David started our day on the right foot by telling us about his beach trip and the jellyfish that attacked David's brother.
Next, all of fifth grade met in the pod to perform two controlled experiments with planes. We tested to see if the number of winds to a propelor changed the distance a plane flew. We also tested to see if the amount of passengers on a plane changed the distance a plane flew. Ask your child the results to each experiment.
In math we used expanded form and our knowledge of place value to compare decimal numbers to the thousandths.
Grammar video for the day. Subject, predicated and pigs with big snouts slobbering on kids. Hilarious.
In writing we used out story maps from yesterday to find meaningful points in our writing that need more details. We practiced adding sensory details into our writing to help the rising action become more suspenseful. Great little video here including a hilarious baby eating a lemon.
Finally, in reading we started a new guided reading story about running for class president. In this story we compared and contrasted the main characters, Rudy and Miata using a top hat organizer. It is vital to remember that contrast means different and compare means similar. Sometimes in fifth grade students will be asked to do just one, not both of them together.
Homework
- Math: Lesson 7 both sides
- Science: Science test Friday. Study the study guide
- Reading: read 30 min; compare and contrast worksheet (text evidence highlighted); informational fact research (10 facts) due Friday
- Spelling/Vocab: spelling due next Monday Oct. 6; "dict" matching due tomorrow
Today began with our catapult launch. Because I have to run to a dentist appointment I do not have time to upload the pictures. They will be up tomorrow! Sorry!!
In math we continued to explore expanded form using fractions and decimals. Please see Friday's videos for more information.
In writing we analyzed our 3rd drafts using story maps to make sure we have all the necessary elements of a narrative. Revisions will be made on missing areas of the story map tomorrow.
In reading we started Lesson 3 by jumping into the vocaublary. Superb job today getting down to buisness, finding antonyms, synonyms, other forms of the word and writing detailed sentences. Possibly the best vocabulary day I have ever been a part of!
Homework tonight -Math: lesson 6 both sides
- Science: study using the study guide for Friday's test
- RELA: read 30 min, finish lesson 3 vocabulary and write sentences, fact research due Friday for posters
- Spelling: due Oct. 6
- Other: Planner signed
"Spec" PWYKs started our day. Lets hope we take it up a notch from last week. After we jumped into testing group planned and made foil lifeboats. We had one hold 140 pennies today. Using our knowledge of variables and results from today, next Tuesday students will create their own personal foil boats. The champion shall be rewarded! Monday will be catapult day.
In math we began lesson 6 of Common Core Progress. This lesson focused in on expanded form of numbers in fractional, decimal, and powers of ten form. We will continue to explore expanded form on Monday.
Writing's focus was adding "true meaning" to our personal narratives. Students discovered the theme of an example writing piece from Mrs. Haegele. Ask you child what the real meaning or theme is. This weekend your child will finish rewrite revising their personal narrative draft and showing their theme in an ending paragraph.
Here is Mrs. Haegele's example, a great exemplar of personal narrative:
This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to spend some time with a friend, kayaking at Lake Nockamixon. It was a perfect day for it – plenty of sunshine, no wind, and a nearly perfect temperature. I paddled along, focusing on my posture as I dipped the paddle into the water to propel myself forward. I headed west, admiring the changing foliage and various wildlife found closer to the water’s edge among the lily pads. There were Great Blue Herons, sunbathing turtles, and cormorants searching for something tasty to eat. I stuck close the lily pads, occasionally making a path through them to get a closer look at something. As we reached the southwestern tip of the lake, we approached a pair of kayakers who were pointing and looking through binoculars. It turns out they were watching a Bald Eagle, perched on the tallest branch of a tree at the perimeter of the lake. I thought to myself that this was the icing on the cake – a great day made even better by the opportunity to see a symbol of our country. This sighting was even more special because it was not a zoo or distant attraction, but at the lake where I spent countless hours as a kid, exploring trails on horseback and fishing with my brothers. The moment was interrupted by the loud and somewhat distressed call of a cormorant. Just as I turned, a second Bald Eagle swooped down, snatched a fish out of the water, and flew away to enjoy its meal.
Feeling content, I turned my kayak and began paddling back to the boat ramp – this time, heading directly across the center of the lake. At this point, my mind shifted to our destination, and I inevitably began to think of my Sunday evening to-do list. “It always feels like it takes forever to get back to the boat ramp,” I complained.
“That’s just because you’re out on the open water,” my friend explained. “You’re not noticing how far you’re traveling with each stroke. Look over at the lily pads, and you’ll see that you’re actually going just as fast as you were on the way out.”
My friend was right. Closer to the water’s edge, my progress was more noticeable. Out in the open, it seemed as though I wasn’t getting anywhere. The only difference was my perspective. I decided then to focus on the lily pads and the beautiful sights around me, rather than my Sunday night to-do list. What a difference it made.
I recalled Sunday’s events on Tuesday afternoon, during a conversation with a colleague about a challenge we are facing this year. I reminded myself to keep things in perspective. To celebrate our successes without dwelling on the goals that haven’t yet been accomplished. I hope that as you are faced with new challenges this school year, that you will keep things in perspective. Keep paddling, even when you feel frustrated. Remember where you started and focus on your progress. You just may be surprised at how far you’ve come.
In reading we began our fun Friday project that will last about a month. We are learning to create posters that are appealing and useful. Based on USC's art school we found some great connections to how artistic designed can be connected to college and career readiness. Check out their site below:
This morning began with MadFish telling us about her car ride down to Florida.
In science we took our second formative assessment on controlled experiments.
In math we wrapped up powers of ten. Refer to yesterday's videos for homework help.
In writing we found the true themes to our writing pieces by interviewing each other. To find a theme we asked ourselves, "What is my story really about?" and thought about the lessons we may have learned from this story. These themes will serve for strong endings that will leave the reader pondering about their own lives and connections to the story.
Finally, in reading we took our first mini-assessment in reading. We practiced these two skills:
Multiple Choice Questions
•Read the question
•Go back to the text
•Highlight and Number Proof
•Select the best answer
Short Response/Essay
R- Restate the question
A- Answer the question
G- Get text evidence
E- Elaborate in your own words
R- Reread and make sure your work is wonderful and focused
See everyone on Friday!
Homework
-Math: L5 Powers of 10 both sides
- Sci: catapults due Friday (or Monday)
- Reading: read 30 min.
- Voc: "spec" sentences due Friday! PWYK on Friday as well
- Other: planner signed, Gogurt and Directory signed; Backyard BBQ fall basket donations; Latin Root and Spelling signed
Ali kicked off our morning meeting with her story of travels to Oregon. I am very jealous of this story as I would LOVE to visit the Pacific Northwest.
In science we tried a new controlled experiment by testing different materials. Styrofoam and plastic boats seemed to make a difference. Ask your child what the best possible boat to make would be based on the materials that we have used so far.
In math we discussed powers of 10. We related the powers of ten to moving place values and increasing or decreasing the size of a number.
We took our Lesson 2 spelling PWYK (prove what you know) today. We will get new words within the next two days.
Today's writing lesson focused on drafting and sharing. We continued our "flash" drafts of the personal narrative of our choice and then got into 4 corner sharing groups to give and receive polishes and pushes. Mrs. Bauman (our aide) and myself were quite pleased with the quality of narrative stories that we are getting so far this year!
In reading, small groups continued questioning the text and identifying text features, while other groups or individuals read two different texts and wrote a response using text evidence, page numbers and quotes to support both texts.
Yesterday classes signed up for Fall Fun Night baskets. Our class will be putting together the Backyard BBQ basket. Donations for the basket are highly appreciated. Basket raffle is always a big night for T'ville and all the money raised helps support TPO and all the great things we do here. Please donate to our basket!
HOMEWORK
- Math: PV base ten practice worksheet
- Sci.: catapults due Friday
- Reading: Green and Blue- finish books, complete text features sheet (both sides); Purple and Pink- finish Integration of Knowledge (text evidence! page numbers! quotes!)
- Spell/Voc.: "spec" sentences due Friday
- Other: planner signed, Fall Basket donations (Backyard BBQ); GoGurt and Directory pages signed
This morning we got our new Latin Root of the week: "spec" meaning look/see. Quizlet here!
This morning we also had a meeting with Ms. Gordon to discuss student council. Papers are coming home today with those interested.
In science we conducted our first lifeboat experiment by changing ONLY the height of the boat. Ask your child what conclusions they came to today.
Today's math lesson wrapped up base ten place value introductions. Tonight's homework is challenging, but should be able to be completed for the most part. In the first question I am looking for an answer of one hundred times or one one-hundredth. Do your best, we will review tomorrow.
In writing we jumped into "bend II" of the writing program for narratives. Today we listened to various mentor text great beginnings, then students wrote their own great beginnings to the drafts of their choices. After great beginnings were drafted, students began re-drafting their previous drafts with more detail and exploded moments.
Finally, in reading we practiced questioning the text while reading Sign of the Beaver. Then we split into small group guided reading for the remaining 40 minutes of the day. Great questioning by my blue group! I can't wait to see their Google search results tomorrow!
Homework
Math- PV worksheet both sides
Sci- optional catapults due Friday
Reading- Read 30 min.
Spell/Voc- spelling due tomorrow!; "spec" matching due tomorrow
Other- Planner signed; Fall Family Event basket theme this year: Backyard BBQ! More info to come on this soon, but please get ready to donate some items to make a great basket!
This morning began with our second Latin Root PWYK (quiz). Although scores were a bit lower than last week, I will still rather surprised with the overall scores. You have a week to study; make sure you are not wasting time throughout the week! I highly suggest making flashcards.
Finally! Science again!! We created a controlled group using cups and pennies. Using 3cm cups in still water, we saw how many pennies it took to sink a cup (lifeboat). As a class, we averaged 18 pennies to sink the 3cm cup. Next week we will use this controlled group data to see how it compares when we change only one variable (controlled experiment).
In math we continued to discuss the place value system in base ten and how moving to the right a place value decreases the original value by one tenth and moving to the left increases the value by 10 times. This is a very tricky and abstract concept, but we are getting there!
Writing focused on assessing and analyzing an exemplar piece of fifth grade writing. We used a checklist to make sure the narrative was up to standard, and then used the same checklist on one of our beginning drafts. This checklist will serve as our reminder for what all great narratives include for the remainder of this unit.
Finally, we wrapped the day up with Day 2 of small group and Integration of Knowledge. On Monday groups will switch.
Weekend Homework:
- Reading: read 30 min; Green and Blue groups: finish Integrating Knowledge final copy; Purple and Pink: finish guided reading books, organizers and main topics per page
This morning began with a story from Amelia about her Bermuda cruise.
We then jumped into what I would consider to be the most difficult math lesson that I have ever taught. It is a new Common Core based lesson on place value and its relation to base ten. Very abstract, very difficult and very few resources out there for it. Tomorrow we will dive back into this topic and flesh out any of our confusion. Here are some videos explaining the basics of the place value system and how to move through it.
At 10:15 we went down for a ventriloquist act that focused on bullying. Very interesting performance!
In the afternoon we drafted about an article of clothing or outfit that created a very visual memory. We then looked at a student who revised their work to make it more detailed and better exploded a moment. I am excited to see where our main drafts go. So much promise so far.
In reading, some students met in small groups to further discover text and graphic features while other groups began our first integrating knowledge where they must read two texts and write a response based on the prompt provided. This should be a great first experience with written responses in fifth grade. In future lessons we will model, guide and develop reading written responses.
Homework tonight:
- Math: Place Value HW
- Reading: read 30 min
- Spell/Voc: "man/manu" sentences due tomorrow and quiz (STUDY!); spelling due next Tuesday
- Other: planner signed, parents night papers handed in
This morning concluded our three day streak of NWEA beginning of the year assessments.
Phhhhhhew! Finally complete (for the majority who were not absent the past 3 days!)
This afternoon we celebrated US Constitution day. We decoded the preamble of the constitution and put it into much easier terms to understand. Then we decided which things in our room would create a powerful constitution for our classroom. We had some really thoughtful, character wall based, college and career ready, and classroom expectation based classroom constitutions.
We the People!
In reading we started a new story called Blasting Off to Space Academy which focuses on the strategy of identifying Text and Graphic features. Here is a great video that explains the different types of text and graphic features in non-fiction (informational) texts.
Tonight's Homework -Science: catapults (optional) due Sept. 26
- RELA: read 30 min; finish Space Academy and the non-fiction text features chart
- Spell/Voc: "man/manu" sentences due Friday; spelling due sept 26 (Tues)
- Other: planner signed; Parent's Night packet due Friday
It was wonderful meeting many of you last night. I always and enjoy parents night and conferences because it is a time for all of us (teachers and parents) to get on the same page and better understand the expectations. Again, please feel free to call or email any time. I love that many of you are enjoying and utilizing the blog, so please continue to do so. The more connected we are, the more your child can succeed.
Greek and Latin Root of the week: "man/manu" meaning HAND Quizlet
This morning Shay told us about her trip to Bahamas and snorkeling. Very cool!
In the morning we also took the NWEA for reading.
This afternoon we started off with a grammar lesson on declarative (statement) and interrogative (question) sentences.
In writing we continued to write personal narratives. Today we listened to a couple of mentor texts about times where the clothing we were wearing made a memory. We listened to a story about a little girl who felt like she did not deserve the nice clothing she was wearing, and I shared a personal story about the green emerald suit that I once wore. Students shared with partners and brainstormed their own moments in time that the clothing that they were wearing impacted them. Tomorrows drafts will focus on those times and the emotion that those moments elicited. (Please note, there are spelling, capitalization, and other grammatical errors because I want students to see that when you are drafting it is all about BRAIN to PAPER. Later we will revise and edit. I would rather see a detailed and well developed content than perfect spelling and punctuation at this point in the writing process) My draft:
I stood looking into the sliding glass double door mirror. In my 7 year old mind, the emerald green suit jacket looked pretty fly, and not to mention the burning bright white pants that covered my thighs. As I strutted away from the mirror, I took a peek down at my white carnation pinned to my chest. “Wow, do i feel special!” i thought to myself. Suddenly, my dad yelled to me from downstair, “Lets gooooo! We are going to be late!” I scampered down into the already running black Toyota 4Runner and off we drove to my first holy Communion at St. Isadore’s church. Upon entering the tall, hollow, bench covered, kaleidoscope colored building, I noticed that I stuck out like a neon sign in a dark room. All of my friends looked like miniature businessmen in their black suits. There I stood, the bright green and white clothed odd boy out. My brain started to race faster and faster and soon I realized I would have hundreds of people staring at me. Parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and even great grandparents, staring at me; the leprechaun boy.
In reading we got our next set of vocabulary words for our next text. Students found synonyms, antonyms, and other forms of each word in small groups this afternoon. They had about 35 minutes to work today, and again, we are working towards getting to the full 45 minutes of group work for vocabulary. www.thesaurus.com and http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/vocabulary/pdf/prefixes_suffixes.pdf Homework tonight: - Math: double sided quick worksheet - Science: catapults due Sept. 26 - RELA: read 30 min; vocabulary for lesson 2 completely due tomorrow (all synonyms, antonyms, other word forms, and sentences) - Spelling/vocabulary: spelling due next Tuesday (23rd), "man/manu" sentences due Friday - Other: graded things signed, planner signed, fall fitness fundraiser ASAP
This morning we began with our first computer based MAP (NWEA) assessment of the year. This type of test meets the needs of each student with questions getting harder or easier depending on how different levels of questions are answered. Some students may be ending the day on a 6th or 7th grade level while others could be at a 4th grade level. The goal is to show at least one year growth by the end of the year. This information is for us as teachers and will be used to group, push, and remediate students based on specific topics and skills. Today's assessment was math, tomorrow we will do reading, and Wednesday we will complete language/writing. They will continue to see beginning, middle and end of the year assessments like these in middle school.
This afternoon we continued to write letters to our parents for Parent's Night (Which is tonight at 7PM. Can't wait to meet you!). Tonight parents will get to write back to their children.
In reading we wrapped up our first skill- story structure and summarizing. Tomorrow we start Lesson 2 and get into a new 10 vocabulary words.
Today was our first "ped" Latin root PWYK (prove what you know; I call all tests or quizzes this). Overall SUPERB job from all students. 91% of students achieved a 3 or 4; now that is what I am talking about!!
In science students evaluated an experiment, separated variables, and then decided if it was controlled or not.
Math's focus was on beginning of the year bench marking. Students did a great job showing grit throughout this PWYK. Tough stuff and a prelude to the upcoming year.
This afternoon we hit up some spelling tests and then worked on a very special writing project that parents will be getting their hands on Monday evening.
Reading continued with new groups meeting with teachers, new groups rereading A Package for Mrs. Jewls and working on vocabulary readers/responses. Like I have stated before, this year is all about supporting reading responses with text evidence, page numbers, quotes and most importantly, elaborations on those pieces of proof. 9 days in and we are already practicing these tasks!
On a side note, I am really impressed how homework came in today. There was a ton of things due and students stepped up to the plate and made sure everything came in. Not only did it come in, but it came in with quality effort and detail. KEEP IT UP!
Weekend Homework
- Science: optional catapult project
- RELA: read 30 min.
- Other: planner signed; fall fitness fundraiser handed in
Ryan B began our morning tell us about his trip to Alabama this summer. Fun times, minus the sick car ride home!
In science we answered the question: Does string length change the cycles a pendulum swings in 15 seconds. Ask your child the answer to this question based on our experiment!
In math we discussed square numbers and squaring numbers. It is vital that fifth graders understand that exponents show how man times the base number is multiplied by itself.
an example of square numbers that we did in class
a challenge for advanced students
In writing we focused on putting our brain on paper. Students chose the "place" story that they could describe in the most vivid details and began drafting. I am most impressed with how this class has taken to writing. Ideas are flowing and soon we will be picking one of our draft starts to turn into a larger writing piece. Here is some more information on Exploding the Moment in Writing.
Today in reading, we continued a bit more in Sign of the Beaver and guided reading groups wrapped up the first half of this lesson. Text evidence, page numbers and elaboration are our focus along with story structure and summaries. My goal is to have all students using text evidence, page numbers and quotes to justify their reading responses by the end of the first marking period. From there we will focus on elaborating and explaining the text evidence in our own words.
Homework
- Math: SL 1.7
- RELA: read 30 min; PINK and BLUE groups vocabulary reader responses (text evidence and page numbers supporting your answers! two paragraph minimum!); GREEN and PURPLE groups critical thinking questions (page numbers to justify your responses!)
- Spelling/Vocab: Spelling due tomorrow; "ped" sentences due tomorrow
- Other: planner signed, fall fitness fundraiser in ASAP
Whoa... What a Wednesday. Gavin started us off with character connections to his trip to Rehoboth beach this summer.
In science we created a control group of pendulums that were all the exact same. We counted the amount of cycles a pendulum swings in 15 seconds with one penny attached. This information was consistent throughout the class- 13 cycles. We continued to keep EVERYTHING in our experiment the same except one thing- the amount of pennies (or mass). As we added pennies we noticed that the amount of cycles did not change in 15 seconds. Thus we concluded that mass does not effect a pendulum. Next up tomorrow- string length!
In math we reviewed divisibility rules and prime and composite again. Tomorrow we dig into squaring and unsquaring numbers.
In writing we brainstormed places and specific moments associated with them. Students did a fantastic job of turning bland sentences into exploding detail sentences!
Finally, in reading we began our first round of guided reading groups. WOW was I impressed. Nearly all students were already pulling page numbers and some were even pulling quotes to prove their answers. Sky is the limit this year!!!
Latin root, I have, who has study break!
Homework
- Read 30 min (25 book goal!)
- Spelling due Friday
- "ped" sentences due Friday
Alex kicked us off with an interesting story about going to Florida. After, Ms. Gordon, our new guidance counselor (dressed as Dr. Gordon) spoke to fifth grade about CPR; compassion, perseverance, and responsibility. CPR bracelets are back in business!
In science we discussed some in depth vocabulary and how it applies to the experiments we will begin tomorrow. Some key words included: controlled experiment, independent variable, dependent variable, and controlled variable. Tomorrow we set up our own control group and begin testing out various experimental groups using pendulums.
Today's math lesson focused on prime and composite numbers. By applying knowledge of factors and divisibility rules, students were able to create factor rainbows and prove whether or not a number was prime or composite.
(first 2 minute)
Writing was all about drafting today! After brainstorming some solid people and important moment personal narrative ideas, students picked one and began writing furiously about that topic. This year I will be pushing heavily for students to draft with passion and not worry about perfection. Brain to paper is my biggest push, we will revise and organize later! Here are some images of our vigorous writers:
Finally, in today's reading lesson, we jumped into our first shared reading in Journeys called A Package for Mrs. Jewels. Together we answered questions using text evidence and then put together a story structure organizer so we could write a quality top notch summary.
PICTURE DAY TOMORROW!
Homework
- Math: SL 1.6
- Reading: read 30 min, fill in 25 book organizers, PB p. 1 (story structure)
- Spelling/Vocab.: spelling due Friday (3 items), "ped" sentences (extremely detailed showing meaning) due Friday
- Other: planner signed, picture day tomorrow, fall fitness fundraiser papers in ASAP
This morning we began with our first Latin root of the year- "ped" meaning "foot." Latin roots are introduced on Mondays and quizzed on Fridays. Head here for a free quiz to check your understanding of these words throughout the week: CLICK ME and more PED WORDS HERE
Next, we jumped into pendulum vocabulary. We discussed variables, pendulums, cycles and controlled experiments. Ask your child what each of these words mean as review!
In math we continued to talk about divisiblity rules. Please see Friday's videos for more information. Students also took their first RSAs (mini-quizzes) and received their first math grade. They will get these back tomorrow. Tomorrow we introduce prime and composite numbers.
This afternoon we began grammar and focused on subjects/predicates. We watched a classic to introduce the subject:
Writing focused on brainstorming personal narrative topics. We listed stories about people we know and first times, last times, and realizations we have had in our lives. We will draft one of these topics tomorrow. Brainstorming personal narratives will continue throughout the week. Once students have about 4 narrative drafts started, they will pick their favorite and really develop it.
Today's reading lesson focused on Lesson 1 vocabulary words. It was a slow first vocabulary lesson, but necessary so that students understand all components of vocabulary discovery. Please use http://www.thesaurus.com/ to find synonyms and antonyms tonight. Students will use their suffix/prefix sheet in their vocabulary folder for other word forms, and sentences MUST be detailed in order to receive credit. Each sentence must show the meaning of the word (using because and since will help allow this to happen!) In future vocabulary lessons, homework will not be as large or long as this one, students will usually only have a few words to complete and sentences to write.
Overall, we had another great day! 5 down!
Homework
Math- SL 1.5, show your work
Reading- read 30 min; complete vocabulary page (both sides)
Spelling/Vocab.- spelling due Friday (3 items); "ped" matching
Other- planner signed; picture day Wednesday
Mike kicked us off with a great story about getting his puppy Franklin during morning meeting.
Then this morning we continued with our first science unit and based our lesson on observations. We explored the secret life of sewer lice. Ask your child about what they observed (just make sure no younger T'ville siblings are around! Its a secret...)
In math we began diving into divisibility rules. The rules for 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 and 10 are our main focus but 4, 7, and 8 will be advanced opportunities.
In the afternoon we took our first spelling pre-test and some students (who got a 19 or 20/20) walked away with advanced spelling champion lists. Spelling will be due NEXT Friday.
Next we went into writing where we had our first On Demand timed prompt of the year. It was a personal narrative about a special moment in time. As I walked around and read over shoulders, I got to learn even more about each of the individuals in our classroom. I can't wait to read these over the weekend!
After our second fire drill of the week, we reviewed the 25 book goal and how to record books. Unlike past years, there will not be a paper log that goes home and gets signed by parents. Instead, students are accountable for filling in story maps or chapter summaries for when they read narratives or information fact sheets when they read informational texts. Every 100 pages = 1 book. Please make sure your child stays up to date with these. 6 books per marking period = staying on target! If a student begins falling behind, we will have to bring back our reading recess club. Failure is not an option!
Great first week, lets make next week just as good if not better!!
Homework
- Math: SL 1.4
- Read 30 min (25 book goal, fill in those sheets!)
