Genius Hour

Genius Hour Projects!

Check out the above link for some of our genius hour projects. We loved sharing our projects with our 2nd grade buddies- check out the album below!

Uncovering Clues From History

I couldn't be prouder of our historical research reports! Check them out with the link below!

Our Historical Research Reports

Spreading Holiday Cheer & Pictures from Our Party!

Check out the albums below from our caroling field trip and the awesome winter party! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of YOU for making this a special day for our class!

This Week in Room 33! Dec. 14-17

How can you not read that and break into song? :) I am so excited for our 5th graders to go caroling this Wednesday! I also cannot believe we have made it to our last week of 2014! I am so very grateful for the time I have had with your students and am looking forward to seeing everyone in 2015! Happy Holidays to YOU and your families!

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

Science- We have completed chapter 3 on classifying living things. We will review in class on Tuesday and our test will be on Wednesday. Students should use their textbook to study.

*** Please see the post below on PRISM!

Writing- We are completing our unit on informational writing by writing an on-demand research report on the Transcontinental railroad using the 2 sources we studied last week.

Math- Our chapter 5 and 6 test on adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals is tomorrow (Tuesday). Students should study using their study guide that we worked on last week and today, they can also study using their textbook (there are MANY practice problems in the book throughout each lesson) or online textbook.

Reading- We will spend time this week with our read aloud- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and continue to focus on how reader's can have deep discussions about fiction. We will also discuss our reading goals for winter break- what will your student be reading? Share this article with family over break--
Science Shows Something Surprising About People Who Still Read Fiction


Reminders:
Wed. 12/16- Caroling Field Trip 9:15-12
Thurs. 12/17- Winter Party 2-3
Fri. 12/18- No School! Have a WONDERFUL break! 

Thinking Ahead to PRISM!

Parents,

I just wanted to send a quick update about PRISM. It is NOT mandatory for 5th graders to complete the PRISM project but highly suggested and encouraged! 

IF students choose to complete a project at home, there is a suggested timeline, a sheet with possible investigation ideas/websites, and a proposal sheet. I would highly encourage your student to use these tools (located in the science tab of this blog!) if they would like to participate. 

The first step is choosing a testable question that they want to investigate (it must be measurable!) If your student is interested, I would encourage them to complete the proposal sheet and turn in to me next week so I can go over it with them and make sure they are on the right track. 

Thank you for all your help and encouragement at home. I highly suggest participating because it is a FANTASTIC way to get hands-on practice with the scientific method and performing investigations (a BIG part of the 5th grade curriculum and state-wide testing). If you have any questions, please let me know! 

See below for more information-

Here is a link to the suggested timeline, it is also posted in the Science tab- PRISM 5th Grade Suggested Timeline.

See below for more information-

***Concord’s Maker Fair

We will be having a Maker Fair (Previously PRISM night) on February 18th from 3:30-6.  If anyone is interested in doing a PRISM project at home and getting started over the holiday break, here is the link with the information.

Writing Celebration & Dr. Mariscal Teaches!

This Week in Room 33! Dec. 7-11

*Last week to bring in items for Helping Hands! We are almost at our goal of 300 items!

*Permission slips for our Caroling Field Trip went home today! Please complete and return by Friday!

What to expect this week...

Science- We are wrapping up our study on classifying living things with lesson 3 on classifying plants. Our chapter 3 test will be next Wed. Dec. 16th. A study guide will be sent home later this week- you can also view it HERE!

Writing- I could not be prouder of our class' hard work and dedication to these historical research reports- I cannot wait to celebrate their published pieces tomorrow! Check out the writing tab for the Informational Writing Checklist that we use to evaluate our work.  Portfolios will come home tomorrow for you to celebrate your student's work and compare it against the checklist as a self-evaluation. Portfolios are due back with a signature by Friday.

We will spend some time later this week and next week looking into an informational writing performance task to wrap up our unit. We will look at multiple texts on a similar topic (the Transcontinental railroad), answer research questions, and write a final informational piece showing all that we have learned about this genre!

Math- This week we are dividing decimals by decimals and dividing by powers of 10 (ask your student about the song "Swoop, there it is!" and also the decimal dance!) We will be reviewing chapters 5 and 6 on Thursday, Friday, and Monday. Our ch. 5/6 test will be next Tue. Dec. 15th. We will work on a study guide in class this week.

Reading- We have been enjoying spending extra time reading aloud The Boy in the Striped Pajamas really discussing the author's perspective on the Holocaust, discussing our own opinions on the time period as well as interpreting the main character Bruno's perspective.

Social Studies- We are finishing up our study on the Age of Exploration as we discuss Spanish conquests and New Spain.

Dates/Reminders-

12/9- Early Release

12/9- Published research report celebration!

12/15- Ch. 5/6 Math Test

12/16- Caroling Field Trip & Ch. 3 Science Test

12/17- Winter Party

Christmas is here!(Well almost.)

Thank you to EVERYBODY who brought in an ornament for the tiny tree in the little tiny corner that we love! (Thanks Lila and thanks Miles for the awesome tree skirt!)

Look at all the colorful ornaments that everybody brought in!

Crazy hair day!

Today was crazy hair day!

Thank you everyone who brought $1 to help are helping hands campaign!

We are loving the hair and we might even have a contest to see who has the craziest hair!

Publish is Popular in this class

Writing our Report on historical events!

Pictures from today!

Sammie and Olivia reading! Olivia on left reading the water castle and Sammie reading out of the dust!

Thank you for everyone who brought in a puzzle! We are working on them a ton!

Oh wait! That's Jeremy putting in the last piece!

And also remember to bring an ornament for the class tree!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

The holiday season is finally here!
Let's bring into our classroom some holiday cheer.
We have a beautiful tree (thanks Lila!), but it's awfully bare.
So how about you bring in an ornament to share?!
The ornament you bring can be big or quite small,
It could be an angel, reindeer, or even a basketball.
Please bring in an ornament that represents you,
And all of your classmates will bring in one too.
Oh, how beautiful those ornaments will be!
They surely will light up our tree.
Thank you for sharing your special ornament with us.
If you don't have one to share, it's really no fuss!

(Ornaments will be returned before we leave for break.)

This Week in Room 33! Nov. 30- Dec. 4

This week we are discussing random acts of kindness and how we can take small moments to do kind things for others, even strangers! Ask your student what their thoughts are on the following video (we watched this in class today). Enjoy!

This week...

Science: In our science workshop, students will be able to explain how animals are classified based on their characteristics.

Writing: This week we are revising, editing, and publishing their 2nd research report. We will be celebrating our finished work on Wed. Dec. 9th!

Math: This week in math, we are working on multiplying decimals by powers of 10, problem solving by looking at patterns, multiplication properties, estimating quotients, and dividing decimals by whole numbers. 

Social Studies: We are comparing and contrasting the first European and Spanish explorers.

Reading:  We are looking at comparing and contrasting what authors say and how they say it by looking at a variety of texts on the same topic. We will focus on how readers don't just think about information in a text, they also try and figure out the perspective of the author of the text and how they may be swaying you to think a certain way.

Dates/Reminders-

12/2-5 Book Fair 

12/5- Concord Winter Festival

12/9- Early Release

12/9- Published research report due

    

Time to Publish

Robotics in library!

Today in library we used Lego programmable robots! We had software on a computer and we plugged it in to the USB port. In the past days of library we have been doing coding so that trained us to program the robots. We had so much fun using Lego programable robots in library!

New topics in reading

Synthesizing is the BEST

Awesome teacher reads a awesome book

The best book ever!!!!!

This Week in Room 33! Nov. 23-24

I hope everyone enjoys their time off with family and friends! I am so very thankful for my job and getting to spend every day teaching and learning from your children! Thank YOU for all your time and support at home!

Here's what to expect this SHORT 2-day week in 5th grade:

Science- We are wrapping up lesson 1 on classifying organisms!

Writing- We are finishing up our drafts for our research report on historical events. Our goal is for our readers to to think "Whoa!" We are elaborating by blending facts with our thoughts and teaching about our event like it's a story to make it more powerful to our readers. We will also focus on text features and our introductions/conclusions. After Thanksgiving break, we will be revising, editing, and beginning to publish!

Math- We are multiplying decimals with and without hands-on models (base-ten blocks). 

Reading- We are continuing to read nonfiction with a focus on synthesizing and noticing small details and big ideas within nonfiction texts.

Social Studies- We will continue studying Europeans arriving in the Americas and the conquest of the Americas. 

Dates/Reminders-

11/25-11/27 Thanksgiving Break! 

12/2-5 Book Fair

12/5- Concord Winter Festival

40 BOOK CHALLENGE COMPLETE

Sam finished his 40 book challenge!!!!!

This Week in Room 33! Nov. 16-20

Thank you for participating in the "Chains of Thankfulness"! We are loving them! :)

What to expect this week...

Science- Our weather test will be on Wednesday! Students can use their textbooks and study guide (pink sheet in their folders) to help them prepare. Click HERE for the study guide! After weather, we will begin our study on classifying organisms (chapter 3).

Writing- This week we are drafting our research reports by organizing our research into sections, focusing on our structure, multiple points of view, and creating cohesion among each part. 

Math- We are wrapping up chapter 5 on adding and subtracting decimals and beginning chapter 6 on multiplying and dividing decimals. We will have a test at the end of chapter 6! 

Reading- We are continuing to focus on reading complex nonfiction with lessons on approaching texts as experts, writing about reading in nonfiction, lifting the level of questions to drive research forward, and synthesizing across subtopics. Students are encouraged to read nonfiction in addition to their fiction books. Check out the awesome websites in the reading tab!

Social Studies- This week we are studying Europeans arriving in the Americas and the conquest of the Americas. 

Dates/Reminders:

Tue. 11/17- PTG Meeting in Library

Please join us at 7:00 p.m. for general information about all the exciting events being offered by our PTG and to learn about all of the exciting lessons going on in our library Makerspace.   You will not want to miss this event.  Students will be leading sessions on Osmo, legos, coding, and snap circuits.

Wed. 11/18- Early Release, Science Weather Test

Giving Tree 2015

Our giving tree is a wonderful opportunity for you to provide clothing, toys, gifts, and gift cards specific to our Helping Hands families.  Click this link to our digital Giving tree learn more.  There are still lots of spots available.

Helping Hands Week 3: Cleaning Products

Families, you are doing an amazing job of supporting our Helping Hands project.  Please bring in items such as bleach, window cleaner, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, sponges, disinfecting wipes, etc.  Thank you!

Winter Festival: Teacher Raffle

Here is the document for the exciting teacher raffle.  Feel free to download and print additional tickets to win lunch with a Concord Staff member.

Firsthand and Secondhand accounts

We have been learning about firsthand and secondhand accounts in reading!

A firsthand account is someone who experienced that time period.

A secondhand account is someone who did research on that time period and is telling the research they found.

Can you guess what is more reliable? If you guessed firsthand your right!

We Love Library!

This Week in Room 33! Nov. 9-13

Helping Hands Week 2: Paper products.  We are so proud of all the amazing donations that students have already sent in.  This week we will be collecting paper products such as toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, plates, etc.  Keep up the great work!

What to expect this week...

Science- We are completing our study of weather this week with lesson 5 on climate. Our chapter 7 test on weather will be next Wed., Nov. 18th. Click HERE for a study guide! 

Writing- We are so excited to begin work on our 2nd research report! For this report, students have chosen a historical event to research. Students are working together within teams as they research and discuss new learning and ideas about their historical event and it's impact on the world! 

Our class has chosen the following topics- World War II, the Holocaust, the escape from Alcatraz, the Black Plague, the sinking of the Titanic, the Wright brothers first flight, and the story behind the Star Spangled Banner! 

Math- We are diving into chapter 5 this week- adding and subtracting decimals! Students will bring home their leader binders to share with you their chapter 3/4 test and their new ALEKS goal.

Reading- We are continuing our work on reading complex nonfiction, identifying main idea/supporting details and summarizing. We are also combining reading with writing as we read nonfiction sources for our research report!

Social Studies- Students will be bringing their Native American projects home on Thursday! We are continuing our study on the age of exploration.

Dates/Reminders-

Wed., Nov. 11: 9:00 a.m. Veterans Day Assembly

Fri., Nov. 13: Picture Retakes

DOC's Mom's Night Out is happening on Friday, November 13th 6-9PM! Only $5/child. Register here: http://dadsofconcord.org/moms-night-out/

Concord Spirit Wear November 2015 Order Form   Please submit form and make payment by PayPal or by sending money to school.  DEADLINE TO ORDER IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH. Orders that have not received payment, will not be filled. You should expect to have items come home by the week of December 14th. All orders will be delivered before the holiday break.

Wed., Nov. 18: Science Weather Test, Early Release

Chain of Thankfulness

Chain of Thankfulness

Dear Families,

It is a great time of year to reflect on how lucky we are and think about what we are thankful for. Today, your child has brought home strips of construction paper for members of your family to fill out. We are creating a chain of thankfulness for our classroom and we would love for you to join us!

Please write one thing you are thankful for on the strip of paper with your name on the back. This is not a required assignment, but more so a fun way to involve you in our classroom.

If I don’t see you before the break, I hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday with friends and family! Thank you for your time and hope to see some links come back soon!

Mrs. Schaefer

Buddies!

Check out this album! Showing off our Native American projects on Friday and prioritizing activity last month---

New read-aloud!

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

New Social Media Leader

new social media leaders!!!!

Charlie and Eli!

Native American Presentations!

Check out our Native American Google presentations by clicking HERE! 

This Week in Room 33! Nov. 2-6

Party on the Playground:

Please join us in celebrating the grand opening of our Concord playground.  We will have 2 food trucks if you would like to purchase dinner or feel free to bring your own.  We will have a special guest, 5^th grader Miles Hoffmann from the C-PLAY team, to lead us in our ribbon cutting celebration.  We will also enjoy music from Mr. Joe Gassel.  This should be a fun way to celebrate our new addition

When: Monday, November 2, 2015

Time: 5:00-7:00

Where: Concord Playground

Food Trucks: 

• The Meltdown serving soups and sandwiches for purchase.
• Walk Away Waffles (cash only): Fresh fruit and flavors mixed right into the waffles.

What to expect this week in 5th grade...

Science- We will focus on lesson 4 within our chapter on weather (ch. 7 in textbook) as we answer the question-- How do clouds and precipitation form? 

Writing- We will finish up our 1st research report on our Native American tribes. Check out the writing tab to see the writing checklists we use in class and to assess our work. We will celebrate our finished pieces on Friday! 

Reading- We will continue to focus on reading complex nonfiction texts as we think about a text's structure and summarizing.

Math- This week we will finish our last lesson of this unit on problem solving by solving simpler problems within a complex multi-step problem. Our test on division will be this Thursday. It will cover chapters 3 and 4 of our textbook (dividing by 1- and 2-digit divisors). Don't forget about the online math textbook! There is a video in the math page explaining how to access it from home. 

Social Studies- I couldn't be PROUDER of our Native American projects! Wow! I was SO impressed! I will be posting the google presentations on the blog this week. Also, if you are able to, feel free to check out the models on display in the library- they are outstanding! 

This week we will begin our study of chapter 3 on the age of exploration! We will focus on the importance of previewing a nonfiction text's features to help aid in understanding the content. 

Dates/Reminders-

Mon., Nov. 2:

• Helping Hands Campaign begins-Food collection week
• Party on the Playground 5:00-7:00 p.m

Fri., Nov. 6: 

• Building Assistant Day
• Jingles for Jammies
• Adult Trivia Night 7:00 p.m.

Wed., Nov. 11: 9:00 a.m. Veterans Day Assembly

Halloween Fun & Native American Projects!

Check out the album below with pictures from our day! Thank you to Mrs. Huffman and all the parents for organizing and helping with the Halloween party- everyone had so much fun! :)

This Week in Room 33! Oct. 26-29

What a busy week with conferences! Keeping this short and sweet! :)

Science- We are completing our work in lesson 3 on the causes of weather. Does your student know these words- meteorologist, barometric pressure, atmosphere, anemometer, weather vane, temperature, humidity, and hygrometer? 

Writing- We are working hard on our research reports on our Native American tribe. We are focusing on writing as historians do with geography in mind. We are also making sure we are including our thoughts and ideas in addition to the facts we have learned through our research!

Reading- We are learning how nonfiction texts are getting more complex as we are moving up in reading levels- the main ideas are implicit and the vocabulary is more difficult. We are learning strategies to overcome these challenges!

Math- We are dividing this week with greater numbers. Our chapter 3/4 test will be next Thursday, Nov. 5.

Social Studies- We have been busy working on our Google slides presentations for our Native American projects. The project is due Thursday (model and Google slides). I can't wait for students to share their hard work!

Reminders/Dates-

Thurs. Oct. 29- Pumpkin Run and Halloween Party (Schedule in picture above)

Fri. Oct. 30- No School

Wed. Nov. 11- Veteran's Day Assembly

Amazing iMovies!

iDiscover with Grandparents!

It was SO fun having grandparents visit our school and see all the awesome things the kids are doing! All 5th graders participated and I couldn't be prouder of all their hard work! Grandparents got to visit our iMovie theater, use snap circuits, Legos, play music with fruit using Makey Makey, and visit our new outdoor reading lounge!