Hard Workers in Training

        Today in room 33 we worked really hard, we really thought about our thinking!

    We also worked hard during math stations. We continue working towards our goals, and gaining stamina. 

-Social Media Leaders

Sam finished the book Wonder! His outfit matches the book!

This Week in Room 33! Sept. 7-11

I hope everyone had a wonderful 3-day weekend! A big thank you to all the parents that came to Curriculum Night! If you were not there, you should have received a yellow handout from your student (ABC's of our classroom). Also, check out the Parents tab at the top of the blog for the slides presentation I used. Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions or thoughts!

Here's what to expect this week in 5th grade...

Science- We are continuing to work hard as scientists in our first unit on scientific investigations. We will be completing a series of 3 investigations to complete this unit. This week we will conduct the evaporation investigation and the paper towel investigation. We are using the scientific method and our science notebooks to record our data and conclusions!

Writing- This week we are continuing our unit on personal narratives as we collect more and more entries in our notebooks and choose one to take through the writing process! We will be writing from inside the story, thinking about our main character's perspective, setting goals, flash drafting, and bringing out the heart of our story- what it is really about. 

Reading- We are working really hard on our goals to read more than EVER before this year! We have students that are already on their 4th book of the year. We have also been learning that it is not only about VOLUME but about the QUALITY of our reading- our metacognition (thinking about our thinking!) We are showing our deep thinking about our books by using our reader's notebook. This week we are aiming to notice more elements of the story, carrying our thinking in the text as we read on, considering perspective, and learning to think analytically! 

Math- This week we are finishing up our study of place value. We will have our 1st test on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Students are always encouraged to study by doing practice problems in their textbook. Because we do not complete every problem in their book during school, there will always be an abundance of practice available to them. Study guide details will be given later this week. Another fantastic resource is their online textbook (see parents tab for video on how to access this). Each lesson has practice problems students can complete and the computer will check their answers (look for the checkmark icon).

Social Studies- Because of a very busy week last week, we were unable to start our SS stations- they will begin this week and continue into the next week. We will focus on navigating our social studies textbook, defining and understanding geography, political maps, and our states and capitals. 

Reminders-

Thurs., Sept. 10- LEAP grade 5 Curriculum night 7-8

Fri., Sept. 11- PTG movie night at Concord @ 6:30 (playing Big Hero 6)

Tue., Sept 15- Math Ch. 1 Test on Place Value

Wed. Sept. 16- Early Release- Leader Binders will come home!

Tools Scientists Use

Check out our Google slide presentation below! Yesterday, we explored different tools that scientists use. At each station, we had to add something to our shared Google presentation.

Mrs.Schaefer is Awesome!

Working hard during math stations, and working together! Today in math we worked in our stations learning about place value. While the rest of us worked hard on ALEKS!

-The Social Media Leaders:)

We did science stations today. Super fun!

We did stations where we looked at each tool and learned what it does. -Aidan and Paulina

This Week in Room 33! Aug. 31- Sept. 4

This week in 5th grade...

Science: This week we are discussing tools that scientists use and participating in activities where students will classify, compare, contrast, and think like scientists!

Writing: This week we will begin our first writing unit on personal narratives! We have been busy building our stamina in our "home" writer's notebook (the place where students can write about ANYTHING they want!). This is the notebook that is decorated and will be coming home on Tuesday and Thursday nights for their writing homework (free writing for 10 min.) We also have a "school" notebook that is used for lessons within our units of study. 

*Check out THIS SITE for a fun way to come up with topics to write about at home!

Reading: This year, 5th graders will be pushed and encouraged to read more than ever before! We are tracking our reading in our leader binders and challenging ourselves to finish up to 40 books this school year! This is a BIG challenge and we ARE up for it! We've already had 3 students finish a book! Way to go Sam, Emma, and Kamryn! This week we will start to use our reader's notebooks to help us push the level of our reading and thinking.

*Students are responsible for tracking their nightly reading minutes in their planners (monthly view). At the end of the month, these minutes will be collected for a school-wide display. Our school's goal is 1,000,000 minutes this year! Parents- please sign your student's month page in their planners at the end of every month. This will be ripped out and turned in to me. Students will be responsible for asking you to do this (it will be part of their homework!)

Math: We are so excited to start our first unit on place value this week. Students will be working in collaborative math stations, ALEKS (our individualized online program), and small group instruction. Students will be asked to work on ALEKS every Monday and Wednesday night for 10 minutes as part of their homework.

Social Studies: Because we utilize a workshop approach in writing, reading, math, AND science, we have decided to extend this to social studies this year! Students will participate in stations and small group instruction with the teacher each week. This week we will focus on navigating our social studies textbook, defining and understanding geography, political maps, and our states and capitals. 

*Curriculum Night- I hope to see you all this Thursday from 7-7:30 in our classroom! I am looking forward to sharing with you about how our classroom works and what your student will experience this year in 5th grade!

*Be sure to check out the posts below showing glimpses into our classroom last week. Our social media leaders will be posting updates throughout each week! 

*Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! Social Media is a fantastic and easy way to connect with families and share what is happening in our classroom as well as other resources for you at home!

Genre Slideshow

Check out our genre slideshow we worked on yesterday!