October Newsletter

Dear Parents of Room 286,

I hope you and your families are settled into the new school year. It was so nice to see so many of you during Curriculum Night. Fifth grade is off to a busy start! Our students have already been showing that they are responsible by taking on new responsibilities as the role models of Fiske School. We are looking forward to the first all-5th grade class trip to Project Adventure in Beverly on October 15^th where we will participate in various activities to promote team building, listening and leadership skills. Stay tuned for a report on our trip next month!

Below is an update on some other things we have been doing and learning in fifth grade.

Morning Meeting

Our Morning Meetings have been a wonderful way to begin each day. We begin with a greeting, then a teacher message, sharing, and then a group activity. I think the students really value this part of our day. I feel that it makes a tremendous impact and helps to create a positive classroom climate. Please ask your children about some of the greetings and group activities. They are simple but fun!

Math

We started this year with “Inspirational Math” in collaboration with Mrs. Rawding, our math specialist. The first two activities, Pascal’s Triangle and the Four 5s, challenged the students to problem-solve, find number patterns and most importantly, take risks. There were many “aha” moments as the students continued exploring and discovering new strategies and solutions. Additionally, we have been reviewing concepts related to Number Theory: factors and multiples, rules of divisibility, prime and composite numbers, exponents and square numbers. We are currently in the midst of our unit on Numbers and Operations in Base 10: Decimals, Place Value and Computation. Students are adding and subtracting with whole numbers and decimals to the thousandths place. Place value understanding is extremely important, thus students are being presented with various math activities, challenges and games to reinforce their understanding of place value. We are also learning how to write numbers in expanded form, rounding decimals, and how to convert units of measurement in the Metric system. A consistent classroom practice throughout our math lessons is to have students explain their thinking, connections they make, and their problem-solving strategies.

Reading

During Reading, the first few weeks were spent setting up our Readers’ Workshops, introducing routines, expectations and reading partners. Now we are launching Interpretation Book Clubs. Students are learning to recognize (and “fix”) when the meaning has been lost. The are learning more sophisticated skills, as well, such inferring themes and analyzing significant parts of the story. Through the book clubs, students will become aware that authors choose specific techniques that affect the meaning of the story, something they may never have thought about before. Students will be expected to provide text evidence and specific text quotes to support their thinking. All of this occurs through whole class lessons, independent reading, teacher conferences, partner and whole class discussions, “quick jots,” and various forms of written responses, and read-alouds.

Writing

We started 5th grade with “Writing Bootcamp.” This is a review of various writing skills and mechanics that are important, and will be reinforced, as students edit their writing throughout the year. We are now in the midst of our narrative writing unit, and students are writing small moment stories. They are learning how to raise the level of their writing using story arcs, developing their message or theme in a story, and adding flashbacks and flash-forwards to the story to make it stronger. Please ask your 5th grader to tell you their story, as storytelling is an important part of the writing process.

Social Studies

In Social Studies, in addition to creating our classroom rules and norms, we learned about the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the three branches of the US government, and the checks and balances that are in place - a very timely topic! This early introduction was in honor of Constitution Day on September 17th. We will circle back to these topics again at the end of the year when we study the American Revolution. We are starting our first science unit, Ecosystems, early October!

Fifth Grade Responsibilities

In other news, we started our bus buddy responsibilities, and have been working hard to get the kindergarteners and first graders to their dismissal locations on time! We have also had the honor and privilege of sitting in chairs at our All School Meetings, helping keep the younger students quiet and attentive during the assembly. This is what some 5th graders have been looking forward to for years!

Student Council elections are coming up this week, so some 5th graders are busy writing and practicing election speeches. We will choose 2 representatives from each classroom to work on the Student Council. Thanks to Ms. Fenzel and Ms. Gobiel for working with the 5th graders on the Council!

Thank you for such a great beginning to this school year. Your children are a joy to be with every day!

Please never hesitate to contact me about questions, concerns, or thoughts.

Lisa Williams