How Many Boxes Will Fill Our Classroom?

After MCAS testing was over, the class took on the challenge of trying to calculate the total number of Scholastic boxes that would fit in our classroom.  The students were grouped in fours and were given a box. One group was given a basketball. The only directions the students were given was to work together to think through the process and use the tools in the classroom and all that we have learned in math to help them with this task. They also needed to be able to show their thinking and calculations when they were finished.  Below are some pictures of the students working to solve the problem.

A head scratching challenge!

Will and Olivia measuring the length of the room.

Jack telling Karleigh she must be right!

Double checking your work is always a good idea!

One group had an extra challenge, a basketball!

This was a fun way to spend the rest of the morning after MCAS tests.  The students worked very hard to find an answer.  But it wasn't about finding the correct answer, but rather about thinking about a problem. 

James thinking about creative ways to measure.

New Happenings in 5B

Difficult word problem homework . Maybe
you remember helping your child with
this one?

We have all been working very hard on our latest math unit - Surface Area and Volume.  The students have trying their best and working very hard to understand new math concepts.  The photo to the left was one of the rather difficult math word problems the children had to work on for homework one night last week.  A couple of girls tackled the problem together and worked very hard until they got the correct answer. These problems are not easy, but they do show that with perseverance you can get the answer.

Katie, James, and Kate
sorting shapes on our class Venn
diagram. 

In an attempt to learn Geometry, the students have been making all kinds of shapes for the past month or so.  Once everyone put their shapes up on the Venn diagram it wasn't quite correct so Katie, James, and Kate volunteered to come in early one morning last week to fix it.  They took on the challenge of identifying the mistake and then reorganizing the class Venn diagram.  Stop outside our classroom if you are at school to see if you can identify how they sorted the shaped.

Our class Happy Meal from September.

I thought I would take a picture to show all of you what our class Happy Meal looks like as of the end of April, 2014 - NOT MUCH different than September!  The apples are more brown and a little bit softer, the nuggets and fries are as hard as rocks but that is it.  Other than that they look like they did they day I bought them back in September.  I don't know about you, but I won't be eating at McDonald's any time soon!

We have just finished up our
reading unit on Historical Fiction.  I thought it would be fun to write Spy Letters from the point of view of a character in the book we have just read.  To the left is an example of how the recipient of the spy letter would read the letter using the decoder.  To the right, you can see what looks like an ordinary letter but it really contains a secret message. The students used the decoder to write their letters.  It was more difficult than it sounds, but it was a lot of fun.  If you would like to read the secret letters, stop outside our classroom and read the bulletin board to read about all the secret messages.

Stop by our classroom to see all of these projects!  Your children work very hard.

This Week In Room102

We have finished the ELA section of MCAS and all of the students worked very hard. I was very proud of each and every one of them! We have a bit of a break before the next round of math and then science in May. So for now, it is back to the normal day in our classroom.

As you read last week, we have been studying the different traditional literature types. The students have organized and classified different book genres. This past week they took all of the information they gathered and began creating posters. Stay tuned to see the final products or better yet, stop outside our classroom to take a look and see them in person. We aren't quite done just yet though. Give us a few more days.  Once the posters are finished, the students will be working independently to create something of their own. This you will have to wait for, but it will be worth the wait! Take a look to see your children hard at work.

Nick, Harry, and Sydney all working hard on their poster drafts.

Matthew and Cooper discussing the myths and the characteristic to include in their poster.

Uma and Tori deep in discussion about a castle, a donut clock, and fairy tales!

Abby and Madi each adding a touch to the draft.

Did someone say pictures? Katie and Kate stopping for a photo shoot.

Ryan, James, and Jack all working cooperatively on a draft.

Sebbie starting the draft -Teddie had to leave for a minute!

We have also been working diligently in math learning how to accurately measure and label angles. We have also learned that the sum of all triangles is 180 degrees. Ask your child about the hands on activity that we did to prove that the sum of all triangles always equals 180 degrees. Ask them to prove it to you.

Please keep a look out for a permission slip to Concord and Lexington the week of April 9th.  We will be going with Mrs. Lantz class. And if you have not returned the permission slip for the Great Body Works movie please do soon.

A Day In The Life Of A Fifth Grader!

This past week we were all busy with MCAS and new projects.  Tori has written about a writing lesson in our class.  This is the first part of a bigger project.  Stay tuned to see the final outcome!

A Day in the Life of a Fifth Grader: Writing Wizards

     During a writing period, the Boucherettes have been working on finding the difference between legends, folk tales, tall tales, fairy tales, fables, and myths. Mrs. Boucher has separated each student into groups where they use their graphic organizers to categorize each book genre. In these organizers, the students pick a book from each genre and then fill in the facts in the packet that each genre has to offer. Not all the genres have the same categories. For example: Legends most of the time have heroes, but fairy tales don't. Although the students are all part of a group, they can't read the same books as their partners. If two students read the same book with smaller stories inside of it, that is okay. The class has spent the entire week of March 17th working on this packet, but this is just the beginning. This organizer is just a brainstorming organizer, so there is still more writing on its way. Who knows what Mrs. Boucher has in store for the Boucherettes. (Tori, guest blogger)

Below is the final project for our non-fiction text feature's project.  The students were all responsible for writing and speaking about a different text feature.  They did a great job!  Click on the link below to watch.

Text Features from Mrs. Klipfel on Vimeo.

Stay tuned for another Day in the Life with another guest writer!

Guest Writer and Things to Come!

Guest Writer

This week I have asked a student to write and reflect on our Hour Of Code experience.  Below is Uma's reflection. 

The Magic of Coding

Coding is like magic to me.  When my first command popped up on the screen, I lit up inside.  Each command was like I had cast a new magic spell. But just like spells, some parts of making a snowman with coding are harder than others. For me, I got frustrated with the arms of the snowman. The lines kept turning out to what seemed to be the opposite of what I wanted them to be.  It took me a lot of patience and many attempts to weave my way through it and realize my vision. A few times, I took a break from working on the arms and focused on a whole new part of the snowman, so I could look back on the arms with a new set of eyes.

Something I can relate coding to is like trying to get through a huge crowd. It may be impossibly hard at some places, but if you're patient enough, you can weave your way through. Just taking in the open space in front of you, when you finally make it through, can be the best reward. Often the harder something is for you, the more you appreciate your accomplishments.

By Uma 

Look closely at all the work involved in making the snowman,
and I don't think Uma is finished with him yet!

Uma, who has just spent more time working on her snowman card.

Moon Journals

Your children came home this past Friday with their Moon Journals.  Each night he/she should be observing the Moon and recording the current phase.  Please make sure your child is doing this activity.  It does count as homework.  He/She will need to observe and record the phases of the Moon over the weekends and throughout February Vacation.  If your family will be away, there are websites to catch up any missed days when you return.

Things to Come

Next week students will be taking turns as class videographers and recording a Day In The Life of a fifth grader.  Stay tuned to see what it is like to be at Proctor School as a fifth grader in our class.

Coding, DNA, Moon Experiments!

The past two weeks have been busy in our class.  We have been learning to code, extracting DNA, and learning about the Moon.  It has been very exciting for all of us!

The Hour of Code is an easy way for students to learn the basics of coding with drag and drop programming.  This is a game-like self directed tutorial using games to help students learn coding.  This is a great way to get students, especially girls, interested in coding. Here are some pictures of our class coding last week.

We also extracted Strawberry and Lima bean DNA.  That was also quite interesting!  Here are the pictures showing your children hard at work thinking like scientists.

The students also learned the Phases of the Moon. Below are some pictures of our day with Mrs. Aldridge.

Now that the students are familiar with with the Phases of the Moon, they will begin the month long project observing the Moon. Each night the students will need to observe and record the phase of the Moon. At the end of the week they will need to summarize their weekly observations. This project will continue for 29 days, enough time for the students to observe one complete rotation of the Moon. The final project will be due on March 4. Complete instructions will be given to your child, but if they need a refresher or lose their packet, another packet can be printed in the handout section.

Strawberry DNA and Picture Permission Slips

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!

I am still missing some permission slips to post student pictures on my blog. Once I get all of the permission slips back, I can start posting some pictures of some recent activities.  Last week we had two enrichment lessons with Mrs. Aldridge and learned about Astronomy.  I have some great pictures I'm hoping to post very soon, but I'm waiting on a few more permission slips.

This week we will be extracting strawberry and Lima bean DNA.  This hands on lesson should be very interesting and exciting for the students.  I'd love to post some pictures of the students working so if you haven't sent back your permission slips to post pictures on our blog, please send it soon!

We will also be wrapping up our science unit on Heredity this week as well.  I hope to test Friday, January 17 on Heredity. If I feel the students aren't ready, the test will be on Wednesday, January 22nd. The students should be studying each night this week for homework.

The students have also been working on their 31 Days of Random Acts of Kindness.  Our bulletin board is growing with anonymous acts of kindness each day.  If you are in the school, stop by and check out the board outside our classroom.  They are also spending 10 minutes each day writing 3 gratitude's.  At first the students found it a bit difficult to write three things they were thankful for, but now they remind me that we need to write our gratitude's each day!  I am grateful to have a class of 22 very thankful and appreciative students!

Check back often for updates!