HAPPY POTLATCH, HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Families, we started a new Friday Folder checklist for the 2nd Trimester.  Since I met with each family last week, I had the children make their comments Friday about the Potlatch and their Native American learning.  Below is a snapshot of our focus for each subject.  There is also links to Native American presentations, science inspirations and pics too!

Social Studies: We will finish everyone’s Native American presentations by Thanksgiving Break.  Then we will begin our focus on European Explorers and Colonization. This learning fits within the context of our Discovery theme.  There will be a letter with details of our theme work and due dates for more creative projects coming home soon.  

Reading: To match our Discovery theme, each child is reading an award winning chapter book with a character who goes on a journey.  We will have weekly literature journal assignments to practice our comprehension skills.  Students are independent readers for this cycle.  I will be reading shorter picture book children’s literature also focusing on characters who make journeys and European Exploration too.

Writing:  During our writing time in the Discovery theme, students will be practicing their narrative writing.  We will use inspirations from our social studies learning to craft narratives of various personal or fictional journeys.

Math:  Our math focus is on multiplication and division of decimals.  There will be a quiz over this work the first week of December.  Then our focus will be variables and algebra leading up to Winter Break.

Science:  Next week, all 5th graders are joining together to discuss our inspirations from our field work and mini experiments.  After sharing, we will begin the process to choose our Community Project Based learning focus.  This work will be integrated with our science units, starting with Matter through December.

Here are pictures and links to our Native American projects and decorations.

Ashlyn's Wampum Presentation

Ezra's Apache Presentation

OLIVER'S BOW AND ARROW

PEARL'S SHELTERS

WINTER COUNTS

MORE WINTER COUNTS

TOTEM POLE

MORE TOTEM POLE

MORE TOTEM POLE

HARPER'S TOTEM POLE DISPLAY

JACK'S IGLOO DISPLAY

SACRED BUNDLES FROM HANNAH'S LESSON

MORE SACRED BUNDLES

TERRIFIC TRIMESTER 1

What an amazing group of kids we have in Classroom C!  They were extremely productive this week as independent learners finishing up projects and assignments before the end of the trimester.  I will be busily grading math tests, lit journals, science experiments etc.. and filling out progress reports this weekend.  

Next week, students will spent almost of our time going over our 1st Trimester work and making portfolios of our best work to share at conferences.  I look forward to meeting with families next week to celebrate each child’s progress.  Students are encouraged to attend their conference to share their work but it is not a requirement.   

The other focus next week will be on finishing up our final drafts of our Native American museum exhibits.  We have a lot of creative work to focus on and enjoy.

In the Friday Folders this week, you will see a few notes.  Please look over our Potlatch invitations and consider helping celebrate our Native American learning on this fun day.  There is also a choir invitation to attend an MU volleyball game, a letter about head lice, and the aforementioned information letter on tomorrow’s hike.

Let me know if you have any questions!  Thanks for all you do!