We’re up and running in room 255 at Ivy Hill. My great new bunch of 5th graders are in the process of cementing their daily routines and schedules. It is very exciting to see they’re so ready to delve into their 5th grade year.
We are now into all of our units of study and homework has been getting sprinkled in steadily. I will be outlining and giving brief summaries of the classroom learning in my monthly blog communications. In addition, I will regularly post important happenings, student projects, class pictures and more with links on Twitter and via e-mail. Please check our class blog and calendar regularly to stay abreast of our ongoing learning.
WEX: We have started our first unit of study, narrative writing. with daily mini-lessons that focus on different aspects narrative writing such as focusing on one moment to better show details in descriptive writing. I have really enjoyed reading their first batch of writing samples and will work to continue to hone and develop these skills.
Reading: We have been talking about building good reading habits during our reading time. Students are learning to improve their reading stamina, and practice effective reading behaviors while reading independently or with someone else. Our first genre study for the month of September is realistic fiction. As part of the genre study, students will be asked to complete a report on their independent reading novel, which is due the end of September. We will be using the Comprehension Toolkit again this year to expand on their use of the reading strategies, starting off with monitoring our comprehension while reading. The reader’s response binder will be incorporated in conjunction to keep track of the books we’ve read, genres studied, response to literature, taking notes and logging in the books read during the school year. Thanks to everyone who brought in the additional binder and 5 tab dividers.
Math: We have started the first unit on number theory. This unit builds on students’ understanding of factors and products by working with rectangular arrays to better understand multiplication, practice factoring, introduce prime, composite and square number and introduce exponents and square roots concepts. In addition to our Everyday Math program, students have been working on their math facts, building their automaticity, speed and accuracy when recalling their basic math facts by completing timed tests in class and logging onto XtraMath daily. Students should spend about 10 to 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week, on XtraMath in addition to their daily homework time. It is essential that we have all these facts under our belt before proceeding to more complex units. Thank you for your support on the home front!
Science: In science, we are studying the human body and will look at the major body systems including the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, nervous and digestive system. This week, we created a model to represent a movable limb which students will be able to take home to share their understanding of how a limb moves with their families. They are loving the explorations, and more importantly, show their understanding of the important concepts and ideas through them.
While we will not begin social studies until we are done with the first science unit, we have started our daily oral geography, where students build their understanding of geography and current events through daily 5 minute exercises. While brief, DOG helps to build and expand on their current geographical understanding our our local and world communities.
I’m looking forward to a very busy and productive September. Stay tuned for upcoming links and happenings in our classroom via e-mail and our classroom blog.
We are now into all of our units of study and homework has been getting sprinkled in steadily. I will be outlining and giving brief summaries of the classroom learning in my monthly blog communications. In addition, I will regularly post important happenings, student projects, class pictures and more with links on Twitter and via e-mail. Please check our class blog and calendar regularly to stay abreast of our ongoing learning.
WEX: We have started our first unit of study, narrative writing. with daily mini-lessons that focus on different aspects narrative writing such as focusing on one moment to better show details in descriptive writing. I have really enjoyed reading their first batch of writing samples and will work to continue to hone and develop these skills.
Reading: We have been talking about building good reading habits during our reading time. Students are learning to improve their reading stamina, and practice effective reading behaviors while reading independently or with someone else. Our first genre study for the month of September is realistic fiction. As part of the genre study, students will be asked to complete a report on their independent reading novel, which is due the end of September. We will be using the Comprehension Toolkit again this year to expand on their use of the reading strategies, starting off with monitoring our comprehension while reading. The reader’s response binder will be incorporated in conjunction to keep track of the books we’ve read, genres studied, response to literature, taking notes and logging in the books read during the school year. Thanks to everyone who brought in the additional binder and 5 tab dividers.
Math: We have started the first unit on number theory. This unit builds on students’ understanding of factors and products by working with rectangular arrays to better understand multiplication, practice factoring, introduce prime, composite and square number and introduce exponents and square roots concepts. In addition to our Everyday Math program, students have been working on their math facts, building their automaticity, speed and accuracy when recalling their basic math facts by completing timed tests in class and logging onto XtraMath daily. Students should spend about 10 to 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week, on XtraMath in addition to their daily homework time. It is essential that we have all these facts under our belt before proceeding to more complex units. Thank you for your support on the home front!
Science: In science, we are studying the human body and will look at the major body systems including the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, nervous and digestive system. This week, we created a model to represent a movable limb which students will be able to take home to share their understanding of how a limb moves with their families. They are loving the explorations, and more importantly, show their understanding of the important concepts and ideas through them.
While we will not begin social studies until we are done with the first science unit, we have started our daily oral geography, where students build their understanding of geography and current events through daily 5 minute exercises. While brief, DOG helps to build and expand on their current geographical understanding our our local and world communities.
I’m looking forward to a very busy and productive September. Stay tuned for upcoming links and happenings in our classroom via e-mail and our classroom blog.