Monday, February 29th

Happy Leap Day!

***Important news! ***
If school is cancelled on Wednesday, 3-2-2016,  5th grade camp will also be cancelled and postponed to a later date. If school is cancelled on Thursday, 3-3-2016, camp will continue.

Today in Read Aloud, we compared our character Sistine from "Tiger Rising" by Kate DiCamillo to the beautiful painting in the Sistine Chapel. Students used some great describing words such as unique, sophisticated, and elegant to relate the character to the painting. Students wrote a short essay on how they thought Sistine symbolized the Sistine Chapel.

Students worked really hard on their Unit 5 math test this afternoon!

Homework:
- 30 min of independent reading

Reminder: Students may bring a sled to camp. Please no inflatable tubes or saucers!

Planes

Today in science, students worked with each other to create a plane that flies on a zip line. They discovered how many winds of a propeller it takes for a plane to travel 2 meters.  Once they find the correct number, students are going to change a variable of the experiment.  Many students want to add weight to the plane to see how it effects the distance the airplane travels.

Homework:

- 30 minutes of reading

- Review for math BA (test Monday)

**Parent camp volunteer sheets went home with students today along with 'what to bring to camp' handout

Reminder:

-Camp on Wednesday (March 2); bring your child to camp with their luggage at the regular start time (8:50 am)

Wednesday, February 24

Today students worked on a performance task during writers' workshop. This task simulates what students have to do independently on the M-step (the state test that will at the end of April/beginning of May). This task is also based on the opinion writing unit that we are currently finishing.  Your child has to take take a stand on an issue (should only service dogs be permitted in public places?), use two articles and 1 video to support their claim with evidence and reasoning, and write an opinion article in multiple paragraphs.  

Below is a video students put together in the fall. We were working on reading fluency and students practiced read aloud strategies using our read aloud book Goblins in the Castle. I FINALLY have it online to view:





Homework:
- 30 minutes of reading
- Home Link 5.14

Reminders:
-5th grade camp is next week....yikes! (3/2 thru 3/4)
-Parents that volunteered to help at camp will receive a reminder on Friday of the job that they signed up for

Today's Math

February 9, 2016

On Friday, students will be exchanging Valentine's cards.  They can exchange cards with each other.  If your child participates, please make sure they fill out a card for each child.  If you send in candy, students will not have an opportunity to eat it here at school. Please email me if you have any questions.  
Students in room 15:

Marie

Amare

Michael

Kaitlyn

Autumn

Megan

Sophia

Chistopher

Preston

Judith

Eduardo

Nicole

Nayuta

Skye

Jude

Anush

Gabby T.

Bryan

Haider

Adam

Joseph

Gaby P.

Lizette

Suhani

Friday, February 5th

Today in readers' workshop, students listened to a story called The Lotus Seed. They were searching for symbols in the text that the author placed in to signify an important idea.  Students used their partners to discuss what the symbol was and what the symbol meant in the story.  Next week, students are going to try this more independently.

In writers' workshop, students used their notes and added evidence to their reasons.  Students learned how to include the source information when adding evidence to text. (i.e. According to Monica Sills, a registered dietitian, 75% of milk consumed in schools is flavored.)

In math, students learned how to multiply a whole number by a fraction. 

Homework:
-30 minutes of reading
-Study Link 5.5

Reminders:
-Camp paperwork due Feb 12
  

February 4, 2016

In writers' workshop, students continued their work on the genre of opinion writing.  They learned more about writing coherent notes and citing sources. The pictures below are the students hard at work finding information and evidence to support their claims.  Ask you child about their opinion writing topic.
  

Lifeboats - Feb. 3rd

Today in readers' workshop, students learned about symbolism. They learned how authors use symbols in text to represent different ideas.  Your child learned how to identify symbols in picture books that we've previously read.

Students shared their book club projects.  They are ready for the next round. 

In math, students learned about subtracting mixed numbers. Students learned strategies for solving subtraction problems involving the renaming of fractions and mixed numbers.

In science, students created boats using cups. We learned about the word capacity and how it relates to how many pennies it will hold prior to sinking. The pictures below show students of room 15 testing out their boats and seeing how many pennies it takes before they sink.  We are trying to answer the question: how does capacity effect the number of pennies a boat can hold?

Homework:

-30 minutes of reading

-Home Link 5.4

Reminder:

-Tonight pancake supper from 5:00 - 7:00 PM 

- Camp paperwork due Feb. 12

Tuesday, Feb 2

Today, students in readers' workshop learned more about mood in literature. I read  a book called the "Wretched Stone" by Chris VanAllsburg.  We analyzed the text, thinking about how the author set the mood by the words he used.  Students used evidence from the text to back up their thinking.  The students will begin tomorrow learning about symbolism which was briefly introduced today.

In writers' workshop, students learned how to take notes and cite sources when finding information for their opinion essays. Students also learned about credibility of sources.  We began by watching a news clip about Chocolate Milk (click here to watch) and discussed whether the information cited in this clip was proper evidence for our essays.  Students agreed that the dietitian in the clip was an expert, therefore we could quote her in order to enhance our opinion writing.

In math, students learned about adding mixed numbers.

Homework:
- Home Link 5.3
- 30 minutes of reading

Reminder:
-Camp paperwork due Feb. 12
-Planners checked tomorrow

February 1, 2016

Today your child received their Unit 4 math BA.  The test will be coming home; please take a look at the test with your child, sign the back sheet, and return to school by Wednesday.   We reviewed the entire test during the first part of math.  During the 2nd part of math, students began learning Unit 5.  Click here to view the family letter.

In readers' workshop, student are learning about how authors create mood within text. Students identified and analyzed a book called Smoky Night by Eve Bunting.  Students support their claims with relevant text evidence.

Students finished up their book club projects today. Another group finished their book club movie trailer. Click here to watch.  Nice job Olive's Ocean team! 

Homework:
-30 minutes of reading
-Home Link 5.2

Reminders:
-Camp paperwork due February 12th