Mrs. Anderle's Class - Class News 2024-2025

Mrs. Anderle's Class

Monday, April 28, 2025

4/27/2025

We survived our super busy week filled with so much 5th grade fun!! From Tree U to the Rolling Meadows Courthouse, and everything in between, we had an amazing week!!

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK💡
MATH:
Last week in math we began Chapter 10: Percent. Students examined the relationship between fractions, decimals, and percents. We also spent some time learning how to find the landmarks of data sets: mean, median, mode, and range.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our poetry unit continued last week! Students unlocked unknown words to gain a sense of the overall meaning of a variety of poems, and considered similarities between poems to build bridges across our learning.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
Unfortunately, fifth grade writing did not happen last week due to our field trips and special presentations. We are looking forward to getting back to our expository writing unit this week!

SCIENCE:
Our study of Ecosystems continued last week. Students used evidence of a decomposing tree and bison to explain the decomposition sequence.

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS📌
MATH:
We will continue moving through Chapter 10, focusing on fractions, decimals, and percents, as well as the percent of a quantity.

READING WORKSHOP:
We will continue moving through our Poetry unit this week!

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
This week in writing we will explore environmental and nature writing topics.

SCIENCE:
Our study of Ecosystems will continue this week! Our fifth graders will be participating in an exciting problem based learning project focusing on invasive species.

UPCOMING EVENTS📆
Wednesday, 4/30: Reading MAP Test @ 10:15am
Thursday, 5/1: Math MAP Test @ 10:15am
Friday, 5/2: Walkathon Pajama Day

Monday, April 14, 2025

4/14/2025

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK 💡
MATH:
Last week in math we continued moving through Chapter 9. Students learned how to compare three quantities using ratios. We also spent time solving real world ratio problems.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our Fiction Book Clubs came to an end last week with our final reading discussions.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
Our Expository Nonfiction writing unit began last week! Students explored nonfiction texts and topics, and generated ideas for question/answer books.

SCIENCE:
Science last week focused on Food Chains and Food Webs. Students examined the relationship between organisms in our everyday world.
THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS📌
MATH:
We will finish up Chapter 9 this week with a final assessment on Wednesday.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our Poetry unit will begin this week!

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
Our Expository Nonfiction writing unit will continue this week.

SCIENCE:
We will continue our study of Ecosystems!
UPCOMING EVENTS 📆
-Friday, 4/18: NO SCHOOL
-Monday, 4/21: NO SCHOOL
-Tuesday, 4/22: Earth Day Presentation of 5th Grade (am)
-Wednesday, 4/23: Field Trip to TMS (am)
-Thursday, 4/24: Candor Health Presentation (am)
*Aladdin Shirt Orders Due!
-Friday, 4/25: Field Trip to Rolling Meadows Courthouse (am)

Monday, April 7, 2025

4/3/2025

We had a busy week back after spring break! It's hard to believe that there are just 2 months left of the school year! Time is flying by in fifth grade!

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK 💡
MATH:
Last week in math we began Chapter 9: Ratio. Students learned how to find ratio and examined equivalent ratios.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our fiction book clubs continued last week! Students have really enjoyed their novels and I've enjoyed watching their engagement in each of the book club roles!

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
We completed one last performance task last week in writing. This time, students put their opinion writing skills to the test as they examined various sources stating whether or not schools should purchase educational video games for students.

SCIENCE:
We officially kicked off our final science unit of the year, Ecosystems! Students began thinking about the key components of an ecosystem. We observed the living and non-living components of sample ecosystems and identified interactions between them. Additionally, our scientists discussed the survival needs of animals, examined the link between energy and matter, and explored the survival needs of living things.

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS📌
MATH:
We will continue moving through Chapter 9 this week.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our final Book Club meetings will take place this week!

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
Much of our writing time this week will be canceled due to IAR Testing. We will, however, squeeze in the first lesson of our next unit: Expository Writing.

SCIENCE:
We will continue our study of Ecosystems!
UPCOMING EVENTS 📆
Tuesday, 4/8: IAR Math Test #1 @ 10:15am
Wednesday, 4/9: IAR Math Test #2 @ 10:15am
Thursday, 4/10: IAR Math Test #3 @ 10:15am
Friday, 4/11: Aladdin Ticket Orders Due

Monday, March 31, 2025

3/21/2025

Welcome back! 💗 Happy (almost) April! I hope you had a wonderful spring break with your families, and enjoyed a restful vacation. Due to our absence last week, this week’s ANDERLE ADVENTURES will only contain our highlights for the week. Look for a regular edition of the ANDERLE ADVENTURES next week...and hopefully a new podcast episode as well!

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS📌
MATH:
We will begin Chapter 9, Ratios, this week.

READING WORKSHOP:
We will continue working in our Fiction Book Clubs!

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
Before our IAR Testing begins later this week, we will slip in another performance task. This time we will focus on opinion writing.

SCIENCE:
We will begin our final science unit of the year, Ecosystems!

UPCOMING EVENTS📆
IAR TESTING BEGINS THIS WEEK! Please see the schedule below.

Monday, March 10, 2025

3/6/2025

We survived our first week of testing....THREE DOWN....just a few more sessions in April to go!

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK💡
MATH:
Our time in math last week began with a review of various concepts as we practiced for our upcoming IAR math tests. We spent the second half of the week in our next chapter, Chapter 8: Polygons. Students examined equilateral, isosceles, and scalene triangles, and learned how to classify triangles based on their properties.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our literacy time last week was spent wrapping up our nonfiction text study, Freedom Walkers. Throughout the week, students examined new vocabulary terms and practiced using various comprehension strategies to better understand this complex text. As we finished exploring this story behind the Montgomery bus boycott, students learned about the legacy these boycott heroes left behind. We continued using evidence to support our opinions in constructive responses, and created a detailed summary of this story's events.
In addition, our readers enthusiastically began Fiction Book Clubs. Throughout our book club study, students will be writing/discussing questions, summarizing the text, evaluating important passages, making connections, and defining unknown vocabulary. We are using the following novels for our Fiction Book Clubs: Blended, Save Me a Seat, Refugee, and Harbor Me.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
With just one writing session last week due to ISA testing, we were limited but still managed to squeeze in some very productive work! Students read and discussed persuasive essays on the topics of animal testing and school uniforms, and considered the author's audience and purpose. Our writers also selected an opinion to use for their formal essay.

SOCIAL SCIENCE:
In social studies last week we continued learning about The Constitution and Branches of Government. Students kicked off the unit with an examination of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention. Students also worked in groups researching the people, responsibilities, and powers of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of Government.

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS📌
MATH:
We will finish up Chapter 8 this week in math as we learn how to classify polygons. We will take our Chapter 8 Assessment on Friday.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our Fiction Book Clubs will continue this week!

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
This week in writing students will revise their opinion essays and focus on further developing their introduction, body, and concluding paragraphs.

SOCIAL STUDIES:
Social studies this week will focus on the Bill of Rights.

UPCOMING EVENTS 📆
**Please see our Spring Countdown below!
Friday, 3/14: Chapter 8 Math Test (Anderle)
Tuesday, 3/18: Feed My Starving Children Event @ 4:45-6:15pm

Monday, February 17, 2025

2/14/2025

Welcome back after the long weekend! We had a great Valentine's Day celebration on Thursday! Thank you to our wonderful Room Moms and parents for volunteering and helping out with the 5th Grade Party! 💝 Thank you, also, for attending conferences last week! I appreciate your time and enjoyed meeting with each of you!!

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK💡
MATH:
Last week in math we finished up Chapter 6 with test corrections on Monday. From there we moved on to a "review week." On Tuesday, we began preparing for some of our upcoming state testing and practiced solving multi-step word problems. On Thursday, students reviewed adding mixed numbers, subtracting and ordering decimals, finding the area of rectangles, and determining divisibility.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our literacy time last week focused on the nonfiction text, Freedom Walkers. Students examined new vocabulary terms and examined nonfiction text features to better understand this complex text. We continued to explore this story behind the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, and students learned about the impact of Claudette Colvin's bus experience. We practiced visualizing as we compared life in the 1950s to life today and students used evidence from the text to support their opinion in constructed responses.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
We finished up our Washington, D.C. Narrative Writing Performance Task last week. Students completed their research and notes, and used their findings to plan and write a story about visiting the monuments and memorials of Washington, D.C. Additionally, we began a second performance task focusing on Informational Writing and the Transcontinental Railroad.

SCIENCE:
Students continued investigating matter last week! This time we focused on heating and cooling matter, and whether or not a material's weight changes once it's heated cooled, or mixed with other substances. Through an investigation of water/ice, olive oil and tea, and glycerin soap and paraffin wax, students learned that the weight of matter is conserved when heated or cooled. Additionally, students compared separate weights of water, salt, and oil with mixtures of those materials. Through measuring, weighing, and graphing data, students discovered that the total weight of matter is conserved in mixtures.
THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS📌
MATH:
We will begin Chapter 7: Line Plots and the Coordinate Plane.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our nonfiction study of the text Freedom Walkers will continue this week.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
This week in writing we will continue moving through our Transcontinental Railroad Informational Writing Performance Task.

SOCIAL SCIENCE:
We will continue our Investigating Matter unit this week by exploring chemical reactions.
UPCOMING EVENTS 📆
Tuesday, 2/25: OOBLECK DAY!!

Friday, January 31, 2025

1/31/2025

Happy last day of January!! Where has the time gone?? Fifth graders have been incredibly busy...and not just with the academics! Our Aladdin auditions have been amazing, and I'm sure next week will be no different! Thank you again for your willingness to support our musical and get. your kids out the door early for auditions!! We appreciate you!! 💗
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK 📌
MATH:
This week in math we began Chapter 6: Volume. Students learned how to use the formula for finding the volume of rectangular prisms and composite solids. We also practiced solving real world volume problems.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our literacy time this week focused on both fiction and nonfiction reading strategies. We wrapped up our whole class novel study of Rules and conducted our final book club meetings. Additionally, using paired texts focusing on Martin Luther King, Jr. and his granddaughter, students practiced using evidence from the text to support conclusions.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
Our writers were super busy this week finishing up edits and revisions on their fiction drafts. We proofread for spelling, punctuation, and grammar, and created beautiful book covers. We also enjoyed sharing our work at Thursday's Gallery Walk!

SCIENCE:
We began our second science unit of the year, Investigating Matter! Our first lesson focused on defining and classifying matter, and it was so much fun to watch our scientists in action! Students worked in groups observing the properties of solids, liquids, and gases to develop evidence to support their properties of matter claims. Next, with the help of a partner, students developed an investigation to provide evidence that air does, in fact, have weight.

NEXT WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS 💡
Math:
We will wrap up our Volume chapter next week with a final assessment on Friday.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our fifth grade nonfiction study of Freedom Walkers will begin next week!

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
We will shift gears next week and complete a narrative writing performance task focusing on a family trip to Washington D.C.

SCIENCE:
Investigating Matter will continue next week. Students will identify properties of matter through an investigation of mystery materials.

UPCOMING EVENTS 📆
Friday, 2/7: Chapter 6 Math Test (Anderle)
Thursday, 2/13: Valentine's Day Party (pm)
Friday, 2/14: NO SCHOOL (Conferences)

*Please see below for the Digital Citizenship Spirit Week calendar that begins next week!

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

1/17/2025

Our Aladdin auditions are in full swing, and it has been amazing watching these kids shine!! I am so impressed with their willingness to try something new!!

In other news....Please enjoy the picture below of our class' latest creation! The comfy box (AKA an Amazon delivery turned into a comfy space)!

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK 📌
MATH:
Last week in math we continued moving through Chapter 5. Students practiced dividing decimals by 10s, 100s, and 1000s. We also learned how to estimate decimals and convert measurements. Finally, students practiced solving real world decimal problems.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our class continued to focus on growing our fiction comprehension skills. We also moved along in our whole class book club, Rules, and practiced our final three book club roles: Summarizer, Dictionary Detective, and Illustrator.

The Summarizer's job is to write a summary of the reading and present it to their group.

The Dictionary Detective identifies two unknown or important words from the reading. The words are defined and used in sentences and then shared with the group to discuss.

The Illustrator's job is to try to visualize the reading and create some kind of picture that is related to the reading. It can be a poster, flow chart, Venn Diagram, stick figure scene, cartoon....anything that can retell an important event from the reading.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
In writing last week, students began revising their fiction drafts. Our writers revised to develop characters, plot, and closing sentences.

SOCIAL STUDIES:
Our study of the American Revolution came to an end last week. Students examined the different war strategies and the Continental Army's motivation to win. We learned about the many allies that led to the American's victory, and explored the components of the Treaty of Paris.

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS 💡
Math:
We will finish up Chapter 5 this week, with a final assessment on Friday.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our whole class Rules book club will continue this week.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
Our writers will continue to revise their fiction drafts this week. Students will revise for setting, and examine verb tense and point of view.

SCIENCE:
We will shift from social studies to science, and begin our second science unit: Investigating Matter.

UPCOMING EVENTS 📆
Monday, 1/20: NO SCHOOL (MLK, Jr. Day)
Tuesday, 1/21: Monday Schedule
Friday, 1/24: Chapter 5 Math Test
Aladdin auditions continue this week. Please see the schedule below.

Monday, January 13, 2024

1/10/2025

WOW, we had a great first week back and we are ready for a busy second half of the school year! 💗 💗

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK📌
MATH:
In math last week we continued moving through Chapter 5. Students practiced multiplying decimals by 10s, 100s, and 1000s. We also learned how to divide decimals by whole numbers.

READING WORKSHOP:
Last week our readers began their first whole class book club, Rules. We are already fully immersed in this heartwarming story, and students have practiced the first three roles for our book club: Discussion Director, Passage Master, and Illustrator.

The Discussion Director is responsible for thinking about questions that arise while reading the text, and presenting these questions to discuss with their group. We learned that the best questions come from our thoughts, feelings, and concerns, and they often have more than one answer.

The Passage Master's role is to find important or memorable sections of text. During book club meetings, our Passage Masters will read these sections to the group and discuss why they are important. We learned that it's important to look for events that may change the course of the story, provide evidence for theme, or help us better understand characters and plot development.

The Illustrator's job is to try to visualize the reading and create some kind of picture that is related to the reading. It can be a poster, flow chart, Venn Diagram, stick figure scene, cartoon....anything that can retell an important event from the reading.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
Our writers were busy last week continuing their work with fiction writing. Students explored character, setting, and plot development and selected a draft to take through the publication process next week.

SOCIAL STUDIES:
The American Revolution continued last week in fifth grade! Students compared and contrasted the British and Continental Armies, and discovered the challenges both armies faced while fighting this war.

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS💡
Math:
We will continue moving through Chapter 5. Students will practice estimating decimals and decimals by 10s, 100s, and 1000s. We will also learn how to convert metric units.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our Rules Book Club will continue this week! Students will examine our next three book club roles: Summarizer, Connector, and Dictionary Detective.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
This week in writing we will begin revising our fiction stories.

SOCIAL STUDIES:
Our study of the American Revolution will come to an end this week as we examine the push for independence, war allies, and the Treaty of Paris.

UPCOMING EVENTS📆
Wednesday, 1/15: READING MAP TEST (AM)
Friday, 1/17: MATH MAP TEST (PM)
Monday, 1/20: NO SCHOOL (MLK, Jr. DAY)
Tuesday, 1/21: MONDAY SCHEDULE

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

12/20/2024

Happy New Year!!! I hope you had a wonderful winter break with your families, and enjoyed a restful vacation. Due to our two-week absence, this week’s Class News update will only contain our highlights for the week ahead. Look for a regular edition of the ANDERLE ADVENTURES next week!

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS 📌
MATH:
We will finish up Chapter 5. Students will learn how to divide decimals.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our whole class Rules Book Club will begin this week! Students will be learning the following Book Club roles: Discussion Director, Passage Master, Summarizer, and Illustrator. We will also continue our work in small groups, focusing on reading strategies and vocabulary development.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
We will continue moving through our Fiction unit this week. Students will explore character, plot, and setting, and select a draft to begin the publication process with.

SOCIAL STUDIES:
This week we will focus on the Revolutionary War!
UPCOMING EVENTS 📆
Monday, 1/13: STAGE CREW INTERVIEWS (Boys & Girls)
Wednesday, 1/15: READING MAP TEST (am)
Thursday, 1/16: BABKAK, OMAR, KASSIM Audition (Boys)
Friday, 1/17: ISIR, MANAL, RAJAH Audition (Girls)
MATH MAP TEST (am)
Monday, 1/20: NO SCHOOL (MLK, Jr. Day)
Tuesday, 1/21: MONDAY SCHEDULE