SUCH AN IMPRESSIVE GROUP!!

Families, I am not sure which to be more excited about this week: time with buddies, awesome math test work, welcoming a new All Star, starting a new science experiment, or any of the other great things going on in our community.  This really is a fantastic class and we are doing a super job academically and socially.  I have the weekly update for each subject below.  Next week also includes our Winter Break party.  Please use the sign up link below to help plan if you'd like.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080848A8AF2BA46-grant12

READING: Most students have completed their Native American themed chapter book.  The last Lit Journal assignment is due on Tuesday.  We will also complete the STAR reading test on Tuesday.

WRITING/SS: We are organizing our research for our Native American museum exhibit.  Students are working on a rough draft which is due next Thursday.  We will be brainstorming what our final exhibits will look like.  We will work on the final after Winter Break.

MATH: We finished our Fraction Unit 3 and tested Thursday.  Kids did an excellent job and were pleased with their work.  I will send home the tests next week.  We will do the math STAR test on Tuesday.

SCIENCE: We finished synthesizing 5th grade community projects form the past.  We have held class in the Ecoschoolhouse.  We started an experiment plan on spider plants today.  Next week, we will continue setting up our experiment and brainstorming our community project for this year.

 

 

GREAT WEEK!

This was a very successful week in Room 86.  We made great progress in all our work and kids have been focused and positive, as usual in our fantastic community.  This is an exciting time in school, with the break approaching, celebration in the air, and creative projects to work on.  We do have some important work coming up to focus on.  There is a snapshot of each subject below.

READING: In reading, we have finished reading the 3rd section of our Native American themed chapter book. Students are completing the writing on Literature Journal 3A/B which is due next Tuesday 12/11.  We will then finish our books with one more Lit Journal assignment and then readers will have some class time to complete a Book Share for this book before Winter Break.  Each reader should have at least 4 book shares completed when we leave for break.

MATH: In math, we continued our work on Fractions, specifically equivalent fractions and adding an subtracting.  We will review the unit next week and take the Unit 3 Fraction test on Thursday.  Student will have 2 study guides and they also can review the unit work in their Math Journal and Homelinks pages to help prepare.

SS/WRITING: Our focus continue to be research on our Native American museum exhibits.  We have webbed plenty of notes from books and internet research.  We also visited the MU Museum of Anthropology today to get ideas about creating our museum exhibits.  Next week, we will be focusing on organizing our notes and then it will be time to create a rough draft.  Rough drafts will be due before Winter Break.  Our final museum exhibits will be celebrated and presented in January, after we return.

SCIENCE: In science, we have been talking about community projects within the context (and space) of the Ecoschoolhouse.  The Ecoschoolhouse is a perfect example of a community project.  We had all our science classes in the Ecoschoolhouse this week.  Our focus was looking at past community projects we have completed in 5th grade.  We took notes of noticings, wonderings, and personal connections as we viewed past 5th grade science posters, physical projects, and websites. Next week, we are synthesizing our thoughts and then starting to plan this years community project.

Please enjoy the pics of today's trip to the museum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

NATIVE AMERICAN RESEARCH LINKS

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17u8sYMibWZrsc-oaFrBhIdyozrJeWbYlT9_JtGMQJkg/edit?usp=sharing

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Families, I give thanks for all you do!  Grant is such a great school and folks tell us kids like their 5th grade year.  I feel our success is due in large part to what happens outside of school hours.  Kids experiences with family and community provide the foundation for our awesome school community.  Thanks for sending your kids safe, healthy, and ready to learn with positive attitudes.

I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to families during conferences.  Every student in Room 86 is heading the right direction with successes to celebrate from the 1st trimester.  We have all set goals and reflected on our work to be ready to keep rolling through the 2nd trimester.

Friday Folder/Imp Dates:  This week's Friday Folder has the weekly work habit chart and a letter about accessing the math curriculum online.  This joyous time of year becomes busy quick!  We are excited to focus on school as we get ready to celebrate school wide on Dec. 20.  Please let me know if you are interested in helping plan the Winter Party.  There are not a lot of extra events at school during this time, but we will be very busy academically

In most subjects, we are picking up where we left off in terms of academics.  There is a summary of our focus below:

READING: We have completed reading half of our Native American themed book club books.  Students are completing their 2nd literature journal assignment, focusing on how their connections helps them comprehend their reading.  We will complete two more lit journal assignments, one each week, as we finish our books. The final due date for completing the books and lit journal work is 12/18.  Students will then have a couple days to work on a Book Share for their book.  We will also take the STAR reading test sometime in December.  I am still trying to find the best timing for that.

WRITING/SS: Students are deep into research for making a Native American museum exhibit.  Our writing focus is on collecting notes for the research using webs.  These webs will then be revised to create a rough draft.  Students have all chosen a Native American topic to study and make a visual artifact for.  Right now, we are focusing on the research and the connections we are making about Native American culture/history.  Next week, we will begin online research and start to envision/develop our museum exhibit final projects.

MATH: In math, we are nearing the end of Unit 3, focusing on fractions.  Currently, we are adding and subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators. We will also work with comparing fractions, fraction story problems, and set a foundation for multiplying fractions before taking the Unit 3 assessment. We will also take the STAR math test sometime in December.  I am still trying to find the best timing for that.

SCIENCE: Our science focus has been on the Ecoshoolhouse!  We have visited this awesome classroom and watched the documentary about this amazing community project.  Next, I will be sharing the awesome 5th grade community projects students have completed in the past.  These experiences and discussions will ultimately lead us to choosing a integrated community project for the rest of this year.

Here is a picture of our class art work on the Native American Heritage Month display across from the office:

LEAF COLOR

MDC SITE: SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

SMOKY MTN FALL FOLIAGE MAP

NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER (LOTS OF IMP DATES!)

Families, this has truly been one of the best weeks I've had as an educator.  The time 5th graders and I spent in the Smokys was fantastic!  We learned together and spent quality time building community which will only add to our class dynamic at school.  Also, in my absence, the rest of our 5th graders at home did a fine job for the substitute.  We were able to stay on target for our learning.  I rewarded the class with a bit of free time and pizza today.  They earned it.  This is a special class that stands out over my 18 years in the classroom.  I am excited to see where it leads us the rest of the year.  Below is our current focus and a list of important dates to remember.

Thank you to all who helped with our awesome Halloween party!
Please check the Friday Folder for important papers including our scheduled family conference times.

READING:  Students should have 3 book shares completed by next weekend.  We are also focusing on story elements and character descriptions.  Next week, we will start to choose books for book clubs with Native American themes.

WRITING/SS: Students are researching information in nonfiction resources about various Native American regions.  They will present their information to kick off our Powwow theme.

MATH: We will start Unit 3 next week.  The focus is on fractions.

SCIENCE:  We are wrapping up chemical change examples, leading into a larger matter and ecosystem investigation.

 

 

NA RESEARCH LINKS

Edward Curtis

NATIVE AMERICA PBS


Buffalo Video:
https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/native-american-cultures-video

5th Grade NA Region Site:
https://sites.google.com/a/cpsk12.org/native-american-regions/

History Channel Regions:
https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/native-american-cultures

Native American Indiand (scroll down to regions and tribes)
https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-indians/

Needham School Page:
http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/eliot/technology/lessons/na_regions/

Mr. Donn regions:
https://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/

MYSTERY SCIENCE LINKS

THE DISAPPEARING GARGOYLES:
https://mysteryscience.com/chemistry/mystery-0/argument-from-evidence/210?r=6934186#slide-id-0

ARE MAGIC POTIONS REAL:
https://mysteryscience.com/chemistry/mystery-1/introduction-to-chemistry/166

STUDENT SURVEY

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KYXQY8W

CREATIVE AND COOPERATIVE

These and many other positive words describe our room right now. Our time in Class 86 has been enjoyable and productive.  Kids are enjoying working on the last pieces of their island geography project, cooperating in group work during math, hands on matter activities in science, and creating impressive book shares.  As our field experiences are winding down, we will be spending more time in the regular classroom setting, and in the Ecoschoolhouse as well.  Below is the snapshot of our current work and some reminders/updates.

FRIDAY FOLDER:  This week's folder has a family conference form to fill out.  Yes, it's almost conference time!  Please fill out the form to let me know what time works best for your family.

CHILLY:  With the weather cooling down, I am asking families to helps kids be prepared with proper clothing.  When it gets below 40*, I ask kids to have a jacket and long pants.  They can choose to wear them or not on the playground, but I ask they have them just in case we need to be outside for a long period of time.  Feel free to send in an extra coat or pants or hat an gloves to keep in your child's cubby.

TRAVEL SHOW:  I included another Travel Show invitation in the Friday Folder.  This is a full day of learning celebration next Thursday, October 25th.  Geographers will be planning their show to share their island work with guests.  Please know you are welcome to join us at any time.  Also know students may be bringing extra "props" to support their island theme.  This could include things like toys or music or sports equipment, and with special permission, maybe something electronic just for this awesome day.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

HALLOWEEN: It's almost party time!  We will have our annual Halloween parade and party on Wednesday, Oct. 31.  5th grade parties are a little different than other grades because we celebrate as a whole grade level since it is their last year together.  To help plan such an awesome event, Susan Schopflin is organizing a Sign-Up Genius to gather support and materials.  I will send the link in an email and post it on the blog as well.

PORTFOLIOS: Today, each student will come home with newly graded work in their portfolio.  Please look over the work and send it all back in on Monday with the Friday Folder.  During conference time, students will be choosing their best work to share from the Trimester.

LEARNING UPDATE
READING: In reading, we wrapped up our work on questions which led us to story elements.  We are using our new read aloud, The Island of Blue Dolphins, to model describing elements such as setting, main problem, plot, solution, and theme.  We will be applying our reading response work and story element practice in book clubs with Native American themed books starting after Halloween.

WRITING: Our writers did an amazing job drafting ideas for their island Travel Brochure.  Between this work and the I AM poems, we have solid evidence of each student as a writer.  They are spending each day working on the final draft of their Travel Brochure which you will see at the Travel Show next Thursday.

MATH: Before moving on to division, we spent time reviewing our multiplication skills and making up any missing or possibly not best work.  Each student had a chance to revise work now that they have had more experience with the multiplication algorithm.  Next, we will have a few lessons on division before testing over Unit 2, which will likely happen soon after Halloween.

SCIENCE: We finished our current work with the sundials by describing patterns of shadows.  Then, we went back to matter and we are currently doing hands on activities and demonstrations to describe physical and chemical changes.  This will lead into setting up some plant labs in the Ecoschoolhouse.  We will use the plants as examples of photosynthesis (an amazing chemical change within itself) and use the plants to introduce some experimental design.

SS: It's all about the Travel Brochure and Travel Show!  We have already started discussing some Native American culture and history through our read aloud and sun temples of the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas.  Native American history will be our focus after the Travel Show.

Please enjoy these pics of our trip to Capen Park and our Arts Trip.

 

"FALLING" LIKE ALL STARS INTO MID TRIMESTER

Families, every week I feel the same thing:  what a great class!  Last week, I was absent for a few afternoons and I am so appreciative of the positive notes I received from our guest teachers.  We celebrated today with some extra "free" time in the morning.  Due to my absence, I did not get a newsletter or Friday Folder charts sent home last week.  

However, I will send them home today because I want everyone to be aware of our upcoming important events. Below is an update of our current learning focus in each subject.  Also, enjoy the pics of us using and learning from our sundials.

READING: We finished our first chapter book read aloud, Seedfolks! Students are allowed to do a book share on this book.  I think we will also use it as a foundation for some garden community work at Grant School.  We will wrap up our focus on questioning this week. Next, based off our questioning work, we are going to focus on story elements: characters, setting, plot, main problem, etc...

WRITING: Students are beginning the writing portion of their Island work.  They are creating a gazetteer guide for their maps, complete with descriptions and grid locations for their map.  This work is due Friday, Oct. 12.

MATH:  In math, the focus has been on exponents and then multiplication of multi digit numbers. We have practiced a few strategies and then have focused on the US Algorithm for work with multi digit problems.  In 5th grade, we expect kids have their basic multiplication facts fluently.  This is a good time to practice facts at home if you felt your child needs that experience. 

SS:  Our geography wok continues this week as we start to write about our islands.  We will connect aspects of our Capen Park and Arts field trip this week to geography and native peoples.  On Friday, Barbara Buffalo, Columbia's Sustainability Manager, is visiting us in the Ecoschoolhouse to help brainstorm sustainability ideas for our islands. 

SCIENCE: Our focus is still a mixture of matter and sunlight.  We finished our sundials last week so we are stating this week describing shadow patterns and the earths movement in relation to the sun. Our next focus in matter will be physical and chemical changes. 

 

 

ART N BLUES N FUN LEARNING AT GRANT

This is always one of my favorite weeks of the year.  During Arts n Blues week and the Blues Corps, our individual and community strengths appear in so many ways.  The excitement is evident and when you throw in a few more awesome field trips and general Grant All Star enthusiasm, it is always a nice week.  Thank you to all who helped out and enjoyed the atmosphere and were able to attend the festivities with TJ and the Blues Corps. 

As we say goodbye till next year to TJ, we ride the lasting wave of excitement back into a our normal schedules and routines.  We can channel our creativity back into island maps and book shares and sundials!  Below is a snapshot of our current focus in each subject. 

READING: In reading this week, we are wrapping our focus on questioning and transitioning into a focus on predicting and inferring.  We are using our read aloud, shared and independent Nonfiction and fiction materials for this work.  Students are getting time to make progress on book share books as well.  Students should have about 2 book shares completed by now to be making average progress.

WRITING: Our main writing project will soon become writing about the islands we created.  Students will use nonfiction techniques to describe their islands.  Students are using writing/ss time to work on their maps.  Our writing focus also is on writing in each subject, using math/science vocab, writing about our reading, etc...

MATH: In math, we are working through the beginning of the second unit, focused on moving through the number system with exponents, powers of 10, and using our basic multiplication and division skills.  This weeks focus is on multiplication.

SS: Our Island Close-Up Maps are the focus this week.  This creative work is due on Friday.  During this work, we focus on geography, including landforms, climate and resources. This work lays the foundation for focusing on the development of American History throughout the year.

SCIENCE: Matter remains our focus and our matter experiences are helping lay the foundation for our science work throughout the year.  In between our matter lessons and science experiences, we are also applying the matter ideas on our field trips.  Last week, students drew matter models using organisms from our CCUA field trip.  We have two exciting trips next week, too.  Also, we used the fall equinox to have a quick sun/shadow experience that led us to making sundials!  I have a feeling our ecosystem matter work, Seedfolks garden ideas from reading, SS resource discussions and sundial investigations might end up with a garden design experience for some of Grant's new greenspaces.

Please enjoy pics of CCUA field trip and Blues Corps:

 

BUDDIES AND TJ!

These are two of my favorite things from this week.  We rocked out to annual guest musician TJ Wheeler with our preschool buddies.  Students are enjoying their Blues Corps rehearsals.  I had recess duty twice and it's fun to be with the kids outside!  We have made solid progress in each subject and have enjoyed the excitement surrounding new clubs and Roots n Blues week.  The excitement continues next week with a few big events.

ECO CLUB SUNSET HIKE Sunday 9/23 at 6:30:  Families are invited to an Eco Club sunset hike at Forum Nature Area/3M Wetlands.  Hikers will meet at the Forum Nature Area parking lot and start hiking to 3M at 6:30 sharp.  There is a wetland with plenty of organisms to view and a great place for viewing the sunset.

CCUA FIELD TRIP Tuesday 9/25 9:30-12:45: This is an annual 5th grade field trip to the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture.  CCUA is an urban farm where we will observe an  impressive array of organisms in one city block.  Students will also have two outdoor classes on biodiversity and agricultural practices.  We will eat lunch, including farm fresh salad. Blues Corps students will join us for the first part of the trip and will return to school for Blues Corps work.

BLUES CORPS PERFORMANCE Tuesday 9/25 6-8:  Blues Corps will perform at the Blues in the Schools music performance at Flat Branch Park with TJ Wheeler and other school groups.

ART n BLUES NIGHT Thursday 9/25 5:30-7:00:  There is a flyer in the Friday Folder about this fun event/fundraiser for our Roots n Blues week.  Kids will be singing. Art and prizes will be auctioned.  Good times will be had!

READING: During reading this week, we focused on questioning while reading.  Students were reading nonfiction passages about flags which informs our island project.  Also, students had time to read award winning books for book shares.

WRITING: Our completed I AM poems are on display in the main hall.  This was a great project to focus and finish first. They look fantastic add to our school community.

MATH: The first part of this week was spent going over the Unit 1 test. We also spent time discussing and applying powers of 10 as they relate to place value.  Students are gaining their first experience using exponents.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We focused on maps this week as students completed their World Map.  This assignment is due Tuesday and we will introduce the Island Map project the same day.  We have covered various landforms while looking at various maps and discussing current events and resources.  Students will apply their landform and other geography knowledge when they create their island.

SCIENCE: In science we explored the Law of Conservation of Mass through Trail Mix, learned about cleaning up the Pacific Garbage Patch, and modeled, observed and discussed states of matter.  We changed gears for a moment on Friday to discuss and draw models of seasons and direct sunlight and shadows and such related to the Fall Equinox. This will continue to be our focus next week with various science experiences.  There is also the CCUA field trip on Tuesday.

 

PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH LINKS

https://www.theoceancleanup.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1EAeNdTFHU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkQbcrzyAeE

https://kids.kiddle.co/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/great-pacific-garbage-patch-plastics-environment/

KICKING OFF A GREAT YEAR

Families, these first few weeks were a super start to our 5th Grade year.  I really enjoy this class and getting to know the kids academically and personally.  This is a fine group of All Stars, most of whom have been at Grant for many years.  It is exciting to think about moving forward this year as a community.

The Ribbon Cutting this morning was a nice community event to celebrate our new beginnings. After enjoying the ceremony and the movie trailer about Grant, the class spent math time learning about a past 5th grade community project: Outdoor Education Model.  Students then enjoyed designing building plans and creating 3D models while the community toured our building.

Back to School Night Potluck is another special event is coming up next week.  Please join us Sept. 13 for our annual community potluck.  After enjoying a meal with fellow All Stars and meeting staff, classrooms will host Back to School night.  During this time, I will introduce families to the 5th Grade curriculum, special events, and materials.  This is a great time to ask questions about your child's 5th grade year and the Potluck is such a pleasant event.  I hope to see you there.

Field Experiences:  Our class has already taken our learning to the community.  So far, we have observed and worked on integrated science activities at Stewart Park, the MKT trail, Flat Branch park, and Ellis Library.  We also have plenty of space at school to use for outdoor classrooms as well.  Students have done a very nice job as All Stars on these excursions.  Our experiences are helping hone our science skills, allowing us to see and discuss themes from social studies, and providing a foundation for our annual 5th Grade project.  Feel free to join us on any off our adventures.  The list of field trips and special events can be found in the newsletter weekly and updated daily on this class blog.

Below is a snapshot of our current learning.  Enjoy the pics and have a great weekend!

READING: This week, we took a closer look at reading thinking.  We used our read aloud, Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman, to discuss and categorize various reading thoughts, such as predication, questions, inferences, personal connections, and more.  Students turned int heir 5 most helpful reading thoughts this week.  Students are choosing their own books and can be using their Just Right Book Share books for this current work.  A few students have already completed Book Shares as well.  The Book Share program is something we will cover during Back to School night and there is a Book Share link to the right with some background on the program.

WRITING:  In writing, we are revising and editing final copies of our autobiographical I AM poems.  Students have a poem along with an autobiographical sketch to share.  Some students may even have time to work this in to another type of media with their iPad.  Our experience has focused on descriptive language and organization of ideas.  Also, this is a creative introductory project that helps us learn more about our community.  My goal is to share these with families at Back to School Night.

MATH: Our math focus continues to be on area and volume in Everyday Math Unit 1.  We will assess over this unit next week.  Students have developed the formula for Volume  and continue to practice finding volume of rectangle prisms in a variety of ways.  We also start math everyday reviewing a variety of skills.  Students may have math homework depending on what our focus is or how much they complete in class.  Homework is updated daily on the class blog.

SCIENCE: In science, our focus remains matter and also practicing science skills during our field experiences.  During our trips, we tend to focus on local ecosystems/organisms, water properties, and resources. This week, we talked a lot about Best Management Practices for conservation.  Students are practicing descriptive observations and meaningful questions while using science tools such as rulers, guide books, journals, thermometers, and more.  Next week, our focus will be on matter, such as states of matter and the law of conservation of mass.

SOCIAL STUDIES: This week, we used our textbook to provide more background about geography, including land forms and climate and resources.  Our trip to Ellis Library also highlights a timeline of communication technology and maps.  We will use all this foundation as we begin our own Where in the World geography project starting next week!