March 31st, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Half Day tomorrow, to be followed by Spring Break from April 4-8

MATH

Barber: No math today :(

Brazier: Review the Strands 1-6 test

Martinez: No math today :(

READING WORKSHOP

Barber: Book Clubs meet.  

Brazier: Independent Reading. Reflections on Book Clubs.

Martinez: Independent Reading + Running Records.

WRITING WORKSHOP

Barber: Editing.  Completing final opinion piece.  

Brazier: Editing Lesson: The importance of commas. End of Unit On-Demand: Opinion Writing

* WRITING CELEBRATION TOMORROW: STUDENTS MAY WANT TO BRING IN AN EXTRA SNACK

Martinez: Student-led conferences.

SOCIAL STUDIES (Teacher: Mrs. Barber)

Student Led conference slide work.

EXPLORE & DESIGN (Teacher: Mr. Brazier)

The Art of Paragraph Writing

SCIENCE (Teacher: Mrs. Martinez)

Set up slides for Student-led Conferences.

March 30th, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Half Day on Friday, to be followed by Spring Break from April 4-8

• M-STEP testing will begin on April 12

MATH

Barber: Strand 1-6 test.

Brazier: Strands 1- 6 Test. Strand 6 Daily Practice Problems (DPP).

* ASK: “Tell me about a problem on the strands 1-6 test that really made you think.”

Martinez: Strand 6 volume assessment.

READING WORKSHOP

Barber: Book Clubs meet.  

Brazier: Bringing closure to Book Clubs

Martinez: Independent Reading + Book Club Meeting.

WRITING WORKSHOP

Barber: “Checklists show us what we haven’t yet done.”

Brazier: “Checklists show us what we haven’t yet done.”

* ASK: “What have you done especially well as a writer on your opinion piece? What exactly did you work on today?”

Martinez: “Opinion writers are thoughtful about their endings.”

SOCIAL STUDIES (Teacher: Mrs. Barber)  

EXPLORE & DESIGN (Teacher: Mr. Brazier)

SCIENCE (Teacher: Mrs. Martinez)

No rotations today.

March 29th, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Half Day on Friday, to be followed by Spring Break from April 4-8

• M-STEP testing will begin on April 12

MATH

Barber: Strand 1-6 Review.

* STRANDS 1-6 TEST TOMORROW

Brazier: Strand 6 Test Part 2

* STRANDS 1-6 TEST TOMORROW

Martinez: Finding the volume of an irregular box.  How do we use what we know to problem solve?

READING WORKSHOP

Barber: Book Clubs meet.  

Brazier: Bringing closure to Book Clubs

Martinez: Independent Reading + bookmark for Flint.

WRITING WORKSHOP

Barber: “Opinion writers use checklists to self-assess and set goals.”

Brazier: “Writers use checklists to self-assess and set goals.”

* ASK: Punctuate the following correctly:

There is no evidence that homework at the elementary level improves student outcomes says educational researcher Alfie Kohn. Therefore he adds we should assign it sparingly.

* ANSWER:

“There is no evidence that homework at the elementary level improves student outcomes,” says educational researcher Alfie Kohn. “Therefore,” he adds, “we should assign it sparingly”.

Martinez: “Opinion writers introduce, state and unpack their evidence.”

SOCIAL STUDIES (Teacher: Mrs. Barber)  

EXPLORE & DESIGN (Teacher: Mr. Brazier)

SCIENCE (Teacher: Mrs. Martinez)

No rotations today.

March 28th, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Half Day on Friday, to be followed by Spring Break from April 4-8

• M-STEP testing will begin on April 12

MATH

Barber: Strand 6 Test.  Grade 6 Math Screener. Math Facts Test.  

Brazier: Strand 6 Test. Grade 6 Math Screener. Math Facts Test.  

* STRANDS 1-6 DISTRICT TEST ON WEDNESDAY

Martinez: Math screener.

READING WORKSHOP

Barber: Finish the Read Aloud movie & Independent reading..  

Brazier: Bringing closure to Book Clubs

Martinez: Independent Reading

WRITING WORKSHOP

Barber: “Opinion writers connect their endings to the whole piece (RRRS).”

Brazier: Work Day

* ASK: “Explain the picture below. Show me where, in your own writing, you’ve introduced and unpacked evidence.”

Martinez: “Opinion writers hook the reader with a great lead.”

SOCIAL STUDIES (Teacher: Mrs. Barber)  

EXPLORE & DESIGN (Teacher: Mr. Brazier)

SCIENCE (Teacher: Mrs. Martinez)

No rotations today.

March 23rd, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• No school tomorrow.

• Half Day next Friday (04/01/16), followed by Spring Break from April 4-8

• M-STEP testing will begin on April 12

MATH

* ASK: “What is the volume of the prism below? Also, why is the pattern of this box different from the ones constructed in class? (Answers: The volume is 4 X 4 X 4 = 64 cubic units … and this pattern is different because it includes a top to the box/prism.)

Barber: Volume DPP.

* STRAND 6 (Volume) TEST ON MONDAY

* ASK: “Name three possible sets of dimensions of a rectangular prism whose volume is 24 cubic centimeters.”

Brazier: Designing boxes (rectangular prisms) to hold packages of different sizes

* STRAND 6 (Volume) TEST ON MONDAY

* ASK: “Name three possible sets of dimensions of a rectangular prism whose volume is 24 cubic centimeters.”

Martinez: Designing boxes (rectangular prisms) to hold packages of different sizes.

READING WORKSHOP

Barber: Finish the Read Aloud movie.  

Brazier: Independent Reading and Jotting. Running Records reading tests.

Martinez: Book Club Meeting

WRITING WORKSHOP

Barber: “Checklist: revisiting evidence to support reasons.”

Brazier: “Checklists remind writers of what they’ve learned (and also serve to remind them of what they’re aiming toward).”

* ASK: “Why are transitions like bridges?”

* HOMEWORK:

1. USE THE CHECKLIST TO REFINE YOUR OPINION PIECE IN AT LEAST THREE WAYS. HIGHLIGHT (electronically) THE 3+ PLACES WHERE YOU RAISED THE QUALITY OF YOUR WRITING.
2. SHARE (for most students, this means re-sharing) YOUR PIECE WITH MR. B BY NOON ON SUNDAY, ASKING HIM 1+ SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR WRITING.

Martinez: “Opinion writers evaluate the effectiveness of their evidence.  Sometimes, they have to search to find more convincing evidence.”

SOCIAL STUDIES (Teacher: Mrs. Barber)  

Two videos on the who the Patriots and the Loyalists are.  What roles do they play in the upcoming Revolutionary War?  Connecting to today's government issues and the election.

EXPLORE & DESIGN (Teacher: Mr. Brazier)

Spelling Sort. Initial Student-Led Conference Preparations.

SCIENCE (Teacher: Mrs. Martinez)

Science Test

March 22nd, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Ask your fifth grader about the ASL committee to which s/he has been assigned.

MATH

Barber: Determining how many two-cube packages fit into boxes that are marked off by rectangles.

Brazier: Strands 1-6 Review

* ASK: “Name three other fractions that are equivalent to ¾.”

Martinez: Investigating volume.  What happens to the dimensions of a box if the volume is doubled?

READING WORKSHOP

Barber:Book Club meetings. Running Records reading tests begin.

Brazier: Book Club meetings. Independent Reading and Jotting.

Martinez: Finished Number the Stars.

*ASK: “What do you think Number the Stars is really, really about?”

WRITING WORKSHOP

Barber: “Opinion writers create beginnings that convey ideas that are important.”

Brazier: Tips on Leads

* ASK: “Tell me how the checklist has helped your writing piece.”

Martinez: First draft of essay on computers.

SOCIAL STUDIES (Teacher: Mrs. Barber)  

Videos for Chapter 11 & 12.

EXPLORE & DESIGN (Teacher: Mr. Brazier)

SCIENCE (Teacher: Mrs. Martinez)

The Human Body test will be next Thursday.

March 21st, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Ask your fifth grader about the ASL committee to which s/he has been assigned.

MATH

Barber:  Volume Investigation continues.

Brazier: Volume investigations: Understanding the relationship between the dimensions of a box and how many rectangular packages fill the box.  

* ASK: “How has strand six been both similar to and different from other math strands?”

Martinez: Investigating volume.  What happens to the dimensions of a box if the volume is doubled?

* ASK: “What are the dimensions of a box that is double the volume of a 3 x 2 x 4 box?  Can you find more than one way?”

READING WORKSHOP

Barber:Book Club meetings.

Brazier: Book Club meetings. Running Records reading tests begin.

Martinez: Book Club meetings. Running Records reading tests begin.

WRITING WORKSHOP

Barber: “Opinion writers use transitions to unpack their evidence.”

Brazier: “Opinion writers know of multiple hooks.”

* ASK: “Tell me about your plan for trying to hook your imagined audience at the beginning of your opinion piece.”

Martinez: Work Day to finish research for essay.  Tomorrow students will type their first draft of their essay.  If they have more research to do, they should complete it tonight.

SOCIAL STUDIES (Teacher: Mrs. Barber)  

EXPLORE & DESIGN (Teacher: Mr. Brazier)

SCIENCE (Teacher: Mrs. Martinez)

The Human Body test will be next Thursday.