Track and Field Day Volunteers Needed!

Fifth Grade Mock Trial!

Today we were able to watch the fifth grade REACH students present their sides of the case for this year's mock trial! We even had members from our class serve on the jury! Ask your child their thoughts on the case....The State vs. John Wilkes Booth. The students paid close attention and had great comments about evidence presented throughout the case. Great job!!! 

Take a Peek at Our Week!

In language and literature, students were busy practicing for their IOC assessments! We used another passage from The Jacket and Flipgrid to record our second IOC discussions. Students then reflected by watching their videos, looked for key elements, and set goals for the "real deal" next week. I am SO proud of their progress....they have become very comfortable discussing and analyzing texts! I will be sending home their work from our IOC practice for your review. Monday we will also be taking our final Lexile of the year (can you believe it??). I will send home your child's updated Lexile score after the assessment is complete. The June benchmark score is 900.

In individuals and society, students completed their government research for either Canada or Mexico and began their presentations using Google slides. Students are working on collaboration (our ATL focus for this planner) by working with their research partners to develop and present their research. Students will be presenting their work to the class next week and you will receive a rubric with feedback on their performance.

In writing, we used story arcs to plan out our narratives. Last year, our visiting author Sarah Weeks described how she uses this same process to map out a story before she sits down to write. Story arcs help students to define a clear beginning, rising action, climax, falling action, and satisfying ending. After our arcs were filled out, we completed our narrative drafts and worked with them throughout the week. Students perfected their lead paragraphs by incorporating background knowledge (setting, characters, hint at a problem) and chose a hook (either starting with action, dialogue, or both) to grab the reader's attention. Next, we edited for dialogue throughout the narrative to bring VOICE to the story. Finally, we added figurative language to help our writing come to life....so much creativity! Next week, students will peer edit and participate in "Round Table Reads" to give each other feedback on their work!

Just a reminder that next Friday, June 7th, is an early dismissal day! Have a great weekend!

Weekly News for May 17th!

Take a Peek at Our Week!

It's been awhile since my last post, but we have been very busy!! In Lang & Lit, we have been preparing for our I.O.C. (Individual Oral Commentary) assessment coming up in a few weeks! This assessment involves students rereading and annotating a passage from a text and preparing a discussion to have with the teacher. Discussions cover a brief summary, context, conflict/solution, figurative language examples with explanations, and theme. Basically...everything we have been working on all year rolled into one! This is far from a traditional paper and pencil assessment and in my experience, the students SHINE! This week, we practiced using the text from picture books such as In November, Fireflies, All the Places to Love, and The Seashore Book.

Additionally in Lang & Lit, we are reading The Jacket by Andrew Clements and discussing each chapter on Fridays with literature partners! Students are responsible for reading and annotating the text, completing a specific job (character commander, connector, summarizer, author applauder, or visualizer), and recording notice and note sign posts to use during their partner discussions. 

Narrative writing is in full speed! Students have been SO creative with this genre. This week, we focused on lead strategies to hook the reader's attention. Students practiced writing beginnings with background knowledge, dialogue, and action. Next week, we will work on stretching out a moment, adding figurative language, and how to end a narrative.

 Finally, we had an amazing field trip to the Country Clerk's Office (including a mock debate) and the Fish Hatchery at Powder Mills Park. Take a look below at all of the fun! Thank you to all of our parent chaperones...we appreciate it!! 

Reminders for Next Week:

*We will be visiting the Book Fair on 5/20 @ 10:45 (Buy One, Get One Free!)

*School Closed 5/24 & 5/27 for Memorial Day Recess