A Week in Review

December 17 - 21

 

Dear Families in Room 210,

 

We had a fabulous week of learning! I am so proud of the students and the focus they showed this week. We were busy and active and ending the week in our pajamas only seemed fitting (and cozy)!


Virtue Awards:
There are no new Virtue Award winners this week, but I am proud to say that EVERY student in our classroom has received a Virtues Award already this year!!!
 

 

Reading:

We finished our delightful read aloud with Mrs. Bethel's class, The Last Holiday Concert. The students enjoyed it (as did the teachers!). We learned about leadership and responsibility through the eyes of the main character, Hart Evans. And to quote Albus Dumbledore, we were reminded that “doing what is right, is not always easy.”  When we return from break, we will have the opportunity to switch gears and read a non-fiction biographical text about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!!  We’ll have 2 weeks prior to the holiday celebrating his birthday to take an in-depth look at his amazing life and journey.  Near the end of January, we’ll transition to a historical fiction text that supports our learning and focus of the revolutionary war. 

 

Writing:

Students finished the final drafts of the narrative stories this week. They worked hard to independently revise and edit their work. Most students chose to publish their final drafts on the computer. I was impressed with their hard work!

 

Social Studies:

The 90 second "commercials" that students designed to persuade the audience to move to their colony were performed! Our class is full of creative actors that worked diligently to advertise their colony with catch slogans and visuals that listed reasons for someone to settle in that place. The Tuesday after break, students will take their Chapter 7 test.

 

Math:

The fraction action is coming to an end. We finished the unit, focusing on probability and relating fractions to decimals in the last two lessons. We will spend the first week back from break, reviewing and practicing the main concepts from the lesson before we take our end-of-unit assessment.



Class Store:
I was so impressed with the students creativity on Thursday! We had our first class store and students sold and bought goods from their classmates. We even had time to shop in Mrs. Bethel's class store, too! We walked away with more knowledge on supply and demand, effective pricing, competitive business, and new ideas for our next store!

A Note from Mrs. Hatlestad
Thank you so much for all that you do every day to support your child and me. I cannot express the gratitude that I feel working here at Medina, with these exceptional students and amazing parents. This is a special place to work and live and I feel blessed to have a job that I am passionate about with kids who I hold dear to my heart. From my family to yours, Happy Holidays.

~Mrs. Hatlestad


Upcoming Events:

• December 22 - January 6 - Winter Break
• Thursday, January 10^th
• Wednesday, January 16^th:  Middle of Year STAR Testing – computer lab
• Thursday, January 17^th:  Heritage Project Part 3 (Essay about Parent)
• Monday, January 21^st:  No School in honor of MLK Day
• Thursday, January 24^th:  Heritage Project Part 3 (Essay about Grandparent)
• Thursday, January 24^th:  Poetry in Motion Assembly 8:30-9:30AM
• Saturday, February 9:   Medina Auction

 



A Field Trip to Chinook!

A Week in Review

December 10 - 14

 

 

Only ONE more week left until Winter Break! It's hard to believe that 2012 is coming to an end, the past 15 weeks have zoomed by! We had another full week of learning in Room 210. Here's what we've been up to:

 

Field Trip:

Our field trip to Chinook at Ringdall was a success! The 5th Graders were wonderful ambassadors for Medina Elementary and I was so proud of them! Equally impressive was the Chinook band, orchestra, and choir!! We're grateful to Chinook for inviting us to their concert.



Virtue Awards:
Angela C. for showing the virtues of CREATIVITY and COOPERATION! Angela is working diligently to complete a Social Studies project with her group. Her team really appreciates all of her hard work!

Audun K. for showing the virtues of FRIENDLINESS and PEACEFULNESS! Audun is always kind to everyone and gets along well with others. His gentle nature makes Room 210 a better place.

Vincent B. for showing the virtue of EXCELLENCE! Vincent has worked hard to ensure that he has 100% of his Literacy and Math homework completed and turned in on time! Way to go Vincent!

Reading:
We read Cougars by Patricia Corrigan in our Journeys curriculum. Our target skill was "main idea and details" and we worked to monitor and clarify as we read. In this nonfiction text, we discussed the author's purpose and focused on what the main idea was, as well as the details the author gave to support it.



Writing:
We started the week off by comparing narratives to memoirs. We brainstormed what makes narrative writing strong (i.e. vivid details, strong word choice, dialogue)  Students wrote rough drafts and begin revising and editing. Their final pieces should be done next week!

Math:
Students continued in their fraction unit this week. We learned some fraction key terms: "Least Common Multiple" and "Greatest Common Factor" and had many opportunities to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators.





Social Studies:
Our classroom has turned into the "Actor's Studio" this week as small groups of students continued working on their 'commericials' for their colony. The billboards are coming together beautifully as students are focused on their end objective which is to convince their classmates to 'move' to their colony.

Science:
The UW doctoral students were back in our classroom this week as they conducted student interviews. The student interviews were focused on the Landforms unit and students' overall feelings towards science. They also interviewed me while students were in Band/Orchestra; asking about what I saw as the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum unit. I enjoyed talking with them and look forward to our continued partnership in our Mixtures and Solutions unit.

Reading Buddies:
We had our last Reading Buddies session of 2012! We met to finish the backgrounds of our "Snowmen All Year" poem. The 5th graders have been excellent models and teachers to their second grade buddies in regards to reading fluency and technology leadership.





Enjoy this last weekend before break! And as always GO SEAHAWKS!

~Mrs. Hatlestad

Upcoming Events:

December 22 - January 6 - Winter Break
February 9- Medina Auction

Counting It Down…

A Week in Review

 

Dear Families in Room 210,

We had another busy week, full of learning! It is hard to believe that there are only TWO weeks left before Winter Break!


Virtues Awards:

Isabelle E. for showing JOYFULNESS and FRIENDLINESS! Isabelle always has something nice to say and a smile on her face! She makes Room 210 a friendly place!

Linnea L. for showing DILIGENCE and EXCELLENCE! Linnea is prepared and ready to learn each day! Her commitment to her learning is impressive!

Sarah Z. for showing KINDNESS to her classmates every day! Thank you Sarah for remembering the “Golden Rule” and treating others as you’d like to be treated!

 

Report Cards:

Report cards were sent home with your students today!  I have met with each student to review their report card and explain their grades. If you have any questions, first ask your student, then feel free to send me an e-mail. Please read a message from the District regarding scoring (a copy of it is included in the report card envelope):

 

 

 

Reading:

We read Storm Warriors by Elisa Carbone in our Journeys curriculum. We used the target skill "drawing conclusions" to extrapolate evidence from the text that helped us understand the main character, Nathan. We used the evidence to make predictions about him. We also focused on using Greek and Latin roots in our Vocabulary Strategies lesson. Students worked to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words using the roots: tele, rupt, photo, and scrib.

 

 

Math:

There was more 'fraction action' this week! We worked to understand equivalent fractions and how to use a multiplier to "unsimplify" them (and use division to simplify them). The SMART Board was a great avenue for learning with this concept as actually taking the same size "wholes" and transposing one on top of the other to show how two-fourths and one-half are the SAME SIZE of the whole!

Science:

This week concludes our Landforms Unit of study for Science.  Students worked diligently to complete the content assessment that included questions such as:  “What word is given to the process that forms deltas?” and “Where does the soil material in a river delta come from?” My favorite question asked: “Explain the reasons for why you think stream tables with steeper slopes produce results different from stream tables without slopes?” 

Up Next:  Unit #2 – Mixtures and Solutions

 

 

Social Studies:

Unit #7 – Comparing the Colonies is full speed ahead this week!  Students have been researching, reading and learning all about distinguishing between the New England, Middle and Southern Colonies (we’re focusing on 6 of the 13 Colonies this unit; Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Georgia).  Students broke into small groups this week to begin creating a billboard advertisement to promote the favorable aspects of their colony.  Not only do they need to list key features of their chosen local, but convince the class to “buy” their advertisement billboard!  We’re continuing to take copious notes; utilizing Cornell Notes strategy (something widely used throughout high schools and colleges around the nation.  As we teachers returned from our visit from Chinook last week, we also noticed Cornell notes used by students across curricular areas; so we’ve added this as a goal area to utilize this strategy as much as possible in 5^th grade!  

 

                                                 Virtues:

Our Virtue Parents, Karyn and Gina led our class in a lesson on the Virtue of the Month, COMPASSION. Students viewed the news story of the NYPD officer who bought shoes for a homeless man in need. We talked about how the police officer showed compassion and reflected on how we've shown compassion in our own lives. Then, students watched a video on the Ronald McDonald House and learned how this organization provides housing for families who have children receiving treatment at Children's Hospital. The video made me reflect on just how fortunate I am to have two healthy toddlers at home. Students created holiday cards for the children and their families to bring them cheer. We are also accepting donations for pantry items for the House, please send non-perishable items to school with your student and help us support the Ronald McDonald House!

 

Here are the links to the videos:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7SHw7-t520

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4J20wVlLN0

 

No Weekly Reports this week because Report Cards were sent home today. 

Happy Weekend and GO SEAHAWKS! 

 

~ Mrs. Hatlestad 

 

 

Upcoming Events:

 

12/14 Field Trip to Chinook (at Ringdall) for the Band/Orchestra/Choir concert

12/22 - 1/6 Winter Break

5th Grade Teachers Visit Chinook Middle School at Ringdall

A Week in Review

11/26 - 11/30

 

 

It was another productive and busy week in Room 210! One of the highlights for me, was a visit to Chinook Middle School at Ringdall. All of the 5th grade teachers took Thursday morning to observe and talk with students and teachers at Chinook. We were able to view Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science classrooms in action!

We walked a way with much validation for the preparation that Medina Elementary teachers already do with students to ensure they're successful. We also took many notes on new ideas and strategies that we can implement into our classrooms to help our 5th graders be even more prepared for the rigors of middle school!

 

Virtues Awards:

Safa A. for demonstrating RESPONSIBILITY and DILIGENCE! Safa consistently completes her assignments with quality work and in a timely manner!

 

Ethan T. for demonstrating RESPECT and EXCELLENCE! Ethan works diligently and is always so focused during instruction!

 

Reading:

We journeyed to the Everglades through a shared reading of Everglades Forever; Restoring America's Great Wetland by Trish Marx. Our target skill was persuasion and as we read, we looked for evidence of how the author was trying to persuade us to believe in the importance of the Everglades Restoration Project.

 

Writing:

Teacher/Student writing conferences, editing and publishing kept us engaged and busy-busy in Writing this week! We worked to finalize our memoirs and print them. The students are really working on taking their revisions seriously by zooming in on their writing to "explode the moment" for their reader!
 

 

Math:

Fractions were our focus this week! We compared unit fractions and fractions with like denominators and added/subtracted fractions with like denominators. We ended the week studying mixed numbers and improper fractions.

On our middle school visit, I observed students independently taking notes in ALL subjects! I noticed that the middle school teachers did not always tell students what specifically to write down or what to copy. In today's Math lesson, as we worked on improper fractions and mixed numbers, I required students to take notes in their math journals, modeling for them how to specifically write the notes in their journals, with the intention being that students will USE their notes to study for tests or use them to complete an assignment. In our classroom, we will use the Cornell Notetaking strategy to help us prepare for middle school.

 

Science:

This week in Science, we used actual topographic maps to study the landforms around Mt. Shasta. Students used the topographic map symbols to find places on the map. We also used the foam mountain model from a previous lesson to help us visualize how Mt. Shasta was depicted on the he map.

Our end-of-unit assessment for Science will be on TUESDAY!

 

Social Studies:

We concluded Chapter 6 - Early English Settlements. Students learned about early English settlements in North America. They analyzed images of the settlements and worked to understand the reasons for settlement, hardships the settlers endured, and the reasons for success or failure of each settlement. We have a Social Studies Test for Chapter 6 on MONDAY!

 

Thanks for another great week! Your students worked so hard! I am continually impressed by their focus on learning and how driven they are for excellence.

I’m looking

  

Enjoy your weekend and GO SEAHAWKS!

~Mrs. Hatlestad

Our Short Week in Review

A Week in Review

November 19^th – 21^st 



We’ve packed a great deal into these three short days before our Thanksgiving weekend. 

We worked hard this week showing Diligence, Perseverance and Joyfulness  as we “stuffed” 5 days of work into three short days.  I’m constantly amazed at the positivity, the integrity and love for learning.  I’m certainly THANKFUL for all of my amazing students! 

 

Literacy:

We worked diligently this week to revise and edit our memoirs. I was able to have writing conferences with many students as we work to publish our final drafts. As we meet to conference about our writing, we are making sure we've "exploded the moment", used dialogue, and descriptive language. We're almost done and the writing is impressive!

 

Math:

Tuesday marked the beginning of our 5^th Math Unit:  Addition and Subtraction with Fractions.  You’ve probably noticed that we skipped Unit #4 (we’ll return to this Unit of Circles, Polygons and Angles in May).  Room 210 took the Pre-Assessment for Fractions using ourSENTEO Clickers (it’s kind of like our own version of Jeopardy)!  We’ll analyze the results, use the data to drive our instruction and next week…let the Fraction ACTION begin!  Please remember to SAVE all Homework and Remembering for Unit #4 in your booklets. 

Social Studies:

Roanoke, Jamestown and Plymouth…what do these three locations all have in common?  5^th graders dug deep this week starting Unit #6:  Early English Settlements.  To jump start this unit, students wrote a few paragraphs reflecting upon what it might feel like if they moved to a foreign country, spoke none of the language and were unaware of traditions and customs.  They truly tried to put themselves into another perspective and point of view.  Then, kids broke out into small groups to read, research and study one main early settlement.  Students analyzed these locals and determined why the people either thrived or disappeared.  On Wednesday, 5^th graders acted their parts out – portraying a settler who arrived in Roanoke, Jamestown or Plymouth.  We observed some fabulous acting, accents and dramatizations!!  Check with your child to ask which settler they presented and what major key points they recall from their research! 

Science:

This week in our Landforms study, we applied what we have learned about interpreting a topographic map.  We were given a topographic map of an imaginary location, Foss Creek. We identified the highest and lowest points of elevation, the contour intervals and mapped out a trail using the less steep side of the mountain. We also used the Foss Creek map to create a profile of the mountain. Ask your student if they can define the correct name for the top and the bottom of a mountain!

**PLEASE NOTE that NO Weekly Reports were sent home today! 

I hope you enjoy the long weekend and that you find time to relax with your family. Apple Cup football is FRIDAY! I'm hoping for a  Purple and Gold victory!!  GO HUSKIES!!

 

Happy Thanksgiving,

~Mrs. Hatlestad

A Chilly Fall Week in Review

A Week in Review

November 12 - 16

 

 



 

We packed a lot into a short week. I can tell that students are eagerly anticipating the upcoming break, they have been quite excited all week! They were great role models today with their Reading Buddies, Miss Muller's fabulous 2nd graders! Here's what we were up to this week!

 

 

Virtues Awards:

Jack M. has earned a Virtues Award for showing the virtues of SERVICE and RESPONSIBILITY! He willingly videotaped the Veterans' Day Assembly. Thank you Jack!

Khushaal K. has earned a Virtues Award for showing the virtues of RESPECT and RESPONSIBILITY! Every day Khushaal is always prepared with his homework completed and during class time, he's on task and focused. Thank you Khushaal for being an excellent 5th grade leader!

 

 

Reading:

Students read an excerpt from the classic novel Old Yeller by Fred Gipson and worked in teams to use evidence from the text to answer higher level thinking questions. We examined Travis, the main character and his own inferences. We also discussed characters and how understanding a character's thoughts, words, and actions can help us comprehend a text more deeply.

 

Writing:

As we've dug deeper into the revision process with our own writing, our memoirs are progressing beautifully. We worked this week on combining sentences, fixing run-on sentences, and punctuating dialogue. I have also begun 1:1 conferencing with students about their writing. Students have volunteered for author's chair where they have shared portions of their memoirs in order to provide an example of a technique we've worked on or to receive feedback from their peers. I love the excitement and enthusiasm of the students as they eagerly volunteer for author's chair! 

 

 

Math:

Our decimal unit has come to an end. We worked this week on two-step problems and ensuring that we're being careful mathematicians by reading the story problems twice, extracting the important information, and then completing all steps accurately to ensure that we're answering the story problem question. We also examined bar graphs, line graphs and continued analyzing discrete and continuous data.We took a practice test today and our homework over the weekend is to STUDY for the Unit 3 Math Test on Monday!

 

Social Studies:

We reviewed the routes of exploration to the new world this week and worked together to understand their motives and impact on the native people. We took our Chapter 5 Social Studies test today and the students were relieved it was open note. It was quite a challenging assessment and I am proud of the perseverance I saw in each student!

 

 

Science:

In our Landforms unit this week, we discussed and began creating a topographic map. Students worked with a foam model of a mountain. We traced each layer of the mountain to begin creating our topographic map. We discussed elevation and contour lines. We learned that contour lines connect points of equal elevation and the closer the contour lines, the steeper the slope.

 

We have another short week next week, only three days! It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already next week! I hope that you enjoy the weekend. For those of you leaving early, travel safely!

The Seahawks have a BYE-week, so I'll  just say GO HUSKIES!

~Mrs. Hatlestad

Important Dates:

22-Nov - Thanksgiving - NO SCHOOL

23-Nov - Thanksgiving break - NO SCHOOL

  7-Dec - Report Cards sent home with students

Week 10 – Voting, Veterans’ Day, Virtues & Victory

A Week in Review

November 5^th – November 8^th

 

We had a short, but busy week here in Room 210! We learned all about the electoral college and how popular votes count AND all the other fun subjects in 5^th grade. 

 
I know the next few weeks will just fly by; with a 4 day week and another 3 day week, we have a bunch to fit in!  Please do feel free to drop me a line if you and your family will be traveling over the next few weeks and I’ll do my best to prepare your student! 

News from Band/Orchestra and the 5th Grade Teachers:

This is just a reminder that Band and Orchestra instruments are to be brought back and forth to school by the students.  We realize that some are large and need to stay at school or cannot go on the bus and that is fine.  We are referring to forgotten instruments.  Many students have been asking to call home for instruments.  We do not allow this.  If you notice that your child has forgotten their instrument and you bring it in for them PLEASE leave it in the office.  Students know to check there before they go to band and orchestra.  There is no need to email or call.  Bringing the instruments into the classroom or hallways is a distraction.  We are working to teach each student responsibility and independence, this is one simple way to do that.  If they forget their instrument perhaps the consequence will encourage a change in behavior. 

Thank you for supporting this rule.

 

 

Reading:
5^th graders are really digging deep into the Peg Kehret Read Aloud, “Five Pages a Day”.  We’re nearing the end of this autobiography non-fiction text, and I think kids are sad that it’s almost over.  There have been a variety of writing strategies that Peg suggests for writers of all ages; she even keeps a record of all her ideas in an “Idea Box”.  This author also has written a plethora of novels and here are some of her great works:  Nightmare Mountain, Don’t Go Near Mrs. Tallie, The Stranger Next Door, Spy Cat, Shelter Dogs, I’m Not Who You Think I Am and many more!  We hope to complete this Read Aloud by next Friday and begin our next selection (Realistic Fiction text by Andrew Clements) the week of Thanksgiving Break. 

 

Writing:

Students worked this week to strengthen their writing. We looked at samples of students’ work and their use of similes to show comparisons that made the writing clearer for their readers. We also revised our memoirs by strengthening our verbs. After the “Toss our Tired Verbs” lesson, we ‘put tired verbs to bed’! We are working diligently to avoid using these tired verbs in our everyday writing. We have a poster of a bed on the back wall and as we come across overused verbs in our writing, we ‘put them to bed’ by adding them to the poster. This poster is a visual reminder for us to strengthen our writing.

 

Math:
This week students were able to practice skills of interpreting data on bar and line graphs.  In small groups (and independently), 5^th graders worked to create graphs of their own using a variety of whole numbers as well as decimals.  We also worked on rounding and estimating decimal numbers and the importance of using estimation as a way to check if our exact answer is reasonable or not.

Science:

Today we wrapped up our third portion of the Unit #1 with “Changing the flow of the water to a FLOOD” – one of the last stream tables. This was a session of inquiry assessments given throughout the week – in collaboration with the University of Washington.  I’m excited to look over student work as it involves designing their own experiment involving stream tables.  Next week, we’ll begin creating topographic maps and by the beginning of December should be wrapping up our very first unit of Science (just in time for Report Cards)! 

 

Virtues

I’m so very impressed by the respect and enthusiasm our students showed for our Virtues Parents, Karyn O. (Kate) and Gina M. (Katie). Our Virtue for the month of November is THANKFULNESS. Students wrote what they are thankful for on fabric leaves and our Virtues Parents created a class tree displaying our thoughts of gratitude. The vase will stand as reminder for us of what we are thankful for. I’m thankful for our wonderful Virtues Parents and the thoughtfulness they put into their lessons.

Veterans’ Day:

An Invitation for all Veterans & Families

 

Please join our Medina Tigers and community in celebrating our very special Veterans.  You’ll be in for a treat with a fun filled assembly including singing, poetry and guest speakers!  We hope to see you bright and early at 8:15 on Wednesday, November 14^th.  Make sure to join us after our assembly for light refreshments following our celebration in honoring our Veterans.  

An RSVP is greatly appreciated so we can anticipate the number of guests expected. 

5^th Grade Advanced Math Club:

Please see the attached letter regarding this amazing opportunity for our kiddos!  Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be sure to pass along to Mrs. Hamilton! Also, if there are enough students for two classes, I will be teaching the Advanced Math Club as well.

 

Victory:

Let’s hope for a HUSKY and SEAHAWKS VICTORY this weekend! Have a great 4-day break from school! 

 

~Mrs. Hatlestad

Week 9 – Time to Fall Back

 

A Week in Review

October 29^th – November 2^nd 

 

Halloween was a success in Room 210 this year; many thanks go out to the parents who helped plan, organize and facilitate our fun celebration!  I really couldn’t do it without your help and support! 

Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour and “Fall Back” on Sunday!!  One extra hour of sleep (let’s hope our kids actually sleep in) will be such a treat! 


Virtue Awards:
Zach E. was awarded a Virtue Award for showing RESPONSIBILITY by being focused and completing 100% of his class work and homework assignments!

Lauren S. has been awarded Virtue recognition for her KINDNESS and HELPFULNESS this week.  She took care of a hurt classmate and is helping Mr. K to complete one of his student teaching homework assignments!

 
Reading:
This week we read a realistic fiction text, "Elisa's Diary" by Doris Luisa Oronoz. We analyzed the theme (the big idea or lesson the author wanted the reader to know) in this selection. We used an inference map to pull out evidence from the text to support our choice of theme: "You have to work hard to overcome obstacles". Students worked in teams to discuss their thinking and learn from each other.

Writing:
Our second memoirs are in the works! Students drafted a memoir and then used strategies that they learned in class to go back and find the climax of their memoir and "EXPLODE THE MOMENT"! Students worked to choose descriptive words that would describe the intensity of the scene for their reader. We also looked at several Newbery winners and read their opening paragraphs. We used these published authors' works to generate ideas on how to revise our own beginnings to HOOK our readers! The diligence and hard work of writing the rough draft and revising so willingly was impressive! I'm so proud of the students' focus and excellence!

Math:
We are racing through this third Math unit; this last week we constructed pictographs and interpreted the data shown.  Students also worked to round larger numbers (millions and hundreds of millions) with and without visual aids.  I think the highlight would be students working in pairs to create their own animal by combining existing animal (i.e. camel + cat = camet), describe it, and then use their knowledge of larger numbers to write a creative story problem to solve about this creature. The students loved coming up with the animal (my personal favorite was the Seadog = Seahawk + Husky) I don't think they even realized they were hard at work using their critical thinking math brains to construct a complex story problem!

Science:

At this point in the year, we’ve most likely conducted at least 7 experiments so far!  Five of these learning experiments have involved our Stream Tables.  This week, students were asked the question:  How does increasing the slope affect the flow of water?  Does this increase, decrease or have no effect on the water flow (aka, the size of the Delta created).  Students worked in groups to conduct the experiment and next week we will analyze the results, identify the variables, and write a conclusion.

 

Thank you for another fabulous week of 5th grade!

Have a wonderful weekend!

~Mrs. Hatlestad

Upcoming Events:

6-Nov - PTA General Assembly meeting
9-Nov - Professional day - NO SCHOOL
12-Nov - Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL
13-Nov - BSF Phonathon begins
14-Nov – Veterans Day Assembly 8:15 AM
16-Nov - SPIRIT DAY!
22-23 Nov – Thanksgiving - NO SCHOOL

A Week in Review 10/22-10/26

A Week in Review

October 22 - 26

We have worked tirelessly in all subjects, pushing ourselves each day to be the best learners that we can be! The Pacific Northwest weather has returned, but students didn't let that dampen their motivation and focus on learning!

 

Shout outs for Virtues Awards:

 

Elizabeth C. has earned a Virtues Award for showing FRIENDLINESS and JOYFULNESS. She makes our classroom a happier place with her positive attitude!

Jack Dev. has earned a Virtues Award for showing ENTHUSIASM and SELF-DISCIPLINE! He is excited about GRC and has already started reading his first book selection. Jack understands the importance of teamwork!

 

 

Reading:

Our target skill this week was "sequence of events". We used a flow chart graphic organizer to track the order of events in reading. This skill is important because it helps readers monitor their understanding and can help clarify a reader's questions. We also had many opportunities to read independently and with Mr. K where our thinking was stretched as we talked about our reading.

Writing:
After our first Cocoa and Current Events assignment, it was clear that students needed a few key ideas of summary retaught. Our work in writing this week focused on using the 5 W's (who, what, where, when, why) to extrapolate the important information from text and write concise summaries in our own words. The students used our read aloud, The Watson's go to Birmingham, and two Time for Kids news articles, Sleep Tight and A Playbook for Stopping Bullies. Mr. K modeled writing a summary and the students worked in pairs to write their own.

Math:
Our decimal unit continues! We worked this week on reviewing place value (on both sides of the decimal) as well as adding and subtracting decimals. We also emphasized the importance of correctly and neatly lining up our place values when adding. Students were given math problems that were written horizontally and their job was to neatly stack them, line up the place values, solve and double check their work! We solved problems like this:

124,675,378.943 + 114, 732, 921.7539

Science:
We have concluded our Deposition investigation. Students conducted another stream table experiment learning: what happens to earth materials that have been eroded by a river, which earth materials are deposited first as the water in a river slows down, and what happens to water flowing in a river. We used food coloring to more clearly observe the water's flow.

Social Studies:
There are many famous explorers that came to the Americas. Students used a grid to organize their learning. They learned who the explorers were, their motivations, the countries that sponsored them, the land they explored, and the impact they had. We also began talking about perspective, something that is extremely important in our country's history - the perspective of the Native Americans and the impact the explorers had on their way of life. These grids will become a study sheet for the Chapter 5 test.

Today is Mr. K's last day of teaching in our classroom! He has brought enthusiasm and excitement for the students and he will be missed. We wish him luck as he continues his student teaching adventure in 3rd grade! Good luck, Mr. K!!

Thank you for a great week,

~Mrs. Hatlestad

Upcoming Events:

 

29-Oct - Book fair begins

1-Nov - Book fair Family Night

1-Nov - Reflections art show at school

6-Nov - PTA General Assembly meeting

9-Nov - Professional day - NO SCHOOL

12-Nov - Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL

13-Nov - BSF Phonathon begins

14-Nov - Veteran's Day Assembly

16-Nov - SPIRIT DAY!



A Week in Review 10/15 - 10/19

A Week in Review

October 15 - 19

 

 

 

Happy Friday! The students deserve a weekend of relaxation - we worked hard this week!! I'm proud of the respect and responsibility that I see so often. Our class is so eager to help and eager to learn, they amaze me daily with their excitement and respect for learning.

 

 

Virtue Awards:

 

Cindy F. has earned a Virtues Award for showing the virtues of RESPONSIBILITY and SELF-DISCIPLINE. Cindy always makes sure to have her assignments turned in on time and with quality work!

 

Jack Don. has earned a Virtues Award for showing the virtues of JOYFULNESS and RELIABILITY. Jack participates in all classroom discussions, completes his assignments with quality work, and is always willing to try new things. He is an excellent example of 5th grade leadership!

 

Reading:

Off and Running by Gary Soto was our main reading selection this week from our Journeys curriculum. Students read the selection and used a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast two characters. Digging deeper into text with strategies like this, help us as readers to think critically about the text and have more thoughtful and thought provoking discussions.

 

Writing:
We were busily immersed in our Writing Workshop and this week found time to 'free write'. Free writing allows us as writers to choose our own topics and write about what is important to us. It helps us generate ideas for when we have specific topics to write about. Free writing also builds our confidence! The students are always eager to share their writing during author’s chair. Next week, we’ll continue our focus on memoirs, with specific lessons geared to helping students grow in their understanding of good writing and incorporating specific writing techniques to strengthen their writing.

 

Math:

Decimals, decimals, everywhere! We have started our 3rd Math Unit of 5th grade! Our beginning lessons focused on reviewing what decimals are, place value, and relating decimals to fractions We use "secret code cards" to aid us visually in understanding the 'size' of a decimal. This unit lays an important foundation for upcoming content in 5th grade.
 

 

Social Studies:

Why did explorers come to the "New World"? Why did they call it the "New World"? What did they find here? What did they bring with them? These are some of the questions we answered in Chapter 4 of our History Alive! curriculum. We turned our classroom into a sunken ship, students 'dove in' to find artifacts, they analyzed the artifacts and took notes in their Social Studies notebooks. We discussed what these artifacts were and how they were used by explores, and why there were important. Students looked to answer whether the artifact was: new technology that encouraged exploration, a motive for exploration, or new products from the Americas. Below is a snapshot of our 'sunken ship', inside each grid was an artifact waiting to be investigated.

Science:

We went back to our stream tables this week, but instead of focusing on erosion, this experiment introduced us to the concept of deposition. We learned that deposition is the process by which eroded earth materials settle out in another place. We learned that earth materials eroded by rivers are deposited as sediments and that heavier sediments (like sand) are deposited before lighter sediments (like clay). This experiment connected to real life because we analyzed how the Colorado River might have eroded the earth materials that make up the Colorado Plateau.

 

Cocoa and Current Events:

Three cheers for our first and successful Cocoa and Current Events! We obviously enjoyed our hot cocoa but also we were enriched and enlightened by the discussions. There is a lot going on in our world, this is one way for us to talk about the news, expand our vocabulary, and even begin analyzing writers as we look for hidden bias or point-of-view.

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

~Mrs. Hatlestad

 

Upcoming Events:

29-Oct - Book fair begins

1-Nov - Book fair Family Night

1-Nov - Reflections art show at school

6-Nov - PTA General Assembly meeting

9-Nov - Professional day - NO SCHOOL

12-Nov - Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL

13-Nov - BSF Phonathon begins

16-Nov - SPIRIT DAY!