Thank you for your patience through the district's "cyber attack" and all of the side effects of it! We have been very busy in class and I wanted to give you an update!
1) Reading: We have finished our first round of book clubs! Students were put into groups based on their book preferences, they read independently while taking notes on important parts, and met to talk about their books in their groups with me over the last two weeks. The books that we read were all related to the theme "Caring and Compassion for Others." While the books were on the shorter side, they had highly thought-provoking topics. Here are some abbreviated summaries:
The Harmonica - This picture book is inspired by a true story of a young Jewish boy in Poland in 1939 during the Nazi invasion.
Kids at Work - Lewis Hine was a New York City schoolteacher who later became a pioneer and investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC). Because of his photographs, he was able to help enact legislation that changed modern working conditions for adults and children as well as enlighten the American people about a troubling reality most had never seen before.
Half a Man - In post-war London, young Michael dreaded visits from his semi-estranged grandfather. Michael’s parents cautioned him not to stare at his grandfather’s scars, but Michael couldn’t help stealing a glance and wondering what happened. By learning his grandfather’s story about the war and its aftermath, Michael forms a special bond with him.
Iqbal - This book is a fictionalized account of the real Pakistani boy, Iqbal, who is sold into bonded slavery by his parents and forced to work in deplorable conditions at a carpet factory. He inspires his friends to dream of a different future and helps break the cycle of generational poverty and child slavery.
We will be doing a second round of these books before moving on, allowing comparing and contrasting between two books and how they relate to the theme of the book club.
This week we also started our "Global Read Aloud" book, Front Desk. Thanks to Mr. Parker, our librarian, for arranging for this program for us!
Yesterday was our first official trip to our little buddies' first grade classroom. We were supposed to read with them last week, but the "bearpocalypse" kept us from going. I couldn't have been more proud of all of my students. They were patient, helpful, and friendly to all of these very excited little ones. They listened to their little buddies proudly read their books, and helped them when needed. I loved seeing the "big brothers" and "big sisters" come out in many of them, and I know that Ms. Vandebeld's class was over the moon to have all of the attention.
2) Writing: We have started our persuasive writing using a middle school curriculum from iCivics. Students are currently learning how to construct an argument, based on facts and evidence, using a scenario that may (or may not) violate children's freedom of expression in schools. Students are working on both sides of this argument, showing the importance of being able to see multiple perspectives on an issue. Later this month, students will be using these skills to write a persuasive essay on an item on this November's election ballot.
3) Social Studies: Related to this writing activity, we are also spending time learning about our federal government, the constitution, and the separation of powers. By learning about our federal government, I am hoping to set the stage to review about our state government in time for our trip to Olympia in February.
4) Science: I am so grateful to have one of my fabulous parent volunteers helping me prepare to start our science unit next week on Ecosystems!
One way that we will be enriching this unit is through the field trip permission slip that was sent home on either Thursday or Friday. This will be a **free** walking field trip to cottage lake park to learn about watersheds and the aquatic life that lives in them. Students must return this permission slip before our trip on Oct. 18th. If you need an extra copy of this paper, please email me!
We also did 2 STEM/Teamwork challenges this week! On Wednesday, groups worked together to move a platform with a "radioactive" 2 liter bottle (of seltzer water) from one place to another.
The ingenuity and teamwork shown for both of these tasks was highly commendable! Almost all of the teams were successful, and those that weren't were so close! I have to give kudos to all for being good sports through it all by staying kind and supportive to everyone inside and out of their own teams.
5) Math: In math we finished up our unit on computation of fractions and decimals, and have started learning about adding and subtracting negative numbers.
Their Block 1 tests are not yet fully graded, and will be sent home as soon as they are. I try to be prompt on returning math tests, however, my substitute on Monday (though trying to be helpful!) took in upon themselves to partially grade the tests, and it has made my own grading of them rather slow-going.
A few things I did not get to go over during curriculum night regarding math tests:
- Once tests are graded, they will have a cover sheet attached to them with your child's score and space for you to write any comments you might have.
- These tests and cover sheets need to be returned by the following Monday, signed by the reviewing parent. I reference these tests in order to be as accurate as possible on my report cards. If I do not get the tests back, then I am forced to generalize based on their overall grade, instead of their performance on each standard.
- I do not usually do test corrections. I feel it is important for students to work with accuracy from the start, and not rely on a second chance later.
- I do not usually do open book or open notebook tests. I want to encourage students to study and ask questions, instead of relying on looking up the information during the test.
All of that said, these guidelines are subject to change based on the unit and overall student performance on the skills.
6) Finally, we have also started our BizTown Financial Literacy curriculum in preparation for our trip on November 4th. These permission slips will be going home soon, and I will send out an email when they do.
If you signed up as interested in going with us as a volunteer:
- I will be sending you an email next week to make sure you are still interested.
- This email will also ask you if you are willing to drive a carpool of other volunteers, and if so, how many seats you have available.
- BizTown relies on parent volunteers to help set up the businesses before the students arrive, which means it is an early day for all of us. Last year I was happy to provide a classroom for all carpooling parents to drop their (5th grade) children off early while they make their way down to Auburn.
- Children not going on the field trip would have to get to school in another way, as we will also be leaving the school before the day begins.
If you are interested in going and didn't sign up on Curriculum Night:
Our portion of the list is currently full, but please send me an email and I will put you on the wait list for when the other 5th grade classrooms are finished compiling their own volunteers. If one of our parents is unable to go, or another classroom is unable to find volunteers, you will be in line to get a spot!
I think that is enough for one blog post! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!
