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Monday, November 30, 2015

11/30/2015

Welcome back and Happy (almost) December! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families. I enjoyed meeting with each of you during conferences!!! Thank you so much for your time! Due to last week's absence, this week's Anderle Adventures blog post will only contain highlights for the week. Look for a regular edition of the Anderle Adventures next week! :)

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS:
MATH:
We will begin Unit 4, Division, this week in math. Students will practice dividing whole and decimal numbers. We will also interpret remainders and examine distances between US cities.
READING WORKSHOP:
Students will take a brief hiatus from Schoolwide and continue to explore nonfiction using Notice & Note: Stances, Signposts, and Strategies. Our week will focus on the importance of "stance," and we'll begin our exploration of several nonfiction signposts.
PERSONALIZED LEARNING:
We're in the middle of a WEX transition, so why not begin Personalized Learning! This week, students will learn how to narrow down a topic, and examine "inch, foot, and yard" questions. Hopefully our research will begin by the end of the week!
SOCIAL STUDIES:
Our Constitution/Branches of Government unit will begin this week. Students will be working in groups to research one of the following topics: Articles of Confederation & The Constitutional Convention, Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, and Judicial Branch. Each group will also be responsible for designing a project to teach the class about their topic.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Tuesday, 12/1.............................................Lion King Parent Meeting @ 7pm
Tuesday, 12/8.............................................Courthouse Field Trip (am)
Thursday, 12/9............................................Band Concert @ 7pm

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Monday, November 16, 2015

11/16/2015

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It’s hard to believe that conferences and Thanksgiving are next week! I hope you all enjoy a wonderful holiday with your families! See you next week!

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK:
MATH:
In math last week we continued moving through Unit 5. Students compared bar and circle graphs, and created their own graphs using various sets of classroom data. We also practiced using our percent circles to read circle graphs.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our Nonfiction Mini-Lessons continued last week. Students used text clues (or signal words) to identify the cause and effect structure and support comprehension. We also examined the chronological structure of nonfiction biographies. Students identified key events that illustrate the significance of a featured person's life. Finally, we used literary nonfiction texts to differentiate between facts and fictions within each story.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
WEX last week focused on using strong verbs. Students brainstormed "cooking" verbs to integrate into their writing, and also practiced using strong verbs in dialogue. In addition, we learned four new strategies for varying sentence structure.

SOCIAL SCIENCE:
Our study of the American Revolution continued last week! Students enthusiastically participated in our Battle of Bunker Hill reeneactment, and wrote "letters home" describing their experiences in war. We also began our first in depth look at the Declaration of Independence. Students examined the purpose of the Second Continental Congress, as well as the impact of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense booklet. We also explored the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence, and interpreted the five excerpts for further understanding.

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS:
MATH:
This is week in math we will finish up Unit 5. Students will review the major concepts from the unit and take their final test on Wednesday.

READING WORKSHOP:
We will wrap-up our Nonfiction Mini-Lessons this week with a focus on building vocabulary, dealing with difficulty in nonfiction, and growing our thinking.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
WEX lessons this week will conclude our Personal Narrative unit (Book 1). Students will practice showing sequence and cause and effect in their writing.

SOCIAL SCIENCE:
Our American Revolution unit will sadly come to an end this week. Students will finish up our examination of the Declaration of Independence, and explore the Revolutionary War itself.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Wednesday, 11/18.......................................Unit 5 Math Test (Anderle)
Friday, 11/20................................................Report Cards Sent Home
Monday, 11/23.............................................Conferences
Tuesday, 11/24.............................................Conferences
****HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!****

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Monday, November 9, 2015

11/9/2015

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Happy Monday! Fifth grade continues to be busy as ever as we wrap up our units and assignments for the end of the trimester. Please look for a Parent Survey later this week regarding our upcoming conference. If you haven't signed up yet, you can use this link to do so:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a45a8af2ca4f94-mrs5

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK:
MATH:
We continued moving through Unit 5, Fractions, Decimals, and Percents, in math last week. Students practiced adding fractions with fraction sticks, and learned how to make equivalent fractions. We also practiced converting fractions into decimals and percents.

READING WORKSHOP:
Our Nonfiction Mini-Lessons began last week! Students learned that readers approach nonfiction texts with a consistent process to build understanding. We used questioning to activate prior knowledge and build understanding after we read. Students also used nonfiction text features prior to reading to familiarize themselves with the topics and build schema. We used these text features to strengthen understanding and deepen our comprehension. Finally, students identified main ideas and supporting details in selected texts, and used text clues (or signal words) to identify the problem and solution structure.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
Last week during WEX students examined subjects and predicates, along with main nouns and main verbs. We also participated in a complete sentence relay race!

SOCIAL SCIENCE:
Our American Revolution research projects came to a close last week (almost) with the last of the students sharing their amazing presentations! This week we will also take some time to reflect on this project in its entirety.

The remaining social science time last week focused on the rising tension in the colonies and the causes of the American Revolution. As a class, we spent time further examining the French & Indian War, The Proclamation of 1763, various acts (Stamp, Sugar, Tea, etc.), and of course the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party. Colonists and taverns chose sides either for against British rule, and then composed letters to King George III voicing their opinions. Finally, students discovered what "The Shot Heard Round the World" refers to as we examined the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS:
MATH:
We will continue moving through Unit 5 this week in math. Students will compare bar and circle graphs, and also learn how to read and create circle graphs.

READING:
Our nonfiction mini-lessons will continue this week. We will focus on cause & effect and chronological text structures. Students will also sift through literary nonfiction to differentiate between fact and fiction.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
WEX this week will focus on incorporating strong verbs into our writing.

SOCIAL SCIENCE:
This week we'll explore the Patriots' fight for freedom, including a reenactment of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Students will also examine the Declaration of Independence.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Tuesday, 11/10.......................................Causes of American Revolution Assessment
Wednesday, 11/11..................................Veterans' Day!
Reenactment of the Battle of Bunker Hill
Friday, 11/20...........................................Report Cards
Monday, 11/23 & Tuesday, 11/24...........Conferences
Wednesday, 11/25 through Friday, 11/27..NO SCHOOL

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Monday, November 2, 2015

11/2/2015

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Happy November (how is it November already???) Thank you so much to our amazing Room Moms, Mary Salm and Susie Zitella, for their hard work in planning our outstanding Halloween party on Friday! Thank you, also, to all of our wonderful parent volunteers who helped out in the afternoon as well! We are grateful for each of you!

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK:
MATH:
In math last week we began Unit 5, Fractions, Decimals, & Percents (we'll be coming back to Unit 4 after our Thanksgiving break). Students reviewed fraction uses and examined parts and wholes. We explored mixed numbers and compared and ordered fractions. In addition, students practiced adding fractions with fraction sticks and solved fraction number stories.

READING WORKSHOP:
We wrapped up the last of our Nonfiction read aloud lessons last week. Students learned that readers of nonfiction determine the writer's purpose for writing a text to help learn about a topic. Students also practiced determining the main idea and supporting details of various nonfiction texts. Finally, students learned that readers of nonfiction know how to monitor their understanding of a text. We demonstrated this understanding of a text by summarizing key ideas.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
Our writers' workshop time last week was used for our American Revolution research. We'll be back to "WEXing" as usual this week!

SOCIAL SCIENCE:
"Social studies is the best this year!"
"I love the American Revolution!"
"Yes! We're doing social studies for the whole afternoon!"
"Can we do social studies all day?"
These are just a few of the exciting quotes I captured from our class last week! Once again, I found myself utterly amazed by the students' passion for this project! Our time was spent wrapping up research and final projects, giving peer feedback, and completing research summaries. Our classroom was the picture of true collaboration each day! Students who created plays or performances using classroom volunteers held practice sessions. Students who needed to capture the attention of a group or the class used my signal of clapping to do so. Students even worked voluntarily to design a rubric to be used for assessment.

As students began to share their presentations with the class, the level of engagement only increased! Final projects were designed creatively and effectively to truly capture the attention of the audience while teaching classmates about his or her topic...PowToons, Prezis, Plays/Performances, Slideshows, and Illustrations...I can't wait to see what this week will bring!

On a side note, you may have heard about a little fun-filled simulation we did last week where students could see the colonists’ perspective of No Taxation Without Representation first hand. Our class “earned” Tootsie Rolls and were then “taxed” for the use of various everyday school items. One in particular, The Accordion Folder Tax, really caused an uproar..."How can you tax us on something you require us to use at school?" Then, seeing Queen Claire take 40% of their candy, along with Parliament’s 50% just outraged our class! Of course everyone received equal amounts after the activity.

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS:
MATH:
We will continue moving through Unit 5 this week. Students will examine equivalent fractions, and learn how convert fractions into decimals and percents.

READING:
Our Nonfiction mini-lessons will begin this week. Students will examine the process of reading nonfiction, and practice determining main ideas and supporting details. We will also learn about problem/solution and cause/effect text structures.

WRITERS' WORKSHOP:
This week WEX will focus on main nouns and main verbs, along with a few sentence structure relays.

SOCIAL SCIENCE:
The remaining American Revolution research presentations will be shared this week! We will also spend some time continuing our examination of the rising tensions in the colonies, along with the "Shot Heard 'Round the World." In addition, our beloved read aloud of My Brother Sam is Dead will begin. Please see the parent letter that will be sent home today.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Wednesday, November 11............................Veterans' Day
Battle of Bunker Hill Reenactment

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Monday, November 30, 2015

Monday, November 16, 2015﻿

Monday, November 9, 2015

Monday, November 2, 2015

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Monday, November 16, 2015