Book Trailer Links

Below are links to student-created book trailers that have been completed.  Enjoy!

• Masterminds (O'Neill)
• Shipwreck (Mezan)
• Shipwreck (Rost)

Homework: 

• 30 minutes reading
• Math homework

Reminders:

• No spelling 
• Get Caught Reading:  Remember to email in pictures when you "catch" your child reading!  Hadley.ONeill@hcps.org  

Upcoming Dates:

• Early Dismissal:  Friday, February 3
• Report cards distributed this Friday
• Clip Hall of Fame Assembly will be held on Wednesday 2/15/17 at 9:30. Invitations will be sent home in report cards.
• Honor Roll Breakfast will be held on Friday 2/10/17 from 7:45 – 8:30. Invitations will be sent home in report cards.

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Crazy Hair Tomorrow

Riverside students "filled the tube"! To celebrate, students earned a crazy hair day tomorrow! Way to go!

O'NEILL & ROST  In O'Neill and Rost reading classes, we've concluded our work on themes, however, just like with our strategies to grow ideas about characters, we will carry this learning forward into our next unit of study: "Comparing Texts".  Now that we, as readers, can think critically about characters, plots, themes, etc. we can begin comparing different texts.  To do this, we use the "comparing matrix" rather than the Venn Diagram.  The matrix focuses what we're comparing and allows us to develop more sophisticated insights and conclusions within and across texts. See examples of the matrix in "TLGs in Action". 

In O'NEILL'S homeroom, we finished our second read aloud, The Honest Truth.  To reflect on the novel, we considered what relationship stood out the most, emotionally intense scenes, symbolism, and themes. We then used color to represent our thinking and reflection about the book (see below).

Target Learning Goals:  To draw conclusions across texts, thoughtful readers compare...

• ... settings' impact on characters (internally and externally) 
• ... characters'
• traits
• motivations
• struggles
• internal and external conflicts

TLGs in Action:  Below you will also see the Shipwreck book club's book trailer (hopefully it works!).

 

MEZAN  The past few weeks we have put together everything we've learned so far about characters to develop nuanced character theories (and defend them using evidence from the text).  We now move toward comparing characters within and across texts.  To do this, we use the comparing matrix.  In place of the Venn Diagram, we use the matrix to focus what we're comparing and draw more insightful ideas about character similarities and differences. Because the matrix is new to students, we practiced using it to compare things we're more familiar with prior to applying this to texts.  See examples of the matrix below. 

Target Learning Goals (TLG):  Readers can use the matrix to compare characters'...

• ... traits
• ... motivations
• ... struggles

TLGs in Action: Below you will also see the Shipwreck book club's book trailer (hopefully it works!).

Homework: 

• 30 minutes reading
• Math homework

Reminders:

• No spelling this week (all classes)
• Get Caught Reading:  Remember to email in pictures when you "catch" your child reading!  Hadley.ONeill@hcps.org  

Upcoming Dates:

• Early Dismissal:  Friday, February 3
• Report cards distributed this Friday
• Clip Hall of Fame Assembly will be held on Wednesday 2/15/17 at 9:30. Invitations will be sent home in report cards.
• Honor Roll Breakfast will be held on Friday 2/10/17 from 7:45 – 8:30. Invitations will be sent home in report cards.

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Welcome to Quarter 3!

Welcome to Quarter 3! 
Report cards will be issued on Friday, February 3rd. We continue to encourage parents and guardians to create an Edline account for your 5th grader. Grades and missing assignments are posted about every 2 weeks throughout the quarter and can be viewed on any device with an internet connection. Monitoring your child's progress throughout the quarter can be another way to stay informed about what we are doing in 5th grade. For directions on setting up the account and an access code, please contact our school office. (410 - 612- 1560)

Math Class: 
In math class we have begun Topic 6: Use Models and Strategies to Divide Decimals.  In this topic we are learning to divide decimals to the hundredths place by decimals and whole numbers. We will also practice estimating when dividing decimals. Dividing money is an easy way to practice these concepts. Use real life problems that you encounter while shopping or banking, or model after this sample problem to practice:

• Three sisters want to share $3.48. How can they divide the amount equally?

Encourage students to use their number sense to estimate and predict answers without doing the computation. Also students are being reminded to reason abstractly and quantitatively when answering a problem.  This means simply that they should also be able to tell you whether their answer makes sense, as well as what their answer means in relation to the question. 

Pencils!

Finally, please check with your child about the condition of their school supplies. Many students are in great need of pencils to use in math class. If you would like to donate any pencils, they would be certainly appreciated and used! 

:) Mrs. Mezan

shelley.mezan@hcps.org

Spelling is Back!

Spelling is back this week! Remember-- Mondays students just need to write words in their planners.  Tuesday-Thursday, they need to complete one assignment on the menu, per day. Check the "Weekly Spelling" tab for the menu/ for more information.

 O'NEILL & ROST  The past few weeks we've been learning strategies to help us grow complex and nuanced ideas about themes. Next, we'll start to develop these ideas and collect evidence to support our theories. 

On a separate note, all book clubs have finished their books as of today.  Students are now working on projects with the purpose of convincing others to read their book.  They'll focus on plot, themes, character development, critical scenes, etc. to draw in possible readers.  I present this to students by comparing their projects to movie trailers or previews.  We want to create interest and suspense, but in a way that we don't give away too much.  Hopefully these projects will be complete by Friday.  As individual groups finish, I'll post projects on here-- be sure to check back (they tend to be pretty cool)!

In Rost's room, students learned the word malicious.  Ask them what it means (we say mean or hurtful on purpose).  Have them give you an example from TV, books or real life when someone has been malicious. 

Target Learning Goals:  To grow ideas about theme, readers can...

• ... explore elements and characteristics of common themes in literature.
• ... name and reflect on problems in the story. 
• To do this we use a process chart. Process charts include steps that readers can go through with any novel to help them break down a text and develop a critical, accurate, and thoughtful theme. See chart below.  Have your child teach you the "theme process chart" with gestures!
• ... notice and name Again & Agains to help us think about symbolism.  See chart below to explain Again & Agains.

TLGs in Action: 

Theme Process Chart

Students use the iPad to create book club project

Students exploring and sorting familiar elements in common themes. 

Students using gestures to teach the theme process chart steps.

MEZAN  Since returning from break, we have continued our work in getting to know characters.  This week we'll begin to put multiple ideas we have about a character together to help us build theories-- thinking about how characters are complex, more than one way (like people).  We also continue to use Kidblog to practice making claims about character traits and defending those claims with appropriate evidence from the text.  Click here (and have your child log in) to see the work your student has been doing on their blog.

In Word Study, students learned two new words to describe characters: malicious and stubborn.  Ask your child to define them and give examples!

Target Learning Goals (TLG):  To grow ideas about characters, readers can...

• ... identify when characters act differently or in ways that surprise us and ask ourselves...
• ... is the character changing/ did the character change?
• ... did the character realize something?
• ... compile ideas about characters to build a complex character theory.

TLGs in Action:  

Students use the iMovie app on the iPad to create a book trailer for their book club project.

Students practice writing claims and using evidence on their blogs. 

Homework: 

• 30 minutes reading
• Book club reading and assignments (if not completed in class).
• Spelling homework
• Math homework

Reminders:

• Get Caught Reading:  Remember to email in pictures when you "catch" your child reading!  Hadley.ONeill@hcps.org  

Upcoming Dates:

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Welcome to 2017! We are starting off January in math class by using number sense and models to divide whole numbers up to 4 digits by 2 digits divisors as we begin Topic 5. Students will use strategies such as rounding and compatible numbers to estimate quotients. Then we will use patterns, relationships, and the standard algorithm to calculate actual answers.

Remember to review basic multiplication and division facts to 12 x 12. Have your child name a related multiplication fact for each division fact. For example, if you practice 42 divided by 7 = 6, then also practice 6 x 7 = 42. This can be done orally in the car running errands or while you are making dinner together. Make the practice fun!

Practice for the Unit Assessment:
A practice end of unit test can be found in your child's math book on p. 293-296. The questions on the actual end of unit test are very similar to these practice problems. Take advantage of this useful resource!

Please monitor your child's Edline account closely to remain up to date on academic progress. The second quarter ends on Friday, January 20th. Report cards will be distributed on Friday, February 3rd. If you do not have an Edline account or need help creating one please contact our school office or your child's teacher.

Mrs. Mezan

Missing Pokemon Cards

We had a large black box of Pokemon cards go missing today.  Somehow they could've accidentally ended up in the wrong backpack.  Please keep an eye out for them.  

Thank you for your help!