Week Four Recap

Hello 5D Families and Friends!

What a week we have had. The students are all fully into the swing of things and have gotten acclimated to the routines, expectations and academics of fifth grade. Here are a few events from our week. 

• We met with our second grade reading buddies this week. We partner up with Ms. Riley's Giraffe class.
• We started our Reader Response homework. Folders with a parent letter explaining how this will work were sent home on Tuesday. Please let me know if you have any questions. 
• In math class, the students worked on a two day open response question all about measurement in feet and inches with area. 
• We began our first Social Studies unit about Africa, the Americas and European exploration. Together with 5H, we learned about the five themes of geography through a very catchy song.
• Through Reader's and Writer's Workshop, all students have worked diligently in raising the level of their writing about reading. In partnerships, students examined other's writing to determine some positive attributes. 
• We completed another round of fact ladders and then noticed improvement in our time and amount of facts done correctly!

Here are some questions to promote school talk for this week.

1. What are some strategies you learned to find ideas for small moment stories?
2. What are the five themes of Geography?
3. What is the book you are currently reading on your own in school?
4. Have you been writing level two or three sticky notes? 
5. In math, how did you figure out who was correct on the open response? 

In closing, I'd love to share a video all about how math looks different from when we were all in school. Enjoy! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Shannon 

http://www.mathplusacademy.com/heres-why-math-is-taught-differently-now/

Being Silly

Class Picture

Week Three Recap

Our first five day week was a success... even with the heat!  Speaking of heat, make sure your child has a bottle of water each and every day.  After P.E. on Friday, every student needed time to hydrate and cool down.

Here's a few things we did this week...

• We've continued to work in math workshop.  Unit 1 of EDM is all about measurement, area and volume using fractions.  Students are working hard to convert fractions greater than one (aka improper fractions) to mixed numbers.  We have also worked on converting inches to feet and vice versa.  Ms. Craig's class came in to observe the 5D students working diligently in math workshop centers.

• We launched Writer's Workshop with the help of Mrs. Fitzgerald, the Reading Specialist.  We discussed what Writer's Workshop sounds like, feels like and looks like then started generating ideas for stories.  Once we started sharing exciting stories from our lives, the students' enthusiasm was infectious! 

• We celebrated Dot Day on Tuesday with a whole school morning meaning where Mr. Fosher read The Dot to all of us.  We then went outside and formed a dot as a whole school.

• On Tuesday afternoon, we worked as a whole fifth grade as groups circulated through the five classrooms for some Dot Day activities.

• We've continued to read The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart.  It's an amazing story about a boy who is dying of cancer and is determined to climb Mt. Rainier if it's the last thing he does.  Through this read-aloud, we have worked to think deeply about writing sticky notes in response to our reading.

• I sent home Scholastic Book Club information.  Orders are due on 9/24.  Ordering online is fast and easy!  

Thank you to all who came out for Curriculum Night last Thursday!  As I promised that night, here is a link to an excellent site that has great ideas for books at different ages and levels.

http://imaginationsoup.net/2015/05/summer-reading-list-for-kids/

Here's to a cooler week ahead!

Mrs. DeLello

Dot Day Tomorrow!

One last thing.... tomorrow is Dot Day and we will be celebrating it as a whole school.  If your child has any clothing with dots on it, please have them wear it tomorrow!  Thanks!

Some Pictures from Our Week

Week Two Recap

Hello Families and Friends of 5D!

I cannot believe this is only the end of week two.  Already I feel like I know all your children so well. They are working incredibly hard each and every day.... and with all this HEAT!  Thank you to Charlie for sharing some delicious popsicles with all of us on Tuesday.  What a treat!

Here is some important information...

Curriculum Night: Curriculum Night will be next Thursday, September 17th from 6:30-7:30.  For the first half hour we will meet in the classroom. For the last half hour, all 5th grade parents will go to the library for further information about fifth grade.

Homework:  You may have noticed I assigned some homework this week.  I will normally assign homework only Monday through Thursday.  As a busy mom of two, I'm thankful to spend every minute of the weekend with my own children.  Each night I will assign reading and math.  About two nights a week I will assign some type of writing.  Homework should take about 50 minutes per night.  If you find it's taking longer, please have your child talk to me first.  We will work together to make a plan.

Agenda:  Each day all students fill in his/her agenda book.  I don't sign these and am not requiring you to sign unless I notice a student is having a hard time getting homework in on time.

To Contact me: The best way is to email me at sdelello@sau16.org.  You can always call school (772-5413 ext. 166) or include a note in your child's folder.

Supplies (if you have them to donate):  The following is a list of things we could use if you have them to donate.  Tissues, paper towels, spoons, forks, small sandwich bags, hand soap, clothespins.

And finally, if your child is anything like mine, I need prompting questions to get ANY information out of him about school!

Questions To Promote School Talk

• What was the activity you played at morning meeting this week?
• How were each of your related arts classes this week? (They finally had Maker Lab and Art.)
• What kind of writing did you do this week?
• Tell me more about using the order of operations to answer questions about yourself.
• Tell me about playing the math games called "24", Factor Football and Salute.

I look forward to seeing all of you at Curriculum Night on the 17th at 6:30 pm!

Sincerely,

Mrs. DeLello

Artifact Museum Pics!

We have had a fantastic first week!  I'm extremely proud of all the students.  They have done a great job with all the routines of our day.

Questions to Promote School Talk

• What is the book Mrs. D is reading to all of you and what do you think of it?
• Did you and your group save Fred the worm?
• How did your groups do with the stacking cups activity?
• How were PE, Music and Library this week?
• During the Artifact Museum tour of all classrooms, which artifacts surprised you?

We will be working on a personal project next week.  I've told all the students to bring in pictures of people, things they love, activities they like etc to be used in this project.  These will be debuted at OPEN HOUSE!

Open House is on Thursday, September 17th from 6:30-7:30.  We will meet in the classroom at 6:30-7 and then all fifth grade parents will go to the Library at 7.

Thank you again for sharing your wonderful children with me!  Enjoy these next four days!

First Week Complete!