HOMEWORK
Writing - Much like yesterday, students are writing simple 5 to 8 sentence introductions to a personal narrative style story. Fictional or non-fiction are both fine. However, today students were asked to write two different introductions for the same story. They could write them from different perspectives, with different styles, different hooks, or trying to evoke different feelings.
The point is not necessarily to make great literature, but to experiment with different ways to introduce a story.
Students have a tendency to think their first draft of a story is the way the story has to be. This is an exercise in re-thinking. Trying things out from a new angle :)
Math - Lesson 7 Written Practice: Evens
Vocabulary - Study for the vocabulary test this Friday. This is the one unit where there will be no spelling test (we've enough memory work already between Bible and Latin).
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
8/30
HOMEWORK
Math - Lesson 6: Written Practice (evens)
Vocabulary - Study definitions for Friday's test
Writing - Write a personal narrative introduction, with the specific goal of evoking a feeling in the reader (dread, curiosity, amusement, wonder, suspense, etc.). Students may riff off introductions from published books, changing the details to fit the student's story (just make sure they note down where they got their idea from). These do not need to be true stories.
TODAY
Tuesdays are always packed, as we have NO specials (balances out all the specials on Monday :)
For me, a hi light of the day was our writing session. We shared the introductions from the books students have been reading during our Read to Self period. We talked about what feelings the authors were trying to inspire in the readers, and how the authors were trying to hook our interest. I was very impressed with the introductions the students came up with, and was especially impressed with how many students wrote and re-wrote their intros, trying to get the feeling just right!
Math - Lesson 6: Written Practice (evens)
Vocabulary - Study definitions for Friday's test
Writing - Write a personal narrative introduction, with the specific goal of evoking a feeling in the reader (dread, curiosity, amusement, wonder, suspense, etc.). Students may riff off introductions from published books, changing the details to fit the student's story (just make sure they note down where they got their idea from). These do not need to be true stories.
TODAY
Tuesdays are always packed, as we have NO specials (balances out all the specials on Monday :)
For me, a hi light of the day was our writing session. We shared the introductions from the books students have been reading during our Read to Self period. We talked about what feelings the authors were trying to inspire in the readers, and how the authors were trying to hook our interest. I was very impressed with the introductions the students came up with, and was especially impressed with how many students wrote and re-wrote their intros, trying to get the feeling just right!
Monday, August 29, 2016
8/29
HOMEWORK
Math - Corrections from Lesson 5 homework
Latin - They were assigned 2 pages. Not sure which ones.
Computer - Signed computer agreement. Needs to be returned before a student may use the school laptops.
Math - Corrections from Lesson 5 homework
Latin - They were assigned 2 pages. Not sure which ones.
Computer - Signed computer agreement. Needs to be returned before a student may use the school laptops.
Friday, August 26, 2016
8/26
HOMEWORK
Math - Written Practice Evens: Lesson 5
Grammar - Practice Book 1.4
Vocabulary - 1E
Latin - Page 9
Math - Written Practice Evens: Lesson 5
Grammar - Practice Book 1.4
Vocabulary - 1E
Latin - Page 9
Thursday, August 25, 2016
8/25
HOMEWORK
Math - Practice Set 4 (pg. 26)
Grammar - Practice Book 1.3
Vocabulary - 1C and 1D
Home - Study memory verses for 5 to 10 minutes each night. Preferably, right before bed.
Home - Start collecting and bringing in flat sheets of cardboard
Math - Practice Set 4 (pg. 26)
Grammar - Practice Book 1.3
Vocabulary - 1C and 1D
Home - Study memory verses for 5 to 10 minutes each night. Preferably, right before bed.
Home - Start collecting and bringing in flat sheets of cardboard
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
8/24
HOMEWORK
Home - Bring in sheets of cardboard. This is in preparation for a future project that is still months away, but I thought it prudent to begin gathering material now. I would appreciate all cardboard boxes be broken down into flat sheets for easier storage.
Writing - Postcard from the future. This is a project students were asked to do by some architects that came to visit the school this morning. These architects are planning the new site and would like student feedback, so the kids are writing "postcards from the future" that describe their ideal school/playground. These will be given to the architects.
TODAY
The day began with a visit from the architects. They gave a presentation on how they do their jobs. One of them designed for Disney and had a number of fun stories. You should ask your children about the Haunted Wedding Ring.
In Math we looked at a few problems dealing with missing numbers in division and multiplication problems. The architects presentation ate up much of our math time, so we'll finish up the lesson tomorrow.
We compared our character webs for Blood on the River, read chapter 4, and participated in a little Reader's Theatre.
In grammar, we began learning the routine for grading grammar homework.
Home - Bring in sheets of cardboard. This is in preparation for a future project that is still months away, but I thought it prudent to begin gathering material now. I would appreciate all cardboard boxes be broken down into flat sheets for easier storage.
Writing - Postcard from the future. This is a project students were asked to do by some architects that came to visit the school this morning. These architects are planning the new site and would like student feedback, so the kids are writing "postcards from the future" that describe their ideal school/playground. These will be given to the architects.
TODAY
The day began with a visit from the architects. They gave a presentation on how they do their jobs. One of them designed for Disney and had a number of fun stories. You should ask your children about the Haunted Wedding Ring.
In Math we looked at a few problems dealing with missing numbers in division and multiplication problems. The architects presentation ate up much of our math time, so we'll finish up the lesson tomorrow.
We compared our character webs for Blood on the River, read chapter 4, and participated in a little Reader's Theatre.
In grammar, we began learning the routine for grading grammar homework.
Monday, August 22, 2016
8/22
HOMEWORK
Memory - Spend 10 minutes working on your memory verse
TODAY
Mondays are heavily loaded in specials classes. I have the students for about an hour of class time. This opens up the rest of the week for long, uninterrupted periods, which is great for class stability and structure!
Science -
For science, we watched an introductory video to kick off our science unit on the universe. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhfONpeXXuA
I play all videos through safeyoutube.net.
When preparing for this unit, I watched another video that I found very entertaining, though it was somewhat lacking in the academics. It's a virtual tour through the solar system. Your child might find it interesting extracurricular viewing. We will not be watching this one at school:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vOU6-1yNZs
Math -
In math we discussed the four major mathematical operations: addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication.
We looked at the vocabulary (addend, sum, product, etc.) and created an interactive journal entry to go with it.
Memory - Spend 10 minutes working on your memory verse
TODAY
Mondays are heavily loaded in specials classes. I have the students for about an hour of class time. This opens up the rest of the week for long, uninterrupted periods, which is great for class stability and structure!
Science -
For science, we watched an introductory video to kick off our science unit on the universe. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhfONpeXXuA
I play all videos through safeyoutube.net.
When preparing for this unit, I watched another video that I found very entertaining, though it was somewhat lacking in the academics. It's a virtual tour through the solar system. Your child might find it interesting extracurricular viewing. We will not be watching this one at school:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vOU6-1yNZs
Math -
In math we discussed the four major mathematical operations: addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication.
We looked at the vocabulary (addend, sum, product, etc.) and created an interactive journal entry to go with it.
Friday, August 19, 2016
8/19
HOMEWORK
Writing - Create a Published copy of your "I Am" poem. When creating a published copy, I asked the students to keep in mind that publishing means making their work public. What they create, needs to be made with the viewer in mind. So any decision on layout and design should compliment the piece and be reasonably accessable to someone who walks up to read it.
Math - 10 problem solving questions from their textbook.
We ran out of time before getting to this.
TODAY
Math - We put the 4-step problem solving process into practice by attempting to solve a number of team building activities. Students were asked to form into various line orders (based on things such as height, hand size, and birthdays) within a tight timelimit. Students also attempted to problem solve ways to fit the entire class within a 2ft by 2ft square I'd taped on the floor. Through some smart planning, they almost accomplished it :)
Literature - We read chapter 2 from Blood on the River, and discussed how to analyze text through a Christian worldview. I use a discussion tool called the 4Ms to help facilitate these types of discussions. We as, "How do the events and characters Match Up to God's will? How are the events and characters Messed Up from the way God intended? What is the Message this book is trying to tell us, and how does it compare to God's message? And finally, what is the Mission (How are we being called to apply what we have learned to our lives?)
Writing - Continued our discussion of the writing process. Reviewed all the steps we've been through and talked about what Publishing entails. Details above in the Homework section.
EVENTS
I was told I should post the last two slides from last night's presentation, so here is the permenant text from those:
1: Homework
You have my blessing to call it quits on homework whenever you see fit.
50 minutes is the maximum any 5th grader should work in the evening.
Home time is family time and I do not want to encroach on that.
If your child ever has more than 50 minutes of work, I must have misjudged how long the assignment would take.
The only exception to the 50 minute rule is if, according you your discression, you feel your child has not been working as rigorously as they should have been and you want them to feel the responsibility of that :)
2: Contact
If you are feeling anxious about something or need a prompt reply, please call me. I will respond either immediately or within an hour or two. If it's something serious, I'd much rather be called than emailed. 812-631-4772
Only email me something if you're OK with me taking up to 24 hours to respond. I have difficulty interpreting tone in emails, so again, if there is a concern or something is causing anxiety, please give me a call. I much prefer that method of communication.
Jmurphy@ccsstl.org
3. Tragic News
I no longer eat sugar, meat, or caffeine (generally speaking)
Any sugary, meaty, or caffeinated gifts will be fed to your children, so beware :)
Writing - Create a Published copy of your "I Am" poem. When creating a published copy, I asked the students to keep in mind that publishing means making their work public. What they create, needs to be made with the viewer in mind. So any decision on layout and design should compliment the piece and be reasonably accessable to someone who walks up to read it.
We ran out of time before getting to this.
TODAY
Math - We put the 4-step problem solving process into practice by attempting to solve a number of team building activities. Students were asked to form into various line orders (based on things such as height, hand size, and birthdays) within a tight timelimit. Students also attempted to problem solve ways to fit the entire class within a 2ft by 2ft square I'd taped on the floor. Through some smart planning, they almost accomplished it :)
Literature - We read chapter 2 from Blood on the River, and discussed how to analyze text through a Christian worldview. I use a discussion tool called the 4Ms to help facilitate these types of discussions. We as, "How do the events and characters Match Up to God's will? How are the events and characters Messed Up from the way God intended? What is the Message this book is trying to tell us, and how does it compare to God's message? And finally, what is the Mission (How are we being called to apply what we have learned to our lives?)
Writing - Continued our discussion of the writing process. Reviewed all the steps we've been through and talked about what Publishing entails. Details above in the Homework section.
EVENTS
I was told I should post the last two slides from last night's presentation, so here is the permenant text from those:
1: Homework
You have my blessing to call it quits on homework whenever you see fit.
50 minutes is the maximum any 5th grader should work in the evening.
Home time is family time and I do not want to encroach on that.
If your child ever has more than 50 minutes of work, I must have misjudged how long the assignment would take.
The only exception to the 50 minute rule is if, according you your discression, you feel your child has not been working as rigorously as they should have been and you want them to feel the responsibility of that :)
2: Contact
If you are feeling anxious about something or need a prompt reply, please call me. I will respond either immediately or within an hour or two. If it's something serious, I'd much rather be called than emailed. 812-631-4772
Only email me something if you're OK with me taking up to 24 hours to respond. I have difficulty interpreting tone in emails, so again, if there is a concern or something is causing anxiety, please give me a call. I much prefer that method of communication.
Jmurphy@ccsstl.org
3. Tragic News
I no longer eat sugar, meat, or caffeine (generally speaking)
Any sugary, meaty, or caffeinated gifts will be fed to your children, so beware :)
Thursday, August 18, 2016
8/18
Hello, and welcome to the 5th grade blog! Homework will be posted here every day. Some assignments will have extended descriptions and clarifications to go with them. Pictures from field trips and school events will be posted here as well. The blog has been marked to be "unsearchable" so the only way to connect to it is through typing the address and/or bookmarking the page.
HOMEWORK
Latin - Page 5 (from what I understand, most or all students finished this in class)
Writing - Finish revisions and editing the "about me" poem. Have a final draft version ready for publishing in class tomorrow.
Summer Packets - Tomorrow is the last day to turn in Summer packets
EVENTS
Tonight is back-to-school night. Drinks and other refreshments will be served in the fellowship hall starting at 7:00. After some opening comments, teachers and parents will be dismissed down to the classrooms. I usually touch on the curriculum, talk about a few of the major trips and projects, then open the floor to questions.
HOMEWORK
Latin - Page 5 (from what I understand, most or all students finished this in class)
Writing - Finish revisions and editing the "about me" poem. Have a final draft version ready for publishing in class tomorrow.
Summer Packets - Tomorrow is the last day to turn in Summer packets
EVENTS
Tonight is back-to-school night. Drinks and other refreshments will be served in the fellowship hall starting at 7:00. After some opening comments, teachers and parents will be dismissed down to the classrooms. I usually touch on the curriculum, talk about a few of the major trips and projects, then open the floor to questions.
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