This was another very busy week for Team Hyper-Space! Our groups have been working on our latest PBL project dealing with the three branches of government. Our groups have been experiencing some different issues as this has been a different project. We are all working together to make sure that they all get their issues solved in the best possible way. A big part of PBL is learning to work with all sorts of different types of groups. We have really appreciated the patience of most of the students. Some are learning to delegate to others and some are learning to be more organized. It is a work in progress.
Next week is parent teacher conference week. Students are invited and encouraged to attend so they can be part of this process. The conference times are only 10 minutes, we will try to stay on task and get through as close to on time as we can. Please let us know if you cannot attend or need to change times. We would like to talk to each and every family.
Next week we will be Skyping with our Secretary of State on Monday and have a few other speakers in from local government. We are excited about these opportunities.
Fall break is next Thursday and Friday so we hope everyone can enjoy a little time off relaxing and getting ready to hit the second grading period following the three R's. . . . Respectful, Responsible and Ready to Learn.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
PBL out in the Community.
This week we had four groups present at the Blueberry Board Meeting. The kids did a great job and the room was packed. We showed all of the students the final four projects and we talked about doing projects just to get done and doing our personal best on each and every project. We want the kids to take pride in their work. We had great response to this first project and we have some things we will do differently next time but all in all it was a big success.
The entire group while Mrs. Dennie explains our project.
Toleman, Kaylen and Gracie presenting their iMovie
Olive, Adam and Grace presenting their Keynote.
Carly, Lauren and Analee presenting their brochure.
Adam, Griffin and Carlie presenting their commercial.
Here is a link to the post about our project on the school corporation's PBL Blog.
http://pcscpbl.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/riverside-fifth-grades-first-pbl-project/
Here is the link to Mrs. Hirschy's Blog post about our project from the school corporation's 180 days of learning.
http://pcsc180daysoflearning.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/riverside-project-based-learning/
Here is a link to the post about our project on the school corporation's PBL Blog.
http://pcscpbl.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/riverside-fifth-grades-first-pbl-project/
Here is the link to Mrs. Hirschy's Blog post about our project from the school corporation's 180 days of learning.
http://pcsc180daysoflearning.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/riverside-project-based-learning/
This week we started working on our next PBL project dealing with the election. We had our vice-presidential candidates answer questions that their classmates had written. The candidates did a great job. On Wednesday we voted and selected Griffin to be our team's candidate for the school election. We will be working as a team to support Griffin in this process.
Our candidates answering questions from Mr. Hunter.
We are finishing up the grading period next week. So AR point are due on Friday the 19th. Computer carts were delivered this week as well so unless students have homework computers will stay at school over the weekends. Please help your child remember to bring their chargers to school.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, October 5, 2012
October is Here!
Well, ready or not October is here! We are winding down the first grading period. The students have been working hard at getting their AR goals! To be able to attend the Riverside Roster party students have to have their AR goal and have one of the following, perfect attendance, all 3's and 4's on their report card or all homework done this quarter. The roster parties are a fun time so we do not want anyone to miss out. AR deadline is October 19th.
My Big Campus is a place where some of us are posting things for our kids to access for our classes. This is not a "Facebook" for kids. We have been discussing this with our classes. Students need to make sure what they are posting is realavant to school. Things they are posting are filtered through Lightspeed and we also have a person on staff who is addressing these issues. We ask that you also talk to your student about making sure what they post is school related. Along that same line please as a parent check what social media your child is using. Students are posting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter quite often. Most of the time they are innocent and fun but sometimes children of this age post things without thinking. Earlier in September we had a week of Digital Citizenship here at Riverside and we discussed these things with the students. We would just appreciate if you also have these discussions with your child.
Next week we will be starting our next PBL project dealing with the election process. Students will be either running or helping another student run for a class office. We are also having someone from our team run for Vice-President of Riverside. Today students put their names into a box if they were interested in running for this major office. Students will be learning about the three branches of government and about the election process. Look for more information to come!
Have a great weekend!
My Big Campus is a place where some of us are posting things for our kids to access for our classes. This is not a "Facebook" for kids. We have been discussing this with our classes. Students need to make sure what they are posting is realavant to school. Things they are posting are filtered through Lightspeed and we also have a person on staff who is addressing these issues. We ask that you also talk to your student about making sure what they post is school related. Along that same line please as a parent check what social media your child is using. Students are posting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter quite often. Most of the time they are innocent and fun but sometimes children of this age post things without thinking. Earlier in September we had a week of Digital Citizenship here at Riverside and we discussed these things with the students. We would just appreciate if you also have these discussions with your child.
Next week we will be starting our next PBL project dealing with the election process. Students will be either running or helping another student run for a class office. We are also having someone from our team run for Vice-President of Riverside. Today students put their names into a box if they were interested in running for this major office. Students will be learning about the three branches of government and about the election process. Look for more information to come!
Have a great weekend!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Last Week of September
WOW! I can't believe that it is the last week of September. This year is going by so fast. We have ha another busy week. We did our first round of Acuity testing and we will share those results with you at parent teacher conferences. You can also have your child share their student data tracker with you and you can see their latest results.
The kids are working hard at getting their AR goal. AR goals are due October 24th. If your child struggles with this, have them read with you. . . discuss the book they are reading together.. . . some extra encouragement from home is sometimes all they need. We are giving time in class and trying to encourage them here at school and we appreciate any encouragement you give at home.
We are also working hard on Achieve 3000. This is a new program for fifth grade but we are seeing great things from it already. Each week the requirements are for each student to do two articles at 75% or above. Most students are making this goal and more. Their writing is improving each week on their "Thought Questions" and we are really seeing growth. Thanks for encouraging your kids to continue to strive to do their best on this wonderful program.
We worked on division this week in math and some students are struggling with double digit divisors. We will continue to work on this and multiplication next week to get ready for our common assessment next Friday. Encourage your student to work on their math facts. They can always practice on www.ixl.com/signin/plymouth what we have been working on this week. This is a wonderful site for math practice.
In language arts this week we wrote friendly letters to our parents. Ask your child to show you their letter on Google Docs. In science, we continued with Sun, Moon and Stars. The students have been very attentive and have shown they are learning a lot.
We hope this finds you all well!
The kids are working hard at getting their AR goal. AR goals are due October 24th. If your child struggles with this, have them read with you. . . discuss the book they are reading together.. . . some extra encouragement from home is sometimes all they need. We are giving time in class and trying to encourage them here at school and we appreciate any encouragement you give at home.
We are also working hard on Achieve 3000. This is a new program for fifth grade but we are seeing great things from it already. Each week the requirements are for each student to do two articles at 75% or above. Most students are making this goal and more. Their writing is improving each week on their "Thought Questions" and we are really seeing growth. Thanks for encouraging your kids to continue to strive to do their best on this wonderful program.
We worked on division this week in math and some students are struggling with double digit divisors. We will continue to work on this and multiplication next week to get ready for our common assessment next Friday. Encourage your student to work on their math facts. They can always practice on www.ixl.com/signin/plymouth what we have been working on this week. This is a wonderful site for math practice.
In language arts this week we wrote friendly letters to our parents. Ask your child to show you their letter on Google Docs. In science, we continued with Sun, Moon and Stars. The students have been very attentive and have shown they are learning a lot.
We hope this finds you all well!
Friday, September 21, 2012
September 16-Busy Week
This has been a very busy week for Team Hyperspace. On Monday, nine of our eighteen projects were presented to Mrs. Hirschy, Mr. Boyer, Mrs. Cobb and Mr. Funston. This group picked four projects that they thought should go on to the next level. These four projects were then presented on Thursday to two members of the Blueberry Office/Board. These kids did a great job and all four groups have been invited to attend the Blueberry Board meeting on October 8th. We will be seeing their products out and about soon!
In math this week we have been multiplying large numbers. Most of the kids are doing very well with this and have chosen either the traditional way or the Lattice method. Some students are still struggling with this and it is because they do not know all of their math facts. Have your student practice their facts on the computer or with good old flash cards. They have to know these well to be able to do a lot of the things we do this year in math.
In science this week we have been learning about the sun, moon and stars. We have gone outside and traced our shadows and examined how the shadows change with the time of day. Students have been working on some activities on their computers as well.
In language arts we have been working on writing summaries. Students will be doing this a lot in Achieve 3000. We also read Ultimate Field Trip 5 and did some activities with that. Students should have half of their AR goal by today. If your child does not have at least 10 points they need to get reading. They cannot attend Roster parties if they do not meet their AR goals.
This week all students took the Aims Web fluency, comprehension and math tests. These will be given three times throughout the year to monitor progress. Students who do not score on grade level will be getting extra help during the school day.
We hope that you have a great weekend and keep your child reading!
In math this week we have been multiplying large numbers. Most of the kids are doing very well with this and have chosen either the traditional way or the Lattice method. Some students are still struggling with this and it is because they do not know all of their math facts. Have your student practice their facts on the computer or with good old flash cards. They have to know these well to be able to do a lot of the things we do this year in math.
In science this week we have been learning about the sun, moon and stars. We have gone outside and traced our shadows and examined how the shadows change with the time of day. Students have been working on some activities on their computers as well.
In language arts we have been working on writing summaries. Students will be doing this a lot in Achieve 3000. We also read Ultimate Field Trip 5 and did some activities with that. Students should have half of their AR goal by today. If your child does not have at least 10 points they need to get reading. They cannot attend Roster parties if they do not meet their AR goals.
This week all students took the Aims Web fluency, comprehension and math tests. These will be given three times throughout the year to monitor progress. Students who do not score on grade level will be getting extra help during the school day.
We hope that you have a great weekend and keep your child reading!
Here are the finalists for our Blueberry PBL. Congrats kids!
At the end of our PBL project the students all gave their answer to our "Driving Question" How does hosting a large event impact a community?
Friday, September 14, 2012
September 14, 2012
This week we have been working on our projects. Our students have been working hard and the projects are looking good. This has been an adjustment for the kids to work in a group. Some have had to really work at letting go of all control and having others help. Some have had to learn that they have to do their part and if they don't they let the group down. All these are great skills and we will continue to work on these all year long.
Next week 8 projects will be presented to a panel of other people who will be asked to pick two or three projects to go to the Blueberry Board. If your child's group is not chosen please ensure them that it is o.k. and that this was about learning and that next time they may be chosen!
In math this week we have started multiplying large numbers. If your child struggles with their math facts then the next few weeks will be hard. There are many websites on the kids My Big Campus math page. Encourage them to practice these skills. Students were introduced to Lattice multiplication and this is an option not a requirement. If the traditional method is working for them then they can continue to use that. If they are having trouble with the traditional method then I may encourage them to use the Lattice method.
In language arts we have been working on context clues and cause and effect. Students have worked on vocabulary and making their own definitions. Your child can go on My Big Campus to practice these skills as well. There are also some podcasts on the students iTunes account that they can watch again if they are unsure of a topic.
In science and social studies we have worked on sun, moon stars and with our PBL project we did not get as far as we would have liked. This will continue into next week. There are a bunch of websites that the kids have bookmarked where they can practice some of the items we have been working on!
We hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Next week 8 projects will be presented to a panel of other people who will be asked to pick two or three projects to go to the Blueberry Board. If your child's group is not chosen please ensure them that it is o.k. and that this was about learning and that next time they may be chosen!
In math this week we have started multiplying large numbers. If your child struggles with their math facts then the next few weeks will be hard. There are many websites on the kids My Big Campus math page. Encourage them to practice these skills. Students were introduced to Lattice multiplication and this is an option not a requirement. If the traditional method is working for them then they can continue to use that. If they are having trouble with the traditional method then I may encourage them to use the Lattice method.
In language arts we have been working on context clues and cause and effect. Students have worked on vocabulary and making their own definitions. Your child can go on My Big Campus to practice these skills as well. There are also some podcasts on the students iTunes account that they can watch again if they are unsure of a topic.
In science and social studies we have worked on sun, moon stars and with our PBL project we did not get as far as we would have liked. This will continue into next week. There are a bunch of websites that the kids have bookmarked where they can practice some of the items we have been working on!
We hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, September 7, 2012
This week in Team Hyper Space
This week we began work on our first big project. The students are working in groups to design some sort of advertisement for the Blueberry Festival. Our discussions began with the question, "How does hosting a large event impact a community?" We have had visits from four guest speakers and the kids have done a great job listening and taking notes. Tuesday, we worked on writing good questions and then figuring out which speaker we should ask what questions to during the week.
We have been very impressed at how excited our students have been. Now, we have moved into the work phase and the students are really learning how to work in a group. Some are natural leaders and some are followers. We are trying to work on these skills in all of our students. We are trying to encourage collaboration and team work. Some kids are not comfortable with working in a group and we are encouraging them all to include everyone. This is a process and as the year goes on we hope that our students grow in this process. We are learning along with the kids. It has been another great week for Team Hyper Space!
Group Work
Making questions
Posting questions
Mr. Wayne Smith of Tom's Tasty Taters came to speak on Wednesday morning.
Mrs. Sheri Martin, from the Blueberry office, and Blueberry Hank visited us on Wednesday afternoon
Mr. Mike HIte from the Plymouth Park Department came to see us on Thursday afternoon
Officer Owen spoke to us on Friday afternoon.
We have been very impressed at how excited our students have been. Now, we have moved into the work phase and the students are really learning how to work in a group. Some are natural leaders and some are followers. We are trying to work on these skills in all of our students. We are trying to encourage collaboration and team work. Some kids are not comfortable with working in a group and we are encouraging them all to include everyone. This is a process and as the year goes on we hope that our students grow in this process. We are learning along with the kids. It has been another great week for Team Hyper Space!
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