We concluded the final week of May by continuing to work on word problems that involve multiplying fractions by whole numbers. Using visuals and equations, the kids looked to solve these problems and share their thought process. These first two lessons in unit 7 have gone very well.
The kids in A303 were also able to spend some more time focused on their informational writing pieces. Many of the fifth graders looked to craft their first draft of their concluding paragraph today.
We had another fantasy book group meeting during the early stages of the day. Many of the groups are approaching the later stages of their novels. Today, groups were able to share some of their readers notes that they have been making in their journals with people from other book groups. We will have another book group day to conclude the week tomorrow.
Social studies time saw the kids exploring, in great detail, the Battle of Bunker Hill. We incorporated some math when exploring the numerical characteristics of the battle. The kids seemed to enjoy this work.
On this early release day, we returned to our writing concerning a Revolutionary War figure. The fifth graders were hard at work on their body paragraph that walked the reader through the person's experience of the war.
The kids worked hard on their math MCAS today. It was nice to wrap that up and we will be able to return to a normal routine the rest of this school week. In June, we will take one session of science and that will bring us to the end of MCAS season.
We were also able to spend some time with our Paul Revere comic strip later in the day.
The last week of May will see the kids continue to work within their fantasy book groups and on their informational writing piece pertaining to a figure from the Revolutionary War. I began to have writer's conferences with some of the students this morning. The early drafts of the writing are coming out very well. I look forward to continuing to meet with the students this week.
As a reminder, tomorrow the fifth graders will be taking their math MCAS test. Please have the kids charge their devices overnight so that they are ready to go tomorrow morning.
We wrapped up another week by completing a writing assignment concerning a key turning point in our fantasy books. After turning this in, the book groups met to continue their reading. Many of the groups are getting to the later stages of their stories and they are eager to see how the books end.
We also spent some time exploring the famous ride of Paul Revere. We looked at a poem written about that event and then the kids began a piece of work that will see them create a graphic novel strip of the ride.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
We spent some time in the earlier stages of the day looking at a practice math MCAS test. Next week, the fifth graders will be taking their one session of the exam. Today was a nice opportunity to look at some of the questions that they might expect to see next week.
The fifth graders were also able to return to their informational writing topics during ELA time. Many of the kids are making some nice progress with their writing.
