Day 74 - Welcome 2018! - Mrs. Lee - Fox Hill Grade 5

This post first appeared on Mrs. Lee's blog

We welcome the new year by celebrating all the fun we've had and the accomplishments we have made.  We look forward to continuing as we come back to school refreshed and energized from our holiday break.  I wish all my sensational students and their fabulous families a very happy and healthy new year!  Enjoy some moments from our Mismatch day celebration!

Day 4 - Off To A Great Start! - Mrs. Lee - Fox Hill Grade 5

This post first appeared on Mrs. Lee's blog

Our class got right to work coming up with ideas for our Class Constitution!

This set of rules will embody the four core values of Fox Hill School:

Respect, Responsibility, Kindness, & Safety

Day 54 - Did you say Turtles? - Mrs. Lee's fifth grader Daniel at Fox Hill Elementary

This post originally appeared on Mrs. Lee's blog

Here is our first guest blogger to tell you about some special visitors to our classroom.

Did you say Turtles?

Written by: Daniel

     Yes, I said turtles.  Here in room 13 we have gotten turtles from the Burlington Science Center.  We are very lucky to have these turtles accompany us in our classroom.  The names of the turtles are Mia and Dorito.  They are three-toed Box Turtles.  Here are some facts about them.  Their scientific name is Terrapene carolina triunguis.  They live generally in Texas, Georgia, and Alabama.  They usually eat earthworms and bugs.  Three-toed Box Turtles usually survive 25 to 40 years.

Mia enjoying her salad.

Dorito would rather eat crickets.

Day 44 - November News - Mrs. Lee - Fox Hill Fifth Grade

This post originally appeared on Mrs. Lee's Blog 

VOTE TUESDAY!!

No school Tuesday, November 4.

November already!  October flew by so quickly!  We accomplished quite a bit this month in all our classes.  Here are some highlights and happenings:

In Math we are finishing Topic 3, multiplication, and will have a test on Wednesday of this week.  Please help your child by providing time at home for review of multiplication facts. Reflex Math is a great way to do this.  Your child was given a username and password at the beginning of the year.
The next topic covers division, so it is crucial that students have a secure grasp on those facts!

In Social Studies students did a great job on the chapter test which covered early European explorers.  We continue this topic in chapter 4 with a look at conquistadors and early settlements in America.  This will include a look at Thanksgiving, a timely topic!  There will also be a project in which students will use their research and note-taking skills to write a book about explorers on an app called Book Creator.  Much of this will be in school, but to be prepared students will write drafts of their book at home. More information will be posted soon on a page of my blog. 

In ELA we are finishing Number the Stars this week.  The children have enjoyed working in cooperative literature circle groups to discuss this wonderful book.  Each child has a turn to be Discussion Director, Summarizer, Word Finder, Connector, and Literary Luminary.  Students check my blog pages to find out which job they have and what their responsibilities are each time we meet for discussion.  As I circulate through the groups I have been impressed with most students' preparedness, as well as the level of conversation. We still have some work to do on identifying themes, but they are using the strategies of visualization and making inferences, as well as noting figurative language. There will be a final assessment on Friday, Nov. 7.

 Also in ELA we are continuing grammar lessons and writing workshop. Halloween gave us an opportunity to stretch our creativity and build writing stamina.  Students wrote "round robin" style, continuing another's story until each of the five-member group had a chance to contribute to every story.  Classical music enhanced the experience, and we enjoyed reading the stories on Friday.

Speaking of Halloween, we have to thank Mrs. Fine and Mrs. Russo for helping us with our pumpkin decoration.  The results were spectacular and six happy class members went home with a fancy pumpkin to celebrate the holiday with an original piece of pumpkin art!

Elmo, AKA Mr. Shannon, lends a hand!

Concentration

Creativity

Teamwork

 

Thanks to Quinn M. for these awesome pumpkin pics!

Finally, our student council has begun, and students are tacking some terrific projects.  UNICEF boxes went home last week, and we encouraged children to collect money while Trick-or-Treating. Send in the boxes any time this week. Our students are also working on a fifth grade newsletter, and study buddies, among other ideas.  Congratulations to Sophie Z., our class representative for room 13.  I am also proud of all our candidates who took the challenge and ran for this important position: Halle O., Sean C., and Ricky S.  They are all great role models who show what it means to "Be the One."

Day 8 - We Are Fifth Grade! - Mrs. Lee - Fox Hill Elementary Fifth Grade

This post originally appeared on Mrs. Lee's Blog

     What a great start!  The fifth grade is here and ready to learn.  We are learning about each other, learning new routines, and learning what it takes to be a team player and role model at Fox Hill School.  Last week our students had an outdoor team building activity that aimed to show how we can work together.  We have also created classroom constitutions around four central principles: respect, responsibility, safety, and kindness.  These constitutions are hanging in our classrooms, and posters reinforcing these ideas and rules are all over the school.  Students have discussed their hopes and dreams for this year, and in order to make them come true we all need to do our best and help each other by adhering to these principles of behavior. 

     Of course, we have also jumped right in to our curriculum!  In Math Topic I focuses on place value.The parent letter sent home on Monday explains this in a bit more detail. This year we expand our understanding of place value with decimals, and convert fractions to decimals. 

     My ELA class is busy planting the seeds for future writing in our Writer's Notebooks, and we have also been writing about reading in special Reader's Notebooks.  We are reading Morning Girl by Michael Dorris, and sharing our thinking about the figurative language and characters.

     Social Studies is a subject near and dear to my heart because I love history.  This year we travel through time to learn about the original people of the Americas, European exploration, colonization, the American Revolution, and the beginnings of the United States and its new government.  In every area of study we strive to use the most accurate and reliable sources.  Students will be taught to be thoughtful readers of primary and secondary sources so they may go on to become more independent learners and informed citizens.

     We will have the use of iPads and Chromebooks to make sure students can use technology efficiently and productively.

     I hope you will find this blog an easy way to keep informed about the happenings in fifth grade. You can link to other teacher and district blogs and websites on the left side of this page.

       It has been great meeting with parents.  If you haven't come in for a brief conference and would like to, please let me know and I will call you.  I look forward to working with you this year.  See you at Back To School Night on Tuesday, September 23!