Glimpses of Learning

 The week flew by as we continue to thrive and blossom in our classroom.  We have continued to practice for our Math Ricas testing.  We are creating a slide presentation in Science, we are continuing our Wonders reading and working on our Wax Museum presentations and reports.

I can almost smell the ocean, as that is where I will be spending most of my summer days, but first we have lots of end of the  year activities to do.  I am eagerly awaiting the wax museum presentations, especially because this is our first year back, due to Covid restrictions.  I know that there is a  theme/spirit week being planned by our 5th grade student council.  Field day will be held, and many other events are being planned.  

Research/Science/ Social Studies:

The children are working collaboratively on Science reports.  They are creating a slide presentation about animal's eyes.  They have read articles and are now going to finish up this week with presenting their slides to their classmates.

They are individually creating their own slide presentation after gathering all the important information.  They are very focused and you can see it in their faces as I walk around and monitor what they are putting together.

Reveal Math:

While we are focusing on Ricas testing coming up, (Tuesday and Wednesday, we are still working on Division and how to create equal groups, partial products and dividing with multiples of 10, 100 and 1,000.  Station Rotations are also happening in Math.  Children are visiting each station and working on the particular task.  There were many games found in Reveal that had to do with the lessons we did.  The children enjoy the stations and some of these particular games challenged many of them.  It was great to see how they figured out the answers or how they helped one another find an answer.

Student of the Month Virtual Assembly and STAR Time

The children and I love the student of the month assembly and seeing all of the names on the screen and also learning who the top Lexia winners are in each classroom.  I was also able to meet with all of the students on Friday and conference with them.  We discussed new goals for the month and data points that we discussed include IXL, Lexia, Zones of Regulation, days absent and total number of Star Bucks that we gained for the month.  It is a great opportunity to discuss progress and any concerns they have around their learning.  

Trait of the Month:

For the month of April the children worked on the trait of Responsibility.  Many were able to show it among themselves and with others. For the Month of May we are going to focus around:

Reminders:

• Tuesday and Wednesday we will be administering the Math Ricas Assessment
• The children should be working on their trifold and getting their outfit together for the Live Was Museum.
• With the nice weather, please make sure your child is wearing appropriate shoes for when they are outside at recess or even inside.  Closed shoes should be worn.

We Are in the Home Stretch Now

 Another fast and wonderful week is in the books.  We are continuing to blossom and prepare for the final stretch of the school year.  We are still reviewing for Math Ricas.  The children are working on the Wax Museum project and everything is falling into place so that we can end the year strong.  End of the year activities are being planned and the children are spreading their wings to show us how independent and responsible they have become.  

Wonders:

We are on Unit 5 of Wonders and are reading about how children/people help others out.  We read the story about Sadie and her disability and are continuing with it this upcoming week.  We are discussing visualizing and making inferences using details and clues from the story.  

 

Our grammar lessons have been about comparing with adjectives.  

Amplify Science:

We have finshed up chapter 1 and 2 of Unit 2 with Vision and Light.  The children enjoy the simulations that the program provides to us.  They are also enjoying reading together with partners and making discoveries as they read from the books that we have for each unit.

They have read about different eyes that animals have and how they function for their survival.

Reveal Math:

We are learning about Division and continuing with practice for our upcoming Math Ricas testing.  This will be happening the first week of May.  We are using the UPS strategy to help us solve problems, we are showing what we know and we are touching upon some of the Ricas released items so that the children are prepared.

They enjoy helping each other out in groups and working on problems as a team.  It is great to see them helping each other out when they are "stuck" or don't remember the way to answer a question.  

Social Studies:

The children are doing a lot of research on famous Rhode Islanders so that they are ready for the Live Wax Museum that is taking place on May 24th.  The children will be presenting to the other students and teachers throughout the day.  I am so excited that this is finally back.  We had to put it on hold through the Covid pandemic but now they are ready to go.  They are working on the written report and their speeches.  We have discussed what needs to be on their trifold and all about timelines.  I am super excited to see their final products.  

They will be set up throughout the classrooms and in the hallways for them to show off who they researched.

Some famous Rhode Islanders pictured below will be represented in our showcase.

On Thursday, the 20th of April, The Family Engagement Team put on the first annual Books for Bingo Night.  The kids were super excited and the faculty got into it also.  There were door prizes and books to be won when they got a Bingo.  

Here's to another full week ahead of more learning and discovery.  We are also in the process of planning Field Day and Star Conferences.  It's hard to believe that we are already into the month of May in just one week.  Planning the end of the year activities is bringing us closer to the end of this school year. How did we get here so fast?