Reading Goals - September 30

Today we focused our efforts learning about different ways to improve our reading ability.  Each student of room 15 is in the process of creating reading goals.  These goals will be practiced daily and worked on with me during conferences and small groups.  We read a book called The Summer My Father was Ten.  During the reading lesson, I modeled for students different ways to think about texts.  By the time the lesson was over, many students had an idea of what they wanted to focus their goal on.

Students worked hard this afternoon on the Unit 1 assessment for math.  It took a majority of the afternoon.

Homework:
- 30 minutes of reaading
- No math homework

Reminders:
- Camp forms (please contact the office if you need financial assistance)

 

September 27th

Today students discussed a book during readers' Workshop called Voices in the Park.  We learned about different ways to talk about books. Students agreed, disagreed, and proved their thinking with evidence.  During the year, students will continue to learn ways to improve their discourse with one another.  Together we created this 'accountable talk' anchor chart which we will refer to as our conversations improve.
Homework:
- Study Link 1.12
- 30 minutes of reading

Reminders:
- Picture day: this Friday at 1:30
- camp forms

Do you want to volunteer for camp? Click here

Partners - September 23

Today students were working with partners in science. Together they read and learned that astronomers had reasons for classifying Pluto as a dwarf planet.  By reading a book called "What about Pluto?," students defended the claim: Pluto should be a planet.  They found and wrote evidence in the text that supported this claim. However, Pluto was still reclassified.  Astronomers, in 2006, decided on specific criteria to classify solar system objects as planets:

1. A planet must orbit the sun.
2. A planet must be large enough for gravity to give it the shape of a sphere.
3. A planet needs to be much bigger than any other object in its orbit and not part of a belt of similar objects.

Ask your child which 'rule' above changed Pluto's classification to a dwarf planet. 

Homework:
- 30 min of reading
- study link 1.10

Reminders:
- camp paperwork
- fundraiser starts (check backpack)
- Picture day: Friday, September 30 at 1:30

Wednesday, September 21

Today 5th graders learned during word study about how we can break words into three tiers.  We learned that we will be learning many Tier 2 words this year. Today's lesson will lay the foundation for the next few weeks of word study.

Students in science discussed Pluto and how Pluto was declassified as a planet in 2006. We are discovering together what characteristics make a planet different than a dwarf planet.  

In readers' workshop, students listened to a story called A Frog Thing. From this story, we had conversations about setting goals for our selves. By the time the workshop was over, students agreed that we would create goals that are attainable and that it's okay to change your goals. Tomorrow we are going to write specific goals in our readers' notebook.






Homework:
- Study Link 1.8
- 30 minutes of reading

Reminders:
-Camp Open House tonight from 5 - 7
-Picture day September 30

Email me if you ever have questions.  mattreed@wlcsd.org

Finding Volume

Today students were working with each other in math workshop to find the volume of objects.  We first learned about the area of objects and applied that learning to volume.  With a partner, students measured the length, width, and height of a tissue box and found the volume.

See your children in action:

 Thank you for visiting the classroom yesterday. If you were unable to make the meeting, all information from the meeting will be coming home today in their Friday Folders.

Homework:
- Study Link 1.6
- Add 3 artifacts to their writers' notebook 
- Send back Friday Folders

Reminders:
- 1/2 day, Tuesday, September 20
- Camp Open House at the Outdoor Center 5 - 7, September 21
-  Picture Day, September 30th
- Camp permission slips Due, October 10

Team Building Acitvity

Students are building relationships and bonding over some team building exercises this week.  Together, the kids were using their shoes to build the tallest towers they could.  Listening in on the students...you could hear them sharing all of their ideas, making sure everyone had input, trying different approaches, and much more.  Each group was successful at building a shoe tower, and ultimately practicing how to work better together.

Homework:
-math study link
-decorating the covers of their writers' notebook

An Awesome First Week!

Our school year is underway!  It has been great getting to know the children the past couple of days.  We have spent a lot of time learning classroom routines and getting familiar with each other.  We have a great class!  

Students began science today by drawing a scientist in their notebook. We had a discussion about how the scientists that students usually think of are the cartoon version, mad scientist, or chemists. We established that scientists across the world can be all different types of people, that work indoors and outdoors, that don't all wear lab coats or have crazy hair.  Pictured below are students working hard on making their scientists.

Curriculum Night and Camp Meeting will be Thursday, September 15 at 7 pm. We will begin in my room (room 15) and finish the meeting at the media center.

Puzzle Activity

Bag It