5th Grade Fun

 I can't believe our first month of school is behind us! I want to tell you a little about what we've been up to in 5th grade so far.

Teamwork

We've done several activities and challenges that involved a lot of teamwork. We've talked about what it should look like and sound like when kids are on task, being respectful, and helping their team achieve a task. Check out some pictures of our teamwork activity called Number Trouble.

Math

In math, we just finished up Unit 1. In unit 1 we learned how to find area of a rectangle with fractional sides using the formula l x w, and how to find the volume of a rectangular prism using the formula l x w x h. We also learned about the order of operations to help know which part of an equation we need to solve first. Check out some pictures of our exploring volume lesson.

Reading

In reading we've been focusing on story elements, plot, and summarizing. We practice these skills in class and we apply them to some of the stories we've read so far together this year. We are participating in the #Bookaday challenge as we try to read one picture book every day of the school year. So far we've read 22 books together.

Nutrition/Health Science

In our nutrition lessons, Mrs. Zapata comes to help us learn how to make healthy choices with our diet. She usually brings some new healthy foods for us to try too.

Science

In science we are working through our first unit, Matter and Energy in Ecosystems. We're taking an in depth look at food chains and learning what would happen in an ecosystem if one part of the food chain dies. Earlier this week as part of our study of decomposers, we set up a mold lab. We are trying to see what might encourage or inhibit mold growth. Check out a couple of our mold bags.

Class Dojo Rewards

Students work hard everyday to earn Dojo Points. They can earn points throughout the day by being safe, respectful, learners. They can use their points to buy classroom reward passes such as Sit in the Teachers Chair, Show and Tell, or Eat Lunch with the Teacher, etc. Check out one of our students who earned a show and tell pass to show us a Copperhead Snake skin. 

I try to update the blog about once a month, but I'll always make sure to email when I've added something. Thanks for checking it out!

Reading Week, Math Week, and other 5th grade Fun!

 We've been busy learning a lot and having fun in 5th grade.  Check out what we've been up to!

Reading Week- Forts and Flashlights

During reading week, we enjoyed visits from several Mystery Readers.

Mr. Tiemeyer

Mrs. Schulte

Mrs. Link

Mrs. Wood

Nora, Ellie's little sister, visited us from Kindergarten

Mrs. Beary

My daughter, Ella

My son, Jacob

Mr. McGinty stopped by

Dr. Link

Thank you to all our mystery readers!

1st Grade Buddies and the Outdoor Classroom

We took advantage of the beautiful weather this week and got outside in the outdoor classroom to remove invasive honeysuckle.  We also met our little buddies outside to complete a nature scavenger hunt.

Math Week

As part of our Math Week activities, we learned all about the number Pi on 3/14. We learned how to find the diameter of a circle and multiply by Pi to find the circumference.  Oh and of course we had to eat some pie while we were at it.

Science Fun

In science we are working through our space unit, and earlier this week we created a chalk model of our Solar System to show the relative distance between our planets and the sun.

Book Character Day

March Madness- Basketball Hoop and Launcher STEM Challenge

Today, students had 25 minutes to plan and construct a basketball hoop and launcher. Then they competed to see which group's design could make the most baskets in a minute. It was so fun!

Have a great weekend!

Science, Valentine's Day Fun, and more Science!

 We've been busy at school during the past month! Check out some pictures of our learning and fun.

Save the Snowman Challenge

Our class participated in districts' Save the Snowman Challenge. We learned about thermal conductors and insulators, then brainstormed ideas, and constructed a container we thought could protect a chocolate covered marshmallow snowman from melting under the heat of a blow torch. Check it out!

Protecting our container with duct tape.

Measuring and insulating our container with styrofoam.

The container is ready to be put under fire! Will our snowman survive?

See the burning container? Uh oh. Doesn't look good for our snowman.

Turns out electric tape and duct tape are flammable. BUT our insulated layers worked, and our snowman survived! Mission accomplished.

Valentine's Party Fun!

Space Science

We made our own sun dials and learned how to tell time by using the position of the sun and our shadows.