This week we have done many things. On Monday, we had cafe day and we had snacks, hot chocolate and had cafe related activities. In science we started to dissect sheep eyeballs and we talked about our guided reading books in class. We talked about different kinds of poetry. One of the activities we did on cafe day was going around to different stations and at the stations we added and subtracted decimals. On Tuesday, we studied The Bill of Rights and started a new poetry book called Rebound by Kwame Alexander. On Wednesday we played a lot of games in music and then we went to science. At science we finished dissecting sheep eyeballs. On Thursday we took our math test and played a Social Studies game. We also played a game with The Bill of Rights. On Friday we studied poetry and how to annotate it. We also finished our poetry hearts. Next week we will be continuing to study poetry and we will take our math cumulative test. We will be looking at how songs connect to poetry. Next Friday we will have our science field trip to the Wapsi Center. We will be MAP testing on Tuesday and Wednesday. 
Sincerely, 
Addi Clark and Eliza Shamrell

It's been a while since we've updated!  Starting next week student authors will be updating our site and social media!

We hope everyone had an awesome break.  It is great to see everyone and get back at it together!

We are finishing our opinion papers this week and are hard at work editing and revising our work.  We will be working to publish our papers using book creator over the next few weeks.  The books will be showcased at conferences.

We will be switching gears in reading and focusing a great deal on fiction texts, specifically poetry.  Students will be choosing their novel for guided reading.  Poems will be analyzed and discussed as well as writing a lot of our own poetry.
In February we will have a poetry slam... stay tuned for more information.

In Math we are working with decimals including adding and subtracting them Our test will be on Thursday the 10th.

In Social Studies we are working on learning about the Bill Of Rights.  We are also looking at court cases and how rulings effect us today.  Throughout all of our Social Studies and reading work we are still focused on determining a balance between order and authoring and right and responsibilities. 

​HAPPY 2019!!!!
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This week we had a lot of fun activities.

Monday we were detectives and had to decide what really happened at the Boston Massacre.  Students listened to accounts and looked through the crime scene.

Tuesday and Wednesday we taxed our colonists and they were not very happy with us.  We even had to apologize and send over some treats to keep them in order.

Thursday we had our first Character Circle assembly. Our school was presented with the summer reading award for the district from the Bettendorf library!

Friday we had Climb Theater come and BUDDIES!!  5th graders did an amazing job reading and having fun with their kindergarten buddy.  

We are working hard on our narratives and beginning to write a lead.  We are also working with our new guided reading groups and getting to switch rooms twice a day for reading and WIN.

Students have worked hard in math this week and pushed their thinking using manipulatives and models.  We are practicing multiplying large numbers. 

Next week should be a lot of fun, we hope our colonists will stay in line and we can raise enough money for King Cotton...

Things are a little mixed up in 5th grade.  We are now under the rule of King Cotton and our British palace is built.  We have enjoyed helping King Cotton collect taxes and shillings.  We also enjoyed the Quartering Act quite a bit...mmmm.

Students have been hard at work using their great reading skills to find main ideas and quote accurately to answer questions.  

We have also been concentrating on our Leadership Habits, specifically being proactive.  Next week students will set their October Habit Goal and work to improve their leadership.

We started Ban This Book this week.  It Is AMAZING!!  We have been talking about the internal struggle between rules and beliefs and how they impact our behaviors.  Students have looked at a variety of books that have been challenged and talked about censorship.

In math students have been working on exponents and place value.  Next week we will be working with Mrs. Moberg on how to represent multiplication and then complete U.S. traditional method for multiplying large numbers.

We can't wait to see what the British and colonists will be up to next week.

This week was short, but packed with all sorts of learning.

Students started their digital citizenship.  They learned about staying safe and being responsible online.  Hopefully they have talked to others at home about making rules and how to be good human beings.

We had a great time sharing some of our writing pieces and working on writing about experiences in their lives.

Students have been reading about the American colonies and using their main idea and summarizing skills.  We will be testing at the end of next week on Chapter 6 and 7.

We are continuing to work on volume in math.  We are working on finding different equations and ways to find volume.

We have also been learning about Habits of Successful Leaders!  WE have learned to put first things first, think win-win, and begin with the end in mind.

Monday the 10th is Picture Day
Tuesday Night- Curriculum Night
Wednesday- Early Out

Ask your student about Keep On Twisting!!!
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We had a great full week of fun and learning!  Students have been getting to know each other more and learning to work together.  We have completed more team building games, STEM activities and even 5th grade painting. (mural picture coming soon..)

We have been pushing outside our comfort zone to "talk math". We looked at conjectures and arguments and how to talk through our thinking.  We are working on finding area with fractional side lengths.  This is a hard task and is one that would be great to be talked about at home.

We are working on increasing our writing stamina.  We are writing our own choice stories each day!  

Ask your student about their guided reading book which we have just started.  We are also LOVING "Out Of My Mind".  

This week we talked and SANG about Jamestown, Roanoke and Plymouth.  We used our detective skills and found Roanoke and tried to determine what we think happened.  We also tried our hand at governing Jamestown....ask about our online adventure.

Next week= HOMECOMING WEEK
We have Spirit Days this week.  Join in on the fun!

Tuesday, September 4th - Tie Dye Colors Tuesday

• Students can show off their bright colors in tie dye or in just plain bright colors.

Wednesday, September 5th - Character Day

• Pick your favorite superhero, character from a movie, book, or show. 
• All within the costume guidelines from the district.

Thursday, September 6th - Tropical Thursday

• Bring your best tropical wear, tourist clothing, and free spirit. 
• Make sure you stay in theme for fun at the homecoming carnival (following the homecoming parade that night).

Friday, September 7th- Spartan Spirit Day!

We had a great first week together.  Students have worked together to learn about each other, build teams and set our expectations.  We played games as a fifth grade and got to know all of the 5th grade teachers. Students were given a letter for Parent Homework.  Please make sure you receive this letter. 
The class truly impressed me this week with their maturity and passion for learning.  They want a great school year and want to help each other.
Students are logged onto ST Math and Everyday Math- they have access to both of these at home.  We also started reading Out Of My Mind and the students' connections have been mind blowing!
Ms. McCannon and myself are loving getting to know everyone and are excited for a great year!

It was nice to see so many faces last night and meet so many of you!  Ms. McCannon and myself are very excited to see everyone on Thursday!  It will be a great day and we already have two specials the first day.  If you need anything please don't hesitate to ask.

Thank you,
​Mrs. Wilga