DECEMBER DOINGS

Families, this is one of my favorite months of the school year.  We will be very productive for 3 weeks with interesting, fun, creative learning and then it is time for Winter break.  This week we were very productive as we introduced new learning in each subject.  Below is a description of the learning we are enjoying in each subject.  You will see our Discovery theme is well integrated with writing and reading.  Check out the pics of great astrolabes students created!

 

 

Social Studies:  We are getting into our Discovery game.  Students are forming their colonies and we will set sail on Monday.  The Discovery game will highlight the adventure and challenges Explorers faced on their journeys.

Reading: For read aloud time, we have been reading about the Age of Exploration in our textbook.  We have learned about the Silk Road, African trading kingdoms, and the new technology of the Renaissance in Europe.  We will are drawing connections to these famous journeys and the journeys of the characters in our chapter books.  Next week, we will continue to read about European Explorers during read aloud.  Readers will also continue their journey chapter books.

Writing:  We introduced a word study routine this week.  I planned to continue this routine through December.  However, I realized we need to shift this week for two reasons.  First, we will take our nonfiction post writing prompt.  Students will look at their pre nonfiction work and then use the skills they learned writing nonfiction during the Native American unit to respond to a writing prompt about Harriet Tubman.  Also, we are going to write some facts about bees for our Holiday door decoration: Bees on Earth.  I think you will enjoy our theme!

Math:  In math this week, we finished our decimal multiplication and division work.  Next week, we begin our algebra unit.  This is a unit kids enjoy quite a bit.  Remember Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally?  Yes, it is variables and order of operations.  Fun!

Science: We started our Matter unit this week.  We got our toes wet by exploring what matter is, practicing describing solids and liquids, observing the Periodic Table of Elements and demonstrating the Law of Conservation of Mass with lemonade.  Yum!  Next week, we will start to look physical and chemical changes.

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!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN/ 4 DAY WEEKEND

Families, I cannot express enough how great our class community is progressing.  We are all giving our best and making adequate academic progress.  My observation is kids are generally happy and enjoying 5th grade.  I have included a brief description of our current work.  Next week, we will focus on 3 main projects during our short week.  In the Friday Folder, there is a slip confirming our family conference time.  Please return it as soon as possible.  Enjoy the 4 day weekend!

I am sure our Halloween party will be a huge success due to our creative kids and super helpful volunteers!  Thank you so much for all your efforts!  Let me know if you have any questions.

Reading:  We finished our book clubs and lit journals.  Students will have a bit of time to work on a book share next week and we will finish up our read aloud, The Phantom Tollbooth.

Writing: We will have specific writing lessons on mechanics and organization to help kids succeed in their Native American museum exhibit rough draft.

Social Studies:  All our ss time will be spent creating written and visual rough drafts of our Native American museum exhibits.

Science: We will finish up two assignments next week:  Compost experiment plan and Observation Sheets/Word Cloud.

Math:  We did a divison check today so I can see how we are all progressing with division before we immerse ourselves in two digit divisors next week.

HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS

Families, please read the note about Halloween expectations below.  There is also an update of our current work and a couple pics from the salsa party kids earned last week.  I made salsa from produce in Grant School gardens!

Halloween is right around the corner, and at Grant, we have some wonderful traditions.  One of yearly traditions is our Halloween parade that takes place around the playground.  The entire school gathers on the playground at 2:15 on Friday, October 30, for the parade which is followed by classroom parties.  All students are welcome to bring their costume to school in a bag to be put on before the parade.  Families are welcome to attend the parade and parties.  Please note the following costume restrictions:

            -no costumes may be worn to school

            -no scary or violent costumes

            -costumes must be age appropriate

            -costumes should be easy for children to put on (no make-up, etc.)

Learning this week:

Reading: finish Native American Lit Journals/Book Clubs with focus on important information

Writing/SS:  Choosing Native American museum exhibit and collecting research for nonfiction writing

Math: Focus on dividing by two digit divisors

Science: Finishing final copies of observation sheets and continuing compost experiment

Salsa Party:

 

MID OCTOBER UPDATE

Last week was very successful and productive.  I am very proud of our kids for collecting about $250.00 to help CCUA fight hunger.  We enjoyed our time there and sharing our donation.  We look forward to working with this group more this year. At the same time, students were very focused and productive this week on the projects out lined below.  I am taking time on Thursday to reward the kids for their recent efforts.   Let me know if you have questions about the work below.  The POWWOW theme packet will come home this week. The 5th grade team needed more time to solidify dates.

READING: Book Clubs and Literature Journal #3 with a focus on predictions
WRITING/SS: Each historian is writing a paragraph that will turn into a comprehensive website on a NA topic
SCIENCE:  While we wait for our red clover plants to grow for experiment #3, we are organizing our most inspirational observations to begin planning our community project
MATH: We will practice 2 different division strategies this week


Thank you for all the birthday wishes for Nola.  She had a blast at her party as you can see below. There is also a picture of an organism Max identified in a guide book.

OCTOBER OUTSET UPDATE

Families, the Travel Show as a huge success.  I created a page to the right with pics of geographer's creative presentations.

With the end of the Where in the World Unit and the dawn of October brings a transition for our integrated social studies learning.  Our next theme, Powwow, will be another integrated experience for our historians.  During this theme, students will explore Native American culture and choose an aspect of NA culture as the topic of a "museum exhibit" each student will create.  This integrated work will be the focus of reading, writing, social studies, art, technology and as much science and math as possible.  We will send a calendar and information packet home about Powwow this week.

Reading: We will choose NA book next week.  Each student will be reading a "just-right" historical fiction chapter book with a NA focused theme.   These book clubs will have weekly assignments.  We will also be reading volumes of nonfiction NA topic books/websites/maps/pamphlets during social studies.  Each book club book can also be a book share choice for our readers.  Ideally, each reader should have one book share completed already.

Writing: After a writing prompt assessment on Monday, our writers will begin an experience in crafting nonfiction research writing.  Students will begin by creating a short piece on an aspect of a NA region.  This piece will be published, with corresponding images and student art, to a class website on NA regions.  As the class discusses each region, students will be choosing the aspect of NA culture they wish to research for their museum exhibit.

Social Studies: Our focus will be on NA history and culture.  Students will work in groups to research  and create and present a website page on an aspect of a NA region.  We will spend our SS time focused on various fiction and nonfiction resources from different NA regions.  We will use everything from the textbook to short videos, images, maps, books etc... Students will also be working on a NA piece in art.

Science: This week we are meeting with a Dendrologist to discuss the results of our Stewart Park tree experiment.  He will also share with us the tools and science of his work in the field. Thanks to Matt Struckhoff for making time to come in.  Through October, we will have one and maybe two more field experiences: CCUA and maybe Grindstone Park.  Students will be spending this month sharing their observations from our field work so far.  Scientists will explore their notes and create a presentation Wordle of their inspirations in the field.  Also, we will begin another mini experiment this week.  So far we have collected data on tree leaves, wind speed and animals, and now we will make come observations on compost as we continue to work outside on our natural areas.  Thanks to Sarah Linsenmeyer for helping our scientists work in outdoor classroom areas.

Math:  Our focus on math will continue to be multiplication and solving multi step problems.  It appears we need a little more practice on 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication.  As we start to apply multiplication to solve problems, it is very helpful for students to fluently have their multiplication facts through 12.  Further down the road, mastering these facts fluency will also provide a strong support as we extend their division experience.  This would be a great time for practicing facts at home through flash cards, games, or apps.  I am posting multiplication digital resources in the Weekly Resources page.