Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Monday, January 7, 2019
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We are celebrating the New Year by wrapping up old projects , especially our Native American museum exhibits. We have extra class time this week to complete final copies of writings, speeches, physical models, lesson plans, poster boards, documentaries, slideshows - you name it! We will celebrate our work next week with by presenting 4 or 5 exhibits a day (we will determine the days/times later this week so folks can attend if they would like). On Thursday, January 17, we will have our Potlatch. It is a yearly celebration of our Native American learning. There is a letter describing how you can help with this fun event in the "Tuesday" Folder. On January 17th, we will have a feast in the gym at lunch time. Also, student museum exhibits will be displayed. Furthermore, there will be Native American storytelling and music in the afternoon. Please join us in celebrating our awesome work!
Below is a list of our current work and please check the Important Dates section updated for January.
READING: Kids have a few days to work on book shares and read other material before we get back into another book club cycle starting January 22. We are also using this time to work on the NA exhibits. Students should have 5 book shares completed by the end of January.
WRITING/SS: We are writing the final copies of our NA exhibits. Students enjoyed writing about Winter Break this week.
MATH: We are moving quickly through our Unit 4 on decimals. Students are ordering and comparing decimals and will get some practice with coordinate grids in this unit.
SCIENCE: We are setting up an in depth Spider Plant experiment. We are also working on our community project design for the Ecoschoolhouse green space.
Below is a list of our current work and please check the Important Dates section updated for January.
READING: Kids have a few days to work on book shares and read other material before we get back into another book club cycle starting January 22. We are also using this time to work on the NA exhibits. Students should have 5 book shares completed by the end of January.
WRITING/SS: We are writing the final copies of our NA exhibits. Students enjoyed writing about Winter Break this week.
MATH: We are moving quickly through our Unit 4 on decimals. Students are ordering and comparing decimals and will get some practice with coordinate grids in this unit.
SCIENCE: We are setting up an in depth Spider Plant experiment. We are also working on our community project design for the Ecoschoolhouse green space.
Friday, December 14, 2018
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.
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.
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.
Friday, December 7, 2018
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!
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!
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Friday, November 30, 2018
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:
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:
Friday, November 9, 2018
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