Hey F-E-B! RU, A.R.Y?

Happy Tuesday everyone! I apologize for the major delay in updating... it's been a hectic few weeks.

This month is the month of argumentation, kindness, and technology. 

We are working on our argumentative writing and reading units. I hope the kids have talked about it with you, they are working on two different projects right now. During reading, they have chosen a topic with a few other kids and are working on honing skills in developing strategies while reading. They are not writing about this topic- they are just practicing research skills. Some of the topics include animals in captivity, football and head injuries, healthy food, and using fidgits. The kids are using one of my favorite informational text resources, NEWSELA, to help find articles that not only help them with their research, but also help them read text at their levels. 

 During writing, the class is working on writing a letter to me on whether or not our class should adopt the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)  policy at school. When we originally started this discussion, the for and against line was down the middle. On Monday however, I polled the class again and the opinions were surprisingly against BYOD. Even with some of the other classes using BYOD, many of the kids are recognizing the strain more than the success. I was quite surprised.  By Friday, the kids should have figured out most of their claims and supporting evidence, and they will be writing a letter to me stating their opinions clearly. I encourage you to talk to them about it, and see what they think should happen. 

February is also the month of RAK, or Random Acts of Kindness. As a class gesture of kindness, last Friday the kids and I went up to the 8th grade wing and surprised the 8th graders with " High Five Friday." They had a ton of fun spreading the silliness and love, and are eager to do it again. Also, coming home are the "Boom Boom" cards. They are cards with RAK kids to do, register online and pass it around. If you see them at home, remind them to register it online. We are trying to get the most RAK at KMS. 

As an effort to push our education beyond the 21st century, I am trying to incorporate new uses of technology in the room. Last month we used a form of testing called "Plicker" and this month we tried Kahoot! Which is taking over education slowly and surely. Another resource the kids checked out today was Goodreads.com. The kids created a sign in and are updating their own personal libraries with books they have read, and what to read, as well as write reviews.  One of my favorite parts about Goodreads, is that it also has a way of connecting readers together by inviting friends, as well as provide book recommendations. I highly encourage you to check out the site, and create the library with your own kiddos. Keeping in mind this website is a resource for ALL ages of readers, I've asked the kids to be mature about the books, as I am sure they will see titles that are odd, just like they would see in a grocery store or at Barnes and Noble. This is the only time that I will ask the kids to use and join- if you feel uncomfortable with the kids using the site, feel free to delete their account. I am hoping that this will actually help answer the age old question," What books can I read next?" and encourage them to embrace reading outside of school. Please let me know of your thoughts :)

Lastly, we have two permission slips coming home. One is "Share the Reading", and the other is for the "Wizard of Oz". In February, the school is having an incredible event where the middle schoolers are invited to the elementary schools to embrace reading and model to the younger kids their own personal reading life. They spend about an hour at the schools working with the other kids, reading to them and talking to them. They also get a little time to say hi to their previous teachers if time permits. It's an awesome experience- I hope many of our kiddos join in the fun. On top of that, KMS is holding a reading challenge. Everyday the kids are to log ALL of the minutes they read, and then turn in their logs at the end of the month.

In March, I am planning another amazing school spirit month. Last year, we crammed a bunch of activities in one week, however, due to our field trip to Wizard of Oz on the day of Spirit Night (which unfortunately does not include 5th graders), we are spreading out the activities over the course of the month. This was a huge hit last year, and I am looking forward to these events for the kids.

Also, for Valentine's Day, please do NOT send your children in with any sort of Valentine candy or toys. Due to our policy in relation to allergies, and my attempts to keep the kids healthy, not to mention the equity questions, it's a no go in the classrooms for any toys, candies or trinkets. If your child wants to bring a valentine card in for the class, it has to be all or none. 

Hopefully that helps answer any questions you might have. Here's to having some snow finally melt away this month (hopefully)!!

2016!!

Welcome back to school! I hope everyone had a joyous holiday break! I certainly enjoyed the time to reset, recuperate, recover and reflect, and watch a lot of Star Wars. I also enjoyed the time to catch up on some Netflix shows, decorate the house with a little holiday cheer and reunite with my wonderful family.  

But alas! Now we are back to the daily grind. On Monday, the kids seemed a little tired, as they were getting back on their daily schedules. Even with the challenge, they did a marvelous job keeping a positive attitude and giving it their best! Everyday we are getting better and better. 

Currently, we are a little behind on the informational unit. Because of this, I had to cut the unit down a little bit more so than usual so we could focus more on the essentials of informational writing, not so much the accessories. I've asked the kids repeatably to use some of their time at home to research for more evidence and facts to support their ideas. Some of the kids seem to have jumped on that opportunity to work on it at home a bit, and some not so much. We are going to be typing up our drafts next week and hopefully polishing it up and presenting it after MLK day. I encourage you to ask your kids about their writing progress so far, and check in with their work. A lot of the kids think they have a lot, but once they start typing, it will shrink and most of them will be a little disappointed. 

In reading, we just started working on our argumentative research. The next writing project coincidentally is an argumentative essay, so we are working on understanding how to build a strong argument and the components of such. The kids have been divided into groups that are trying to argue pro/con a certain issue. Together, they should be able to create a pretty convincing argument. 

We just finished up our short explorers unit, and took our first "Plickers" test. A Plicker test is a really neat way to take a test or quiz without pens or paper. Kind of like in college professors would have us use a clicker to answer, the kids are given a number and a card with a weird QR like code, which they use to answer multiple choice answers. If they answer a question "A" then they turn the card a quarter turn until the A is facing up. I then use my iPad and scan the room, and the answers will then pop up on my device and record it. The kids loved it! I am looking forward to using this strategy again. 

So now that Social Studies is over, we are now beginning the Mixtures and Solutions unit in Science. To start us off, today the kids and I worked on understanding the Scientific Method briefly. Then I pulled out some borax and glue (apparently every teacher has these materials in stock in their classrooms) and told the kids we are making Oobleck. Through trial and error, and changing some variables, we are going to make some interesting slime. The first attempt however, got a few laughs, and will soon be visiting the trash can. They are really excited to try and figure out how to do it, as am I. So if you know how to do it, please DO NOT TELL them, and do NOT let them figure it out online! We're using the good old trial and error method. 

On some side notes, 

#1, the assessment window is open through the end of the month, which means that I will be retesting the class with Fountas and Pinnell (new reading letters coming soon hopefully!!) and MAPS math testing will be taking place. 

#2, for Word Study, I had to use a harder spelling list for assessments, which means that some kids went down a level for words. No worries, we'll keep working hard on it! 

#3, Percy Brown,our equity coordinator is coming in to talk this Friday with the kiddos about concepts of equity and racism in the morning. We have talked to Mr. Brown a few times this year and we are all very excited to talk with him! 

#4. Gayle Rosengren, author of What the Moon Said  and Cold War on Maple Street is coming in on the first week of February to talk to the kids about writing and inspiration on her books. If you are interested in purchasing any of the books, the kids took home a pink form for you to fill out. 

Lastly, #5, the Mindfulness Study. 

If you have not replied back with the large golden brown envelopes filled with the mindfulness packet study permission forms, please do so immediately. My class will be starting in the study very shortly and I want to make sure we do everything legal and correctly. It's going to be a lot of fun- I've truly enjoyed working with the researchers so far.  

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 2016 is looking to be a great year already (knock on wood!)

Best, 

Jennifer Davidson 

P.S. Thank you so much to all of the families for the wonderful and thoughtful gifts your children gave me before break. I felt very grateful and blessed to have such a wonderful and loving community. 

The Hail Mary of weeks!

What a crazy winter we have been having so far! (Knock on wood!)
Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been fighting this nasty virus on and off for a few weeks, and it's totally throwing me off my game.

First of all, for those of you who were able to make it to conferences, THANK YOU! It was such a blast seeing everyone and answering questions. You are all so wonderful, and I feel very thankful to have such a wonderful group of parents this year!

Second of all, the kids and I have been working very hard on our informational unit. The kids picked a topic that they wanted to learn more about in relation to Native Americans, and I am so impressed with the topics the kids have chosen! I am really enjoying watching the kids get really into their topics, and dive into their research. They are continually asking some great questions, and learning more about the purpose of what they are doing. It's awesome.


Lastly, on Friday before we all head off to break, the kids will be partaking in the first "Maker's Day" event. Brian Miles, our amazing technology guru/sensei is heading the project, which is good news for everyone. Mr. Miles (who teaches technology to most of the 5th graders in my room) has a bunch of amazing tech tools that the kids will get the opportunity to explore and learn with all morning. Not only that, but the rest of the 5th grade teachers will be having other hands on types of activities including tech, art, and creativity.  It's going to be a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep your eye out for the pamphlet this week!


It's looking to be a tough, but rewarding week, much like the "Miracle in Motown". Let's have fun! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I am looking forward to this break as a great time to rest, relax and revamp,and I know the kids are too.


And if you are wondering how the "Game" is going...that's the "revamp" part.

Happy Holidays!
Best,
Jen

Fall Conferences

Good Afternoon! Happy Weekend!


I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far, and are gearing up for another wonderful holiday season. I can't believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner! 

On Friday, I spent the day in Chicago at a conference, and had the pleasure of listening to our curriculum developer, Lucy Calkins. She is one of the members of Teacher's College Reading and Writing project, which is how many of the K-8 teachers in Middleton are being trained in the workshop model. She was able to briefly discuss some of the main aspects of teaching reading and writing in the model, and give a good summary of what she focuses on for an entire week in just a few hours.  I came away with many great ideas and understandings of our curriculum, and am excited to roll up my sleeves a little higher for the oncoming quarters. 


The students are currently working on a new understanding of non fiction reading and writing. To start the unit off, I focus a lot of my attention during reading on strategies to help them understand everything they can. Through understanding and "orienting" themselves with the type of text and structure they are reading, to word work and features of non fiction, the students should walk away knowing how to look at non fiction, and get the most from it. During writing, we are warming the kids up to presenting "all that they know" on a topic, and working on adding in the basics to non fiction writing. Once they are finished with these presentations, the kids will then pick a topic that they will actually dive deeper into informational writing. 

In Everyday Math, many of the kids are working on long division and since I know my kids will be taking the unit 4 test before break, I suspect that many of the kids are in that same boat as well. So parents, be aware, there will probably be a math test next week in your child's class. If you're not sure, check with your child.

We finally finished up our first science unit last week on Landforms. I was very impressed during each of the investigations how well the kids figured out and discovered the main ideas of how landforms are created. Even more so, whenever we did these investigations, the kids all were highly engaged and were speaking the language. It looks like my class has a lot of scientists this year! 

Announcements:  

1. Parent teacher conferences are Tuesday and Thursday of this week. 
I have a few slots available if anyone needs to sign up or reschedule. However, this also means that I will be running a tight ship both of these nights. Conferences are only 15 minutes, and the better I can stay on time, the better everyone will be. Especially on Wednesday and Friday, when I have to come back and teach after some long nights! 

If you have any concerns or questions, please let me know now, so I can  satisfy your needs, and focus on what YOU want to know. 


Here is the main idea of my conference:

1. How your child rocks
2. What your child is rocking at in class
3. Anything goals your child has for next quarter
4. How I am going to help your child achieve that goal
5. What your child thinks about 5th grade
5. Questions ( time permitting)

again please let me know if you have any issues, questions or concerns.

2. I've been noticing my library has been getting a little thin. Which means, it looks like this is a good time for a book round up.  If you see any of my classroom library books laying around the house or car, can you please have your child bring them in on Monday? I think we need to review the library check out protocol with my kiddos. As many of my graphic novels , (Bone, Amulet, and Inuyasha)  which are supposed to stay in the room, and Diary of a Wimpy Kids books, have not been checked out and are not in their spots. 

If you are unsure, my books have my name written in them on the inside cover, as well as a letter dot in the corner. Some may not have these, most of them do. 



I am so  excited and thrilled to see all of you next week! 
Have a great rest of your weekend! 

-Jennifer

Break

So, the kids and I have been up to a few things the last two weeks. First of all, the students earned a phenomenal read-in. They had an absolute BLAST. We pulled some of the collaboration furniture into the room, moved all of the tables and chairs to the side and cuddled up on the floor with our stuffed animals (yes, I had one to. I have a "Toothless" that I am quite fond of...). It seemed like they really enjoyed the experience, and I am looking forward to the next one.
On a side note, the upstairs floor HAS INVITED US to another read in tomorrow, between 8:45-9:45, same rules apply. Anything they bring with them must stay in their lockers after the read in.

Last week, we had a truly incredible opportunity of welcoming a member of the Oneida community, Mark Denning.

Mark came to us last year and spoke to the students briefly about Native American heritage and culture. We loved it so much that Mrs. Muniz was able to get him for an entire week! Each day last week the students were engaged in a variety of activities that explored Native American horses, lacrosse, stereotypes, dancing and houses.  They had a blast and did a marvelous job learning with him each day. We haven't started talking about Native Americans just yet, so it was a fabulous pre teaching experience.

We are finishing up this week with a few units. Namely, the Narrative writing unit, as well as the Interpretation Book Clubs.  On Tuesday, we spent time reading our stories out loud to our "ships" and then nominated up to two people to share in in front of the entire class voluntarily.  I was so impressed with everyone who shared their stories today. They all embraced each other's strengths and challenges, provided feedback and celebrated our first, of many major successes.


Let me know if you have any questions, I will try to update again soon!