Dividing Fractions, the Nimiipuu, and the Tuskegee Airmen

Our curriculum is taking us in MANY directions in the next few weeks, but we are handling it like champs!  Here is what's going on in Room 32 for the next few weeks:

Math

This and next week we will tackle the strategies around DIVIDING fractions.  This will include Lessons 25-33 (excluding 28), and will conclude our Module 4 by the end of next week.  Look for a graded quiz to come home tomorrow (Wednesday) and next Tuesday.  In the meantime, between homework assignments, at-home practice on ZEARN and FRECKLE is always encouraged for strengthening strategies and skills.

Class Code: c5xjt5

Class Code: C59E9E

Social Studies

Last week we focused our attention on the poetry of Langston Hughes; analyzing symbolism and metaphors in his writing.  These readings, discussions, and writing set the framework for out Black History Month focus around the Tuskegee Airmen.  Our projects will include biographies of the many people responsible for the success of the "Red Tails", as well as an over-the-top hallway display that will blown everyone away!  

Language Arts

Word Study

The words for this week are directly from our novel, Thunder Rolling In the Mountains.  The words have been used in many contexts throughout the past few weeks, but at-home practice would help as well!  The words can be found here.

Reading/Writing

We will continue to read the novel Thunder Rolling in the Mountains throughout the next two weeks. This amazing book tells the story of the Nimiipuu people (Nez Perce Tribe) and the circumstances surrounding their forcible removal from their homeland.  Our writing will follow this story as well; writing to compare characters, inferring resolutions to conflicts, and connecting real-world applications to the cultural struggle of oppressed people.  Deep stuff...I know!

In addition, we are busy loading up on test-taking strategies for the upcoming IAR Test (in mid-March) and continuing or essay writing skills! 

Have an awesome few weeks!  Don't forget to check us out on Twitter for daily updates and happenings from Room 32.

Remember that this Thursday, February 20th from 6:00-7:00 is the Open House!  Your student has been working hard to prepare a presentation to show off all the amazing things they have been doing!

New year, new curriculum, and a new marking period!

The third marking period is upon us and our little 5th graders are getting closer to middle school with each passing day!  Along with the new year, we have two new Language Arts curricula to try out, as well as a new math module.  Let's see what going on in Room 32 for the next few weeks...

Language Arts

Reading

As you may know, our class is piloting a new Language Art curriculum for the next 6 weeks!  The program is called Wit and Wisdom, and is published by Great Minds (the same as our Eureka Math program).  We are piloting the first module, called Cultures in Conflict.  The module revolves around the westward explanation of the United States, including the Lewis and Clark Expedition, The Nez Perce tribe, and a class novel: Rolling Thunder Down the Mountain.

This week our focus is writing a detailed summary with a main idea and supporting details from the text.  There may be occasional reading homework throughout the weeks, usually practicing vocabulary or reading fluency.

Vocabulary

The words for the next two weeks are all related to our reading.  At home practice is always encouraged!  You can find the words here!

Writing

Our writing will also fall in line with our ELA curriculum; writing about our reading and focusing on well-organized paragraphs with a main idea and supporting details.  This will lend itself to our Support/Evidence grade-level goal in informational writing as well.  Look for a sample to come home this week.

Science

This week we will be wrapping up our Spaceship Earth Unit with some really cool activities and experiences.  On Wednesday, we will be connecting with a classroom in Utqiagvik, Alaska (formerly known as Barrow, AK).  This is the northernmost town in the northern hemisphere and has been in the dark for the past 2 months due to the Earth's axis!  This is an awesome connection to our learning of seasons, Earth's rotation, and the Sun.

In addition, we show off our learning of the entire unit through group Podcasts!  These projects will be worked on throughout the next two weeks and should be amazingly creative!

Math

Moving on through the world of fractions, this week we will continue to multiply fractions using parenthesis and incorporating word problems! We are taking the Math MAP test on Tuesday, so look for homework on Wednesday-Friday.  Feel free to check out the homework videos for Module 4, Lessons 10, 11, and 12 for the week (linked on the right of this page).

Have a great week!  Make sure to check Twitter for daily updates of what's going on in Room 32!  Let me know if you have any questions of concerns!

Last post of 2019!

Well, the end of the calendar year is upon us and we have accomplished tons!  Here is what's going on this week in Room 32:

Math
This week we are on track to complete Module 3; focused on adding/subtracting fractions, mixed numbers, improper fractions, and trying out different strategies to solve multi-step problems.  On Monday we will be taking a quiz, and Tuesday-Thursday we will be preparing for our End-of-Module Assessment on Friday.  If you are interested, the homework tutorials for this week are here for your viewing pleasure:

• Tuesday - Lesson 14: Strategize to solve multi-term problems
• Wednesday - Lesson 15: Solve multi-step word problems
• Thursday - Lesson 16: Explore whole to part relationships

In addition, we'll be making SLIME on Friday by using our knowledge of fractions.  The recipes will be written completely in multi-step problems involving fractions.  In order to make the slime correctly, students must solve the problems correctly!

Science

Along with the slime activity, we will continue our Mystery Science unit: Spaceship Earth.  This week we will focus on how the sun and the Earth's movement affect the seasons.  If you didn't get a chance to see the videos from last week's mystery, make sure to check them out on Twitter!

English/Language Arts

Our focus this week (and possibly the week after break) is to compare nonfiction texts that are written in different perspectives.  We are reading and analyzing three texts written about the eruption on Mount Vesuvius, including a first-hand account!  Our vocabulary and writing will align with these texts as well.

Have a wonderful and restful break!  If you have and questions or concerns, let me know.  Make sure to follow us on Twitter and check Class Dojo throughout the week to see what's going on in Room 32 on a daily basis!

Explorer Interviews, Equivalent Fractions, and E-Text Features

Our last week before a break brings a lot of new strategies and ideas.  Here's what's going on in Room 32 this week:

Social Studies
Last week we completed our Mini Explorer projects and they look great!  This week we will wrap things up with peer interviews to discover what we have learned about our explorers along the way.

Math
Lat week we finished our LONG module focusing on division (finally!) with an assessment on Friday.  Remember, the assessments that you will get back this week were only graded for goal-setting purposes.  The end-of-module assessments are not graded for a "real" grade, but rather to check how much growth was accomplished since the pretest over a month ago.

This week we will focus on goal monitoring, get a preview of our new Module with a pretest, and start off with FRACTIONS! We on;y have two lesson this week, so expect math homework on Tuesday and Wednesday only.  The homework helper videos are below>

• Tuesday - Lesson 1 - Equivalent Fractions
• Wednesday - Lesson 2 - Making Like Units Pictorially 

Language Arts

Reading

Last we we finished up our Fiction unit with a few epic comparison projects that incorporated all that we have learned in since the beginning of the school year.  Look for the graded projects to make their way home this week.

This week we begin our Nonfiction unit with a review of text features.  The students will be able to create their own computer-based references to print out and use in the classroom.

Writing

Our goal of expressing evidence to support our ideas and interpret those ideas in writing continues, this week we will use the site NEWSela to explore a few informational articles in order to practice these skills.  The kids can access this site to practice as well! Look forward to seeing some samples at conferences next week!

Vocabulary

Our words for the past 2 weeks have revolved around the the root "port", meaning "to carry".  The students have been busy all week using these words in different contexts.  Look for some at-home studying opportunities throughout the week in preparation for the quiz on Friday.

FYI:

• Picture Retake Day is Monday.
• Wednesday is an Early Dismissal at 12:30.
• On Friday, educators from the Robert Crown Center will be in the 5th grade classrooms giving a talk on adolescent health.  The students will be separated for most of the day by gender (girls with Mrs. Kuenstler and Mrs. Giovanelli, and boys with Mr. Hugelier and myself). 

Have a great week.  Check out Twitter and Class Dojo for daily classroom update!

Figurative Language, Four-digit Division, and Formulating Narratives and Opinions!

I know, the blog title is long, but I needed to stay with the alliteration theme!  It's a shorter instructional week, with an Early Dismissal on Wednesday and Halloween on Thursday, but we are still working hard!  Here's what's going on this week in Room 32:

Math
This week we get into everyone's favorite:  Long Division!  We will be exploring some new and familiar strategies to divide 2-digit divisors into 3 and 4-digit dividends!  The excitement starts tomorrow and will keep going all week.  We will take a brief pause on Thursday to explore some Halloween-themed math activities.  Look for homework Monday-Wednesday and Friday!  Here are the videos to support my teaching this week:

• Monday - Lesson 19
• Tuesday - Lesson 20
• Wednesday - Lesson 21
• Friday - Lesson 22

Social Studies

Last week we took a detour from our "normal" curriculum and explored a project focused around the celebration of Columbus Day.  We wrote persuasive letters, created an informational presentation, and even spoke to a class in Bogota, Colombia to learn their take on the holiday.  We will be presenting to a few school board members this week in our classroom to let them know what we've learned and advocate for a possible holiday name change!  

In addition to this "side project", we will take our learning from our Native American projects and create a historical-fiction narrative from the point of view of a member of our researched tribe.  Keep your eyes open for pictures on Twitter and writing samples to come home!

Language Arts

Vocabulary

We will take a quiz over our "ject" words from last week and begin a new focus with words that include the root "sect", meaning "cut or split apart".  Look for at-home activities and study opportunities throughout the next two weeks.

Reading

This week we dive into the pool of Figurative Language!  We will use our class novel Crenshaw for many examples, as well as create personified versions of each type of figurative language in an epic role-playing activity!

Writing

Along with our Native American narratives and persuasive letters, we will be writing scripts and analyzing our daily morning writing journals!

Have a great week!  Remember that report cards come home on Wednesday along with the early dismissal (12:30).  We will have a Halloween party at 1:15 on Thursday and a parade following.  If you are curious about what id happening in our class on a daily basis, follow us on Twitter and stay updated through Class Dojo (The links are on this page!).

Conversions, Conflicts, Columbus, and Native Communities

Greetings, and welcome back after a chilly three-day weekend!  It may be getting colder outside, but things in Room 32 are heating up!  As noted in my Class Dojo message on  Friday, student newsletters will be sent home on Tuesday do to a printer issue (It wasn't me!). Here is what's going on in our classroom for the next two weeks:

Math

Last week we finished up our seemingly never-ending lessons on multiplying 2-, 3-, and 4-digit numbers and decimals and a quiz was given on Friday.  You will receive the graded copies on Tuesday for your viewing pleasure.  This week we take our knowledge of multiplying and translate it into converting measurements!  We'll be converting lengths, weights, and volumes like crazy all week and showing off our knowledge on Friday with a quiz.  Look forward to some  metric and standard measurement conversions in the homework. The homework videos for this week are below: 

• Tuesday - Lesson 13
• Wednesday - Lesson 14
• Thursday - Lesson 15

Social Studies

Our Native American tribe research projects will be concluding this week with presentations and continued work on the DIY tribe shelters.  As an extension to this project, we will be writing a historical fiction narrative story in the point-of-view of a tribe member.  Keep an eye out for updates on Twitter about the progress of the projects.  

In addition to our tribe projects, we will continue the discussion about Columbus Day and whether this "holiday" should continue as a celebration.  We will be collaborating with a State Representative who helped changed the focus of this day in her district to "Indigenous Peoples' Day", and discuss our next steps as a class as advocates for the native people we are currently researching.

English/Language Arts

Vocabulary

The next two weeks we will focus on words that share the "ject" root.  Look for at-home lists and studying opportunities with these words.

Writing

Our writing this week will focus around identifying the different conflicts in our reading, providing evidence to support a theme, and a historical fiction narrative from our tribe projects.  In addition, we will include some persuasive writing with our Native American advocacy project and see if our voices can be heard outside the walls of North School to create actual change in our community!

Reading 

Conflict and Theme will be our focus this week.  We will jump back into our class novel, Crenshaw, and use it for finding evidence to prove our inferences.  The students may end up bringing the book home if in-class reading isn't completed.

Have a great week!  If you don't follow our class on Twitter, you should!  I'll keep you updated through Class Dojo as well.  

 

Stories, Strategies, "Spec", and Silly Cats

Welcome back to another blog that should last you for the next few weeks!  This week is a short one (Early Dismissal on Wednesday and No School on Friday), but we will still continue to work like crazy!  Here's what's going on this (and next) week in Room 32:

Math

Last week we finished up Module 1 and showed our understanding amazingly on our end-of-Module Assessment.  This will go home this week on Thursday.  Keep in mind that this assessment is not graded for an actual report card grade, but rather for the students (and myself) to monitor their growth from the beginning of the Module.  We earned an extra recess for all achieving our growth goals!

This week we delve into multi-digit multiplication strategies!  That's right...more MULTIPLICATION!  Although I will teach MANY strategies, I always tell the students, "Use whatever strategy you want, except for looking at someone else's paper!"  This week's homework links are right here:

• Monday - Lesson 1
• Tuesday - Lesson 2
• Wednesday - Quiz (no lesson)
• Thursday - Lesson 3

Science

This week we will wrap-up our Food Chain Mystery Science unit with experimenting with some pond water, finding out why ponds don't need filters, and writing a first-"person" account of a predators hunting experience.  This narrative writing piece will give the kids an opportunity to show off all that they have learned about the food chain, research a predator, and creatively write from the point-of-view of an animal!

Language Arts

Word Study

For the past 2 weeks we have focused on words derived  from the root "spec".  Look for at-home lists and study opportunities throughout the week.  The quiz will be on Thursday.

Writing

As an amazingly-planned cross-over between Science and Language Arts, this week's writing focus will be informational writing in a first-person point-of-view narrative (mentioned in the Science section above).  Additionally, we will be writing an expository piece about the "value" of video games, and a character analysis from our class novel.

Reading Comprehension

Although much of our time this week will revolve around our writing and research, I need to mention our new class novel, Crenshaw.  This amazing novel tells the story of a 5th grader that navigates his conflicts with the support of his imaginary friend.  Each student has a book for class, and EVERYTHING we focus on during our Fiction unit will revolve around our novel.

Have a great week!  If you don't already, follow us on Twitter to all the amazing things going on in Room 32 every day!