seeing my students down in Rhode Island.




The 2 paragraph blog post is due by 8 tonight.