Thursday, June 1, 2017

It was a great year!


The 2016-2017 school year was a success.  The students worked hard, grew socially, and prepared themselves for the next step in their educational journey.  I'll always have a special place in my heart for my final 5th grade class.  I'll make sure I keep an eye on them next year at Renfroe.

Final Announcements
Some students watched part of LBJ's speech, An American Promise, during lunch one day.  We never got around to finishing it, so students can access it with the following link:  Lyndon Johnson's An American Promise Video 


Do you want to get a head start on the 6th grade? 
 Are your kids complaining about being bored?

6th Grade Preview
Math (Khan Academy)
Math - 6th Grade Foundations (Engage NY + Khan Academy)
ELA (IXL)
Science (Georgia Virtual Learning)

Summer Reading

Monday, May 22, 2017

T6W7 - Last Week of SCHOOL!

We've made it to the last week of school....can you believe it?!

Events

Wednesday, May 24th -- Moving Forward Ceremony and Exhibition -- 1:00pm
Thursday, May 25th -- End of the Year Class Celebration -- 

Moving Forward Ceremony

The Moving Forward Ceremony will take place in the multi-purpose room.  Since we are scheduled to go last, be mindful about the time you arrive and about parking.  Make sure you get a program as well, it will tell you where your child will be presenting his or her Exhibition presentation.

Upcoming Assessments (click on the links for the study guides)

Thursday, May 25th - Social Studies (part 1)Vocabulary Quiz 
Friday, May 26th - Social Studies (part 2) 

Academic Info

We are going to try and finish Son this week.  We have about 100 pages to go in 4 days... so keep your fingers crossed.  We are also going to finish reading and discussing various events in U.S. History.  Lastly, students will compete a math skills check and reflection.  

We read about women's rights last week.  It was eye opening for a lot of students because it was hard to believe how expectations and options have changed for women.

Monday, May 15, 2017

T6W6

We are down to our last two weeks of school and there's lots to finish up! 

Moving Forward Ceremony and Exhibition
Next Wednesday is the big day!  The Moving Forward Ceremony will begin at 1:00pm in the multi-purpose room and the Exhibition presentations will take place immediately after that.

ELA -- Students completed their Reading and ELA MAP tests and we are continuing our novel study of Son.  It's going to come down to the last day, but I think we'll be able to finish the book.

Math -- I'm continuing my introduction of various some middle school math concepts.  This week we are focusing on probability and ratios.

Social Studies -- We are continuing our inquiry into the historical and cultural events of the 1960s.  Students will also spend some time learning about what various groups did to expand their access to rights and opportunities. 






Saturday, May 6, 2017

T6W5

Thank you for the thoughtful, tasty, and generous gifts for teacher appreciation week.  This year's class is such a great group of kids.  I've enjoyed this year and it's hard to believe it's almost over!

That being said, here's this week's homework.  ; )
Vocabulary - quiz on Friday


Upcoming Events
Wednesday, May 10 @ 9:00am --- Trip to Renfroe
Thursday, May 11 - Monday, May 15 --- MAP testing
Wednesday, May 24 @ 1:00pm - 2:30pm --- Moving Forward Ceremony & Exhibition
Math - This week students will learn how to plot points in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane.  We will also begin working with probability towards the end of the week.


ELA - We are about halfway through our novel, Son.  Hopefully we'll finish before the end of the year.  Students have been putting their research and note-taking skills to good use for Exhibition.  They're working really hard to make sure their projects are detailed and informative.

Social Studies - Last week we read about The March on Washington, the Birmingham protests, and John F. Kennedy's assassination.  Students also read excerpts from Dr. King's Birmingham Jail Letter and inquired into his perspective about the process of non-violent action, the impact of bystanders, and the damage that racism does to a democracy.  An extension has been provided for students who want to explore his letter more deeply.


Spanish Update
Queridas familias de F.AVE,


Though it is difficult to believe, we are rapidly approaching the end of our school year!   During the week of May 15 -19, students will complete their Spanish, end of year assessments.  


Please be on the lookout for our mid-term vocabulary quiz in the red communication folder.  It is very good indicator of your child’s progress this term and which areas he or she may need to work on before the end of term assessments.  


And as always, for extra, at-home review, please visit our Quizlet page and practice Term Six activities:




¡Gracias!  
Maestra Wagner


Monday, May 1, 2017

T6W4

Tomorrow (TUESDAY) is picture day!

Thank you for the beautiful flowers for Teacher Appreciation Week!

T6W4 Homework - Due Thursday

ELA
We are making good progress with our novel study of Son.  This week students will begin their summative literary project and they will work during class to complete this task.

Math
Students are continuing to learn about coordinate planes and their real world applications.  The mid-module will be on Friday.

Science
The 5th grade science standards have been covered; however, students have the opportunity to either improve their grade if they earned 1s or 2s, or they can complete an extension project to earn a 4.  Several students have individually conferenced with me and designed their own inquiries.  Students who are interested should reflect on what they want to do and then come discuss their ideas with me.

Social Studies
We are continuing our unit of inquiring into modern history.  Last week students learned about the Cuban Missile Crisis and the beginning of the Civil Rights movement.  This week we will continue learning about the events and notable people of the Cold War and Civil Rights Movement.  Students should study the following quizlets:  Cold War and Civil Rights/Modern History.  Students will have a short quiz for both topics and they will work on an independent performance task for their final social studies grade.  

Lastly, students have been watching the CNN 10 daily news and compiling notes.  After taking notes for several days, students worked with a partner to evaluate what they wrote. After the evaluation they compiled a product that detailed what they felt were the most important global issues right now.  Moving forward, students will have more opportunities for reflecting on current events.

Thursday, April 27, 2017

End of Year Survey

F.AVE's SLT End of Year Survey
Every year we ask for feedback on what went well and what we can improve upon. Our school's SLT has designed a survey to gather this information. The survey will be open through the end of the school year. Please take a moment to let us know what is working and what needs revisions. Thank you so much. Click here for end of year survey.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

T6W3 Update

Homework -- Students should read for 30 minutes daily & continue reviewing with the quizlets.

GMAS testing starts on Monday.  Please feel free to send in Jolly Ranchers, mints, or hard candies of your child's choosing to share with the class.

Reading - We are continuing our novel study of Son and reading informational texts that are connected to our social studies content.

Math - Students will be focusing on deepening their understanding of coordinate planes.  Last week they learned how to plot points in quadrant I in the coordinate plane.  This week they are going to expand their understanding with some real world graphing situations.

Social Studies - We are focused on historical events between 1950-1970.  Last week we discussed McCarthyism and the origins of the Cold War.  We will begin talking about the Civil Rights Movement this week and continuing our inquiry into Cold War events (Cuban Missile Crisis, Space Race, etc....

Science - Students are working on an independent science review in class.  They can also choose to work on it at home if they want.

 Exhibition - Students are working on evaluating and revising their research questions.  They will begin meeting with their mentors and start the research process.




Thursday, April 20, 2017

Exhibition Update

Thank you to all of those who volunteered to be Exhibition mentors.  I selected the first parents who responded and they will begin meeting with their groups soon.  

If you still want to help, I want to have parents come in (probably) during the week of May 8th.  Students will have a rough draft on their product and I'd like to bring in parents who prepare and give presentations as part of their occupation.  The parent mentors will be working with students on the research process; however, I think an additional set of eyes will give students another professional perspective.  

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Term 6 - Week 1-2 (Updated 4/17)

T6W2 Homework

Exhibition Mentors -- So far, two parents have volunteered to mentor Exhibition groups. Thank you to those parents!  That being said, the class needs at least THREE more parents to help out.  It requires one 45minute-1 hour visit per week to help a student group progress through the Exhibition process.   There was a mentor training last week; however, there's a manual and I can answer any questions you may have regarding the process.  The groups will be formed by this Wednesday and groups will be ready to meet this Thursday and Friday.  Please contact me if you are able to mentor a group.  PLEASE! 

ELA - We will continue our novel study by reading Son.  We will also continue working on informational reading comprehension by pairing current events with what we are studying in social studies.  We will also continue with vocabulary/spelling instruction.

Math - This term students will learn about problem solving with coordinate planes.

Social Studies - This term we will be covering U.S. history post-WWII to present.  Since it's a lot of information students should begin studying for the summative.  Students should also review the social studies concepts from past terms so they can review for the GMAS.

Science - This term we'll focus on reviewing the concepts we covered this year.  Students will have the opportunity to improve grades in the standards they didn't do well in earlier terms.  Students can begin reviewing with the quizlets below.

Friday, March 24, 2017

T5W6 - Spring Break Here We COME!

Please take the Student Led Conference survey.  
We want to know what you think! 
(especially if you share compliments...)

ELA - We are currently reading two books, Son and Navajo Code Talkers, and I can tell students have really grown as thoughtful readers.  This week students will be completing their opinion essays.  Most of them are done with their rough drafts and they will be focusing on revising their work.  The essays are due on Friday; however, many students will be done before then.

Math - We will be completing our quadrilateral activities and I'm giving the assessment on Thursday, March 30th.  Students should study the Quadrilaterals Quizlet, complete their homework, and watch the following videos to review the material.
Homework
Quadrilaterals 
Interactive Quadrilaterals
Volume
Area

SS - We are concluding our WWII unit.  Early this week we will discuss the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Homefront, and post-WWII reconstruction.  Some students are interested in completing an extension project.  More information about the extensions are posted in Classroom.

Science - Students began working on their Constructive & Destructive Forces project last week.  They will complete their projects on Tuesday and present their findings to the class on Wednesday.

Study Resources 
Quadrilaterals Quizlet - assessment on Thursday, March 30th
Landforms Quizlet - assessment on Friday, March 31st
WWII Quizlet - assessment on Friday, March 31st

Tybee Update
-Please send in medications by Wednesday, March 29th.  Please make sure they are clearly labeled with directions and your child's name.

Art Display
Our class must have done an awesome job on the last drawing assignment, because all of the pictures around the art room door belong to students in our class!