Sorry for Slacking

I missed my last post, and I'm feeling super guilty about it!

Here's a little bit of what we have been doing in fifth grade:

Last Wednesday (9/24) we had a HUGE random raffle!  It was exciting and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Last Friday (9/26) we had an English Language Arts test on text structure.

Last Friday (9/26) we also had a musical guest; a student from our classroom!  You know who you are you and you did an amazing job performing.  Keep practicing that clarinet--your love for it is clear :)

This week (9/29-10/03) is HOMECOMING!  We are celebrating by having dress up days this week.  Monday = Jersey Day, Tuesday = Sweats Day, Wednesday = Whacky Wednesday, Thursday = Dress Up Day, and Friday = RED & BLACK Day.

Today (Tuesday, 9/30) your child brought home their E.L.A test; it needs to be signed and returned by tomorrow (Wednesday, 10/01).  Also, Midterm reports were sent home today; they need to be signed and returned by Friday, 10/03.

I will have a better post at the end of this week!  Promise!

Apologies, 

Miss Grell

Reading Night Shout Out!

Thank you to all families who were able to bring their child(ren) to Reading Night.  It was great to see all of you again--or meet you for the first time in some cases!  I appreciate the support you have for you child's learning.  Although they may not realize it yet, they appreciate your support as well.  Education opens doors and is the master key to success!  If you were not able to attend Reading Night, it was a whirlwind for you (at least it was for me!).  Here are some ways we incorporate reading into our learning:

1)  Accelerated Reader (AR)--the yearly goal for fifth grade is 63 points (minimum!).  Your child should always have a grade appropriate chapter book and a nonfiction book.  You have received or will receive login information to review the books your child has tested on.

2)  English Language Arts Units from the AEA--this is our first year implementing these units.  There are six units based on a variety of literacy skills in accordance with the Iowa Core.  We are currently studying text structures (compare/contrast, chronology, problem/solution, cause/effect, description), and I plan to test the students by next Friday, 9/26.

3)  Reading Buddies with first grade.  We meet with a first grade class every Wednesday from 9:20-9:40.  We read to them and they read to us!  It's a great opportunity to be a positive role model and meet someone new.

4)  Teacher Read Aloud--I am currently reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  If you haven't read it, run to the library, and check it out now!  The students have been hooked by it, so have your child give you a summary (P.S. we're going to finish it tomorrow!).  Anyway, I read aloud for about 15 minutes every day.  It's a time to relax and enjoy literature because everyone loves a good story!

5)  Time for Kids--I haven't incorporated this magazine into our studies yet, but I will be in the near future.  It's filled with age appropriate news stories.

**Also, you should have received your child's FAST testing scores at Reading Night.  If you were unable to attend I will be sending them home on Tuesday, 9/23.**

What Color Was the Sky?

Artist Spencer Finch is the creator of this:

He calls it, "Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning."  Mr. Finch hand painted 2,983 pieces of paper to represent those who lost their lives to terrorism/violence at the World Trade Centers in 1993 and 2001.  Read his full story here.

My class did a rendition of Mr. Finch's masterpiece.  I prompted them with the question:  "In your opinion, what color would the sky be on the best day ever?"  I am beyond pleased with the result, and we now have this proudly displayed on our classroom door:

There's no denying the Attacks of 9/11 were horrible, but it is a common belief that we must reverse the negativity associated with the day.  That belief was the reasoning behind my prompt.  How can we turn the negativity into positivity?  It really is a simple answer--by being positive.  Bring attention to the day.  Remember those who were lost.  Live their dreams.  Remember the heroes.  Act like them.  Remember the families of the lost.  Love like them.  Treat those around you with love and respect.  Make it the best day ever.

Close Ups:

I Will...

     In memory of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 we spent the majority of our afternoon discussing and exploring 9/11 facts and resources.  The learning session started with me defining terrorism by using our social studies textbook.  I then told them "my 9/11 story."  I fielded questions, and of course, answered them in the most age appropriate way possible (click here for elementary age appropriate information).  I informed my students that September 11 is officially known as: National Day of Service and Remembrance.

     In honor of 9/11 the students watched a short video from 9/11day.org.  The video asks,"How will you remember 9/11?"  It also asks viewers to "Share your good deed or heartfelt message."  In response to the good deed/heartfelt message students wrote an "I will..." sentence.  Their "I wills" consisted of: I will..make my bed, help my grandma shop, be a good big brother, donate, help to take of my niece, and more!  I also wrote an "I will" statement:  I will teach my fifth grade students about the 9/11 attacks and true heroism.

     In honor of 9/11 remembrance I let the students explore www.911memorial.org and other nonfiction resource materials (books with pictures of heroes and copies of headlines from newspapers from across the nation) with my guidance.

     I did one final activity with the students; it was the question: In your opinion, what would the sky look like on the best day ever?  We did a little project with this question, and I will be adding another post with more information tomorrow...

     And if you're interested...  My 9/11 Story:  I was in fifth grade during the attacks 13 years ago (the same age at my students!).  I didn't fully understand the severity of what was occurring.  I remember watching the news on the T.V. in my school's library, I remember being confused about governments, and I remember gas prices skyrocketed as everyone tried to fill their gas tanks.  As a learner I tend to be interested in history (specifically American history--my entire being beams with Americanism--I even proudly display an American flag in my car), so 9/11 has been a captivating event to me since that September day 13 years ago.  I have read books, watched movies, and this summer I had the opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial in New York City.  It was the most amazing museum--somber but appropriate.  I would like to share a few pictures from the memorial and museum with you...

How to Ask Your Child About School

     I'm sure you've eagerly asked your child, "how was school today?"  And I'm also sure they've given you the ever boring, "fine," or "OK," or "good."  Or what about the ever famous (and my favorite), "what did you to today?" And your child responds, "nothing..."  I am hear to reassure you, that simply isn't true!

     As a teacher I do my best to make each day welcoming and structured, so I too would like for your child to tell you a little bit more about their day.  Recently, a teacher turned mom wrote a blog post titled "25 Ways To Ask your Kids How Was School Today," so visit her list (by clicking the previous link) if you're looking for some new ways to create conversations or open lines of communication at your house!  You can also visit the full story/view the video at this media link:  http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/not-having-luck-asking-kids-so-how-was-school-today-n197136.

     Still want a few more ideas?  Visit these links:

     "10 Questions to Ask Your Child About His Day at School"

"13 Better Questions to Ask Your Child About School"

***Also, ANNOUNCEMENT:

An informational meeting for Band sign up will be held on Monday, 9/8 and Tuesday, 9/9 at 7:00 PM.  Ask your child or contact me for the location.***

I Can...

     "I Can" statements are utilized in our school district because we believe they help give students ownership over, along with a better understanding for their learning.  During the past few weeks we have been studying the following skills (click the links to visit the Iowa Core):

I can evaluate expressions using the Order of Operations.

Iowa Core, 5.OA.A.1: Use parentheses, brackets, or braces in numerical expressions, and evaluate expressions with these symbols

     A typical math lesson starts with "number work."  Number work is a time for students to interact with numbers and make mathematical connections.  After number work we have a "problem of the day," which is like story problem.  The students must first create an expression that represents the story problem, and there are several number choices for the students to complete.  Our lesson closes with students sharing their problem solving strategies and the connections they made.
     Every few weeks I give "knowledge checks" (which is like a quiz) to see who does and does not fully understand the skills we are studying.  I use the quiz information to reteach the students who are in need of additional practice.

I can use reading strategies to interact with texts.

Iowa Core, IA.1: Employ the full range of research-based comprehension strategies, including making connections, determining importance, questioning, visualizing, making inferences, summarizing, and monitoring for comprehension.

     We started the school year practicing reading strategies through a class read aloud with the book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  This was a teacher led experience so I could properly model and refresh the students on how to utilize each reading strategy.

I can determine text structures by comparing text features.

Iowa Core, RI.5.5: Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts

     Since beginning studying text structures (chronology, compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution, and description) we have focused on chronology and compare/contrast.

     The students have had opportunities to apply what they've learned about chronology by writing a sequence of how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, organizing chronological statements about Michael Jordan's athletic life, as well as a timeline of events about WWII, and finally by recognizing clue words (first, next, then, after, finally, years, months, and etc.).

     Similarly they have had the opportunity to apply what they've learned about compare/contrast by comparing and contrasting two writing tools (pencils and computers) using a graphic organizer (Venn Diagram).  The students also compared two characters from our classroom read aloud Number the Stars.  We used this information to construct a well written paragraph about the two characters.