Week of February 13-17th

Happy Friday to all of you!

I was in disbelief at yet ANOTHER SNOW DAY as well as a two hour delay!  Oh boy.  I've loved all the extra time with my own children, sledding, snowshoeing and crafting, but will be thrilled when winter is in our rear view mirror! This month has been brief with all our missed days and late starts. Here's to one more week until our February vacation.  March will be here before we know it!

SHARK TANK

This multifaceted project has taken up the majority of our time at school this past week.  Students worked together to build as a team.  Mrs. Loh and I then modeled a horrific Shark Tank presentation versus a dynamic one.  Students took note to include the following in their presentation...

• Shark Greeting
• Brief Introduction
• Set the scene for why their product is needed
• Name the product and include the slogan
• Showcase the product (with the PMI scale as well as demonstration)
• Ask for a certain amount on money based on a percentage
• Capture Sharks in the end

After two days of script writing, teachers along with paras gave specific feedback after groups practiced.  Some groups needed help putting enthusiasm into their pitch while others needed to fine tune the flow of their script and include other important information.  On Monday and Tuesday, we will act like Sharks (we will be brutal) so the students will be ready for Wednesday! 

Please join us in the cafeteria this Wednesday, February 22nd at 1:15 for our SHARK TANK presentations!

Here are some pictures from our Valentine Breakfast with our Buddies.  We had a delightful time with the Koalas!

Some Shark Tank Action pictures!

Important Dates

• Author of Luck Uglies, Paul Durham visits on Tuesday, February 21st
• Shark Tank Presentations: Wednesday, February 22nd
• Museum of Science visits: Friday, February 24th
• Winter Break, 2/27-3/3

Week of 2/6-2/10

Wow, what a snowy week we had!  I cannot believe the time we had off plus two delays!  I hope you enjoyed the time with your kiddos.  This cold month of February is going by fast!  Here's a recap of our short week...

BEFORE I FORGET!!!!  Make sure your child brings in snowpants, boots, hats and mittens on Monday.  Ms. Locke will be taking the kids out to snowshoe for PE.  Unfortunately if they forget their gear, they miss out.

In MATH, students..

• began Unit 8, multiplication and division of fractions!
• worked with manipulatives to find fractions of a whole number
• worked on graphing on a coordinate grid
• challenged themselves to work in all four quadrants of a coordinate grid

In LITERACY, students...

• worked on MixBooks and Research Books
• Blogged, free wrote and read 

In Engineering, students...

• chose something to redesign
• constructed a PMI chart
• created a name and slogan
• worked on a design specification
• sketched and started building

Important Information:

• A class Valentine's Celebration will take on February 14th
• Early Release: February 15th
• Puberty Talk with Nurse Lily: February 16th and 17th
• Author of Luck Uglies, Paul Durham visits on Tuesday, February 21st
• Shark Tank Presentations: Wednesday, February 22nd
• Museum of Science visits: Friday, February 24th
• Winter Break, 2/27-3/3

Until Monday, have a wonderful weekend!

Shannon

Week of 1/30-2/3

Happy weekend to all of you!

Report cards went home yesterday.  Make sure to look it over with your child.  Here's a little of what we did this week.  Also, you can find important dates that are coming up.  Thanks!

*Math:

•   Continued working on our bakery project (adding and subtracting fractions)
• Reviewed for and took our unit test on Wednesday
• Took a pre-assessment for our upcoming unit (multiplying and dividing fractions)

*Literacy:

• Used MixBooks to begin bringing our nonfiction research reports to life
• I will be doing a bulk purchase for those of you who are interested next week.  I will send an email home with the price that the book will cost.  They typically are anywhere from $10-$15 dollars depending on the number of pages. 

*Social Studies:

• Completed scripts/pictures for colony presentations
• Presented live infomercials to the class on Thursday

*Science:

• Explored different types engineers, what engineers do, what characteristics engineers need to have and the process they go through
• Explored the PMI rating to assess various objects in the classroom
• Visited four different engineering centers: marking & cutting, joining, sketching and strengthening
• Began brainstorming everyday objects that groups could redesign for their Shark Tank pitch

*Important Information:

• A class Valentine's Celebration will take on February 14th
• Early Release: February 15th
• Puberty Talk with Nurse Lily: February 16th and 17th
• Author of Luck Uglies, Paul Durham visits on Tuesday, February 21st
• Shark Tank Presentations: Wednesday, February 22nd
• Museum of Science visits: Friday, February 24th
• Winter Break, 2/27-3/3

*Buddy Stem Challenge (Pictures Below): Given a bag of random supplies, each buddy pair/trio was asked to create a bicycle.  Check out their creations!

Pairs matching inventors with their invention and date of creation

Students working in pairs with the PMI scale
P = + (pluses) M = - (minuses) I = improvements

Engineering Stations

Week of January 23-27

Hello 5D Families,

We had a fantastic four day week with an unexpected snow day thrown in!  From Trashketball to STEMbassadors to extra BIRTHDAY recess and Colony WeVideos, the students worked hard and enjoyed themselves in the process!

In MATH, we...

• We learned how to add/subtract mixed numbers with different denominators
• Regrouped with subtraction of fractions from a whole number
• Regrouped with mixed numbers with unlike denominators
• Used Khan Academy to help our learning
• Figured out what homework each of the students needed to help themselves on Thursday

In LITERACY, we

• Introduced how the students will use their research report to make something amazing
• Worked one on one with Mrs. DeLello and Mrs. Bastille to edit our writing
• Worked in groups with our spelling words
• Worked in teams to practice spelling

In SOCIAL STUDIES, we

• Debated about possible theories of what happened with Roanoke using evidence
• Partnered up to create a We Video informercial to encourage people to move to each colony

Something BIG is coming up this February!

5D and 5L will be hosting our very own SHARK TANK as part of our Engineering unit.  Part of this unit requires students to sketch, build, cut and combine items.  Please check your recycling bins and send in containers, paper, cardboard, cans, water bottles and anything else kids could use to cut, combine and construct.  Send them in as early as this Monday through Wednesday.  We will use the materials on Wednesday afternoon.  

Daddy/Daughter Dance is on Friday, February 10th!  Please let me know if you didn't get a sign up sheet.

Report Cards go home on 2/3/17

Chorus beginning in early February on Fridays

Band switching to Tuesdays on 1/31/17

Early Release 2/15/17

SHARK TANK 2/22/17 1:20-2:55

Winter Break 2/27/17 - 3/3/17

I hope you have a restful and relaxing weekend!  Until Monday....

Shannon

Trashketball

Happy Birthday to Chad and Channie!

More Trashketball...

STEMbassadors visit from UNH

Build an amusement park ride that will be fun, fast and safe!

Week of January 16-20

Happy weekend to all of you!

We accomplished a ton in four short days!  Here's a glimpse into our week...

• The students took a pre-assessment for our next unit on adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with unlike denominators.  On Thursday the students impressed me with their multi-step understanding of finding the LCD, then changing each fraction using the LCD, adding/subtracting and putting their answer in simplest form!  This unit will continue for a few weeks and then we will move into multiplication and division of fractions!

• Editing was a huge part of our week in literacy.  I modeled being an effective self-editor.  It's really hard to look at/critique your own writing!  Then Mrs. Bastille and I modeled peer editing.  As you can see from the pictures below, the students worked diligently to raise the level on their writing!

• Students are working in groups to research the theories of what happened in Roanoke to prepare for a debate next week.  They took a spelling/colony location quiz on Friday.

• We had our first "Social Hour" with 5L.  This is a time we talk about more social and emotional issues.  We noticed students asking questions about CMS so our first talk focused on that transition.  The kids were really honest about their nervousness and asked a ton of great questions.  I'm hopeful that through talking the students will feel less anxious about this transition!

Important Dates

Report Cards go home on 2/3/17
Chorus beginning in early February on Fridays
Band switching to Tuesdays on 1/31/17
Early Release 2/15/17
Winter Break 2/27/17 - 3/3/17

Looking at the Roanoke theories and evidence

Peer Editing Partners

Self and Peer Editing Revisions

Enjoy your weekend.  Until Monday....

Shannon

Week of January 9-13, 2017

Happy Friday to all!

Well, we worked diligently this five-day week.  Here's what went on in 5D!

• The students worked on decimals, fraction and percents as well as reviewing our other math concepts.  The students took an assessment on Thursday and played games on Friday with 5L.  
• In literacy the students worked on research and then flash drafted using all their tools from the first research report.  On Thursday the students worked on identifying different text structures in an article.  This will come in handy as they write using these text structures!
• We started our next social studies unit on colonization.  We began discussing what a colonist and colony are.  We also looked at push and pull reasons around colonization, then moved onto the mystery around Roanoke, the lost colony.  Ask your students all about it!  I've been impressed with how much they have used from our first unit to help them better understand this one!

Dates coming up!

No school this Monday! 1/16/17

Report Cards go home on 2/3/17
Chorus beginning in early February on Fridays
Band switching to Tuesdays on 1/31/17
Early Release 2/15/17
Winter Break 2/27/17 - 3/3/17

Enjoy your three day weekend!  Until Tuesday...

Shannon

Research and Flash Drafting

Sorting Push and Pull reasons in Social Studies

Week of January 3-6, 2017

Happy new year to all of you!

I hope the time you had over the holidays energized you as much as it did for me! I enjoyed so much quality time with my children skiing at Sunday River, playing some new games, getting outside as well as visiting extended family!

We had A LOT going on in this first week of 2017!  Here goes...

• In math we started a very short unit reviewing fractions. We talked about fractions as division and how to figure out what is being divided and how that is the numerator.  We changed mixed numbers to fractions greater than one (aka improper fractions).  We found equivalent fractions as well as ones in simplest form.  As you can see, it was a busy week in math!

• In literacy we completed our first research report to then set our sights high at raising the level of our next one.  Each student created a Mission Statement about their next piece.  In this, all students talked about their topic, sub topics, intended audience, text structures they will want to use as well as an order of their sub topics.  From here, we talked about finding a way to organize all the research that makes sense to our unique way of learning.  We finished the week researching to our heart's content!  There are a lot of tools your child has that he/she will be using throughout the rest of this unit.

• In Words Their Way new groups were formed based on an assessment I did before vacation.  My para Mrs. Bastille and I worked with each group to understand they way the words in each sort work.  Knowing the base word and rules will help each student grow as a speller.  There's a lot of conversations between students that add to the power of spelling!

• Project: NEW YEAR, NEW YOU! To celebrate fresh beginnings, the  students worked with mixed media to paint something to represent 2017.  Then we brainstormed some ideas of what the digits 2, 0, 1, 7 might represent.  They will be proudly displayed in our classroom!

• Have you heard about "DeLello Bootcamp"?  The start of the new year is also a perfect time to recenter students on how to be ready, caring and motivated students!  As a class we discussed 5th grade expectations and how we need to start thinking about life as a 6th grader.  Make sure to ask your child all about it!

Enjoy the weekend! Until Monday...

Shannon