Week of January 27-31

Hi Families,
   A busy but enriching week! Students are very excited about Global School Play Day on Wednesday, February 5th. Instead of academics, we will have a full day of play (minus 1-hour of a virtual field trip). Students may want to bring in a suitcase of toys and games, but here are the requirements:

• No electronics. Game buzzers, small lights (like in the game Operation), quiet board game sounds, are okay.
• The goal is to encourage collaborative play. If the item, game, or toy is designed to be played independently or by one person at a time, we would discourage that. We want 5th graders learning and practicing their collaboration and group problem solving skills. We highly encourage group games.
• Nothing fragile, dangerous, or designed to be played outside.
• Something they are comfortable sharing with others when they are not using it.
• Please no suitcases. Multiple ones become a safety hazard.

   I told students they may wear PJs and bring in a stuffie. I also said that they may bring in whatever they may carry independently, so long as it meets the requirements above. When in doubt, remember: “collaborative, safe, screen-free play.”

   Here is the link to the Yearbook Committee’s letter: 2025 Yearbook

   Here is the link to the Valentine's Day notice: Kimball Class Valentine's Day

   Here is what we’ve been up to this past week.

Math 
Unit 5: Place Value Patterns and Decimal Operations
    We wrapped up Unit 4 on Multiplication and Division and took our end-of-unit assessment. Students overall did very well. I graded and returned most assessments, so please review your child’s work. A handful of students still need to finish or correct one section, which I will have them do early next week.
    We began our 5th math unit on decimals. We learned about the order and size of each decimal place value, shaded in models representing different decimals, and explored different ways of describing the same decimal values.

English Language Arts
Unit 3: Adventure and Survival: Narrative and Literary Analysis
    We are almost at the end of our thrilling adventure story, Storm Runners. We’ve been discussing story elements, character development, conflict, and theme. We’ve learned a number of new vocabulary words, such as circumvent, behemoth, speculate, and oblivious. We learned about character traits and how to find evidence in the text to support our inferences about characters. We also began discussing the theme of the text.
    In writing, students learned how to plan an essay. We created a T-chart and wrote character traits on one side, and on the other side provided examples from the text. We will use these plans to draft an essay.
   In language skills, we learned about the suffix -ion and how it turns verbs into nouns. We also learned about the challenging spelling and pronunciation shifts that happen when adding this suffix to words.


Science
Unit 3: Water on Earth
     We had a great lesson with Science From Scientists. Dr. Mary and Dr. Chris taught us about sustainability through a hands-on activity using chopsticks and wooden fish. Students learned that in order for their “village” to survive many years, they couldn’t “fish” at maximum. They needed to take only what they needed, otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough fish for their village in the future.
    In the classroom science, we learned about how hurricanes form. We also learned about the stages of the water cycle. We created mini models of the water cycle in clear plastic containers and stuck them under heat lamps. Students wrote down observations as some of the models showed evaporation and condensation.

Community Building
    Students had a nice week together overall. They enjoy our morning activity of Silent Ball. We had an All School Assembly on Wednesday celebrating Lunar New Year. Our class was also thrilled to come in 1st place in the 2nd quarter of the ReadBowl! Go team! Keep up your reading!

Homework
   We had math, grammar, and reading homework this past week. Also, Barrows continues its ReadBowl challenge. 
   Please review your child’s work before they return it to school and use this interaction as an opportunity to teach them the importance of work quality, personal responsibility, and independent practice. Thank you!
   You can stay on top of your child’s homework with my Homework Assignment Log. 

Upcoming Events

• Wednesday, February 5: Global School Play Day
• Also on Wednesday, February 5: Pathways to Environmental Justice Virtual Field Trip to the Edward Kennedy Museum (in class on Zoom)
• Friday, February 14: Valentine’s Day (notice went home)
• February 16-23: No school, February Break

Pictures
   Below are a few pictures from our Science From Scientists lesson and our water cycle models.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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