September 4, 2015

We have been busy these last couple of weeks, and I have enjoyed getting to know your children.  The first week of school the kids brainstormed about what a good classmate/friends says and does.  We used their ideas to write our mission statement below:

REMINDERS:

• Don't forget that our first early release day will be Wednesday, September 16th.  We will dismiss at 1:40.  Please make sure your child knows how he or she is getting home.  
• Also, please be checking the Class Dojo each week.  If you can't find your paper that tells you how to log in, let me know and I will send home another one.

In math, we are learning about whole number and decimal place value.   So far,we have talked about writing whole numbers in three different ways: standard form, word form, and expanded form.  We have also been writing fractions in word form and as decimals.  This week was our first week of math centers, too!  Students meet with me in a small group daily, as well as participate in a variety of problem solving and hands on math activities.  Please keep practicing multiplication facts at home so they can become automatic.

In reading, we have been talking about the type of thinking we do when we read.  We also have been thinking about the types of connections we make as we read.  I have been conferencing with the students individually, and reading groups will start next week.  Please make sure your child is completing his or her 30 minutes of nightly reading.  The more your child reads the better!

Our first writing unit is personal narrative, so we have been trying to brainstorm special times in our lives.  Focusing in on one particular small moment can be difficult for 5th graders, so we are reading lots of examples to illustrate this.  The students have come up with some interesting ideas so far.  Ask your child about what they have been writing about!

Exploring the different science tools has been fun!  We did some activities using the tools, and we went outside one day to make some qualitative and quantitative observations.  We will begin learning about the scientific method next week.

Below are some pictures from our team building activities we did the first week of school.