Learning@5J

Dear Parents,

Thanks to so many of you for attending the Curriculum Night last night. I hope you found it informative and useful. For those who didn’t attend, or for those who would like to take more time to review the powerpoints, I have put them on the SchoolCenter website (go back to the green Kyffin page.) They are in the Document Library (listed in the green column on the left) in a folder called Kyffin Parent Night/Curriculum Powerpoints. If anyone has trouble finding or accessing them, please let me know!

News from the week:

Math: This week we began our review of number properties, focusing on even, odd, square, prime, and composite, and also developing deeper understanding of the relationships between factors, multiples, and products. Next week we will practice finding least common multiples and greatest common factors, and hopefully get to factor strings and prime factorizations. In addition to our work in “Prime Time” students will be completing the remaining problems on the CML sheet and we’ll develop our growing list of problem-solving strategies.  I expect to give another timed test for math facts, so if students have been practicing they should expect to see some progress. There will be a more challenging level this time for those who wish to demonstrate advanced skills in this area.

Science:  We have begun discussing the Muscular system and how it works together with the Skeletal system. Each student is working independently on a specific motion from a favorite sport or activity and using computer resources and books to help them research the bones, muscles, and possibly tendons, ligaments, other systems involved. The rubric was in the Friday Folders today. Students will have another class period on Tuesday to work on their research and demonstrations (models, powerpoints, posters, comics, etc…) and their final work will be due on Thursday. I’ll also be introducing the Science Fair expectation to them next week.

Social Studies: We have nearly finished creating world maps and reviewing the continents, oceans, and other major water and landforms, as well as the features of a map. Hopefully we’ll be able to look at Google Earth next week (if the program can be downloaded on the student laptops.) We will also develop a definition of culture and a list of elements of culture.

Writing: We have reviewed some of the student paragraph writing from our first prompt and discussed the need to make sure the purpose of your writing is clear. Next week students will be writing and sharing narrative paragraphs, focusing on strong, clear leads with topic sentences. We’ll also review the “flea” map for planning writing.

Reading: We will continue our shared reading routine with a non-fiction text. We’ll also continue our SIR routine with a focus on characters — writing about character traits and identifying character  motivations. Students will be asked to blog about their at-home independent reading again — it will be a weekly expectation. For the blogs I am expecting at least two clear, organized paragraphs with their ideas about the reading (questions, predictions, connections, inferences, opinions) and clear evidence supporting their ideas. Also, if students wish to respond to other student blogs, their posts need to be well-developed — a few sentences with thoughtful questions and/or ideas.

A few other things:

As was brought up at last night’s meeting, it seems as though band will indeed be in the morning so beginning students will miss part of math and part of science one day a week, and advanced students will miss part of math and part of and part of our project block on Fridays.  It will be important for students to be prepared to review class learning independently, and perhaps plan on attending math club on Fridays if they have questions about material that is missed.

Students will be taking the beginning-of-the-year acuity tests in math and language arts on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. These brief online assessments will give me another piece of data about where students are and help me increasingly differentiate learning based on each students’ needs.

Thank you to parents who signed up to volunteer. I will email  individual parents about coming in…most starting the week after next.

From the Friday Folder you’ll notice that book orders can now be placed online. It is my hope that this makes it easier for you. Books will still be delivered to the classroom. If anyone has questions about the system or problems with the site, please let me know.

In response to some parent questions, I have made sure students know they can choose to walk instead of run for our brain breaks if they choose — it will simply be a shorter distance.

Thanks to the parents who attended Math Club this morning…the donuts were appreciated! I hope that as the year progresses, more families are able to join us and have some math fun together with students. BTW, we are now calling “math problems”…”math treats.”

As always, please contact me with questions or concerns. Enjoy your long weekend!

Dawn

See some wonderful powerpoints about clouds on the Cloud page. Click each link to see a powerpoint.

I just posted some new student work. The math/science inquiry reports that were submitted electronically are on a new page, called Experiments — math science. Click on each link to see a report. Enjoy some great work! Also note a new powerpoint in the Reading projects page — courtesy of our group that read “Freedom’s Fire” — one of many books they’ve read about the American Revolution!

Thank you to families who attended a student-parent-teacher conference this week. I enjoyed hearing students share with you their thoughts about progress this year and also hearing the goals they set. I’ve already seen a lot of progress toward meeting those goals — hands being raised,  test questions being read more carefully, and some good focus on independent reading…we have a brief five weeks left, but still time to accomplish a few more goals.

Parents, please remember that the Growing and Changing parent meeting for Science is on Monday at 6:00 in the library. You will have a chance to review the books we’ll use, preview the movies, and ask questions. The book is new, so I encourage all parents to attend, even if you have had older children take this unit.

Next week we will also be taking our end-of-the-year Acuity tests in Math, Reading, and Science. It’s important for students to try their best so that we have accurate information about the progress they made this year.

This week’s Friday Folders include a note with your child’s appointment time for the Modified Attendance Days on April 30 and May 3. During those days students only come to school for an hour-long appointment to take an end-of-the-year reading comprehension test. It’s important that all students come for their appointments.

In other news, students will be finishing up their study of weather within the next week-and-a-half in Science. In Social Studies they are finishing up their study of the thirteen original colonies and will be starting to get into the details of the events leading up to the American Revolution. In Writing students are studying persuasive writing, and will be writing persuasive letters next week. In math, the Gamma Group is heading toward the end of their algebra unit on Patterns of Change. Alpha and Beta groups are finishing up their study of decimals. All groups have also been reviewing important concepts from throughout the year as we prepare for the Acuity assessments next week. In reading, students continue to work on summarizing and inferring skills and groups are reading a variety of books based on specific goals and reading levels.

Parents, please stay posted for additional information about Colonial Day. It will be held on May 28 and we will need lots of help from parents. Mr. McGuire and Ms. Zimmerman will be sending additional information soon.

As always, please let me know if you have questions or concerns.

-Ms. Jones (Dawn)

With spring break behind us we are now in the final stretch of the school year. It’s great to see all the students returning from their break with energy and enthusiasm.

Please remember to call the office and sign up for a conference next week. Your child has been preparing a reflection booklet to let you know about his/her growth in each subject area this year. It’s important that every family schedule a conference. If you have scheduling problems next week, please let me know and we can  hopefully find another time that will work better for you. Here are some additional updates as we head into the final two months.

1. Ms. Park, my student teacher,  is now teaching the class full-time, with supervision, for the next three weeks. She has lots of energy and great ideas, and students seem to enjoy learning with her. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact with me.

2. Next week we will begin our final round of Acuity testing for the year. This assessment will help us determine progress each student has made in reading, math, and science. It’s important that students give this their best effort to truly show what they know.

3. In writing, students will be working on Persuasive essays. In class they’ll be discussing specific strategies to help persuade other to agree with their ideas.

4. In science, students continue their study of weather, learning about how heat, air, and water influence our weather. In conjunction with classwork, students are responsible for tracking the weather using weather.com. The unit will take us through the end of the month.

5. Our next (last) science unit of the year will be “Growing and Changing.” A notice will come soon about a parent information session so you can review the new textbook and materials we’ll be using for this unit about puberty and human reproduction. All students must have a signed parent permission form in order to participate in this unit.

6. In social studies, students are finishing up their studies of the American Colonies and will soon be studying the American Revolution. The traditional Grade 5 “Colonial Days’ will be held in late May or early June. Stay posted for more details about this fun and important Mortensen tradition.

7. In math, the alpha and beta classes are continuing their study of decimals. The gamma class has begun our unit of study about patterns of change. Math club continues to meet each Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7:30 to 8:15. All students are encouraged to attend.

As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Dawn (Ms. Jones)

Parents,

Please contact the office to schedule your spring conference.  Time slots are available before and after school on April 12, 13, and 14. Students are preparing reflection books to share with parents, and should plan on attending the conferences. It’s important that all parents schedule a conference. Thank you!

Dawn

Dear Parents,

Spring conferences will be held when we return from Spring Break — right away! You can contact the office now to schedule an appointment for Monday (4/12), Tuesday (4/13) or Wednesday (4/14.) Students should attend conferences and will lead parents through presentations about their growth so far in fifth grade. Please contact the school office to schedule your appointment soon. I look forward to meeting with every family.

-Dawn (Ms. Jones)

Dear Parents,

It’s been a busy few weeks of learning and also preparing for the CSAP tests, which will be taken over the next two weeks. Fifth graders take three different tests each in reading, writing, math and science…spread over 10 days. On Tuesday March 2 and Thursday March 4 5th grade students will take two tests on the same day. These are often tiring days and we’ll do our best to help them stay energized and focused.

We encourage all students to prepare for testing by eating well, getting plenty of rest and exercise, and being ready to show what they know. Students have made a lot of progress this year and should feel confident about their ability to show it on CSAP. Please know that we will be providing snacks before each test and gum for those who want it — chewing helps some students think, process, and/or focus better. We’ll also continue to honor our brain breaks during the testing period, recognizing that students need break to settle and even zone out before moving from task to task.

During these weeks, we will still be having reading, writing, and math classes on each day that students take one test. On double testing days, students will have math and a shorter period for reading. Students are still expected to read at home each day and blog — though only one blog is expected each week. Students may also have math practice to complete at home.

If you have any questions about CSAP testing or anything else, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Thank you!

Dawn

Check out this 60-second recap of Walk Two Moons, one of my favorite novels and something you might consider if you are looking for a new book to read!

60-Second Recap of Walk Two Moons

Hello Parents,

We’ve had a very busy few weeks. Students are working very hard as we head into the last few weeks before CSAP. It’s a time of year in the classroom when we work hard to make sure that what’s been learned is truly understood and applied. It’s also a time of year when we focus on the important skills of reflecting on progress, reading and understanding what is asked, supporting our ideas with reasons and evidence, and putting best effort into assignments. The team of fifth grade teachers is incredibly proud of the growth we’ve seen this year and the growing enthusiasm and confidence.  Here are a few updates:

Science Fair: After months of planning and work, the projects should now be done. Posters are due on Thursday and we can’t give extensions. On Thursday, students will share their projects in science class in preparation for meetings with the science fair judges on Tuesday, February 16th. If you still have not purchased a poster, they will be available in the classroom through Tuesday at a cost of $4.50…financial help is available if cost is a concern.

Science: We completed our unit about matter and changes in matter last week. Some students need to schedule an appointment to retake the end of unit assessment next week. We have now started a short “mini-unit” about forces and motion. Students will understand that force is needed to create motion and analyze situations where forces are balanced (no net motion) or unbalanced (net motion in a direction.) This unit gives students important background knowledge  for the study of Newton’s Laws of Motion in 6th grade.

Writing: This week has been a wonderuful week in writing. We’ve used some specific techniques (called “Snapshot,” “Senses,” and “Thoughtshot”) to add detail to writing and the essays turned in today sparkled with detail. If students did not finish, they do have homework this weekend (unusual) to finish the essay. Next week 5th graders will take the “Principal’s Writing Prompt,” which Mrs. Hankins will administer on Tuesday.

Reading: We  continue to work on the important skill of summarizing. Most students are writing proficient or nearly proficient summaries of text. Identifying the main idea and choosing on the most important details that support the main idea are the key challenges.  In reading group your student is working on one of the following: Creating a personal timeline to organize events, studying the genre of Greek myths, creating an independent project about water, practicing summarizing skills while reading a nonfiction text about animals, or reading the historical fiction novel, “Sign of the Beaver.”

Math: Students are now well into our unit on 2-D geometry. We have used a lot of new vocabulary (types of angles, triangles, and names of polygons) and are beginning to find the measurement of unknown angles by comparing them to known angles and applying knowledge about angles (for example that the sum of the angles in a triangle is 180 degrees.) Also in this unit students will briefly review coordinate graphing and solve problems involving area and perimeter. This unit should be completed within the next two  or two and a half weeks.

Report Cards: Progress reports for the 2nd trimester will come home on February 26th. As we near the end of the trimester, students need to make sure to pass in their second “I Just Finished A Book” form showing that they have completed two books since November. This form is due Wednesday, February 10.

I’ll be in touch with details about our plans for a Valentines’ Day celebration.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. Thanks for your ongoing support.