Friday 10/6/17

Here are a few highlights from the past week:

  • In Reading Workshop, all students are enjoying their independent reading books. They get time to read in class each day after a mini-lesson from me. This week we had to take a step back and review the check-in and check-out procedure of books as well as recording them in their reading records. We also spent time sharing current reading books. They all know they should be reading each night at home too. More to come on this.
  • Our Outdoor Learning this week was a field trip to Gibou Gardens in Hardwick. This is a local farm that Chef Guyette has been working with to get produce for lunches. While we were there we helped them pick and move pumpkins from their field. They had to be moved into a wagon, then to a trailer bed at the end of their long field. We also took time to pick and trim carrots and beets for the school. Lastly, we got a tour of some of their other growing areas, and we were able to smell and taste herbs! They thanked us by donating pumpkins for the annual Pumpkin Walk as well as enough for each 5/6er to take home a pumpkin!
  • We continued science AND math work with carrots. Students each picked their own carrot and collected data on the carrot. They also collected quantitative data on all the other carrots we picked. We compiled this data and began asking and answering questions, for example: Which carrot has the highest mass? Which carrot has the shortest length? What is the combined mass of all the carrots? etc... We also ranked the carrots, which gave students practice with comparing and ordering decimals.
  • We continued with our first read aloud book: Wonder, by RJ Palacio. It's about a 5th grade boy who has a severe facial deformity and is headed to school for the first time in his life. The book has some wonderful lessons about acceptance, different points of view, and choosing kindness. It's one of my favorite read alouds to start the year.
  • Every month or so, we switch up our regular Writing Workshop and do Poetry Workshop. In the beginning of the week we explored poetry books, found ones we liked, shared them, and discussed what we thought poetry was. Students spent the rest of the week working on our first poem called, Autumn Comes. They brainstormed ideas, read samples, and worked on their lines- adding sensory detail, strong verbs, and descriptive language. These will be finished next week.
  • Also this week, we dove into the world of Current Events. I use a website called Dogo News for articles that are written for younger readers. In pairs students read articles, answered questions, and planned a short presentation for the rest of the class. The three articles they read were about: self driving cars, a Harry Potter themed classroom, and the end of the Cassini spacecraft mission.
  • All students have begun weekly independent typing instruction, using typing.com. This involves lessons and games to help strengthen typing skills.
  • Students continued this week with "Friday Green Sheets". We've begun talking about the importance of reflection and the role it plays in learning... These Green Sheets will not only help students reflect on their week, but also will serve as a way to communicate some of that reflection to parents.
  • Also this week, we continued using SeeSaw, which is a digital portfolio designed for both self reflection on learning, but also as another way to communicate their learning to others. Look for posts at least once a week. They will get more involved as we learn more about the program. If you haven't signed up yet, be sure to!!!


Some upcoming dates, important notes, and things to look forward to in the coming weeks:

  • Picture Day- THIS Monday 10/9/17
  • Early Release Day for staff Professional Development- Wednesday 10/18/17
  • No School for staff Professional Development- Thursday 10/19/17 and Friday 10/20/17
  • PBIS Fundraiser- Uncle Jerry's T's order forms due Wednesday 10/25/17.
  • Fall Conferences- Tuesday 10/24/17- Friday 10/27/17 Mornings and Afternoons/Evenings
  • We are almost done with the benchmark testing.
        • I will be meeting with students one on one over the next two weeks to give our F&P reading assessment. Students read a short story (part of it is read aloud) then answer some questions about the reading.
  • In Reading Workshop, students will continue independent reading. We will also begin genre study and if time, book talks!
  • Now that we are done the Week of Inspirational Math, we will begin looking at math rotations and mapping out our plan for first units of study. I will be using the MAP data to help with this.
  • We will continue our carrot study:
        • Scientific observation and data collection.
        • Importance of precision in data collection.
        • Scientific drawing.
        • Data distribution and charts.
        • Asking questions and using those for Independent Learning about carrots.
        • Independent and/or group projects with the carrots which may include cooking and eating!
        • And more!
  • We will be doing Outdoor Learning this Wednesday afternoon. We will be on the Woodbury property this week.
  • We will continue generating ideas for writing in writing journals.
  • We finish writing the Autumn Comes poem and do some sort of illustration or visual for it.
  • We will begin some goal setting work for the year.
  • And much more!