Week of September 11, 2017

Highlights from Last Week

• Core Values Video: Students worked collaboratively in groups to each create a video segment teaching viewers how to be a respectful audience member. Adie, Alex, Amari, and Anthony presented about "Listening;" Ava, Brayden, David, and Finley presented about "Being Supportive;" Gabe, Hazel, Jack, and Lilah presented about "Being Quiet;" Luca, Matthew, Mia, and Paoli presented about "Self Control;" and Sanat, Selina, Silas, and Will presented about "Clapping." Check out our video above or here on the Student Work page.
• Students completed some beginning of the year surveys and assessments so I can get to know them better as learners.
• In Reading, Writing, and Math, we practiced routines and discussed expectations. The goal is to get students operating productively and independently so that I can focus on teaching effectively. Our workshop model in each class is almost fully established.
• Students won some bonus recess time for receiving compliments from other teachers while walking through the hallways. We played a super fun class game of Giants, Wizards, and Elves on Friday, which was a great way to build camaraderie among the group.

What We Didn't Get To
I didn't anticipate how long it would take to create our Core Values video, so we  Here is what didn't get covered:

• Technology intro
• The writing process
• Navigating the classroom library

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This Week's Plan

Upcoming Special Events

Monday, September 11th:

• Picture Day --Grade 5 says "cheese" from 8:40-9:30am.
• Student Council Presentations and Elections 

​Thursday, September 14th:

• Ice Cream Social --(moved to) Thursday, Sept. 14th from 5:00-6:30pm.

Friday, September 15th:

• "Dot Day" --a global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration, spearheaded at Pine Hill by our librarian, Ms. Ryan. Learn more here.

Wednesday, September 20th:

• 5K Evening Open House --5:30-6:30pm in room 29D (Ms. Kimball's classroom). I am offering this time for parents of 5K as an alternative to the Open House scheduled for Wednesday the 27th at 8:30am.

Thursday, September 21st:

• Happy Rosh Hashanah! (No school)

Wednesday, September 27th:

• Grade 5 Morning Open House --8:30-9:15am in our classroom. Students may escort parents and show them around the classroom. Students will then leave for a special activity while adults finish the open house session.
• Early Release Day

Please see the Pine Hill Calendar for more.


Reading
Unit:  Launching Reading Workshop
Focus Areas:

• Have accountable "turn and talks" --talk to a partner productively about reading.
• Engage in reading with peers --how to read a book with a partner and improve each other's reading skills.
• Gain familiarity with the classroom library --taking care of books, navigating genres and levels.
• Documenting reading progress --keeping a log of titles, goals, and strategies.
• Continue to model good reading --with teacher read aloud of There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom by Louis Sachar. 

Writing
Unit:  Launching Writing Workshop
Focus Areas:

• Writing process --brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. We'll discuss what is expected at each stage and some strategies for each.
• Essay structure --our first piece will be an essay about our aspirations for 5th grade. We'll learn what is expected in an essay.
• Elaboration techniques --using "For example," adding details to support claims, and being specific.
• Writing craft --vocabulary development, transition words, and varying sentence structures.

Math
Unit 1: Area and Volume
Focus Areas:

• Pre-unit assessment --I assess students on the unit content to see what they already know.
• Explore the Student Reference Book --learn how to look up unknown information.
• What is area and what are fractions? --review area concepts and explore strategies for finding areas of rectangles with fractional side lengths.
• Making sense of area models --compare and contrast two different answers to an area problem that uses a drawing as a mathematical model.
• Continue to review essential skills --build the foundation for starting 5th grade math with a review of the basics.

Social Studies
I rotate teaching Science and Social Studies each month. Since we're still waiting to receive supplies for our first Science unit, I'll start with Social Studies instead.
Unit: US Government and Civics
Focus Areas:

• Why Government? --investigate why civilizations have governments.
• Types of Government --look at autocracy, democracy, and various forms of government and their relationship to the people.

Special Activities
Here are some non-academic focus areas for the week:

• Technology Intro  --how to safely and respectfully use technology; set up some important accounts, such as Google Classroom. Take a website tour of www.mskimball.com. 
• Class Games --for team-building. We'll play structured class games and activities such as Silent Ball and GoNoodle, focusing being fair, inclusive, safe, and good sports.

Homework
Please see the Homework Page for more details. Students will need to do the following at home this week:

1. Our first Homework Project! All About Me. Students will write a story, make predictions about themselves and friends, write compliments to others, and create a piece of artwork that expresses them. Due Monday, September 25th.
2. Read 20 minutes each day (or 140 minutes per week) and log your reading in your Planner.
3. There will be a math page each night.

How to Help Your Child
Parents, here are some things you can do at home to help your child succeed with school life this week:

• Review and sign your child's Reading Log. The Reading Log is just a row of boxes in your child's planner. Each day, students should be logging the "Title, Author, and Time" for their independent reading. They can read either 20 minutes per day (for 7 days) OR a total of 140 minutes per week, spread out over multiple days. This past week, the goal was 120 minutes total. You should see a total time for reading last week circled in the planner. Please give a full signature (or print your name) by this time so I know you reviewed it. I also encourage you to also ask your child about the book(s) they read this week to engage him/her in a literary conversation!
• Review the Everyday Math Unit 1 Family Letter. This will give you an overview of what we'll be doing in the first unit of math. It will also have important vocabulary that you can reinforce at home and Home Link answers.
• Read through the first homework project handout for the All About Me project on Monday or Tuesday with your child. Help them gather any materials they will need, particularly for Job 4. Encourage your child to brainstorm ideas with you, if he/she needs inspiration. Consider encouraging your child to use all or parts of the Homework Project Planner if he/she needs additional structure, guidance, or support. I would like students to be responsible for doing all of the work involved in the project, so I ask that parents only help students (if needed) with brainstorming, planning, managing time, staying motivated, and reviewing the project handout to confirm what's required and expected. Please let me know if your child seems to be struggling with the project and I am happy to provide assistance at school.

Thanks for Reading!
So that's the plan for the week! Please feel free to email me with any questions, comments, or feedback. I look forward to an awesome school year!