Thanks to all who stopped by last week and had the chance to view some Genius Hour projects. The students were very proud of their work, as they should be. It's so wonderful to learn from one another through these fun and informative presentations. More photos of some of these below:
Colin told us about the winners of the "Golden Boot" award
How to make glitter putty...
Ben used a unique system based on stats to come up with the best player in the NBA
We learned both a bit about zebras, as well as how to make a papier mache zebra from Emily
Designing a hockey jersey - to customize and order online...
If you want to learn what you need to do to become a vet, ask Abbey!
Here's Kylie, our Carnival Cruise expert!
Here we learned about the world's most dangerous prisons
...and Alex taught us about "Crashed Ice" - complete with an exciting video!!
Zachary explained how he made his Lego animation - and showed us his movie!
Finally, we learned all about dwarf planets from William
May 29th:
I can't believe this year is almost over!! I am so proud of these 5th and 6th graders and all they have accomplished this year in Language Arts.
Though there will be time to get outside a bit more, and to play some classroom games and activities, we will also find time to complete our last few learning tasks of the year.
5th graders have finished Hatchet, and are reading choice books written by Gary Paulsen. As they read, they are noting places in their books that speak to the common themes of Gary Paulsen's books: survival, perseverance, city vs wilderness, and coming-of-age.
We all loved Hatchet, and are having fun discussing the various books we are reading by this prolific author.
We have also begun our final writing piece; debating whether or not zoos are helpful to animals. This is a complicated subject. Although we all know that there are both good and bad things about zoos, each student had to decide on one side of the argument that they felt they could best defend - based on the information (video, articles, and charts) at hand. I look forward to reading these interesting pieces!
6th graders are finishing Mildred Taylor's novel, Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry. Look for these books to come home this week, as we'll need to use some of our home reading time to get this book finished before the end of the year.
We are also in the midst of our final writing piece. A persuasive piece explaining why the game they love is the best game ever. This is a 3 point thesis piece, and the students are doing a great job on them!
Genius Hour is also winding down. We are all looking forward to lots of presentations in these last two weeks. We can't wait to share some of our learning with you all on June 2nd!!
Enjoying Maren and Lily's PANCAKE ART!!
Austin and Josiah are telling us all about the top 5 scariest places in America...and what makes them haunted.
Josh and Jaden working on a recycled ant farm
Jack explaining the mystery behind Amelia Earhart and her tragic voyage over the Bermuda Triangle :(
May 21st:
Using our zoo articles to take notes for our opinion piece
Reading Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
Maren and Lily's Genius Hour presentation on:
"How to Make Pancake Art"
Olivia teaching us about why we things taste different to different people...complete with jellybeans!
Sierra and Abby wanted to know, "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" - and they found out!
Lexus taught us about the history of the Thoroughbred horse.
Kyle told us about the top 5 most popular candies in the U.S.
Garrett showed us how to make maple syrup.
Marissa told us about the most dangerous states in the U.S.
Jocelyn taught us all about the Coelacanth - one of the most mysterious fish in the world.
In fifth grade we had a debate to prepare for our next writing piece about zoos. Are they good or bad for animals?
Our debate helped us choose our position.
Here Devon is using a chart to back up his point.
6th graders brainstorm for their persuasive piece - What is the best game?
The result of our brainstorming...our favorite board, card, and video games...as well as a list of reasons why they're so fun to play!
May 8th:
Lots of pictures of the ongoing learning we've done here in LA:
Researching dwarf planets...
More research...
Working on a background for a Lego animation...
Making a poster about how some things taste differently than others...
Presentations: Kids and tech...
How to make glitter silly putty
Sixth graders brainstorming ideas for their opinion piece:
April 24th:
The most recent goings-on in Language Arts...
Sharing how to write on a blog
Brainstorming character traits from book group books
Research...
Color-coding paragraphs: Evidence Sandwiches
- In preparation for our Literary Essays
April 9th:
Genius Hour is going great! Students are really diving into their projects with an abundance of enthusiasm. Their presentations are coming along nicely - we have even had a few students present - as well as share some delicious results of what they've learned!
Come check out our Genius Hour table at Expo!
Josh's presentation on making maple syrup
April 4th:
The "Riding Freedom" club...
Readers of "The Tale of Despereaux"...
Some of us don't always want to have our
picture taken...
Discussing "Maniac Magee"
Kicking back with "The Good Dog"
Trying out one of our first products of
Genius Hour...
...delicious maple syrup!!
Working on making silly putty...
Genius Hour research
More putty...
Our first Genius Hour presentation!!
We learned about which sunscreens contain chemicals that are damaging the coral reefs.
March 26th:
Genius Hour!
Marble ramps...
Silly Putty...
(with and without glitter!)
Researching...
...so many cake recipes!
Creating a presentation...
Teamwork...
Experimenting...
Students have also been keeping up with their independent reading...
...and filling out response sheets in preparation for discussion
March 18th:
Each student starts a drawing. When I ring the bell, they pass their drawing to another student who then adds to the drawing.
Once we have passed the drawings several times, I collect them all. They will be then used for "Write and Pass".
(see below)
Write and Pass...
I pass each student a drawing created from a round of "Draw and Pass". They also each get a sheet of lined paper. They then begin a story based on the drawing they have in front of them at the time.
When I ring the bell, they pass the drawing as well as the writing...and then begin the process again.
Some creative writing came from this activity!!
Team Challenge:
How many ways can your team connect the words "cow" and "straw"?
Genius Hour...
Students have already created their own homemade silly putty!
Blogging...
Each 5th and 6th grader now has their own blog. On it, they will be posting about their Genius Hour progress. So far so good!!
Ask to see your child's - - they have created some pretty spiffy blogs!
Reading in preparation for book group discussion
March 13th:
As we are in transition into between writing pieces, the focus has been on reading - our book group books, non-fiction articles, and independent choice books.
We have also continued trying out more creativity challenges and have begun Genius Hour. There was a lot of excitement in the air last Thursday - I love to watch the students so eager to get started on their research. Each fifth and sixth grader now has their own blog, designed to keep track of their progress on their projects, as well as a place to post their finished presentations.
Team Challenge: The answer is "Africa" - how many questions can your group think of?
Labs: Putting together sentences - focusing on the internal punctuation
Working on the challenge:How high can your group build a tower, using only paper clips and index cards?
March 6th:
In Language Arts students have been exploring their creativity as we get ready to begin Genius Hour. We have done some shared drawing - as well as shared writing - using Google Docs. I also plan on giving the children "Team Challenges": various tasks that require them to "think outside the box".
The idea is that students have more opportunities to express their ideas and thinking in a less structured way. I hope to provide for them situations where there is no right or wrong answer - where it is okay to try new things.
Students have also been focusing on their book group books. Our goal is to finish these up soon so that we can start our author studies: 6th grade will be studying the work of Gary Paulsen and 5th will explore Mildred Taylor's novels.
Working on their shared writing...
Brainstorming ideas for Genius Hour...
February 20th
Celebrating Africa!!
Fifth grade's Africa unit culminated with a day of fun, food, and learning - complete with stories, games, a pot-luck, and a slideshow presented by a special guest. Photos of our day follow...
Writing our own African Folk Tales...
If they choose to do so, students listen to wordless music while they write to help them focus.
Playing Zebra, Zebra, Lion...(our African version of Duck, Duck, Goose!)
This game was a big hit - - the "Lion" was directed to the "Impala" (while both being blindfolded), by listening to the audience's claps.
As the clapping got louder and faster, the Lion knew he/she was closing in!!
Our African feast was complete with fried plantains and bananas, blue corn chips with a tzatziki dip, various stews and chicken curry dishes accompanied by cinnamon rice and couscous, milk tarts, and marshmallow pudding for dessert! 
They enjoyed their lunch while watching an informative video on the early peoples of Africa.
Next we learned some African clapping games and tried them out with a partner...
At the end of the day, students got treated to a wonderful presentation by a friend of the Hooke family. Our visitor is both Kenyan and Nigerian and showed images and video from her first-hand experiences in Africa.
The fifth-graders showed their keen interest with many questions and comments!
Our day wrapped up with another African treat:
"Puff-Puffs"; donut-like fried dough balls. Delicious!!
Look for these Adire patterned inspired African animal silhouettes. Everyone did a fantastic job!! 
February 14th:
Please be sure to check below this explanation of Genius Hour for some photos of this past week in LA...
I am introducing Genius Hour in Language Arts for the fifth and sixth grade students.
Genius Hour is inspired by the search-engine giant, Google, who allows its engineers to spend 20% of their time to work on any pet project that they want. The idea is very simple. Allow people to work on something that interests them, and productivity will go up. Google’s policy has worked so well that it has been said that 50% of Google’s projects have been created during this creative time period. Ever heard of Gmail or Google News? These projects are creations by passionate developers that blossomed from their 20-time projects. Another origin of genius hour projects came from the book Drive by best-selling author, Daniel Pink.
What is Genius Hour?
Genius Hour is time set aside in class for students to study their passion on a new idea or skill once a week for a set amount of time. We will be working on our Genius Hour projects on Thursdays in Language Arts.
Why is Genius Hour important?
Students take ownership in their own learning. They learn about something they want to learn about. Genius Hour sparks curiosity, and students have an opportunity to become their own Genius. Genius Hour encourages life-long learning, imagination, perseverance, self-awareness, adaptability, as well as other life-lessons.
How will Genius Hour work in the classroom?
Students will participate in Genius Hour every Thursday if all other work is completed. After some investigative time spent brainstorming with creativity tasks, motivational videos, and seeing examples of projects others have done, students will choose a “driving question” to research with my approval.
A driving question is one that goes deeper than a quick search on Google. Students will be given time in class to work on the project with myself, as well as hopefully several parent volunteers, serving as a facilitator. The facilitator will help with research materials (ie., books, chromebooks, iPads, etc.) for students to explore. As an end project, students must present their topic to the class, as well as write up their learning on their own blog. This will be several paragraphs in length, and will be either a “how-to” or expository piece of writing. Students will be required to cite any sources/websites they used to create their project, and will also include an image or video of their final product.
Goals of this project:
*to promote, support, and model creative, innovative thinking and inventiveness
*to allow students an opportunity to discover/investigate one of their passions and to share their learning with others
*provide students an opportunity to develop skill sets that are valuable in any learning situation (research, experimentation, collaboration, creativity, problem solving and critical thinking)
*to provide an opportunity for classes to share their Genius and Passion Projects with others
Examples of past Genius Hour “driving questions”:
How do jaguars adapt to live in the wild?
How do rainbows form?
What makes Clydesdales so powerful?
What are the 5 most dangerous cities, and what makes them so dangerous?
How do you make bouncy balls?
Do centaurs have 2 hearts?
what’s the history of football dances?
What makes someone a good dunker in basketball?
How do you make a rocket using vinegar and baking soda?
How do you make a stop-motion animation video?
What makes race cars fast?
How do you knit?
How do you punt a football?
How does the circulatory system of a horse work?
How do you throw a football like a quarterback?
How can I make homemade play-doh?
How do I create a website from scratch?
How did dinosaurs become the animals we know today?
How does the heart work?
Why do we need a heart?
What did the Mars rover do, and how big is it?
How does the brain work and what it is made of?
How do rockets work?
How can people see better with glasses?
How are different types of cancer formed?
Do the gnomes from Argentina exist?
How does brain cancer spread?
How has technology affected the human body?
How does crossbreeding animals work?
How does the skeletal system heal broken bones?
How does a plane fly?
How do trees grow flowers and leaves?
What are the migration routes of the great white shark?
How does your brain connect with your movements?
What happens when a meteor hits the earth?
Why are people worried about global warming?
How are children born with autism?
How do butterflies get their color?
How does a rocket launcher work?
Why do we shrink when we get old?
Africa!!
Fifth grade has been having fun learning about Africa. Before our exploration got underway, we spent time brainstorming as a class...What do we think we know about Africa - What puzzles us about this continent (or what do we wonder about) - and How can we explore our questions. This is what the "cheebras" (the cheetah-zebras) came up with.
Our community drum greeting:
Here, you can see the map we've created. Each student has done a mini-research assignment on their country - listing some general facts - and then they found an image that they felt represented their country. We printed them up, and then added them to the continent. This project is still in-progress...
We also experienced a bit of the art of Africa on our field trip to the Hood:
Sixth grade has enjoyed creating their "Shape Poems". Be sure to check these out in the hall!
February 5th
More photos from LA:
The Homework Club discussion group...
Discussing Riding Freedom...
and Because of Winn Dixie.
This Lab group was exploring punctuation...categorizing the different ways authors use commas, colons, semi-colons, hyphens, and ellipses.
January 29th
5th and 6th graders participated in an activity called "Twitter Talk" on Non-Fiction Monday. They read an article on Newsela (a great differentiated site for news and current events) then had a "silent discussion" afterwards - making comments, questions, and observations on chart paper around a photo-copied version of the article. Silence was mandatory, yet so much was said.
As you can see, they did not hold back!
We also have been continuing with our reading groups...
Discussion...
Reading and noting...
Responding...
January 23rd
Below you can see a few pictures of what's been going on in language arts this week:
The Good Dog discussion group.
Discussing Maniac Magee...
Reading...always with our sticky notes close by!!
6th graders love reading in their "comfy spots"!
5th graders discussing Maniac Magee.
Filling out response sheets in
preparation for discussion.
January 15th
Book groups have started! Each student is in a small group (4 people) assigned to a specific book. They will be reading on their own while recording what they notice on post-its, writing responses based on their notes, and then participating in small group discussions. Students have started their books and are doing a great job taking notes on their reading!
Also, 6th graders are wrapping up their 3rd and final memoir: their favorite place. This will be part of their three piece "memoir brochure". Once the writing and editing is complete, students will be formatting these and they will be color printed and displayed in the hall. I can't wait to see the final products - they have been working hard!
5th graders have just started their third memoir for their brochures, which is about an important person in their lives. They are in the planning stage getting ready to write next week.
Here are some photos from the language arts room:
Reading and responding to signposts...
Dartmouth students, volunteers as part of the "America Reads" program, have been spending some time in the classroom, providing support as needed. The students love it!
January 2nd
Well, it's a new year!!
In Language Arts we start the new year with new books and new writing pieces.
Fifth and Sixth graders are doing the final edits on their second memoir; a family tradition. Once these are complete we will move on to our third and final memoir. Fifth grade will write about a family member, and sixth will focus on a favorite place.
While sixth grade has finished their class book, Tuck Everlasting, fifth grade still has a little ways to go in The Westing Game. We should finish this up soon. Then, both grades will be divided up into their smaller reading groups. In these groups, each student will spend time reading, noticing and noting things in their books, then discussing their thoughts and ideas.
It is going to be fun to get back into the classroom and to get back into the swing of things!
Here are some final pictures from before break:
December 13
I sent an email this evening to let you know about homework updates and expectations. I copied the email and am also posting it here - just in case you didn't receive the email:
As I hope most of you know, 5th and 6th grade students have basically 3 different types of homework in Language Arts (in addition to their independent reading):
1. A reading response (written in a letter format in their reading response journal - now turned in with the sticky notes showing any of their thinking about their book)
2. "4-In-a-Row" or "Thinking Boxes" - these are short responses done nightly after reading and turned in on paper or done in Google Classroom)
3. A writing prompt - which varies. The writing prompt can also be done on paper or in Google Classroom.
I rotate through each assignment each week.
The expectation is that their writing is about 200-250 words long - or a full page - either in their journal or on lined paper - for Google Classroom they can use the word count tool.
They do not need to turn in a reading log at this point. I'll let you know if that changes.
The general policy is that each assignment is due the next Friday. They can only receive full credit if they turn it in on the day it is due (unless they were absent, of course).
I let each student know if they didn't turn in their homework, they have the following week to get it turned in for partial credit. After this, it will be a zero.
I also allow a window of time where they can always rework a class assignment or writing piece to improve their grade.
So that you know, this week's homework is Thinking Boxes. Each night this week your child needs to read, and then choose a different prompt from one of the boxes. They then needs to write a response of at least 3 sentences stemming from the prompt. I demonstrated this today in class, as this is a new spin off the 4-in-a Row. This is due on 12/18 (Friday).
If you are able, Google Classroom is also a good place to go to find assignments and to see how your student is doing in LA. Often I include rubrics and an example of the assignments. I haven't updated all of the grades for this trimester yet, but plan to enter several over the next few days.
Let me know if you have any questions about this. The students can definitely help as well!
Please contact me if you have any comments or need any clarification. I am happy to make any accommodations necessary, and have adapted versions of each assignment for this reason. I am also willing to help in the mornings, too. I am generally at school by 7:30.
This week we will be focusing on completing our second in our series of three memoirs, and finishing our whole class books. I plan to start smaller book groups after the break.
Below are some more photos from the exciting world of Language Arts!! Some photos were taken during the "Hour of Code" all students participated in last Monday.
This was great fun for all, and fit in well with a focus of our current writing piece; sequencing of events.
December 6
Here are some images of the students in language arts class last week:
Looking over their sticky notes to help formulate responses to bring to their discussion groups...
and reading and noting any signposts to use for future responses...
The students have been through a few cycles of reading and noting, writing responses, and discussing responses in a small group setting. We have been doing this with our class books in preparation for our literature circles. This was started with quite a bit of support, but now the children are becoming more and more independent. It's so fun to see their growth!
November 20
This week we continued with our practice discussions. The students are also gaining more independence with the process of reading and noting, writing responses, and then sharing in a small group discussion format.
I have been hearing some rich discussion coming from these groups as they talk about their whole class books. In 5th grade, we're reading "The Westing Game". Ask your student about this book. This is a murder mystery with a lot of character development and multiple plot lines. We are enjoying this immensely!
6th grade is reading "Tuck Everlasting". This beautiful book is full of rich language, imagery, and symbolism. Magic also abounds, and we are very curious about what's to come...
In writing, we are cruising along on the first of our memoir series - the history of our names. everyone's learning a lot about their own as well as each others' names.
Next week we will finish these up and type them into Google Classroom.
Here are some pics from the week:
The Monster Octopus is one of their favorite places to read!
November 15th
I am so excited to share with you that I am at a wonderful literacy conference as I write this! The authors of the book, "The Notice and Note Signposts" are key presenters and I had the privilege of spending my Sunday learning from them.
As I have just finished teaching the signposts in language arts, and students are just starting to note them on their own in their reading, it is perfect timing. I had a chance to have some questions answered by Kylene and Bob, and to deepen my understanding of teaching the signposts to elicit thoughtful literary discussions in the classroom.
I look forward to more workshops tomorrow and to bring back my learning to your students!
Here are some photos of students in the various stages of their noting, reading, and discussing:
November 8th
Students in language arts have finished their weird animal adventures. You may have had the chance to hear your student's narrative in your 3-way conference. If not, look for these in the hallway! They were a fun introduction to the various short writing pieces we will be working on in class.
Our next writing assignment will be a trio of memoirs. The first being the history of their names. You may have been asked some questions about this recently for homework.
We will be working on these in conjunction with the start of our whole class books in reading. Fifth graders will be reading The Westing Game, and sixth graders will start with Tuck Everlasting. This will be the foundation of our upcoming small discussion groups, where students use the Notice and Note Signposts to guide their talks.
Both classes are excited to get started!!
November 1st
After typing their piece, each student shared it with five other students to be edited.
Also, each student was required to edit at least three other pieces, checking for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and clarity.
They are doing a great job taking their job as editor seriously, and helping to improve the writing of their peers.
This practice of peer editing helps students improve their own writing skills as they learn to look for common writing mistakes.
Here students are working with excerpts from a sample text chosen as an example of one of the Notice and Note Signposts.
They marked where they noted the signpost with a post-it note, and then answered the "anchor question" that accompanies each one.
The anchor question pushes students to think more deeply about their reading.
Composing their Animal Adventures
Evidence of student thinking...their post-it notes answering the anchor question for the Memory Moment signpost:
"How might this memory be important?"
The anchor charts describing the Notice and Note Signposts
October 25th
We have been learning the Notice and Note Signposts this week in reading. So far the students have been introduced to "Contrasts and Contradictions", "Aha Moments", and "Tough Questions".
We used excerpts and short stories to identify them in literature.
Students considered these signposts as they read their independent books in class and marked if they came across a signpost with a sticky note. These are the first three signposts; the rest will be introduced this week.
We have also been working on our "Weird Animal Adventures". This writing piece is modeled after the book, "Tuesday" about frogs flying on lily pads. Students completed their planners, created a comic strip of their plot events, and written their rough drafts. The next step is to finish typing these into Google Classroom.
Below you can find photos of the students busy at work:
Students taking notes using post-its during a signpost lesson.
Looking for signposts in their independent reading books.
October 12th
Students have been busy working in their Writer's Notebooks. Developing ideas has been the recent focus. We are laying the groundwork for our personal narratives, which we will be starting this week.
We will also be beginning the foundation for how we analyze texts; the Notice and Note Signposts. These signposts are six identifiable elements that are found in almost all forms of literature, including picture books. After introducing the signposts one by one, students will eventually be pausing in their reading to note any they may find independently using post-it notes, and then discussing what these mean - how they deepen understanding of their reading - in small and large groups.
Our continued reading work has centered on finding evidence which demonstrates how an author communicates the way a character feels. Students have looked for more of this evidence, and have noted different characters' feelings both in partners with picture books, and by themselves with their independent reading books.
Below you will see images of some of this work, as well as busy writers - working in their notebooks and on their Chromebooks creating their "I Am" poems. Look for these in the hall!
October 4th
This week we have worked more with our Writer's Notebooks. We have been talking about the ways writers gather ideas. We use the metaphor that ideas are like seeds...they can grow, or they can die. It just depends on what we do with them as writers.
Our focus in reading has been on how writer's show their character's feelings. Students have worked with picture books to practice locating the evidence in the text where the author (either explicitly or implicitly) tells us how a character is feeling at that moment in the text.
We will practice this skill as writers as we begin our narratives, developing our own character's thoughts and feelings. Later on, we will practice this skill as readers as we identify these moments in our own books at home and at school.
So many fifth and sixth graders LOVE to read independently! This is so great to see and I hope to get every student excited about reading. I know many of you encourage reading at home. This is so helpful in developing a reading habit.
On that note, many reading contracts have been returned to me. Please remember that if you have not "signed off" on that, your initials on your student's log are required for full credit. Let me know if you need me to send another home with your student.
Enjoy the photos below of fifth and sixth grade readers and writers!!
Here we are discussing the weekly image from the NY Times learning blog; "What's Going on in This Picture?"
September 27th
Last week found the fifth and sixth grades busy in language arts!
We have finished presenting our Haiku Decks (I hope you all got a chance to see them at Open House).
We have also begun our reading and writing workshops. These include a short lesson based on a particular skill/concept we are working on, some independent practice time, and then time to share our ideas with each other.
We have been discussing what books we like to read and why we like them, as well as how writers get ideas. Students have generated lists on both topics. We will expand on these lists this week.
In addition to our weekly visit to
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/category/lesson-plans/whats-going-on-in-this-picture/?_r=1
where we explore a recently uploaded image from the news and then experience a writing activity based on the image, we have had the chance to spend some time independent reading.
This has proved to be a favorite time of the day!
Here are some images from the week:
Here students from 5W sign our class' "Social Contract". This is an important document that sums up our classroom expectations.
This document was brainstormed by all fifth and sixth graders, and then finalized by the students on student council.
September 20th
This week students have wrapped up their Haiku Decks and are at the presentation stage. Those few students who have not finished this assignment have the option to work on this at home. You will see photos of these presentations below.
The link to view the presentations is in last week's updates. Just scroll down if you're interested!
Students also had a "paragraph assessment" last week. The ability to write a complete paragraph is an important skill. It is the foundation for future writing pieces this year and as they move into middle school. I have been assessing which students still need some help with this, and will provide targeted opportunities to further develop and/or build upon this skill as needed.
This assessment was created and completed on Google Classroom. Please feel free to view this assignment.
We have also started to build our writing binders. More on that below.
Lastly, we spent some time this week going over the latest homework assignment. This assignment will not be posted on Classroom, as it is to be done in their reading response journals - which they brought home on Friday. Please review this assignment (as well as the included rubric) with your student and let me know if you have any questions about this.
Thanks!!
This is an image of the activity fifth grader's participated in when discussing Wonder, their assigned summer reading.
Their "Wonder-inspired" portraits are accompanied by the "precepts" students came up with. Ask your student for more information about this experience!
The traits are: Ideas, Voice, Sentence Fluency, Conventions, Word Choice, Organization, and Presentation.
The next set of photos depicts students presenting their Haiku Decks:
September 12th
This week students in language arts have been wrapping up the work we began at the beginning of the school year. Students are all proficient now in logging into Google Classroom, opening and completing an assignment, as well as turning it in.
They have also had the opportunity to review and resubmit an assignment once they've edited their work following my suggestions. This gives them (and me!) an easy way to keep track of their work and to improve their original grade.
We have been focusing on reviewing the elements of a paragraph and how to correctly format a paragraph on the computer. Many students are new to typing, and would greatly benefit from some regular practice. As we are limited in the amount of time we have to dedicate to this in class, home practice is important and highly recommended.
Here is the link to Typing Club. This is a site they are all able to log into on their own and to access from any computer:
Typing Club
We have also completed (mostly) and shared our name grid assignment. This was a great way to get to know each other a little better.
Additionally, students are in the process of completing their first (for many) Haiku Deck presentation. This assignment provided the opportunity for students to learn how to use this great presentation format, as well as think about themselves and what makes them unique, and gave them a chance to express some digital creativity. They will each present their "deck" this week.
If you'd like your own showing, ask your student to share theirs with you at home. Here's the link:
Haiku Deck
Their latest homework assignment has been posted in Google Classroom. If you'd like to review it with your student, just ask them how to access this site.
In general, language arts homework will consist of completing their homework log (they get this each Friday), as well as a writing component. This writing component will be one of three assignments: 4 short responses (to their 4-in-a-Row homework sheet), a response to their weekly reading written in a letter format in their reading response journals, or a short writing piece based on an assigned prompt.
The assignment will be given each Friday, and due the following Friday.
Please let me know if you ever need any help and/or clarification as to what the expectation is for any given week.
Below are some more photos taken in class:
At Community Meeting...
September 6th - - - (If this is your first visit to our blog, please scroll down for more information!)
We have been continuing with our first three assignments in Language Arts. These are: our Hopes and Dreams paragraphs in Google Classroom, our name grid art activity, and our first Haiku Deck presentation.
Students have also completed their DRP assessments. This is a reading assessment designed to bring to light any particular struggles students may have with this subject. Once we have scored these tests, we will see if there is any need to address any specific skills or strategies.
This upcoming week, we will create our writing binders, as well as begin our first read aloud. Students will also learn the routines and expectations for both reader's and writer's workshops.
A new homework assignment was handed out last Friday. It is due Friday, Sept. 11th.
Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this assignment.
Here are a few photos of our honors challenge summer readers on our trip to Fore-U mini-golf and ice cream stand - as well as some of Mrs. Roses's 6th grade at work:
Hello!
I am so excited to be your child's language arts teacher this year! We are going to enjoy a year full of wondrous adventures in literacy. Students will build upon their foundation of skills while learning new ways to approach reading and writing. My goal is to have each and every student become "wide awake" and thoughtful readers, to become independent and self-directed learners, and to grow as readers and writers. My desire is that all students will develop a positive relationship with literacy, and express themselves freely and clearly through the written word.
Here's a little bit about me...
I live in Norwich, Vermont with my husband (who is also a teacher) and three children. My son Rowan is entering 8th grade, my daughter Lyric is starting 7th, and my youngest son Ryder will be a 3rd grader. We have a black cat named Angelina, and a new Goldendoodle puppy named Tuukka (who is named after the Boston Bruin's goalie, Tuukka Rask).
I am happiest when being active and busy, which is how I find myself most of the time! I love to run, bike, hike, and do yoga. In quieter moments I find myself reading, gardening and doing crafts.
I love being a teacher. This is my second year at Samuel Morey. Most of you know I taught fourth grade last year and was an art teacher in Strafford, Vermont for many years before that. As an artist, I try to incorporate the arts into learning experiences as much as possible.
When you visit this page of our 5th/6th grade blog, you will find language arts specific news, updates, and photos. You will get to see and hear about the learning going on in your child's LA classroom. Each week you can find new additions to this page.
I look forward to a fun, inspiring, challenging, and invigorating year with your children. I hope the summer was restful and relaxing for all!
Fondly,
Mrs. Wilson
August 30, 2015
We have had a great start to the year here in Language Arts!Students have been working on several projects based on themselves; both in a personal way as well as who they are as readers and writers.
These projects have consisted of an art activity, a writing interview, a personal paragraph, and the beginnings of their first (for most) Haiku Deck presentation. This is a great presentation format for students to use for a variety of purposes. Look for links to these in the near future!
Homework will start this week - in the form of their first Reading Log of the year. The expectation is that students will read at least 100 minutes each week. A writing component will be a part of future assignments. These logs will go home each Friday, and be due the following Friday.
I will also be introducing students to Google Classroom this week. This will be an easy way for them to access and complete assignments. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.
I look forward to a fantastic year with your wonderful children!!
Below you will find some photos taken from their first few days in school:
I like looking back at all the memories from the year.
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