Week of September 4, 2017

Students brainstormed in groups about what Pine Hill's core values mean to them.

Highlights from Last Week
​We had a great first 3 days of school! Here are some of the highlights:

• Students spent some time getting to know each other better through our daily morning meetings and some playful activities. 
• We had a thrilling time playing Multiplication Bingo in Math, practicing our basic facts while engaging in some friendly competition.
• Students worked on team-building by naming their table groups and creating a group cheer. We have: The Pineapple People, The Totally Troubled Turtles of Doom, Taco Tuesdays on Wednesdays, The Mysterious Merchandise Monkees, and The Purple Prancing Unicorns*. Each month, students will switch groups and get to collaborate with new people.
• Students are enthralled with our class read aloud, There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom by Louis Sachar. It's about an unruly 5th grader named Bradley Chalkers with no friends, a disdain for school, and a propensity to lie to hide how troubled he actually is. So far, students feel a mix of pity and outrage at Bradley's shocking behavior. Will he ever make any friends?
• I added a lesson on Graphic Design, teaching students techniques for making posters, visuals, and presentations look great, even if artistic talent is not a strength. I then asked students to use those techniques to create a name tag to display in the classroom.
• We established a number of classroom routines and expectations while building our community. All of this non-academic community-building is essential to building a strong foundation of trust, respect, and independence.

* Correction made to original post!

What We Didn't Get To
A lot! Everything we did do took a lot longer than I anticipated, plus I added a couple of lessons/activities that I didn't include in the original plan. Here is what we didn't get to this past week:

• Exploring math resources.
• Sharing book recommendations.
• We only just started our first writing piece, "What You Should Know About Me."
• Multiplication review.
• Extra (structured) recess.
• Technology Intro.

​
This Week's Plan

Special Events

• Ice Cream Social --Thursday, September 7th from 5:00-6:00pm.
• 5th Grade Core Values Presentations at All School Meeting --8:40am-9:20am.

Reading
Unit:  Launching Reading Workshop
Focus Areas:

• Establish Reading Workshop Routines --behavior expectations, finding spots in the room to read, etc.
• Gain Familiarity with the Classroom Library --library organization, navigate levels and topics of books, and build excitement for reading.
• 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:

• Introductory Writing Piece --"What You Should Know About Me." Students compose a letter to me describing their interests, families, strengths, weaknesses, and any important factors that influence how they learn.
• The Writing Process --brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. We'll discuss what is expected at each stage and some strategies for each.

Math
Unit:  Launching Math Workshop
Focus Areas:

• Beginning of the Year Assessments --I'll assess what students know with a couple of review tests on 4th grade concepts and previews of 5th grade concepts.
• Explore Math Resources --explore math materials such as calculators, dice, cards, base-10 blocks, and more. Get Student Math Journal and Study Link books.
• Overview Math Workshop Expectations --how we hold discussions, how we work through our thinking, how we engage respectfully with our peers, how we check our work, and more.
• Review Essential Skills --build the foundation for starting 5th grade math with a review of the basics.

Science/Social Studies
I rotate teaching Science and Social Studies each month. Next week I'll launch Science. We'll be learning about Water.


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

• Core Values Presentation --create a presentation on "Being a Respectful Audience" to share at All School Meeting on Friday. We'll learn how to use a video editing app.
• Group Skills Training --explicit practice in the art of working with other people; focus on listening, compromising, and non-verbal communication. These skills are essential for the partner work and team projects we do throughout the year.
• 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.
• 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. 

Homework
Students will need to do the following at home this week:

1. Read 20 minutes each day (or 140 minutes per week) and log your reading in your Planner.
2. There will be a math page each night.

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!