12/23/14

I hope everyone has a great winter vacation and I will see everyone back in class in 2015.

12/22/14

Students gathered together in the gym today for a presentation by Steve Lechner of scienceworks.com. This program will be a year-long enrichment opportunity for the school.

In social studies students continued to focus in on specific European explorers. Students have been compiling a graphic organizer containing important pieces of information concerning this men. After the break, students will be charged with selecting one of these men to compile a report on.

I look forward to seeing students tomorrow, on our last day before the vacation.



Homework

Students need to complete two assignments on tenmarks.com by December 23rd.


Trivia

In the movie Bug's Life, what kind of insects do the ants gather food for?

12/19/14

Students today completed their final writing assignment on Bud Not Buddy. Grade 5 has spent a lot of time on this book and from the start, I have been impressed with the diligent work displayed by my class. They have taken on a challenging book and done such nice work. I look forward to reading these essays over the weekend.

Room 312 also wrapped up our Christopher Columbus project in social studies. Students used their iPads to come up with a presentation which contained student's prior knowledge of Columbus, information gained during our class lessons as well as an opinion piece. I am happy to report that I have many students who seem to enjoy learning about history and these projects turned out nicely.

Next week is a short week so their will be no written homework, students will have one final assignment to complete on tenmarks.com

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Homework

Students who did not finish their first assignment on tenmarks, must complete it by tonight

12/18/14

Students were able to once again break up into their groups to continue to tackle our challenging fraction word problem. Working in pairs, students will be presenting their work in a "math congress". I look forward to seeing how these posters turn out and I am confident that all students will perform admirably.

In ELA, room 312 continues to be hard at work in completing our final paper on a key turning point in Bud Not Buddy. From my one-on-one conversations with my writers, it seems like students are choosing great scenes to write about.

Fifth grade also is now officially on to our last section in Wonder. I can't wait to find out along with my students what happens to these characters.



Homework

Math - last page in math packet

- students also must complete their first assignment on tenmarks.com by Friday the 19th

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading, complete the log entry for Thursday

Science - continue to complete moon journal on a nightly basis


Trivia

What president was known as Old Hickory?

12/17/14

Short day and a short post, students are in the process of using the explain everything app on their iPads to show with both pictures and words the relationship between fractions.

We are also approaching the last section in the book Wonder. Students have really enjoyed this novel and are eagerly anticipating the last part of the story.

I will see parents and guardians tonight.



Homework

Math - third page in math packet

- students also must complete their first assignment on tenmarks.com by Friday the 19th

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading, complete the log entry for Wednesday

Science - continue to complete moon journal on a nightly basis


Trivia

What country experiences the most tornados?

12/16/14

Students continued to work on their final writing assignment concerning Bud Not Buddy. This is an opinion writing piece that focuses in on a turning point in the story. I like the flexibility of this writing sample because the students can take it in any number of different directions. I am eager to see these finished products.

Room 312 is also making great progress in their Christopher Columbus project. Students have been creating some slides on their iPads in which they give their opinion as to wether or not Columbus should be viewed in a positive or negative light.

I look forward to seeing parents and guardians tomorrow night.

Homework

Math - second page in math packet

- students also must complete their first assignment on tenmarks.com by Friday the 19th

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading, complete the log entry for Monday

Science - continue to complete moon journal on a nightly basis


Trivia

On average one inch of rain is equivalent to how many inches of snow?

12/15/14

Students were hard at work back at school today. In math class, students began a week long look at a challenging fraction word problem. Students have been tasked with working in pairs to arrive at a solution to this problem. Today was a good day to collect background information and to begin to look at the problem piece by piece.

Students also are hard at work in social studies on an assignment in which they have to give their perspective on the lasting impact of Christopher Columbus. Students have been presented with the view points of the standard history book account of the Columbus voyage as well as an account from the perspective of the native inhabitants. Students will be working on this activity throughout the week.

I also wanted to mention that each student will be coming in with a detailed letter about a new website that I think will be a benefit to the class. Tenmarks.com is an educational site created by Amazon that will act as a supplement for room 312. Students will periodically be given digital homework assignments as well as being allowed to complete some work on their own. I have encouraged students to view this website as a friendly competition amongst the class. Students can earn rewards for completing work and I will be able to track their progress.

Another new introduction to the class this week is our weekly reading logs. Students will be given a new copy every Monday and will continue to quietly read every night. The difference is students will need to write about what they are reading on a daily basis and they will also need to have an adult sign their log before turning it in on Friday.


Homework

Math - first page in math packet

- students also must complete their first assignment on tenmarks by Friday the 19th

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading, complete the log entry for Monday

Science - continue to complete moon journal on a nightly basis


Trivia

What is the largest reptile on planet Earth?