High Level Learning: Update 10/8-10/12

The kids will debate about whether the Columbus Day Holiday should be honored by schools. 

Math: Please refer to the 5V Math Class blog with the link provided below. For easy access, the link is also located on the left hand column in the links for learning section. Or... http://5vmath.blogspot.com/

Reading: I've been meeting with kids in small groups to study comprehension as well as to have conversations about books they have been reading. This week we will continue that but I will also meet with kids in writing groups to discuss their short answer responses. We recently examined literary devices like symbolism, foreshadowing, plot twists, mood, and flashbacks. These are great devices used in movies, but they are in stories as well. When we talk about them, they bring our reading conferences to a higher level. 

Current Events: We continue to study the voting process, talk about platforms, and look at an imaginary election in our class with the Sunshine and Tree Party. We are studying platforms in that arena. But we will talk about the real things as well and this Wednesday and Friday we have time to look at the Electoral Map again, look at polls, and have discussions about the recent debate, and the issues with economy and health care. The kids love it-they ask a lot of questions and really drive the lesson/class with out me having to do so much! 

Writing: I am meeting with writers to discuss their writing pieces. They are putting on the finishing touches next week to what will be their first officially published work this year. All students are done with drafts but need to see me for their editing and revisions. These are brief conferences aimed at not editing the entire paper, but really getting to know the writer and in addition to that, making edits and revisions on basic grammar/spelling, and writing craft. We are also ARGUING a lot! That is good! We are learning how to write the argumentative paper. We're doing some work in social studies and Citizenship with that as well. I'm also teaching the kids how to present information when doing so in front of an audience. They've learned some basics like to introduce themselves and their purpose, constantly scan the audience and make eye contact, as well as use a presentation voice. 

Technology: This week we will study some internet browsing strategies and in addition to that, some research strategies. Mrs. May taught the kids some research skills they could use to narrow down a search when using a search engine. 

Citizenship: We will talk about cooling off. The kids have a brief journal narrative to write about a time they were really upset or angry and had to cool off or well...didn't cool off. They'll actually learn how to begin a narrative with either background exposition or action. 

Science: We're checking the weather daily and reinforcing the ideas of fronts, air pressure, and wind. 

Social Studies: We will write an argument paper about whether countries should engage in colonizing or not. We are going to present our arguments on whether Columbus Day should be a holiday honored by our schools. We learned about Columbus and well...some of it didn't shed the best light on the man! We'll also study how Hernando Cortes had an impact on the Western World, in particular the Aztecs. 

Spelling: We study more parts of speech and fluency with our spelling this week. We're also doing math and the students are setting goals for what percent score they want to get on the test, and then using a math strategy to find out how many problems they must get correct! 

Here Come the Work! Update 9/24-9/28

Some of our Citizenship Discussion has been about people with special needs. 

Math: Please refer to the 5V Math Class blog with the link provided below. For easy access, the link is also located on the left hand column in the links for learning section. Or... http://5vmath.blogspot.com/

Reading: This week we study some neat vocabulary strategies and we continue to practice reading informational texts. We're studying interpreting this week as well as synonyms with our vocabulary. We'll take a quiz on an article we read from our Time for Kids magazine and we'll practice the re-read to monitor comprehension strategy as well. We always practice that one!  Look forward to a couple of new challenging vocabulary words and silent reading and conference time. I'm going to respond to students book conversations and they will respond back to me by this Tuesday or Wednesday. We have to meet in small groups to practice interpreting. We are interpreting in our short answer responses but also on our recent quiz, we had 10 friends have trouble with interpreting information so we will have to fix that I guess! 

Current Events: Last week we learned how our country elects a President. Go ahead, ask your child! He or she should be able to explain it to you. Our mock election between the Sunshine party and Tree party candidates will take place after they hit the campaign trail. We will continue to study the actual 2012 election and take our mock vote in that as well!  On EDLINE the kids are having discussions about elections and current events. Their recent discussions about teachers and teacher evaluation was very interesting. 

Writing: More EDLINE "What would you do?" discussions this Friday...In addition, the kids will turn in the drafts to their first books to me this Wednesday and we will begin the editing and revising process the week after. We've just studied how to show our thoughts in writing rather than telling them. We're going to study how to keep focused in our writing this week as well. We write EVERYDAY! We also have some good quick writes this week. I will see kids in small groups to discuss/re-teach/re-learn some skills related to short answer response writing, aka SAR writing. 

Technology: We're still studying the ACV strategy in class. Ask your child about it. Soon we will begin practicing some internet browsing strategies and we will use EDLINE to do some of that work. 

Citizenship: I talked to the children about not staring at students who are "drawing attention to themselves". Sometimes kids see students with special needs drawing attention to themselves unknowingly and can't control the behavior. We talked about how it was rude to stare. One thing we talked about the week prior was addressing people in the correct way. For example, not calling a student or anyone "retarded" or saying something like "he is special needs"...Instead we talked about putting the person first like: "He is a person with special needs."

Science: This has been such a great weather unit. We are going to continue to study weather the rest of the year though! We will continue to watch ABC7's weather forecasts daily and read the weather at www.weather.com daily. This week we are studying the water cycle, clouds, and different types of clouds. Please see Edline for visual image resources that can be used to study for the test which is upcoming in about two weeks. 

Three Week Anniversary: Update 9/17-9/21

The class seeks to generate revenue via ball chair sales. 

Math: Please refer to the 5V Math Class blog with the link provided below. For easy access, the link is also located on the left hand column in the links for learning section. Or... http://5vmath.blogspot.com/

Reading: This week we study some neat vocabulary strategies and we continue to practice reading informational texts. We'll take a quiz on an article we read from our Time for Kids magazine and we'll practice the re-read to monitor comprehension strategy as well. Look forward to a couple of new challenging vocabulary words and silent reading and conference time. I'm going to respond to students book conversations and they will respond back to me by this Friday. 

Current Events: Last week we studied some basics about Election 2012 and this week we'll be studying how our country elects its President. We'll be doing some math with the study of the Electoral Map. We studied the Chicago Teacher's strike and there is a discussion question on redline in the current events discussion folder regarding that. The response is due this Wednesday! Kids will have time in class on Tuesday to work! 

Writing: After formally planning our first stories we are are now drafting them. Kids are also responding to journal topics in class and learning how to elaborate using phrases like because and for example. In addition, we are writing in our reflection journal. Soon we will study how to properly answer an essay question! There is also a discussion question from the "What Would you Do?" discussion board titled "classmate" which is due Wednesday or Thursday. 

Technology: I've shown students control commands and general internet browsing and posting tips. That will continue this week. I hope that this week we can learn to upload files. We will continue to practice practical tips and learn how to manage posting information using strategies for success. 

Citizenship: This week we study "I can statements" in conflict resolution. We've already learned how important the "I can" statement is when we need to address an issue and not the person him/herself. 

Science: We're busier than ever proving concepts in our scientific method experiments. I see so much thinking taking place when the kids lead the experiments and projects. We're also studying the following concepts within the context of watching a weather forecast: temperature, air pressure, humidity, and fronts. Please see Edline for visual image resources that can be used to study for the test which is upcoming in about two weeks. 

Getting in Gear: Update 9/10-9/14

We'll be learning about weather forecasts this week. 

Math: Please refer to the 5V Math Class blog with the link provided below. For easy access, the link is also located on the left hand column in the links for learning section. Or... http://5vmath.blogspot.com/

Reading: I am having reading conferences with the kids and I'm learning more about them each time. I will use this information to help them become better readers. The ultimate goal is to instill a passion for reading in them. We'll be working on more strategies this week. Those include vocabulary strategies and summarizing strategies. We'll continue learning through our read aloud text Because of Mr. Terupt and we will learn a new challenge word! We'll also be logging on to Blackboard to have book conversations! 

Current Events: Last week we studied some basics about Election 2012 and this week we'll be studying how our country elects its President. We'll be doing some math with the study of the Electoral Map.  

Writing: The kids are beginning to write their first books. They are learning how to write with mini craft lessons. We learn what the authors in our books do as authors to make their books engaging and great. Recently we've studied how authors describe characters and use different perspectives to reveal character personalities. 

Technology: We have to study control commands for copying and pasting. In addition to this, we will study how to post messages on Blackboard. I will introduce a learning portal called Edline to the children as well and this will help them learn online and access resources online for their learning! 

Citizenship: We studied "I statements" this past week. I praised one of our students for making the comment: "Mr. Vaid, I did not get my lunch card." instead of "Mr. Vaid, you didn't give me my lunch card." Those little manners go a long way! 

Science: This week the students will use the scientific method to conduct experiments proving or disproving certain characteristics or properties of air. We're trying to prove weather air is lighter than water, weather air has weight, and we'll also study a weather forecast and study the nuances of the terms and what they mean. 

Beat the Heat! Update: 9/5-9/7

This week we'll study more key terms and topics of Election 2012.

Hello everyone. I want to reiterate my gratefulness to the families or helped provide for our fans this week. In addition, a reminder that curriculum night is coming up on Thursday, September 13th between 7pm and 830pm.More information will be forthcoming. 
I want to provide you with a brief update about what the 5th grade and 5V will be studying next week:

Math: Please refer to the 5V Math Class blog with the link provided below. For easy access, the link is also located on the left hand column in the links for learning section. 

Reading: As we continue to develop and/or further our love for reading we will study more genres and learn a few reading strategies including reading for purpose, summarizing, and we will study a vocabulary strategy that helps us get closer to knowing the meaning of a word. All of our lessons and application will be done through read aloud texts and independent reading. I will begin having book conversations with your child this week! 

Current Events: Last week we studied some basics about Election 2012 including the RNC briefly, the candidates, and some key election terms. We also talked a lot about Hurricane Isaac. This week we will continue to study key election terms and briefly study the issues the candidates will be discussing. The lessons will be aimed at giving students the background knowledge they need to understand the Election 2012. There will also be an Election 2012 extra credit opportunity given out this Friday, due next Monday 9/10. 

Writing: We open our Writer's Workshop this Wednesday! Kids will be encouraged to select what they want to write and write for authentic purposes. We will study pre-writing this week and have a few writing craft lessons. We'll use our read aloud text Because of Mr. Terrupt to study how authors describe characters and how authors use multiple perspectives to reveal character. We've been writing informal short stories but next week, the kids will begin drafting their very first formal writing piece of the year. 

Technology: We made tables for our reading logs last week. We'll review that this week and practice using control commands to copy and paste. 

Citizenship: We will have our second class meeting this Wednesday and discuss action items, lunch food, and how our class can generate revenue. 

Science: This week the students will use the scientific method to conduct experiments proving or disproving certain characteristics or properties of air. Think: How can one prove that air has weight...or does it? Can one prove that warm air rises...or does it? The children will use the scientific method to conduct experiments. We are also studying the layers of the atmosphere. 

Welcome Back! Update for 8/27-8/31

Hi 5V Families!

We will study 2012 Election this year in class. 

This is Mr. Vaid. How are you? 5V had a great first two days. I am enjoying my students and I hope that they are enjoying the class. We are continuing to set the tone for a great year and are slowly building our classroom community. It won't be built in a day, so please give us some time! Please know that content that students learn will also be studied within the context of real life such as current events taking place in our world, and/or authentic application. 

I want to provide you with a brief update about what the 5th grade and 5V will be studying next week:

Math: Please refer to the 5V Math Class blog with the link provided below. For easy access, the link is also located on the left hand column in the links for learning section.

Reading: Next week we will begin reading books. We have one major goal this year in reading and that is to encourage and further the passion for reading in our children. Sure we have some sub-goals, but ultimately we want to give kids the opportunity to love reading. We'll be studying genres, looking at books, and talking about books. I'm going to bring in some of my favorites and talk about them too. I am an avid reader myself and want to give the kids as much of an authentic reading experience as I can. We are also going to begin reading the story Because of Mr. Terrupt by Rob Buyea as our first read aloud book.

Current Events: A few topics for next week's current event coverage will include the Republican National Convention, the 2012 Election, the work of the Mars Rover, and Hurricane Isaac. Of course, being current events, we will add as we go! 

Writing: I enjoy writing and one of my goals this year is to have your student become an author or see him/herself as an author. We are going to open our Writer's Workshop this week and really begin living the lives of the author. We plan to write for authentic purposes and create a lot of student generated writing as opposed to me giving them topics or research to perform. That doesn't mean I won't be their guide regulate the debates we have, or we won't write formal essays. Believe me, we will.

Technology: I am getting the kids acquainted with the blog. At the same time, they are learning quick operating system short cuts and keyboard commands. It's just a little fun :) We have a technology curriculum in which we will blend with our day to day lessons. So if we go to type an essay, you can bet they will learn how to set the margins for the page.

Citizenship: We have our first class meeting on Monday. The kids already set the agenda and some points of discussion include: the new principal, the citizenship program, adding extra baskets to the table, volunteer service,  and helping others in the classroom.

Science: We're going to study weather. That is our first unit. It's quite fun! We are going to study the scientific method, layers of the atmosphere, and concepts in weather such as precipitation, condensation, evaporation, (I guess I could have said water cycle) air pressure, types of clouds, and we're going to also study general meteorology-things kids would see while watching a weather report on the news.

This is your Teacher Speaking!

Hello 5V Students and Families!

Welcome to the 2012-13 School Year. My name is Mr. Vaid. I am pleased to be your child's teacher this year. Who is that man behind the sunglasses? I have taught 5th grade at May Watts for 8 years. This will be my 9th year teaching. I'm sure you'd like to know a little bit more about your teacher than you perhaps already do. After all, we are going to spend about 9 months, 171 days, or 1,118 hours together this year...if not more!

First, come to the May Watts Meet and Greet on Monday, August 20th, 2012 between 1:15pm and 2:00pm. You can drop off your supplies and fill out a brief survey. We'll also be able to begin to get to know one another.

Fifth grade is going to be an excellent year. Please enjoy the rest of your vacation and I can't wait to see you on Monday.

Thanks,

Mr. Vaid