Class Update September 19, 2016

Upcoming Dates:

• Friday, September 23- NO SCHOOL due to teacher meetings
• Wednesday, September 28- Picture day

Math: We just wrapped up chapter one in math, and we are beginning chapter two.  This chapter covers prime factorization and multiplication of whole numbers.  Please have your child practice his or her multiplication facts so they are memorized.  Knowing math facts quickly and accurately help save your child time when getting into multiplying larger numbers.  Below are some pictures of the kids at their math stations.

Writing: We have been learning strategies to create a rising action in our narrative stories.  This helps keep a reader's interest until you get to the exciting or most important part of the story.  Students have writing partners that they check in with each day during writing.  This partnership allows students to give positive feedback and constructive criticism to help improve their writing pieces.  Below are pictures of students meeting in small groups to read their drafts.

Reading:  Students are learning to write about their reading.  We are focusing on fiction skills currently, and we are have been making inferences about the plot and about characters in books.  In guided reading, we are focusing on inferencing and writing written responses to reading using text evidence.  It is important that students can choose evidence to support their thinking in reading.  Soon, students will be in a book club where they are reading and discussing a novel in small groups.  This is a lot of fun for them as the book clubs are mostly student led.  Please make sure your child continues to read for a total of 120 minutes a week at home.  Students who read for long chunks of time will progress much faster than those who do not.  In class, students are able to choose a spot in the room to read.  You can see that some definitely get comfortable!

Science:  Students have been continuing to learn about the scientific method through a variety of experiments.  Recently, the students tested three different paper towel brands to see which absorbs the most water.  Most groups discovered that Bounty outperformed the Target brand and the brand the school uses.  By doing this experiment, we learned about variables, graphing data, and drawing conclusions.

Class Update August 29, 2016

Math: We spent a few days practicing math stations.  A typical math lesson consists of a 10 minute mini-lesson, and then students try a few problems on their own.  I then meet with math groups for a follow up on the lesson.  Some students need more reinforcement on the skill, and others are ready for a challenge.  Groups change daily based on what the students need.  While I am meeting with small groups, the students go to their math stations.  We have four stations, and the students go to one station a day.  The hands on station is where students play partner games that go along with current math topics or topics previously taught as a review.  Students go on ALEKS, a computer based program that aligns with our math book, at the technology station.  The problem solving station is where real life math problems are solved with a partner.  Here is an example of things included in the problem solving station.

The last station is an independent station where students review math topics that have been previously taught to ensure that they retain what we have learned.

We are starting chapter one in math this week.  It covers place value of whole numbers and decimals.  Homework will be assigned most nights from the book, and it is typically a small number of problems.  The goal of the homework is for you to see what we are working on in math.  Please take a few minutes to review your child's math homework nightly.

Writing: Our first unit in writing is personal narrative.  Students will be brainstorming special times in their lives.  Focusing in on one particular small moment can be difficult for 5th graders, so we will be reading lots of examples to help guide their ideas.

Reading: In reading, we are learning how to slow down and think about what we are reading.  I have been conferencing with students, and reading groups will begin soon.  Students will meet in a small group with me, and they will also be a member of a book that meets twice a week.  Book clubs will start in the next week or two.  We went outside last week to read in the sundial garden!

Science: Learning about the science tools has been our focus this week.  Students practiced using a spring scale, balance, graduated cylinder, tape measure, and hands lens so far.

It wasn't all work this week, though.  We talked about having a growth mindset instead of a fixed one.  In our class, it is okay to try new things and it is okay if we make mistakes.  Part of our class mission statement says that we will never give up!  We had a fun time acting out skits to illustrate growth mindsets.

We also continued to do team building activities to build community in our classroom.   Below is the mission statement the students came up with.

 Here are some of the fun activities we did!