Learning Portfolio

Students began working on their portfolios today that they will eventually be sharing with you about their progress. We’ll have some time, periodically, in class to work but they may also need to complete parts at home. They should be completed by next Friday, February 8 so that they can share with you and leave enough time for you to schedule a conference if you choose.

After special, in our morning meeting, we shared about our weekend. Well, Mischa took up most of the time since she shared about her birthday... :) We gave her a hard time because she just kept sharing and sharing and sharing... I think we all-both 4th and 5th-worked on Invention Convention. 4th graders also caught up with Rufus in The Toothpaste Millionaire. In math, 4th graders in my room reviewed for our geometry test and then tested. They also completed an Exemplar about symmetry and then also fractional pieces of shapes. I’m not quite sure what the 5th graders did today but I think they worked on volume with Mrs. Tanner and various Canvas assignments for fractions with Mrs. Kelly.

We ended our day reading UNgifted. We really are relating to this book and each of the characters in one way or another. Ask your kiddo about Tin Man...

Optimism

I was working with a student today on an essay about optimism and he was so pessimistic about it! :) It was very ironic. "When All the World's Problems are Solved, is Optimism Still Necessary?" was the prompt that he was trying to write about. Even though I can see how brilliant our students are, they are still average in their optimism and self-esteem and we need to continue to remember that. I shared my optimistic opinion that I felt he could totally win the essay contest, however, I gave him permission to have that moment of pessimism and reality. It was a bit of a humbling experience for both of us, I think. (Do we sometimes expect too much out of our gifted kiddos because we know what they are capable of??)

After special, in our morning meeting, we shared where we would travel to in the United States, if we could go anywhere. We got a lot of Hawaii, California and Florida (duh-look how cold it is here!) but we also got Michigan, Alaska, big cities and other non-popular choices and for very sweet reasons. Then, we played, Four Corners, which is like a "Would you rather?" but with four different choices. We also had a few minutes to read and/or visit the library before switching for our content. In Mrs. Tanner's room, 5th grade students worked on sound but also on Invention Convention. 4th graders first worked with their groups for Model UN where they continued researching their third world country. Then, we discussed the requirements and restrictions as well as the basic steps for Invention Convention. Have them show you the process! In math, 4th grade students took the STAR reading and math assessments. Mrs. Kelly's 5th grade students worked on fraction assignments on Canvas while those in Mrs. Tanner's room went over the 3-act task they had been working on and then moved on to volume. Our day concluded with our 8th indoor recess in a row (Nick K. is counting) and then quiet time and Genius Hour.

Opinions

Opinions are something that our kids sure have a lot of! Except when they are asked to write about them... Today was our writing day for the checkpoint writing assessment. They had 45 minutes to write today, based on the topic they picked and evidence they gathered yesterday. Unfortunately, some students struggled with forming their thoughts into paragraphs. Most wrote using google docs so have them show you their work from today.

Afterward, they worked on ways to gather ideas for the upcoming Invention Convention. SCAMPER, brainstorming and elaboration are three of the ways we have learned to try and come up with problems and solutions. In math, 5th graders in Mrs. Tanner's room finished up their 3-act task about cigarette butts and in Mrs. Kelly's room, they finished their fraction puzzles. 4th grade students in Mr. Smith's room looked at how to find angle measures when you only know some of the information and in my room, we secured our understanding of attributes of quadrilaterals and then had a lot of fun with symmetry!

After another indoor recess and some quiet time, it was the big dance in UNgifted! Donovan was very protective of his new friends from the Academy and we think he is setting himself up for a big problem by introducing the 2 Daniels to Tin Man...

Rain, rain, go away...

The temperature was finally bearable but it was raining so another day of indoor recess. The kids are getting stir crazy! We might make it outside tomorrow...?

After special, in our morning meeting, we shared our thoughts on if we thought it was important for kiddos (9, 10, 11) to be aware of current events. I was impressed with the discussion! I felt like I was having a mature conversation with peers. Most said that they think they should but don't need to know everything. Some said that it was important to stay in the know because they might be able to help solve the problems. Again, it was a really good discussion! Then, we played a couple rounds of Category Challenge: board games and ice cream flavors!

Today, in both 4th and 5th grade, we planned for our opinion writing assessment. We had 45 minutes to come up with a topic we have a strong feeling about and gather evidence and facts to help support our opinion. Tomorrow, they will have 45 minutes to write. (Some may want to continue to plan tonight!)

After writing/planning today, Mrs. Tanner's kiddos played Sniglets. I'm not exactly sure what it is other than that they played with word meaning and enjoyed it. In my room, 4th grade students then met up with their group for Model U.N. and continued to research their country. So far, we are trying to navigate through economic and government terminology but it is a lot for 4th grade so on Friday, we will begin with an overview and some vocabulary before moving on.

In math, in my room, we finished up our geometry map projects and then had some fun with idioms involving math (time flies, four-eyes, etc.) and then practiced identifying attributes of polygons. Mr. Smith's students were ready for the geometry post-test (well, most of them) so they took that today. Mrs. Tanner completed a 3-act task on, "How big of a problem are littered cigarette butts?" and then took their iDGi (individualized Dynamic Geometry instruction) pre-test. Mrs. Kelly's students first completed a story problem and then an equivalent fraction puzzle.

We ended our day with Genius Hour! Although it seems like they aren't doing anything, they really are. Some read today (we haven't had a lot of silent reading time with our new schedule), some practiced keyboarding or cursive, one used an app to learn a new language and a few are researching and dabbling in podcasts.

Feeling good!

I think things are going great right now and I'm hoping that you agree. We are making connections and completing relevant and authentic work. 5th graders really impressed Mrs. Tanner with their understandings of the 'poem' Sound of Silence and have taken it upon themselves to understand the judicial system with a trial for Carl... (ask your kid!) 4th grade students are researching third world countries in search of problems they face in order to create possible solutions. See-authentic, relevant, connected. :)

In our morning meeting, we shared about our weekend through the game, "Fact or Fiction?" They each gave 3 statements-2 of them were factual and 1 was fictional-and we had to determine which was fiction. Some kiddos were very predictable-we know them well! In math, 5th graders in Mrs. Tanner's class worked on 'Poly Up' which is something that multiple groups of kids around Hilliard are completing in a sort of competition. 5th grade students in Mrs. Kelly's room are at various levels of fraction activities but all are working on word problems. 4th grade students kept working on their geometry map project and in Mr. Smith's room, they completed an Exemplar and in my room, we read and wrote math poetry and discussed figurative language. Our day ended with reading UNgifted where the "brainiacs" went on a field trip to Katie's doctor appointment and found out there was going to be a dance at the Academy!

Typical Friday

After special, we had an Arrow team meeting in order to present S.H.A.R.P. awards. Congratulations, Austin as our winner! :) In our class meeting, we shared what our typical Friday evening plans and then played, "Guess my number." 5th grade students finished their A-MAZING Time Magazine articles! They are SOOO cool! 4th graders learned a brainstorming technique called, "SCAMPER," and then practiced as a class before getting into pairs to actually apply this strategy to the third world country, Sudan, to identify a problem and come up with possible solutions. In math, 4th grade students continued working on our geometry maps while 5th grade kiddos in Mrs. Kelly's class worked on Canvas assignments and I'm not sure what they did in Mrs. Tanner's room...please ask your child! After lunch and another indoor recess, we read UNgifted. Although everyone at the Academy is realizing or has realized, that Donovan is not gifted, that doesn't mean that he isn't adding to their program. He is teaching them social and human skills-other than just the academics they are used to.

Substitute

I was out today for a doctor's appointment so there was a substitute there in my place. Hopefully, everything went smoothly...here's what I left for her to complete with the kiddos:
In meeting, they were to share what they would wish for if they were granted one wish and then played Alibi again. The 4th graders worked on their opinion writing they began yesterday and maybe began looking to identify problems of third world nations. In math, they continued to write poetry and then completed an Exemplar and started creating their geometry map project/activity. I'm guessing it was indoor recess again (did your kiddo join the new "chess club" that Mrs. Tanner began with them at recess on Wednesday?) After recess and quiet time, they had Genius Hour time. What is your child doing during Genius Hour??

United Nations

Oh my goodness! I was so impressed with our 4th grade students today during Science/Social Studies/Literacy time. Wow! We teamed up with Mr. Smith's group of 4th graders (Smith/Kelly) to talk about what the United Nations is and does. Eventually, students will be given a country that they will need to research in order to find a problem they can create a solution for. Ask your kiddo what they learned about the United Nations. Then, we began an opinion writing: What do you think is the biggest problem facing the United States? They should be collecting facts and evidence tonight to finish writing tomorrow.

In our morning meeting, we shared the food we chose to eat if we could only eat one food for the rest of our lives. Then, we played a few rounds of Sparkle. (Meeting was planned today by Emmanuel, Lindey, Hayley and Hope.)

5th grade students worked to complete their Time Magazine Person of the Year articles-complete with cover! (They are so cool!) Some math students took their end of the unit test while others practiced and/or worked with Mrs. Tanner. In Mrs. Kelly's math class, they finished their Exemplar and worked on making improper fractions into mixed numbers. 4th grade math students in my room, wrote poetry about geometry, played some Mrs. L says, sorted uppercase alphabet letters by their attributes and played a type of Geometry "Uno" game. In Mr. Smith's class, they took notes and worked on shapes and figuring out the sum of the interior angles. Our day concluded with discussing upcoming SHARP awards, Columbus Blue Jacket reading and an essay contest from Hilliard Optimist.

Planned by students

Morning meeting today was planned by Mohamed with a little assistance from Aaron and Nick K. We shared our favorite video game (shocker!) and I went first sharing that if my girls make me play something, I like Mario Kart but when I was growing up, it was Super Mario Brothers 3 (on the original Nintendo) but I also shared that Frogger and Donkey Kong on the Atari was what I liked to play when I was in elementary school. We ended up having a nice discussion about the evolution of games and how I appreciated that no one said, "Grand Theft Auto." :) Then, we played the game, Alibi.

There were so many interruptions due to the 6th grade MAP tests and I wasn't able to check in with the 5th graders to find out what they were working on. Please ask your kiddo what they did with Mrs. Tanner...did they continue with their Time Magazine's Person of the Year article? Did they work with sound? In Math, Mrs. Kelly's class kept working on the Exemplar from yesterday and in Mrs. Tanner's class, they worked on a ratio problem.

In 4th grade, we completed the entire design thinking process in an hour. Usually, this takes a lot more time than that but today's lesson was designed to show the students the entire process. We realized that the majority of the process is focused on THINKING. They enjoy the creating of the process but they need to spend most of their time with thinking. We also discussed the article we read yesterday about a kid inventor. (It was good-ask your student about it.) In math, the kiddos in my room played a round of Mrs. L says to review the vocabulary we learned yesterday and then we applied that understanding to describe shapes/polygons. We completed math by writing acrostic, shape, diamante and limerick poetry about the shapes.

Our day concluded with reading UNgifted. Today, we learned that the teachers at the Academy do not see how Donovan was accepted in...as they have no clue where his strengths are, although they have found many weaknesses.

Act it out

Oh goodness...instead of talking about our weekend, in morning meeting, we acted it out to see if others could guess and some were pretty funny! We had a good time and shared about our weekend in a different way, though. We also played Coseeki and today the guessers were really quick at figuring out our leader.

During 5th grade content time, Mrs. Tanner worked with them on completing their Person of the Year articles. What is your kiddo on the cover of Time Magazine for?? In math, those with Mrs. Tanner practiced finding the operation needed in word problems and Mrs. Kelly worked on an exemplar where they had to figure out how much money someone made. 4th graders caught up with Rufus and his entrepreneurship in Toothpaste Millionaire, completed their Ohio inventor resumes, read an article on NewsELA and participated in a vocabulary jam. In math, we learned geometry vocabulary by playing Mrs. Lambright says or through note-taking with Mr. Smith and then we all went on a geometry hunt around the building. We had indoor recess and then Genius Hour time.

TGIF!

This was the longest week ever! However, it went really well and we accomplished a lot.

After special, we had a brief Arrow Team meeting. First, we went through the lost and found as it was completely overflowing! Then, we discussed the upcoming SHARP award nominations that are due by Thursday morning. (SHARP awards are a chance for students to nominate other students.) We talked about hallway behaviors and how we need to remember to stay quiet in the halls, especially next week when the 6th graders are taking MAP tests. Finally, we had a great discussion about our upcoming Invention Convention. In our class meeting, we shared what we hope to do in the snow this weekend! and Justin shared with us about his trip to Tokyo, Japan.

4th grade students continued researching their Ohio inventors and writing resumes for them. We also practiced our invention vocabulary with a fun "jam" game. In math, we finished up our work with our elapsed time Disneyland task and money conversions. 5th graders completed their rough drafts of their personal article for their 2030 Person of the Year issue and more sound experiments. In math, they kept on working towards securing their understanding of multiplication and division of fractions.

After lunch and OUTDOOR recess (heat wave!), we worked on completing a reflection of our week to share with you while I read, UNgifted. Today, Donovan arrived at the gifted academy and was introduced to some of his very gifted (and quirky!) classmates.

Maximus

We got a new puppy on Saturday and I've realized that I am too old for a puppy! :) I'm so exhausted! Anyway, I realized this morning that I forgot to blog yesterday so here's a picture of Max to say sorry!

Yesterday, after special, Mrs. Shantel came down to teach us about our emotions and how to recognize them in ourselves and others so that we can best regulate ourselves. Then, 5th graders headed to Mrs. Tanner's room where they worked on their Time People of the Year where they are writing an article as if they are the Person of the Year in 2030. They also worked on more sound stations. 4th grade students learned what a resume is and the components for a resume so that they can write resumes for 2 Ohio Inventors. We also worked with vocabulary.com to learn some words specific to inventions. In math, the 5th grade students are working with multiplication and division of fractions with lots of different types of activities. 4th graders either tested, practiced for the test or worked on an elapsed time activity. We ended our day with our new read aloud, UNgifted, about a middle school kid, Donovan, who is an extreme trouble maker that somehow ends up in a special school for gifted students.

This morning, I was out with my daughter at a doctor appointment but Mr. Bender was in and seemed to have a great time with the class. After special, they shared what their favorite time of day is. Then, the 5th graders worked on their Person of the Year articles and sound experiments with Mrs. Tanner before completing math work on fractions. 4th graders developed the reading skill of interesting vs. important by reading a non-fiction text about rocks and pulling out the important facts while recognizing the interesting ones. They also had time to work on their vocabulary. In math, 4th grade students finished up with testing and continued working on their elapsed time Disneyland activity. 5th grade students kept on working to secure their understanding of multiplication and division of fractions. Our day concluded with Genius Hour where students worked on reading, writing and researching or practicing other ideas they are interested in. 

Hmmm...

So, we have switched up our schedule a bit to make things more cohesive. For this reason, I am mostly teaching 4th grade so my blog will begin to look a bit different as there will be a greater concentration on 4th grade work. However, I will continue to ask the 5th grade kiddos what they are doing in their classrooms and put the information I gather in my blog so that 5th grade parents can use the blog too.

After special, in our morning meeting, we discussed the new schedule and so far, most everyone is enjoying the cohesiveness. Then, we revisited our "One Word" from the beginning of the year and made modifications, added to it, left it alone or changed it completely for the new year. These "One Word" 2.0's are hanging on our lockers just as our others had. Ask your kiddo if they made any changes to their words. (Mine went from "SOAR" to "Soaring (toward success)."

During our Science/Social Studies/Literacy block, 5th graders in Mrs. Tanner's class continued with Time Magazine's People of the Year and then moved on to completing experiments with sound for Science. In my room, the 4th graders began with writing an opinion piece on, "The Best Invention Ever Made," before our The Toothpaste Millionaire read aloud. In the book, Kate is telling us about how she moved to Cleveland, Ohio and met Rufus, a fellow sixth-grade student that becomes a millionaire by making toothpaste! Then, we researched inventions from Ohioans. Ask your child for a few that we discovered today!

In Math, some 4th grade students took their Measurement Post-test, Geometry Pre-test and began an elapsed time Disneyland task. Others practiced for taking their test tomorrow by playing games and completing practice problems or working in a small group with me for better understanding before assessing on Thursday. 5th grade students in Mrs. Tanner's class worked on their pie problems and a pocket activity for understanding fractions and those in Mrs. Kelly's class completed problems with Mrs. Kelly on multiplication and division of fractions and took their Pre(ish)-test.

We had a fire drill between lunch and recess (that was fun) and enjoyed this crazy weather at recess. After a little bit of quiet time, students had Genius Hour time where some worked on bettering their keyboarding skills, some read and others tried to find some new ways to enjoy their iPads. (Unfortunately, a LOT of these were blocked by our school's filter but they took pictures of the cool tasks so they could try at home. For instance, one was to use iFakeTextMessage.com to create a scary story...)

New Year. New Schedule!

Happy New Year! It was so nice getting to see all the kiddos today~I missed them over break!
We began our day with special and then in meeting, shared a bit about the fun and exciting things we did over break. Then, we discussed our new schedule. Not only are we back to our late lunch schedule but we are also trying to make more connections by adding literacy into our Science/Social Studies block. So, we'll be switching now at 9:30. Our 5th grade kiddos will be heading to Mrs. Tanner for until 11:20ish. Today, they looked at Time Magazine's People of the Year. In my room, 4th graders had an invention focus with Invention Convention coming soon. We read part of The Toothpaste Millionaire and discussed inventions. Around 11:20, we switched for our typical flexibly grouped math class. All 4th grade students reviewed measurement topics (area, perimeter, angles, conversions) and signed up for when they'd like to test. 5th grade students continued working with multiplication and division of fractions. After lunch and recess and a little bit of quiet time, we worked out a plan for trying to fit everything in after recess. We decided to have an alternating schedule (which I hadn't thought of so I'm glad they did!) with read aloud and Genius Hour.