Welcome to Week 28! Remember that Friday is a non-student work day for teachers. Also, Thursday is our 5th grade work day. See previous posts for a detailed schedule of the days activities.
Here is our week:
In reading this week we are going to continue our work with mysteries. We are going to continue to work with synthesis and author's purpose. To help students with their work in their reading comprehension packets, I have provided students with a written response rubric. Students are being asked to use this rubric to check their work when turning in any written response. When your student is filling out their reading comprehension packet, ask your student to refer to their written response rubric. If you are in need of a copy of the rubric, please email Mrs. Therriault and she can provide one. As students are turning in their reading comprehension packets, they are being corrected and handed back to be corrected. Packets will not be considered turned in until all mistakes have been corrected. This model follows what students have been doing in math all year long.
In social studies, students will be completing their studies of the middle colonies. There will be a quiz on Tuesday that students are being asked to study for. In addition to the quiz, we are going to compare the three regions more closely. With these comparisons, students are going to be asked to pick a region they would have wanted to live in and write about it. More information will be coming home with students at the end of this week or the beginning of next week.
In math we will be concluding our addition and subtraction chapter on fractions. Students will start this week working with subtracting mixed numbers. On Tuesday we will review each of the sections of this chapter and Thursday we will assess our students abilities.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Allyn and Alaina
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Week 27: Adding and Subtracting Fractions, Mysteries, and Colonial America
Welcome to week 27! School Dance on April 8th from 6-9pm. It is a beach party theme.
Please notice the previous post to see our schedule for our March 31st 5th Grade Work Day.
Here's the week:
In math we are starting a new fractions chapter on adding and subtracting fractions. This week we will be looking at adding and subtracting with like denominators, common multiples, unlike denominators, and adding mixed numbers. The kids did a pretty good job on our first fractions test on Thursday. Those that struggled will continue to work on the ideas behind fractions this week during our math RTI block.
In reading this week we are going to continue to work with mysteries. Your student will have homework on Monday and Thursday nights this week. On Tuesday and Wednesday we are going to take a brief break to work on identifying Author's Purpose. We are going to be examining works that are meant to entertain, persuade, and inform. Many of the examples we will be looking at this week will be very clear examples of each variety. We will be working together as a whole class to identify the characteristics of each. Next week, students will be working on their own to identify and classify the author's purpose. You can reinforce what we are doing at home by asking your student to define each type of purpose and show you examples as they read on their own.
In social studies we are going to conclude our examination of the the New England colonies and move to the middle colonies. Students will be taking a quiz on Tuesday on the New England colonies. You might want to help your student study by going through their Puritan book with them. It is important that they can identify why the Puritans came to America, what some of their beliefs were, what the Great Awakening was and what the Puritans beliefs were when it came to democracy. If they can answer these questions, they will do well on the quiz and will have a solid understanding of the beginning development of the New England colonies.
We are also going to continue to work with students on following directions. We have completed two different activities and students, for the most part, are having a lot of trouble with these. The worksheets, if read carefully and slowly, are not hard to complete. A typical question might be to solve all of the addition problems and ignore the subtraction problems. Please encourage your students to take these exercises seriously as they are intended to improve their ability to read carefully and follow the multi-step directions. We are using these activities for the report card, as well as to prepare students for the MSP.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Allyn and Alaina
Please notice the previous post to see our schedule for our March 31st 5th Grade Work Day.
Here's the week:
In math we are starting a new fractions chapter on adding and subtracting fractions. This week we will be looking at adding and subtracting with like denominators, common multiples, unlike denominators, and adding mixed numbers. The kids did a pretty good job on our first fractions test on Thursday. Those that struggled will continue to work on the ideas behind fractions this week during our math RTI block.
In reading this week we are going to continue to work with mysteries. Your student will have homework on Monday and Thursday nights this week. On Tuesday and Wednesday we are going to take a brief break to work on identifying Author's Purpose. We are going to be examining works that are meant to entertain, persuade, and inform. Many of the examples we will be looking at this week will be very clear examples of each variety. We will be working together as a whole class to identify the characteristics of each. Next week, students will be working on their own to identify and classify the author's purpose. You can reinforce what we are doing at home by asking your student to define each type of purpose and show you examples as they read on their own.
In social studies we are going to conclude our examination of the the New England colonies and move to the middle colonies. Students will be taking a quiz on Tuesday on the New England colonies. You might want to help your student study by going through their Puritan book with them. It is important that they can identify why the Puritans came to America, what some of their beliefs were, what the Great Awakening was and what the Puritans beliefs were when it came to democracy. If they can answer these questions, they will do well on the quiz and will have a solid understanding of the beginning development of the New England colonies.
We are also going to continue to work with students on following directions. We have completed two different activities and students, for the most part, are having a lot of trouble with these. The worksheets, if read carefully and slowly, are not hard to complete. A typical question might be to solve all of the addition problems and ignore the subtraction problems. Please encourage your students to take these exercises seriously as they are intended to improve their ability to read carefully and follow the multi-step directions. We are using these activities for the report card, as well as to prepare students for the MSP.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Allyn and Alaina
Monday, March 14, 2011
March 31st 5th Grade Work Day
Dear Families,
We have a tentative schedule to share with you regarding March 31st. This should clarify most of the questions we have been receiving.
8:30- School starts as normal. We will take attendance and lunch count.
9:00- 11:00- In school service projects. Service projects might include filling dirt for the community garden, playground clean up, tutoring 1st and 2nd graders and shelving books in the library. (This list isn’t set in stone and is subject to change.)
11:00-12:00- Team building
12:00-12:45- Lunch
12:45-1:45- band and orchestra
1:45-2:05- Recess
2:05-2:55- Art
At this time, if there are students who have Mulan practice, they will be excused.
2:55-4:00- Games
4:00-5:00- Team building
5:00-5:30- Eat dinner at school. Volunteers will help us cook, serve and clean up the spaghetti dinner. (We will be sending more information home soon to families who volunteered to help us with the food.)
5:30-6:00- Walk to Food Life Line
6:00-8:00 Work at Food Life Line
8:00-8:30- Walk back to Ridgecrest
Week 26: Continuing Fractions, Mysteries, and Colonial America
Welcome to Week 26! Remember that Friday is a teacher inservice day. Please find somewhere else for your students to be.
This week in math we will be completing the first chapter of fractions. Early this week we will be looking at fractions and decimals on a number line and writing to explain story problems. Later in the week students will be reviewing this rather large chapter and completing a chapter test. So far the kids have done excellent work with fractions. I look forward to seeing their test scores at the end.
In reading this week we are going to continue our work with mysteries. Students will continue to have homework of one to two chapters a night. The expectation is that they complete the reading and start the comprehension packet at home. They will be given time to work with their groups to complete the comprehension packet. Students are receiving an effort and homework grade daily for showing that they have done their reading homework. If they have done the reading and started the packet, they will receive a 3. If they haven't done any of the work, they will receive a 1. Students are also being graded in how they participate in their group. If they are actively participating, they will receive a 3. If they are not participating or are messing around, they will receive a 1. If you have any questions about this, please contact Mrs. Therriault.
We will not be doing any Grocking or spelling rules this week. We are going to use some of our Grocking time to work on a district writing prompt. Students will be writing a short narrative in class that will be graded according to the district rubric. This writing assignment will be graded and used, in addition to the personal narrative that was completed last month, to get their writing grade for the trimester.
In Social Studies this week we are going to begin the week with a short quiz on the Southern Colonies. We will also begin to look at life in the New England Colonies by examining the Puritans. We will be studying the Puritans because of their influence on the development of New England. Students will be reading from the social studies text book. There will be a quiz at the beginning of the week next week.
An additional skill that we are going to be focusing on in our classroom is following directions. We have noticed lately that many students are missing problems on their math, or not completing the reading comprehension packet correctly is because they are not reading the directions carefully. They are also not reading the entire question which leads them to answering only a portion of a question. Often students will quickly scan the problems or questions and assume they know what to do. This is affecting their day to day work, and will also have a dramatic impact on their MSP scores. As a result, we feel that it is important to take the time to teach students how to read directions carefully. We will be teaching this through oral exercises, art projects and worksheets. We are hoping that this explicit teaching will help students to recognize the importance of slowing down to read all of the directions and every question carefully. Please look for these worksheets to be coming home on Tuesdays in the boomerangs. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact one of us.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Allyn and Alaina
This week in math we will be completing the first chapter of fractions. Early this week we will be looking at fractions and decimals on a number line and writing to explain story problems. Later in the week students will be reviewing this rather large chapter and completing a chapter test. So far the kids have done excellent work with fractions. I look forward to seeing their test scores at the end.
In reading this week we are going to continue our work with mysteries. Students will continue to have homework of one to two chapters a night. The expectation is that they complete the reading and start the comprehension packet at home. They will be given time to work with their groups to complete the comprehension packet. Students are receiving an effort and homework grade daily for showing that they have done their reading homework. If they have done the reading and started the packet, they will receive a 3. If they haven't done any of the work, they will receive a 1. Students are also being graded in how they participate in their group. If they are actively participating, they will receive a 3. If they are not participating or are messing around, they will receive a 1. If you have any questions about this, please contact Mrs. Therriault.
We will not be doing any Grocking or spelling rules this week. We are going to use some of our Grocking time to work on a district writing prompt. Students will be writing a short narrative in class that will be graded according to the district rubric. This writing assignment will be graded and used, in addition to the personal narrative that was completed last month, to get their writing grade for the trimester.
In Social Studies this week we are going to begin the week with a short quiz on the Southern Colonies. We will also begin to look at life in the New England Colonies by examining the Puritans. We will be studying the Puritans because of their influence on the development of New England. Students will be reading from the social studies text book. There will be a quiz at the beginning of the week next week.
An additional skill that we are going to be focusing on in our classroom is following directions. We have noticed lately that many students are missing problems on their math, or not completing the reading comprehension packet correctly is because they are not reading the directions carefully. They are also not reading the entire question which leads them to answering only a portion of a question. Often students will quickly scan the problems or questions and assume they know what to do. This is affecting their day to day work, and will also have a dramatic impact on their MSP scores. As a result, we feel that it is important to take the time to teach students how to read directions carefully. We will be teaching this through oral exercises, art projects and worksheets. We are hoping that this explicit teaching will help students to recognize the importance of slowing down to read all of the directions and every question carefully. Please look for these worksheets to be coming home on Tuesdays in the boomerangs. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact one of us.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Allyn and Alaina
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Week 25: Fractions Continues, Starting Mysteries, and Colonizing America
Welcome to Week 25! Please be on the lookout for important information regarding a class work day on March 31. Field trip forms will be required and parent volunteers would be graciously accepted for any part of the day.
Here is our week:
In math students will be continuing to work with fractions. This week we will be comparing and ordering fractions and mixed numbers, learning about common factors and greatest common factors, finding fractions' simplest form, and recognizing fractions and decimals in tenths, hundredths, and thousandths. We will continue working with our math partners in class and using our online math program (ixl.com) to receive extra practice in each section.
In reading this week students will be getting their novels for their mystery novel study group. Students are continuing to work on synthesizing and identifying the characteristics of a mystery. As a result of the novel studies starting up again, students will have homework on a nightly basis. Students will be asked to read one to two chapters a night. The expectation is that students will complete the reading at home and begin working on the reading packet. I do not expect students to complete the comprehension packet. They do need to be prepared to work in class with their group. If they do not come ready to work, they will not be allowed to work with their group. I will collect the comprehension packets frequently and give students feedback.
In social studies this week we are going to continue to learn about the colonization of America. We are going to examine the Southern Colonies this week. We are going to talk about the different social groups that played a role in the development of the colonies (plantation owners, Virginia Company, indentured servants, slaves, store owners, slave traders and farmers). We are also going to examine the economics of the Southern Colonies.
In science students will be completing their environments unit. Students have been working on their own investigation. They have created a question, hypothesis, and procedures. Last week students used the results of their investigation to create a conclusion to their investigation. This week they will be sharing their conclusions with the class. We will also be testing our students ability to create questions and hypotheses as well as conclusions with an assessment mid-week.
That's it for now. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
-Allyn and Alaina
Here is our week:
In math students will be continuing to work with fractions. This week we will be comparing and ordering fractions and mixed numbers, learning about common factors and greatest common factors, finding fractions' simplest form, and recognizing fractions and decimals in tenths, hundredths, and thousandths. We will continue working with our math partners in class and using our online math program (ixl.com) to receive extra practice in each section.
In reading this week students will be getting their novels for their mystery novel study group. Students are continuing to work on synthesizing and identifying the characteristics of a mystery. As a result of the novel studies starting up again, students will have homework on a nightly basis. Students will be asked to read one to two chapters a night. The expectation is that students will complete the reading at home and begin working on the reading packet. I do not expect students to complete the comprehension packet. They do need to be prepared to work in class with their group. If they do not come ready to work, they will not be allowed to work with their group. I will collect the comprehension packets frequently and give students feedback.
In social studies this week we are going to continue to learn about the colonization of America. We are going to examine the Southern Colonies this week. We are going to talk about the different social groups that played a role in the development of the colonies (plantation owners, Virginia Company, indentured servants, slaves, store owners, slave traders and farmers). We are also going to examine the economics of the Southern Colonies.
In science students will be completing their environments unit. Students have been working on their own investigation. They have created a question, hypothesis, and procedures. Last week students used the results of their investigation to create a conclusion to their investigation. This week they will be sharing their conclusions with the class. We will also be testing our students ability to create questions and hypotheses as well as conclusions with an assessment mid-week.
That's it for now. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
-Allyn and Alaina
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Week 24: Fractions, Mysteries, and Environments
Welcome to Week 24!
We hope that everyone had a wonderful Mid-Winter Break! Here is what we are doing this week:
In math students will be starting their last big unit in fractions. In particular this week students will be learning the meaning of fractions, seeing the similarities between fractions and division, learning about mixed numbers and improper fractions, learning about equivalent fractions, and comparing and ordering fractions and mixed numbers.
In reading students will be continuing to learn about the characteristics of mysteries. In addition, we will be studying about synthesizing and its impact on reading comprehension.
In social studies students will be starting their investigation into Colonial America.
In science students will be competing their environments unit. Students have created a final investigation of their own. They have adjusted one variable and will observe how that variable affects the growth of pea, barley, corn, and radish seeds growth.
That's it for now. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
-Allyn and Alaina
We hope that everyone had a wonderful Mid-Winter Break! Here is what we are doing this week:
In math students will be starting their last big unit in fractions. In particular this week students will be learning the meaning of fractions, seeing the similarities between fractions and division, learning about mixed numbers and improper fractions, learning about equivalent fractions, and comparing and ordering fractions and mixed numbers.
In reading students will be continuing to learn about the characteristics of mysteries. In addition, we will be studying about synthesizing and its impact on reading comprehension.
In social studies students will be starting their investigation into Colonial America.
In science students will be competing their environments unit. Students have created a final investigation of their own. They have adjusted one variable and will observe how that variable affects the growth of pea, barley, corn, and radish seeds growth.
That's it for now. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
-Allyn and Alaina
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