Reading: We continued reading Wonder and our guided reading novels, and students completed their first response to their novel. Next week we will start learning techniques for analyzing characters. Book Bingo is due on November 27th. Please make sure students are finishing up those novels and bookmarks.
Writing: Students wrote introductory and conclusion paragraphs for their thankful essay, and they peer edited and published them. They will come home next week in time for Thanksgiving; I can't wait for you to read all about what they are grateful for this holiday season! Math: This week in math, students applied their understanding of fractions as division to report remainders as fractions. They also plotted fractions on a number line to compare their values, and to convert them between mixed numbers and improper fractions. Today they participated in their first math center day, and completed various activities to help them review concepts and practice their math facts. They did a great job being self-directed, and we all really enjoyed this new routine! Science: This week we experimented with the variables of incline and decline. Students have gotten very good at making predictions about what might happen, and also predicting data trends. In addition students have made nice progress plotting and graphing their data on a 2 coordinate graph. Our 5th Grade Scientists did very well on yesterday’s quiz, which was a culmination of all our experiments with our planes, and a the corresponding vocabulary. Next week students will start our review packet/ study guide, and we will finish it after Thanksgiving Break. The Unit Test on Variables will be Thursday, November 30th. Social Studies: This week we continued to explore all of the wonderful pieces of Native American Culture. We reviewed for a short quiz on Monday. As long as they review everything from this past week, they will be fine. We also watched clips from other Social Studies classrooms from around the country as they displayed their Native American Projects. Continue to work on those as December will be here in the blink of an eye. I look forward to seeing just how creative they can get. Next week we'll review and talk about how Thanksgiving became such an important holiday. Upcoming Dates: Monday, 11/20: Last day for Gleaners Food Drive--please bring in donations! Our boxes could use a boost! Tuesday, November 21st: AM School Only Wednesday, November 22-Friday, November 24th: No School, Thanksgiving Break Click here for the Reading Response Choices Google Form for this week. I can't wait to see what you think about your novels so far!
Reading: We began our next novel, Wonder, as well as new guided reading novels. Your child will be reading a realistic fiction novel and analyzing how authors craft characters. Each week, they will be reading in small groups with both me and their peers, completing activities to help them understand character traits, and responding to their novels using a Google Form. The link to this form can be found in Google Classroom as well as on my website. Book Bingo is due on November 27th. Please make sure students are finishing up those novels and bookmarks.
Writing: Students began a five paragraph essay celebrating all they are thankful for this holiday season. We reviewed paragraph structure, and students learned an easy organizer to help them get started. Our writers have drafted their body paragraphs, and we will move on to introductory and conclusion paragraphs next week. Math: This week, students used fraction circles to solve division number stories that lead to fractional answers. We then focused on finding fractions of sets of objects, and wrote number models that helped show an understanding that fractions are a form of division. Test corrections and parent signatures on Unit 2 tests were due today; thank you so much for your support in your child's mathematical education! Science: This week my 5th Grade pilots changed the variable from mass to force. Students experimented with adding rubber bands and watching, in amazement, at how the increased force affected our flights. I witnessed lots of laughter and shrieks of surprise when our planes sailed across our flight lines with added speed and distance. Students are also learning to plot and graph data on a 2 coordinate graph. They are also learning to identify the independent and dependent variable in our experiments. Students will have a short quiz next Thursday on planes with the variables of mass and force. I am enjoying watching the students work with their groups, cooperate, take turns, discuss their data and have fun while learning. Social Studies: This past week we analyzed Native American Tribes from both the Southwest Desert and the Northwest Coast. We are analyzing customs and their overall way of life. We will get into the Totem Poles next week and a lot of the symbolism. The requirements and rubric is being sent out today for their Native American Dwelling Project. It will be comprised of both a written and hands-on portion. Have a great weekend. This year we are excited to announce that we are using Sign Up Genius to schedule Parent-Teacher Conferences! Fall conferences will take place on Wednesday, December 6th from 5:00pm-8:00pm, and again on Thursday, December 7th from 1:00-3:00pm and 5:00-8:00pm. Conference slots are 15 minutes.
Click on the link below to sign up for a conference. Please sign up for one conference time per child. Your child is an integral part of our conversation; please bring them with you to your scheduled conference. For those of you that aren't familiar with Sign Up Genius, it is a online scheduling tool. If you already have an account, you're all set. If you haven't set up an account please visit https://www.signupgenius.com/ at your earliest convenience. I am looking forward to meeting with you in December! www.SignUpGenius.com/go/5080449ADA82AA7F58-mrs On Monday, we went to the computer lab and I introduced my mathematicians to their Everyday Math log in process and dashboard. It is a little cumbersome to navigate, so here is a video of another fifth grade teacher at Kerby, Jodie Randazzo, explaining the process and resources available.
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AuthorI have been teaching 5th grade in Grosse Pointe Public Schools for 11 years. This is my second year at Monteith; I was previously at Mason. This year, I am teaching math to all of the fifth graders! As we say in my class, "good math-ternoon" and welcome! ArchivesCategories |