Hello Monday!!
Sorry for the long delay. We had various technology meetings last week so it made my afternoons/evenings short.
Two real big things:
1. Math night will be THIS Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. I’ll be there and so will my classroom. So feel free to watch one of the math demonstrations being held in another room or stop on by to ask questions about our new style math and/or Common Core.
2. We passed out a while back, technically Back to School Night, a bright pink sheet that asked for people to please let us know if your son/daughter will be attending Outdoor Education Week aka 5th grade camp. If you haven’t done already would you please return the form ASAP. It was technically due on Friday. We need a firm count so we can decide if 5th grade camp will be a reality or not.
Today --
Our first spelling test of the year. For the first five test I am giving everyone the same Common Core aligned spelling test. Those earning a 95% or higher on every test will be offered the opportunity to move onto the 6th grade words.
I gave each student a copy of the words as well.
**FYI -- if anyone is interested in grading spelling tests on Friday or having their son/daughter take them home and returning them early the next week, then please email me.
Maniac Magee -- Maniac’s new friend, Grayson, has many questions about what it is like living with black people on the other side of town. Some of his ignorance is shown by some of his basic questions. Maniac and Grayson are starting to build a special bond through their common love of baseball. We ended the day with Grayson asking Maniac to teach him how to read.
Math:
Decomposing numbers to more accurately add and subtract
Math Project for the Class:
We are going to hypothetically donate $1,000 per child in the class. Then we will decide on how to spend our $32,000 on 8 different stocks. We will be doing the calculation to purchase the shares and tracking current value throughout the school year. So today we watched two Brainpops on Stocks and Shares/Investments; We then looked at a few potential publicly traded stocks. Students have until Thursday to think of companies they would like to invest in and also bring a few sentences describing why we should choose their company.
Please ask your son/daughter what lessons they learned about risk/reward, having your money work for you, the outrageous growth of Krispy Kreme Donuts, and how easy is it to sell/trade stocks.
Brain Week -- Cont.
The most recent magazine from Scientific American Mind Magazine has an article about what are the most scientifically proven best methods to study. There research reveals two clear winners, a few with reservations and they show how two really popular methods that students actually have been proven to hurt your ability to learn or retain information.
As a class we read this article. Please ask your kids for what are the TWO VERY BEST AND SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN methods.
Here is the link for the incomplete article however you kids should have their notes and their copy.
It goes without saying these findings were thought provoking and making me consider how I am teaching math. It should also mean that we should be seeing a sharp increase in flash-cards, a sharp decrease in highlighter usage and moms or dads should be receiving more requests for spelling or vocabulary tests throughout the week.
Metaphors and Similes -- were discussed and examples given throughout last week and into today’s reading of Maniac Magee. Students are now ready to practice on their own.
They will have simile and metaphor practice every night this week. As you come across metaphors or similes “out in the wild” make an effort to point them out to your children.
They had the final 20 minutes of today to write down this week’s homework into their day-planner and begin their homework.
Kind regards,
Mr. Hubbard
Homework for the week:
Math:
Page 35 1-18 odd problems can be done whatever way they choose/even problems must use the decompose methods found in their notebook. due Tuesday
Page 38 1-20 odd problems can be done whatever way they choose/even problems must use the decompose methods found in their notebook. due Wednesday
Page 40-41 1-20 odd problems can be done whatever way they choose/even problems must use the decompose methods found in their notebook. due Thursday
Page 46-47 1-14 It is multiple choice however YOU MUST SHOW YOUR WORK. Don’t bring in a piece of paper with 14 random letters.
L.A. and History Block
History Book 171-174 due on Wednesday
History Book 175-178 due Friday
Simile and Metaphor handout will be unique and due on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning.
Think of Five Companies that you would like to invest our classroom money in. Include 2 to 5 sentences why you believe this will be a profitable company for our class.
Free Write due on Friday
A “free” free-write. Write one page or 20 minutes on any subject or topic that you want to write about.
Read 20 minutes
**less than 1 month until the trimester’s book project is due.
This is very helpful. Thank you!
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