December News

Our class started the month participating with millions of other children in grades K-12 in the Hour of Code. The Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week. The Hour of Code is intended to introduce computer science to children, nurturing problem solving, logic and creativity. We are continuing to learn about coding by taking a free computer science course from code.org.

In December we finished our study of the Incas, Aztecs and Maya by creating a secret door foldable. As we study the Spanish explorers, Pizarro and Cortes, we will add information explaining how these men conquered two of these ancient civilizations.

Our reading instruction is focused on determining what is important as we read nonfiction. Determining importance has to do with knowing why you are reading a particular text, and then deciding which information or ideas are key to understanding the overall meaning of the text. We will put these skills to work in January as we begin our study of the Age of Exploration.

Genius Time is new to our class.  During Genius Time, the children are provided the opportunity to follow their passions during one class period each week.  Each child created a "Wonder List"-questions that piqued their interest. From the list, one topic was chosen and questions to guide their research were identified. We begin researching in earnest when we return to school in January.  At the conclusion of their independent study, students will choose a format to share what was learned.

Our month ended with several Swasey traditions. The annual 5th Grade Brunch was delicious. Thank you to the many families who helped with this huge undertaking! We had the opportunity to see the holiday performance by the 4th and 5th grade Chorus.  Finally, we enjoyed the balmy temperatures during our whole school Winter Walk.

As 2015 comes to a close, I would like to thank you all for your continuous support. I hope your family has a restful and fun holiday. Happy New Year!

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Wonder What’s Happening In Our Class?

I want to begin by offering my apologies for not using our class blog to update you about what is happening in our classroom. While I have sent many email updates and posted pictures on Instagram, I realize I have not taken the opportunity to regularly share the everyday events taking place at school. I plan to blog at least once a month to share this information with you. Now, onto the classroom…

Twice in the past two weeks, we put our geography skills to the test by Mystery Skyping with another class. During a Mystery Skype, each class tries to guess the location of the other by asking questions that can be answered by "Yes" or "No." During the Skype, each student is assigned a job. Two students act as spokesmen for our class, asking and answering questions. The “Think Tank” analyzes information in atlases, on wall maps, and on google maps to determine the next question to ask. Others are checking to accurately answer the questions posed by the other class. Two runners relay the answers and questions. One person is the greeter and photographer, another records questions asked, while another records what we learn after each of our questions is answered. It’s a busy and very productive half hour! 

Our first Skype was with a 5th grade class in Evergreen Park, Illinois, and our second was with a 5th grade class in Irvine, California. After each class guesses the location of the other, we spend a little time sharing information about our town or city with one another. We learned at Orchard Hills Middle School there are 256 5th graders!  

My plan is to Mystery Skype with other classes once or twice a month, keeping our geography skills fresh. Ultimately, my hope is to connect with a class in another country - which may present the opportunity for an evening Mystery Skype! You can keep up-to-date with the schools we Skype with on our class website. 

In Social Studies, we are learning about three early American civilizations: the Mayans, Incans and Aztecs. By studying these civilizations, we will better understand the impact of early European explorers. 

We ventured into the world of blogging by initially writing blog posts on paper. Next, we learned the art of commenting on blogs- how to add to the conversation. With blogging and commenting comes a high level of personal responsibility, so we discussed the dos and don’ts of making public posts. Our first blogs went public this week! Please take a moment to read and comment on the children’s blogs. You can access them at: https://kidblog.org/class/Bloggingin5R/posts.

I hope your family has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. 

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Welcome to Our Class Blog!

Welcome! Our first four days were busy ones. We spent a lot of time building our classroom community and learning what we each need to have a successful year in 5th grade. Using a variety of iPad apps, we’ve been creating All About Me ebooks. These will be ready to share soon! We’ve also taken several beginning of year assessments. 

Working with others is an important skill in life. We took part in several challenges which required teamwork. Groups strategized together to attempt tasks like the Cup Challenge and Marshmallow Towers. After each challenge, we debriefed and identified what went well. We developed a list of skills we believe help groups work together successfully. 

Each afternoon we participated in 5th grade STEM Camp integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  Students from all four classes first broadened their definition of the word "technology," realizing that technology is more than electronic devices. Several small STEM challenges were presented, encouraging problem solving and teamwork. Last Thursday, Swasey’s physical therapist, Mrs. Virgenson, explained to us how joints work. We’ll use this new understanding to tackle the main STEM challenge of building a knee brace. 

Thank you for sending your child prepared with all the materials needed to set up his or her binder. Your child's binder will go from home to school and back each day.

I hope you can join us on Wednesday, September 9 from 6:00-6:50 for Open House. Classroom expectations, curriculum, grading, homework, etc will be discussed.  You will be asked to sign up for a goal setting conference which includes your child, so please bring your calendar with you. I’m using Volunteer Spot to organize the conference times (as well as regularly scheduled parent conferences). You may sign up any time at: http://vols.pt/pC47T3. Please create an account with your email address and you will be sent reminders prior to your scheduled meeting. If the times listed do not work with your schedule, please let me know and we will find another time. 

Specials Schedule

Monday: Music

Tuesday: Art

Wednesday: Phys. Ed.

Thursday: Library

Friday: Phys. Ed. 

Please remind your child to dress appropriately for our special each day!

Finally, if you are sending in a note regarding dismissal, absence or other information that needs to be sent to the school office, please include your child's last name on the note. This way the office staff is clear about any changes taking place during the day.

 Enjoy the slideshow sharing a few first week activities!

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