#10

Students continued to work on the Exhibition projects.  They worked on gathering the last bit of information for their Presidential Pages and started constructing their booklets.  The new due date for this project is Friday, May 18th.  


We concluded the day with an Economic/Budget Activity.  Students watched a BrainPop video on why people use budgets and they were randomly assigned a job w/ a monthly income.  Over the next week students are going to examine fictional budgets and go through simulations where they have to deal with expected and unexpected expenses.  Lastly they will write a reflection on the budget activity and I will take a final writing grade from that.

Field Trip / Field Day Updates

• We are walking to Renfroe tomorrow and we leave at noon.  If you would like to accompany us please show up around 11:50am so we can walk together.
• The field day adult lunch price is $3.50.
• If you would like to help chaperone the MLK field trip or to Field Day please let me know.  
• Students are allowed to decorate their own field day t-shirts as long as they say "Brainiac" on some part of the shirt.  Shirts need to be done by Friday and students can wear them during the day if they wish.

#12

Today was an exciting day.  One of my former students, Kwame, came to assist me for the day.  He's currently an 8th grader at Renfroe and all of the 8th graders in the building did lots to help out the F.AVE teachers.  We finished up our U.S. President notes and students worked on their Exhibition projects at the end of the day.  Lastly, we had two author visits.

 Kwame playing basketball with the boys

 They started building the playground!

 A game I invented.... I throw the ball in the air and they run into each other trying to keep it off the ground.  It's quite entertaining... for me.


Author Visit

#13

Students continued gathering information for their Presidential Pages project and they did a vocabulary review.  They took their 5th grade class picture and they also continued working on their Exhibition projects.  Lastly, Mr. Wither's taught a lesson where students practiced identifying coordinate planes and got to complete logic exercises.

Thank you for all the flowers; they were beautiful.  Although, Mr. Zimbardo received something truly unique...

(yes... that's lettuce...)

Great Documentary...

on PBS right now.  It's the American Experience profiling Bill Clinton.  In light of what the students are working on this week it would be a good one for them to watch.

Tuesday, May 8th

Social Studies -- Students began taking notes for their Presidential Pages project.  Students took notes on the last 6 U.S. presidents and we had a lively student-initiated discussion regarding politics, elections, healthcare, religion, and international policy.  I also talked about how they need to be aware of information they get from others (including teachers).  I warned them that some teachers may present their own opinion as fact but that if I chose to share my personal views, I would clearly state that I was sharing an opinion.  We will be gathering information over the next few days and students will begin assembling their projects next Monday.


Students also had Spanish and Art today (we switched with Ms. Holden's class because of the Renfroe field trip).  During Math Mania I introduced another 6th grade Math standard:  graphing linear equations.  

Monday, May 7th

ELA -- Students received this week's vocabulary words and the summative vocabulary test will be this Friday.


Social Studies -- We read some information about the Apollo Moon Landing.  Afterwards students assembled a 3D map and answered short questions regarding that event.


Exhibition -- Students continued to work on their Exhibition projects.  

May 1st-2nd

My class had the highest percentage of students in the 5th grade to make their English Language Arts MAP target.  Congratulations Brainiacs!!

ELA -- This week's suffix is -less and students will have a vocabulary test this Friday.


Social Studies -- Students finished taking their Civil Rights notes and they did a rotating review activity today.  


Math -- During Math Mania I introduced the 6th grade math standard of plotting coordinates on graphs and understanding that quadrant different coordinates are in.


Exhibition -- Students are working on their Exhibition projects every day and they are progressing nicely with their research.  


Individual Projects -- Students are continuing to work on their individual projects and when they complete them, I enter their grade immediately.  Students have until the last day of school to submit their individual projects.


School Library -- The school library will close for the year on Tuesday, May 15th.  All library books need to be turned in by then.