1/31/22

We wrapped up the month of January by returning to our work from last week in both math and ELA. During math class, the students had another meaningful lesson pertaining to multi-step word problems using data tables. Our ELA work involved concluding a piece of writing that we began last week about a group of elephants that were evacuated from the African country of Swaziland to ensure their survival. The students were deeply invested in this story.

Homework

Math - homework will be given later this week

1/28/22

We concluded the school week with another science session that involved food webs. The work that was being done over the last two weeks in science class has been top notch. Many of the students were able to complete at least two of our online food webs. Very impressive work.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and that all of the fifth graders are able to help shovel.

1/27/22

After our zoom visit yesterday, the fifth graders looked to craft a short piece of writing that used material that was presented to them yesterday as their foundation. They were also looking to compare and contrast the presentation with an article that we had read two weeks ago. The kids are still talking about our enrichment yesterday and they had a productive writing lesson.

Homework

Reading - read for 25 minutes each night and records thoughts on reading log. Due Friday 1/28

1/26/22

The fifth graders were fortunate to take part in a zoom call with Kaitlyn Willgohs. Ms. Willgohs is a recent graduate of Eckerd College, with a degree in animal studies. She has studied with a focus on animal behavior and wildlife conservation. The students were able to hear about her experiences working with wildlife both in the wild and in zoos. This was a great opportunity for the kids to conduct some first hand research into their opinion writing pieces. They were engaged throughout and made a great audience. Thanks again to Kaitlyn.

We had a solid chunk of time to work on our 13 colonies project during social studies time this afternoon. The fifth graders worked in their small groups to gather information from three different sources to further their understanding of the regions and the people who lived there. This information was compiled in graphic organizers which will help with the poster part of the project. We will continue to work on this on Friday.

Homework

Reading - read for 25 minutes each night and records thoughts on reading log. Due Friday 1/28

1/25/22

The fifth graders had time for an interesting math lesson on this early release school day. We looked to solve some multi-step word problems that involved two digit divisors. This was a nice start to a lesson that will continue tomorrow.

I look forward to meeting with parents and guardians this afternoon.

Homework

Reading - read for 25 minutes each night and records thoughts on reading log. Due Friday 1/28

1/24/22

We returned to school today and the fifth graders looked to complete an assessment to track their progress through the halfway point of unit four. The students worked diligently on this and I am sure the results will reflect their dedication to the work. Tomorrow we will start the second half of this important unit.

Our ELA time saw the fifth graders continuing the lesson that we began on Friday. Using a graphic organizer, the students formulated an opinion concerning an article about the history of zoos. This will serve as a nice jumping off point for the first draft of their opinion pieces, which we will begin later this week.

Homework

Reading - read for 25 minutes each night and records thoughts on reading log. Due Friday 1/28

1/21/22

The fifth graders are approaching the conclusion of our second investigation in unit four in math class. We continued to work on different techniques to solve division and multiplication word problems during our math time this morning. Early next week the kids will take a short assessment on this unit.

We were also able to return to our opinion writing topic during ELA time. Within the next two weeks, students are going to begin their research into the topic in earnest. 

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.