Thank You

Dear 5V families,
Thank you so much for your generosity this holiday season.  I am filled with gratitude after our holiday party knowing that our class has helped so many families in need through the NH Food Bank.  Thank you for your donations.  Also, thank you for the beautiful tree.  I will find a special place to plant it.

Thank you for all that you do for your kids and our classroom, including our holiday party.  I feel truly fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful community.

I hope you all have a great vacation with your amazing kids!  Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

5V News

Holiday Celebration:
We will be having a holiday breakfast on Thursday morning, December 20th.  There will be a book swap and each child should bring in a wrapped book.  Students are welcome to start bringing in books.  Please let me know if you would like help contributing a book and I'd be happy to help- I have many extra books!

Secret Santa:
The students were really interested in doing a "Secret Santa" with the class.  They each picked a name and they are NOT supposed to purchase anything.  They can make or create whatever they'd like and we will reveal on the same day as our holiday party.

Altered books:
Our altered books project is underway and the students are loving it!  It's amazing to see the time, creativity and effort they are putting into this art project.  I am proud of their attention to detail and work during this time.  Ask your child about it!

IXL:
Have you seen IXL yet?  We now have a subscription and students are having fun practicing different math skills.  Ask your child to show you around the site- there is a lot of great information under the "reports" section.

We are learning about:

• The circulatory system
• Geometry
• Personal narrative
• Mystery

Some activities we did this week:

• Reviewed for our unit 3 math test
• Practiced geometry skills in IXL on geometry
• Looked at a real boar's heart and identified the parts 
• Used a thesaurus to find new words for our personal narratives
• Discussed and read examples of red herrings
• Enjoyed latkes, played dreidel and learned a little about Hanukkah 
• Played the headband game to review our circulatory system words
• Created a mystery skype video for an unknown class in the world
• Enjoyed a visit with Ms. Valenti's dad 

Don't forget to check out Flickr for the latest photos and our blog!  

5V News

Tech demo:
Thank you to those parents and students who were able to attend our tech demo on Wednesday.  The students were awesome!

New class books:
Thank you to 5V families for purchasing new books from the book fair for our classroom.  The kids have enjoyed reading all of our new books! 

Holiday book swap and celebration:
We will have a holiday book swap and celebration on Thursday, December 20th.  Our 5V room parents will be contacting you regarding how you can help if you'd like.  I'd also like to do a book swap as part of our celebration.  I'm hoping each student can bring in a new or nearly new wrapped book (without a name) to share with the class.  Each student will leave with a new book to read over the vacation.  As always, feel free to contact me if you are unable to contribute a book and I'd be happy to help.  Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  

We are learning about:

• Geometry
• Personal narratives
• Mystery
• The circulatory system

Some activities we did this week:

• Practiced setting up dialogue in our narratives
• Read Mole Music to look for words to use to signal time passing
• Began our mystery unit in reading
• Discussed the roles of protagonist and antagonist
• Listened to our heart beats with stethoscopes
• Walked the path of blood through our heart with our 2D heart made of tape on the floor
• Experimented with how exercise affects heart rate 
• Found the sum of degrees in different polygons
• Played "Polyon Capture" and "Angle Tangle" 

Notes and reminders:

• Early release- Wednesday, December 12th 
• Holiday celebration- Thursday, December 20th 

Technology Demo by Students

Please let me know if your son or daughter is able to attend the technology demo for tomorrow night's (Wednesday, December 5th) meeting with the School Board and Financial Advisory Committee.  Any students involved in Chorus will NOT be able to attend as it is the same time as the concert.

The meeting begins at 6:30, so students should try to get to SMS around 6:15 in order to set up. We should be done around 7:00.   Thanks!

5V News

IXL:
We just began using the online math program called IXL in the classroom and students should have logged in from home at least once.  We began on Thursday and already our class has completed over 5,000 math problems!  I encourage you to log in under your child's name to check out their progress.

Here is a student's blog post that has a great description of IXL from the student's perspective:

We started IXL math, and it’s more fun than you think. You get your own log in and password, after you log in you can do many things, like math or games! If you practice 5 minutes or more, you get awards. The awards can be icons or new fun games! I practiced on IXL 5th grade level and I got tons of awards, and I won games! The levels go from preschool to 8th grade, and you can pick any level, not just your grade level.I think IXL is a fun way to practice math, not like xtra math.com which keeps on doing the same math problems over and over again. IXL lets do what ever you want, and you can go onto higher levels when ever you want, you don’t have to pass a special test. Lastly, it lets you create your own user name icon, so that is always fun!

We are learning about:

• Geometry
• The circulatory system
• Personal narrative
• Inferring

Some activities we did this week:

• Practiced measuring angles
• Learned about adjacent and opposite angles 
• Created "a movie behind our eyelids" during writing
• Experimented with three different leads for our personal narratives 
• Put "said to bed" and came up with more effective words for said
• Began Zach's Lie as our new read aloud  
• Practiced inferring using magazine articles
• Inferred character traits based on evidence and our schema
• Watched a Bill Nye video on the heart

Notes and reminders:

• Student helpers needed this Wednesday, December 5th at 6:15
• Chorus concert this Wednesday, December 5th at 6:30 
• It was great to see so many of you at the Book Fair.  Thanks for all of your help!

5V News

Innovation Day:
We had a successful first Innovation Day!  I'm hoping your child has told you all about it!  Check out Flickr for photos and videos from the day.  We are currently drafting blog posts that will be published Monday or Tuesday and we hope to get several comments!  It was an awesome day and it was amazing to see how engaged and excited the students were about the day and what they were learning.  Thank you for all of your support in helping your child prepare for this day!

Report cards:
First quarter report cards, conference notes and NECAP science results are being sent home today.  Please sign and return the envelope on Monday.

Parent conferences:
It was great to meet with all of you and learn and share more about your child!  As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at any time.

Photo and work permissions:
Thank you to those of you that have filled out this form.  If you have not filled it out please take a moment to answer three questions here: Photo and work permissions
Thank you!

Upcoming:

• No school next week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday- Happy Thanksgiving!  
• SMS book fair is the week of November 27th and we are looking for parent volunteers!

5V News

Innovation Day:
Today, students had time to talk with each other and revise their Innovation Day ideas as needed.  We spent some time translating our topics into questions that would require thoughtful research.  We also talked about what the students envisioned for their projects.

So, at this point students should have:
1. chosen a topic
2. a guiding question
3. a plan for their project

Students also began creating a list of materials they would need from home and school. This weekend, students should talk to their families about what materials they have available from home and are welcome to begin bringing in those materials on Tuesday. 

Feel free to email me at any time this weekend with questions.  On Tuesday, we will plan out our individual schedules for the day.  Students are excited to learn and create for a full day!   

Here is a great article on Innovation Day:
Why Every School Needs an Innovation Day

Innovation Day

On Thursday, November 15th, your child will be participating in something called Innovation Day.  On this day, your child will get to study a topic of their choosing, something they are interested in and/or passionate about; spending the entire day immersed in self-guided learning. 

There will be three basic requirements: 1. Learn something. 2 Create something 3. Present something.

Teachers will facilitate, coach, question and guide students during the day.  

Students will not be graded on their work.  The focus on this day is the learning.  

This morning, we met with Mr. Gagnon's fourth grade class to introduce the project and brainstorm.  Their homework will be to speak with you, add to the list, think, talk to other family members and then narrow down their choices to one or two ideas for the day.  

On Thursday, students will decide on a final topic to study and what to create for a project. (This project has to be related to what they learned about during this day.) They will figure out what resources they will need for their research and will create a plan for the organization of their day. And as a final step they will create a list of needed materials for the project.

Innovation Day was one of the highlights of the school year for last year's 5V. I'm sure it will be the same this year.

More posts on this event will follow. Stay tuned!

5V News

Parent Conferences:
At this point, I have touched base with all families regarding a parent conference time in the next two weeks.  I look forward to meeting with you!

Native American Newscasts:
On Monday we will be filming our Native American newscasts.  Most groups are prepared and ready to film!  Some students still have to bring in props and/ or costumes for Monday morning.  We will still be using the iMovie app on the iPad but this time we will use the movie option instead of the trailer option.  I will send out an email later next week with links to the videos on our YouTube account. 

Have a great weekend!

5V News

We are learning about:

• Estimation and multiplication 
• Using schema when reading
• Personal narrative
• Early Native American civilizations

Some activities we did this week:

• Conducted a thumbtack experiment to discuss probability
• Used the probability meter to make predictions 
• Made magnitude estimates 
• Practiced traditional multiplication
• Finished The One and Only Ivan 
• Skyped with another 5th grade class in Massachusetts about our read aloud
• Made "concentric circles of connection" with the song "Rachel Delavoryas" 
• Studied examples of personal narratives
• Began brainstorming ideas for our personal narratives about relationships, places and events
• Watched a webcast from Scholastic with Taylor Swift 
• Researched an early Native American civilization with our group

Notes and reminders:

• Conference reminders went home one week ago, I'll be contacting those of you next week that I haven't heard from to set a time.  
• Please visit our blog!  It's a great way to see what your child is writing!  
• Some students are working on this contest for Foster's Daily Democrat.  It is a choice writing piece and those choosing to do it should turn it in by November 2nd.  

5V News

Parent Conferences:
In your child's Friday folder you will find a conference reminder with the date and time you chose at Curriculum Night.  Please return the form on Monday and let me know if you are still available at that time. For those of you that didn't sign up for a time at Curriculum Night, I chose a day and time for you. In either situation if the time doesn't work, please feel free to let me know days and times that work best for you and we can schedule a new time.  Thanks!

5V News

Please take a moment to fill out this quick form on photo and student work permissions.  It is greatly appreciated!
5V Photo and Student Work Permissions

We are learning about:

• Estimating
• Collecting ideas in our writer's notebooks
• Metacognition 
• Blogging

Some activities we did this week:

• Took three NECAP tests!
• Continued listening to The One and Only Ivan 
• Blogged with a 5th grade class in North Carolina about Global Read Aloud
• Discussed metacognition- thinking about our thinking
• Used "thinking stems" to discuss our thinking during reading
• Compared thinking stems that refer only to text and thinking stems that refer to text and thinking
• Practiced what we do when we finish books 
• Wrote about our "fierce wonderings" in our writer's notebooks
• Reviewed adding and subtracting with decimals
• Estimated sums and differences
• Solved number stories with a step by step method

Notes and reminders:

• We have three more NECAP tests next week
• I will send home conference reminders in next couple of weeks

5V News

Xtra Math:
In today's Friday folders you will find a paper on how to access your child's Xtra Math account at home.  I am not requiring Xtra Math as a part of home learning but it's a great way to practice math facts and it only takes a few minutes a day.  I am encouraging students to spend some time each week on the site.

Typing Pal:
Students have access to a website called Typing Pal at home and it's accessible from my Diigo site.  All students have accounts and have already spent some time on it this year.  Once again, I am not requiring it as part of home learning, but I am encouraging students to spend some time on it each week.

NECAP testing:
Testing started this week and will continue for the next two weeks.  We have spent a little time discussing some test taking strategies and looked at scored writing samples from last year.

Kidblog:
I invite you and encourage you to look at our class blog and comment on your child's (or other students') posts.  Please pass the website on to extended family!
www.kidblog.org/msvalentisclass 

Notes and reminders:

• No school- Monday, October 8th 
• We would love some tissues for our classroom!

NECAP schedule

10-3 Reading 1
10-4 Reading 2
10-10 Reading 3
10-11 Math 1 and 2
10-15 Math 3
10-16 Writing 1
10-17 Writing 2

5V News

Thank you to all of the parents who were able to make it to Curriculum Night!  It was great to connect with so many of you.  For those of you who didn't make it or who would like to see the class video again, here it is:


We are learning about:

• Prime Factorization
• Blogging
• Gathering "seeds" in our writer's notebooks
• Monitoring thinking during our reading   

Some activities we did this week:

• Made factor trees to find the prime factorization of numbers
• Unsquared square numbers
• Made factor rainbows
• Discussed logical consequences for our classroom
• Made "reading salads" during reading- text + thinking = real reading
• Reviewed fix up strategies for reading
• Created timelines of important events in our life
• Searched for model blog posts on other class sites
• Explored how titles can bring more readers to blog posts
• Spent Friday morning inside doing team building challenges 

Notes and reminders:

• Unit one math test on Tuesday, October 1st
• NECAP testing begins Wednesday, October 2nd 
• No school on Monday, October 8th 

5V News

Curriculum Night
Please feel free to come to 5V anytime between 6:15 and 6:30 pm on Thursday, September 27th.  During this time parents are invited and encouraged to come to chat, look at their child's work and become familiar with the room before the official curriculum night begins.  
At 6:30, I will begin my presentation (a movie created by your kids about how 5V works).
At 7:00, we will go to the library with all of the 5th grade teachers to discuss 5th grade curriculum. 

Global Read Aloud
Our class has just signed up for Global Read Aloud!  We will be reading The One and Only Ivan along with thousands of other kids around the world.  We will connect with others through blogging and Skype about our read aloud experience.  You can watch this video for a little more information:   

Have you checked out Mr. Fosher's new blog???
http://storiesfromstratham.blogspot.com/

We are learning about:

• Prime and composite numbers, factors and divisibility 
• Reading and Writing workshop routines
• Blogging

Some activities we did this week:

• Learned divisibility rules
• Drew arrays for square numbers
• Created factor rainbows
• Decorated our writer's notebooks
• Began crafting our "I am" poems
• Discussed the differences between, easy, just right and challenging books
• Met with our second grade reading buddies
• Prepared for our Mystery Skype
• Mystery Skyped with another 5th grade classroom to guess their location
• Decided what our classroom rules look like and sound like 

Notes and reminders:

• We would love some tissues for our classroom!  
• Please comment on our blog- kidblog.org/msvalentisclass 

5V News

Comment on our blog!
Every Friday students will be blogging about their week in 5V.  I'm hoping this will be a chance for families to get a glimpse of what's happening in 5V from the student's perspective and an opportunity to engage in conversations- either on the blog or at home.  I encourage you to comment on your child's weekly reflections as often as you'd like and I invite you to share the link with your extended family! The students love getting comments on their posts. 
www.kidblog.org/msvalentisclass

Home learning:
We are easing into our homework routine (or home learning as we're calling it!).  Students should be bringing their binder with assignment book back and forth to school each day.  Most weeks students can expect the following activities to do at home:

• Reading each night
• Everyday Math study link or math practice each night
• Weekly vocabulary search for 5 words
• Weekly blog post (minimum 2 paragraphs)
• Weekly comments on other students' blog posts
• Weekly spelling routine (to be added in the next couple of weeks)

We are learning about:

• Classroom routines and expectations
• Factors and divisibility 
• Blogging
• Google docs
• Reading and writing workshop

Some activities we did this week:

• Made videos on classroom rules using iMovie on the ipads
• Voted on our classroom rules
• Found factors of numbers
• Played "Factor Captor" during math
• Began sharing during morning meeting
• Created heart maps in writing workshop
• Discussed how readers choose books in reading workshop
• Celebrated International Dot Day by creating dot murals
• Practiced commenting on blog posts
• Reflected on our week by blogging
• Created a "wordle" during computer time
• Started familiarizing ourselves with Google docs 

Notes and reminders:

• Early release on Wednesday, September 19th 
• Curriculum night on Thursday, September 27th at 6:30
• We would love donations of tissues at any time during the year!

Have a great weekend and please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns or feedback!
jvalenti@sau16.org 

5V News

We have been hard at work in 5V getting to know each other, building our community, creating art and setting up our classroom together.  I hope you've had a chance to check out our Flickr page with our class photos. 

Today, students blogged for the first time on our class blog about their hopes and dreams for fifth grade. Students are proud of their work and they would LOVE to receive comments on their posts.  I encourage families to check our kidblog often.  We have spent several class periods discussing digital citizenship and how we can safely and respectfully engage with each other and others online.  All posts and comments are approved by a teacher before they appear on our kidblog site.   

I look forward to sharing more with you about digital citizenship, the curriculum and everything about 5V at Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 27th at 6:30.  I hope to see you there! 

Related Arts

Related Arts in 5V

Monday: Music
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: PE
Thursday: Library and Computer
Friday: PE

*This schedule still has the potential to change

New School Year!

Welcome to 5V!  Check out the "New School Year" tab at the top of this page.  Here you will find the welcome letter, supply list and important links for students and families to begin the 2012-2013 school year in 5V.

Unsubscribing

Happy summer!  I just wanted to let you know I'll soon be changing this blog for next year's class.  You'll want to click the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email update or "unfollow" if you are following this blog.  Unless you'd like to see what 5V is doing next year! Let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks!

Thank you

Dear 5V families,
I want to express my sincere thanks for a wonderful year.  Your children have been a joy to work with and I will truly miss every single one of them.  I am grateful to have a job that I love coming to each day and your kids have made it that much more special. We have had a lot of fun and I know there was some learning, too!  Thank you for all of your help and support throughout the year.  Have an awesome summer and please stay in touch. 

5V News

Thank you to all of our parent volunteers at field day yesterday!  We had a great day!  Be sure to check out some of the pictures that I've posted to flickr. 

There's only a few days left but we are still immersed in our projects.  We will stay busy until the end! 

Here is what's happening next week:
Monday- please join us for our play performance and altered book museum in our classroom at 1:30
Wednesday- field trip to Odiorne- parents are welcome to meet us there!
Wednesday evening- 5th grade celebration at 6:30, please have students come to the library at 6:15
Thursday- last day- 5th grade walk through around 2:30 

5V News

The countdown is on! It's been a busy week in 5V! We have been singing songs, building toothpick bridges, writing stories, listening to Revolutionary War presentations and creating pages in our altered books. We have been having fun!

There has been a lot of talk about transitioning to CMS and most of the discussions revolve around being excited. This week we blogged about sixth grade and we are excited to be getting comments from fifth graders in Kensington and Brentwood. Next week, we will comment on their posts about CMS. It's been great to collaborate with other kids in our SAU who will be making the same transition.

This time of year is a special time in fifth grade as we are all excited about new beginnings and at the same time feeling nostalgic about our time together.

We have a lot of upcoming activities! We hope to see you on field day, at our play presentation in our class and at Odiorne. Here is a list of everything coming up:

June 4- grandparents lunch
June 7- field day
June 11 at 1:30- 5V altered book museum and play performance
June 13- Odiorne field trip
June 13- 5th grade celebration at 6:30 pm
June 14- last day of school

5V News

Boston field trip:
Thank you to all of the parents that joined us on our field trip!  It was a great day despite the rain! I was so impressed with how engaged the students were and how little they complained about being cold and wet.  We had great conversations the next day at morning meeting about all they had learned and how much they loved our tour guide. 

We are learning about:

• American Revolution
• Bridges
• The Constitution
• Historical Fiction

Some activities we did this week:

• Chose parts for our class play, The U.S. Constitution
• Rehearsed our parts and songs as a class
• Began our Bridges project during math
• Used an ipad app to build our schema for bridges
• Began designing bridges and making plans in our groups
• Continued drafting our choice writing projects
• Experimented with different leads in our writing
• Presented our American Revolution projects
• Visited CMS and enjoyed a tour and practiced opening combination locks
• Met with our historical fiction groups

End of year dates:

• May 28- Memorial Day- no school

• June 4- grandparents lunch

• June 7- field day

• June 11 at 1:45- 5V altered book museum and play performance 

• June 13- Odiorne field trip

• June 13- 5th grade celebration at 6:30 pm

• June 14- last day of school 

5V News

Boston field trip reminder:

We will be leaving school at 7:45 on Tuesday, May 22nd for our field trip.  All students must be here by 7:30.  We will go rain or shine, so please have students wear or bring layers.  We will be doing a lot of walking so no flip flops please.

Students will need to bring a bag lunch, snack and water bottle.  No glass, please. 

Students can bring a backpack to carry their lunch and water.  Electronics can be brought on the bus. 

Parents who plan to take their child home from Boston need to sign a special permission slip with the main office prior to our field trip. 

Please plan to pick up your child by 4:15. 

It should be a great day and I hope many of you plan to join us!  Please let me know if you have any questions. 

End of year dates:
May 21- field trip to CMS
May 22- Boston trip
May 23- parent night at CMS 6:30
May 28- Memorial Day- no school
June 4- grandparents lunch
June 7- field day
June 11 at 1:45- 5V altered book museum and play performance 
June 13- Odiorne field trip
June 13- 5th grade celebration at 6:30 pm
June 14- last day of school 

Boston Freedom Trail Itinerary

I hope many of you are planning to join us for our Boston field trip next Tuesday!  The Old South Meeting House and the Freedom Trail tour charge for extra adults.  It is probably easiest to bring cash.  Here is our schedule for the day:

7:45 leave SMS

9:30-10:30 Old South Meeting House (cost $7)

10:30-11:30 Walk to Boston Common and eat lunch

11:30-1:30 Meet docents outside of the Boston Common Visitor Center (cost $14) 2 hour walking tour ending at the Old North Church

1:45 Board bus on Commercial St.(skating rink) to Bunker Hill
 
2:00 Presentation at Bunker Hill Monument Museum and climb monument

3:15 Board buses back to SMS

4:30 Arrive at SMS

contact information:
Old South Meeting House 617-482-6439
Freedom Trail 617-357-8300
Bunker Hill 617-242-7275

5V News

We are learning about:

• Coordinate grids
• Properties of matter
• Historical fiction
• Choice writing projects

Some activities we did this week:

• Played "Hidden Treasure" in math
• Plotted points on a coordinate grid
• Watched BrainPop videos on matter
• Measured and compared the mass of checkers and pennies
• Discussed the properties of matter
• Chose a genre for our last writing piece
• Researched the elements of our choice genres
• Used graphic organizers to plan our writing pieces
• Read historical fiction picture books
• Discovered the elements of historical fiction
• Listened to Nurse Judy explain body changes during puberty
• Participated in our school wide wellness walk with our reading buddies
• Met guidance counselors from CMS and listened to their presentation on CMS

Important dates:
May 16- early release
May 21- field trip to CMS
May 22- Boston trip
May 23- parent night at CMS 6:30
May 28- Memorial Day- no school
June 4- grandparents lunch
June 7- field day
June 11 at 1:45- 5V altered book museum and play performance 
June 13- Odiorne field trip
June 13- 5th grade celebration at 6:30 pm
June 14- last day of school 

Boston field trip-
Chaperones will be notified on Friday if they were chosen by lottery during our morning meeting.  If you were not chosen, please consider driving or carpooling to Boston to meet us!  I will send more detailed information of our schedule and costs soon.  Let me know if you have any questions. 

5V News

Boston Freedom Trail:
Our trip is scheduled for Tuesday, May 22nd rain or shine and we will be going with Mrs. Bucklin's class.  We will be taking two parent chaperones per classroom on the bus.  An unlimited number of parents can drive separately and pay admission.  If you are interested in coming with us on the bus please fill out the form that is going home today.  We will be choosing chaperones by lottery.  As it gets closer I will forward a more detailed schedule of our day.  I hope many of you will join us!

We are learning about:

• Fractions, decimals, percents
• Character traits
• Choice writing projects
• Matter

Important dates:
May 8- visit from CMS
May 9- Wellness walk at 1:30
May 16- early release
May 21- field trip to CMS
May 22- Boston trip
May 28- Memorial Day- no school
June 7- field day
June 11 at 1:45- 5V altered book museum and play performance 
June 13- Odiorne field trip
June 13- 5th grade celebration at 6:30 pm
June 14- last day of school

5V News

It's been another busy week in 5V!  It was great to meet with so many of you during parent conferences. Hopefully you've had a check to check out some photos and videos of our time with Jeff Warner on our flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/msvalentisclass/

A few reminders and upcoming dates:

• Report cards go home today
• CMS guidance counselors visit SMS- Tuesday, May 8th
• Trip to CMS- Monday, May 21st
• Boston Freedom Trail field trip- Tuesday, May 22nd (more info on this soon)

Have a great vacation!  

5V News

We are having a great time with Jeff Warner this morning in our classroom!  We have been singing songs, playing instruments and learning about our country's history.  Check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/msvalentisclass/ for the latest photos and videos. You can also check out Jeff's website to learn more about him: http://www.jeffwarner.com/

We are learning about:

• Fractions
• Persuasive essay
• 13 colonies
• Matter
• "Reading" characters

Some activities we did this week:

• Looked critically at magazine advertisements with Mr. Fosher during Life Skills
• Enjoyed singing and learning with Jeff Warner. 
• Played "Fraction Action, Fraction Friction" during math
• Practiced adding and subtracting fractions
• Experimented with calculators and fractions
• Worked on our glogs to persuade colonists to move to our colonies
• Watched a Bill Nye video on the phases of matter
• Built our schema for matter
• Continued writing our persuasive essays 
• Experimented with different leads for our essays

Notes and reminders:

• Jeff Warner evening sing-along- Thursday, April 19th at 6:30
• Jump Rope for Heart- Friday, April 20th
• Report cards go home- Friday, April 20th  

5V News

Parent conferences:

Parent conferences begin the week of Monday, April 9th.  Please check out our class wiki for available times and to sign up.  You should have received an email invitation.  You can also request to join the wiki or email me with a time you would like and I can sign up for you.
http://msvalenti.wikispaces.com/April+conferences


We are learning about:

• Fractions
• New England, Middle and Southern colonies
• Persuasive essay
• "Reading" characters

Some activities we did this week:

• Decided the purpose and audience for our persuasive essays
• Chose three reasons to support our opinion
• Began researching to find evidence to support our three reasons
• Reflected on the third quarter by self-assessing using our report cards from last term
• Selected a colonial region to study more in-depth
• Started designing a Glogster on our colonial region
• Reviewed for and took our unit 7 math test
• Played "build it" during math to practice ordering fractions 
• Noticed how other characters treat the main character during read aloud and reading workshop
• Enjoyed the fifth grade band and chorus concert
• Played wiffle ball with the whole fifth grade to celebrate opening day 
  

Notes and reminders:

• Parent conferences begin the week of April 9th
• Jeff Warner (our fifth grade artist in residence) evening performance: Thursday, April 19th at 6:30
• Report cards go home Friday, April 20th   
• Jump Rope for Heart- Friday, April 20th 
• April vacation- week of April 23rd 

5V News

Parent conferences:

Parent conferences begin the week of Monday, April 9th.  Please check out our class wiki for available times and to sign up.  You should have received an email invitation.  You can also request to join the wiki or email me with a time you would like and I can sign up for you. 
http://msvalenti.wikispaces.com/April+conferences


We are learning about:

• Negative numbers
• New England, Middle and Southern colonies
• Persuasive essay
• "Reading" characters

Some activities we did this week:

• Made a human number line to practice adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers
• Reviewed concepts from math unit 7
• Read examples of persuasive essays
• Brainstormed topics we are passionate about
• Shared ideas for possible persuasive essay topics
• Started planning our persuasive essays
• Made inferences about characters in our book based on their actions
• Noticed what objects our characters keep close and what that reveals about them
• Read and discussed the similarities and differences between the New England, Middle and Southern colonies
• Reviewed the risks of tobacco products with Mr. Fosher during Life Skills
• Played "Zoom"

Notes and reminders:

• The third quarter closes Friday, March 30th
• Please send in your child's personal page for the 5th grade memory book
• Parent conferences begin the week of April 9th
• Jeff Warner (our fifth grade artist in residence) evening performance: Thursday, April 19th at 6:30
• Report cards go home Friday, April 20th  
• April vacation- week of April 23rd

April conferences

The conference schedule for April is up on our class wiki.  You can find the conference page under "All Pages" on the right.  Feel free to sign up whenever you get a chance.

Here is a direct link:
http://msvalenti.wikispaces.com/April+conferences

Feature articles

5V students have uploaded their feature articles as PDFs to our class blog.  They are proud of their hard work and excited about their final products.  Please check them out and feel free to comment! 

http://kidblog.org/MsValentisClass/

5V News

Thank you to those of you that have signed up to read to our class next week.  I have set up a Wikispace for our class and you should have received an invitation to join.  If you haven't received an email invitation please let me know.  I'm also hoping to use this space to sign up for conferences and I would love some feedback from you on whether you think this might work.  Thank you! 

 http://msvalenti.wikispaces.com/

We are learning about:

• Exponential notation
• Jamestown and Plimoth
• Visualizing as a reading strategy
• Using images to write

Some activities we did this week:

• Converted numbers between exponential notation and standard notation
• Played Exponent Ball
• Wrote stories using Storybird (http://storybird.com/)
• Shared our finished feature articles with other fifth grade classes
• Compared life in Jamestown and Plimoth colonies 
• Practiced some strategies for researching 
• Learned about the 13 original colonies
• Listened to Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen during read aloud
• Searched for words with the "able" suffix

Notes and reminders:

• School district meeting- tonight at 7:00
• Read Across America week begins Monday, March 12th
• Friday, March 16th - no school

5V News

Thank you to all of the fifth grade parents and families who helped make our basketball game a success!  We had so much fun and raised a ton of money for our fifth graders.  It was great to see kids there in every capacity- players, cheerleaders, musicians and spectators! 

We are learning about:

• The lost colony of Roanoke
• Adding and subtracting fractions
• Feature articles

Some activities we did this week:

• Found common denominators to add and subtract fractions
• Took our unit 6 math test
• Listened to Roanoke- the Lost Colony 
• Read about different theories of what happened to the colonists in Roanoke
• Wrote a newspaper article summarizing the events at Roanoke
• Proofread our classmates' feature articles 
• Put the finishing touches on our feature articles
• Reviewed plural and singular possessives 
• Experimented with some new apps on the ipads 
• Read with our second grade reading buddies 

Notes and reminders:

• Have a great vacation next week! 

5V News

We are learning about:

• The respiratory system
• Adding and subtracting fractions
• Feature articles

Some activities we did this week:

• Displayed data using bar graphs, line plots and stem and leaf plots
• Practiced adding and subtracting fractions
• Crafted leads for our feature articles
• Revised to speak directly to the reader in our feature articles
• Learned about the types of conclusions authors use
• Designed an experiment to test how exercise affects breathing rate
• Performed our designed experiments and displayed the data with a bar graph
• Searched for facts and opinions in our feature articles
• Practiced stating facts and opinions using different pieces of art
• Continued to work on our typing skills using Typing Pal
• Reviewed when to use apostrophes- to show possession and for a contraction
• Celebrated Valentine's Day by exchanging valentines 

Notes and reminders:

• Hope to see you next Wednesday night at 6:30 for the basketball game!
• We are running low on tissues and would love some more if you are able to help us out
• Thank you for all of your efforts for our Valentine's Day party- the students had fun!  

Ask your child about...

Our "just keep swimming" class conversation.  

Have a great weekend!  

5V News

It's been a busy week in 5V!  Just a few notes this week...

• Individual NECAP results went home today
• Class party is scheduled for Tuesday, February 14th at 2:00- thank you for all of your help planning
• 5th grade vs faculty basketball game on Wednesday, February 22nd at 6:30

Thanks and have a great weekend!  

5V News

We are learning about:

• Collecting data
• Respiratory system
• Feature articles

Some activities we did this week:

•  Reviewed and took our unit 5 math test
•  Collected class data on number of states visited
•  Created line plots and found landmarks for number of states visited
•  Predicted the big idea before reading feature articles then gathered evidence to support the big idea
•  Began researching for our feature articles on our netbooks
•  Reviewed how to cite sources from the internet 
•  Enjoyed a visit from the Plimoth docents
•  Watched a couple of our classmates dress in traditional colonial clothing
•  Asked questions about life on Plimoth Plantation
•  Finished our family trees in our altered books
•  Studied the parts of the respiratory system
•  Learned the function of each of the parts of the respiratory system

Notes and reminders:

• Report cards are sent home today- Friday, February 3rd
• Valentine's Day celebration- Tuesday, February 14th at 2:00 pm.  Students may choose to bring in valentines but must include everyone in the class if they choose to do so.  The class list can be found on our kidblog website.  Thank you to the room parents for organizing the food portion!  
• Fifth grade vs faculty basketball game- Wednesday, February 22nd at 6:30  
• We would love some parent comments on our blog!  http://kidblog.org/MsValentisClass/
• Don't forget to check out our Flickr page! http://www.flickr.com/photos/msvalentisclass/

5V News

We are learning about:

•  Respiratory system
•  Percents
•  Feature articles

Some activities we did this week:

• Collected class data on favorite snacks and presented the data in different forms
• Measured and created percent circles
• Presented our circulatory system skits
• Began studying the respiratory system
• Watched a Bill Nye video on respiration
• Discussed each item on the report card and what an O, S and U look like in 5V
• Reflected on the second quarter by grading ourselves using the report card
• Narrowed our focus for writing a feature article
• Divided our article topic into parts and began formulating research questions
• Read feature articles to notice the author's purpose and use of text features
• Practiced spelling patterns ending with -el, -ul and -il

 Notes and reminders:

• Report cards go home- Friday, February 3rd
• Public hearing on school budget- Wednesday, February 1st
• 5th grade vs Faculty basketball game- Wednesday, February 22nd at 6:30

5V News

We are learning about:

• Fractions, decimals, percents
• Circulatory system
• Feature articles

Some activities we did this week:

• Converted between fractions, decimals and percents
• Used a calculator to find percents
• Played "Frac-tac-toe"
• Practiced scanning articles to activate our schema
• Looked for the big idea in the feature articles we read
• Made an "expert" list of possible topics to write feature articles about
• Worked on creating a drama piece in a group on the circulatory system
• Walked through the circulatory system on our floor
• Chose which homophones to use in context (waist/ waste, ring/wring)
• Listened to Zach's Lie during read aloud
• Read with our second grade reading buddies
• Discussed the importance of answering in complete sentences and checking our spelling

Notes and reminders:

•  End of 2nd quarter- Friday, January 20th
•  Report cards go home- Friday, February 3rd
•  5th grade vs faculty basketball game- Wednesday, February 22nd at 6:30

5V News

We are learning about:

• Fractions and decimals
• Circulatory system
• Nonfiction feature articles

Some activities we did this week:

• Used pattern blocks to experiment with fractions
• Added fractions with like denominators
• Found equivalent fractions and decimals
• Acted out the blood flow through the circulatory system
• Did an experiment to see how our heart rate changes during exercise
• Listened to a presentation on dental health
• Learned about the types of feature articles
• Noticed text features in feature articles
• Activated our schema before reading an article by looking at the text features
• Added detail to the first two pages of our altered books
• Continuously rated ourselves on how we got our work done during independent time 
• Created Powerpoint presentations during computer time

Notes and reminders:

• 2nd quarter ends Friday, January 13th
• Report cards go home Friday, February 3rd
• "Principally Speaking" newsletter can now be found on our school website
• Please forward photos of your child to the room parents for the memory book
• Click on any photo on the right hand side of the blog to check out our class Flickr page

5V News

We are learning about:

• Determining Importance
• Circulatory System
• Fractions

Some activities we did this week:

• Reviewed the everyday uses of fractions
• Converted between mixed numbers and fractions
• Used pattern blocks to create fractions
• Wrapped up our social studies unit on early explorers and Native Americans
• Watched a Bill Nye video on blood and circulation
• Developed questions for our study of the circulatory system
• Created PowerPoint presentations during computer on the parts of speech
• Practiced determining importance reading nonfiction and fiction
• Used our "I Am" poems to create a page in our altered books
• Read with our second grade reading buddies
• Had a class discussion on 5th grade expectations for work and work time

Notes and reminders:

• Book orders due Wednesday, January 11th
• No School- Monday, January 16th 
• January 20th- end of Quarter 2

Have a great weekend!