9/30/15

Students ended the month of September on a strong note. We moved into our second chapter in math today. We began to discuss different multiplication strategies during our lesson. Students are engaging one another and there was a fast moving dialogue today, which was nice to see.

I wanted to pay a special compliment to my class. I was thrilled to go through the math assessment that the students took the other day. The members of 312 showed their understanding with logical and well explained responses. An encouraging start to the 2015-2016 school year.

We also continued our look at current events, particularly the scarcity of clean water in parts of the world. Students have been focusing their energies into engaging with an informational article pertaining to the theme of the unit. This will be ongoing throughout the next few weeks.

I enjoyed getting to meet so many parents and guardians at curriculum night. Thank you all for coming.

I had some parents mention that they would like to see the specialist schedule for room 312. Here it is:

Monday - Libraray
Tuesday - Art
Wednesday - Music
Thursday - Gym
Friday - Gym

Homework

Math - workbook pages 25 and 26

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading. There will be no written reader's log this week

 Kidsblog - (6-8 sentences, due 10/2) Make a prediction about Wonder. What do you think will happen to Auggie at his new school? Do you think that he will have a positive experience or a negative experience? Why do you believe this? Make sure to back up your point of view with evidence from the book



Trivia

Can you name at least three different North American tribes?

9/29/15

During this early release day, room 312 put the finishing touches on their "Important Me" poems. These pieces of work have turned out very well. I give my students credit for dedicating themselves to the task and putting a personal touch on their writing.

In math class, student took an assessment concerning some important terms and concepts that we have been investigating throughout the first few weeks of the year. After, the fifth graders were able to go head to head in an activity that concerned place value and expanded notation.

As a reminder, picture day is this upcoming Friday, October 2nd.

I look forward to meeting parents and guardians tonight during curriculum night.


Homework

Math - double sided worksheet due tomorrow 9/30

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading. There will be no written reader's log this week

 Kidsblog - (6-8 sentences, due 10/2) Make a prediction about Wonder. What do you think will happen to Auggie at his new school? Do you think that he will have a positive experience or a negative experience? Why do you believe this? Make sure to back up your point of view with evidence from the book



Trivia

What is the most prevalent mammal in the United States?

9/28/15

The fifth grade spent one more day looking at number puzzles during math class. Students have really risen to the occasion to this point in the year during our work in math. Tomorrow, room 312 will take a brief assessment concerning some of the important terms and concepts that we have investigated during the first three weeks of the school year.

During social studies, the majority of students completed their Kennewick Man report. Students have been very creative throughout our work on this momentous scientific discovery. The fifth graders also completed an exit ticket which allowed me to see the knowledge gained during this unit.

Finally, we officially began our clean water reading unit. Students were presented with an article concerning this very important current events issue. I enjoyed getting a chance to discuss this with my students and look forward to continuing this work over the course of the next few weeks.

Homework

Math -workbook page 17

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading. There will be no written reader's log this week

 Kidsblog - (6-8 sentences, due 10/2) Make a prediction about Wonder. What do you think will happen to Auggie at his new school? Do you think that he will have a positive experience or a negative experience? Why do you believe this? Make sure to back up your point of view with evidence from the book



Trivia

What was the first states admitted to the Union after the original 13 colonies?

9/25/15

During math today, the fifth grade once again was able to work with their fourth grade counterparts. Students worked in pairs on an activity that dealt with place value. This was a nice learning experience for both grades and I was happy to see animated and engaging discussions taking place.

Room 312 also continued to work with our 9 core reading competencies. Students were responsible for crafting a summary for a short story read in class. They were also prompted to attempt to make connections with the book and others that they might have read in the past.

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday.

9/24/15

It was nice to see everyone back after the day off. We continued to use the 9 core reading competencies to help direct our look at literary texts. Today, the fifth grade read Salt In His Shoes, and had a nice discussion concerning the change undergone by the main character and the deeper meaning of the story. This work will continue into tomorrow.

During our ELA block of time, members of 312 also continued to be hard at work on their "Important Me" poems. Students are using this to give others a snapshot into their likes and interests. The finished products will be displayed in the fifth grade hallway.

Homework

Math - factor worksheet, one sided

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading nightly. Fill out reader's logs on a nightly basis


Trivia

Tough one today: What four state capitols are named after presidents?

9/22/15

On this early release day, the members of room 312 continued their Kennewick Man "C.S.I." project, Fifth graders are attempting to recreate what this ancient man might have looked like. Students have also been discussing possible artifacts that this man might have had with him when he made his momentous journey to the North American continent.

During our ELA block, students once again looked at the 9 core reading competencies. These guiding questions/principles, will be referenced often throughout the year and i've felt like the class has done a very nice job the last two days when working with them. Students have been tasked with responding to some of these questions concerning a literary text.

I hope everyone enjoys their day off tomorrow and I will see everyone back at school on Wednesday. As a reminder, students should continue to fill put their reader's log throughout this week


Homework

Math - worksheet, both sides

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading nightly. Fill out reader's logs on a nightly basis


Trivia

In which state was Abraham Lincoln born?

9/21/15

The fifth grade continued their work with their "I Am Me" poems. These pieces of writing are a great way for the students to show their individuality and to learn more about one another. Students are going to have the opportunity to type up their finished products using their iPads. I look forward to seeing the finished products.

During social studies, we looked closely a an important scientific discovery concerning the method of arrival of the first people on the North American continent. Students were then presented with an article that they had to closely read with a partner. This was great practice at looking at an informational piece of writing to pick out important details. This work will lead into our first mini social studies project which will be ongoing this week.

Homework

Math - worksheet, both sides due tomorrow

Reading - 30 minutes of quiet reading nightly. Fill out reader's logs on a nightly basis


Trivia

What NFL team is the only one to have their logo on only one side of their helmets?