Spring Break - Night sky Viewing

It is Spring Break, a perfect time to do this learning task if your schedule allows it.  We are studying the solar system right now, and your student will start writing a book with a partner about a topic when we return to school.  We have talked about moon phases, stars and constellations, visible planets in the night sky, and the size and direction of shadows.  With no school this week, if you are able to view any of these things, please do so.  If you are outside during sunny weather, notice the shadows and how their size and direction changes throughout the day.  Why is this?  The moon and stars are often visible late at night and early in the morning.  What phase is the moon in right now? Can you see any constellations?  Are they in the same place throughout the night?  All year long?  There is no grade attached to this request, just a chance to see what we are learning about.

I have met with most of you for Parent Teacher Conferences.  Thank you for taking time to meet and discuss your child's progress.  If any questions arise, please contact me.  Have a great Spring Break!

Classroom News and Spring Conferences

We’re off to another great week in the fifth grade.  We are in new book clubs in reading and we are working on an opinion writing essay in writing.  We started a new Space Systems project.  The students don’t know this yet, but this will be a book-writing project.  They will work in pairs and be assigned a topic such as planets, stars, gravity, etc.  We learned about relative distance today and went outside to figure out how far Neptune is away from the sun.   They went home with some questions that may be fun to look up at home, or we will find the answers in the classroom.   We had a few auction items today. Thank you Julie Evans for sending those in, they were a hit! We ended our day with possibly my favorite PE yet.  We shot Q-tips through a straw into a “Pot of gold” and played marshmallow catch with a partner.  There was really no skill advantage for anyone and we all had a great time.  Thanks Jackie Trease for sending in these items for our Valentine’s party, we ran out of time that day, so our Cupid games became Leprechaun games today.  

Parent teacher Conferences will be held the week of March 24.  I will have times for a few conferences Monday 3/24, Tuesday 3/25, and Thursday 3/27 from 4:15 - 5:30 and Wednesday, 3/26 from 5:30 - 6:30.  I can meet on Friday as needed. With busy spring schedules, I will (really try to!) keep to a prompt schedule.  These are not student led.  Your child is welcome but not required. Please email me with your preferred time. Looking forward to meeting with you all!

Come See Our Projects

Please come see our Sphere Interaction project presentations.  We will be presenting between 2:00 - 3:00 in the Oasis Academy lunchroom.  We are inviting 4th and 5th grade families and the 2nd and 3rd grade classes.  Each station will have a short explanation of the spheres involved and the event and how the spheres interacted in their event.  They will have a display board with information and a model to show before and after the interaction event.  It should be an educational opportunity for all of us.

Thank you to those who sent in auction items!  We had some great things to auction off on Thursday.  You may send in items any day this week.

Conference scheduling will take place soon.  Looking forward to discussing progress and growth of these marvelous fifth graders!  Have a nice week!

End of Third Quarter

Time is just flying by and we are at the end of the third quarter this week.  We finished the animal research slide shows today and we are holding writing conferences this week to go over each student's research report.  Overall, these were outstanding!  It is exciting to see the growth in each student's writing abilities. We will begin opinion writing this week, which will be our focus for the fourth quarter.

In Reading we finished a book called True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.  It is a personal favorite of mine, and we are rewriting the last chapter.  We will also show what we know by writing about different themes in the book and how the characters deal with challenges in the book.  We have students ready to read their final chapters for our read aloud time this week.

Thank you all for sending in supplies for projects, especially the tri-fold boards.  We will build on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

The end of the quarter also brings up auction time in our classroom.   I have some items for auctions, but if anyone wants to send in a few additional things to auction off in the classroom, I would really appreciate it.  Food items are popular, like Gatorades, mini chip bags, candy bars or other treats.  If it is something your child likes, probably other students would too.   Also, because we are learning about supply and demand, having just a few of any one item is helpful.  Don't feel like you have to get 20 of something, just a few is better.  The students look forward to auction time and having new and exciting things really helps.  Thank you in advance to those of you who are able to send in a few items.  

Earth's Systems Interaction Project

Where does the week go?  This week we started a new project and it’s a building project!  Look for the supply request letter to come home.  We need supplies by Monday, March 3, which is right around the corner!  

We have learned about the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere and how these spheres interact.  Each student is in a small group and has chosen an event where at least two of the spheres interact such as a wildfire, a volcano, a tsunami or an oil spill.  Each small group will need a tri-fold display board and each student will be responsible to print some color pictures for the board.  If this is not an option for you to do at home, please email me so we can make other arrangements.  The students will build a model of their event showing a model of how it was before and after the event.  The students have a rubric to guide them as they work together in this process.  The building will be done completely at school.  

When we get a date set, we would like to have parents come see the presentations.  We are looking at March 12 at 2:00, but that is a tentative date and time at this point.  

Things are going well in the classroom, we finished our read aloud, True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle, and the students are writing a different ending.  We can’t wait to hear all the variations when we share with the class.   

Have a great week!

Research Report

This week we have been busily working on our animal research report during our writing time and during our Daily Five literacy blocks.  This report is on a self-selected animal.  It needs to have three headings and each heading needs to have two paragraphs.  Each student printed out his or her draft last week to take home over the long weekend to edit with an adult.   I loved seeing all the changes come in, knowing that a parent or sibling took the time to go through the paper and give helpful feedback.  Thank you for that!

After the written report is turned in, the students get to make a short slide show about their animal to share with the class.  We are all learning a lot from each other!

We are also starting our new Earth Science project next week.  This week is full of vocabulary and information-gathering.

Hope you all enjoyed your President's Day holiday.  It makes for a really short week coming back.  

New Project, Writing, and Valentine's Day

This week we are finishing up our economics project with some reflection about our presentations and a quiz on the vocabulary we used during the project.  We will start our new Earth Science project with some vocabulary this week.  This new project will involve making a model, so be prepared for that.   We will do two science projects in a row before we go back to Social Studies.  Because fifth graders take the Science CRT test this year, we want to cover as much ground in Science as possible before the test dates.

In writing, we are working on a research report.  Don't be afraid, the work should be done almost entirely in the classroom.  Your student has chosen an animal and found 3 websites for research.  He or she has also chosen three headings and is taking notes to be ready to begin writing a draft later this week.  If all goes as planned, your student will bring home a copy of the rough draft to edit with you at home this weekend.  Make the changes on paper and send it back in with your child.

We will celebrate Valentine's Day with a party in the afternoon.  We will exchange cards and enjoy some nachos in the classroom.  Then we will go outside for some active partner "Minute to Win it" type games.  Thank you to all the parents who are sending in food and game items.  I love having so many willing volunteers!  Have a great week!