Annawon Constructs a Weetu

Winter Performance By: Lydia

This coming Friday, the day before winter vacation, we are going to have a very special Winter Performance. This year, it is going to look and sound a little different.  In the past, we all remember that each class would get up and perform a piece of music that they had been working on.  The music teachers have been very creative this year, it’s going to be a sing-a-long!  The seating will be different, and students from all the grades will be attending.  The seventh and eighth grades will be on the stage in the Commons.  Each grade is going to stand up when they sing their song, and the audience is welcome to sing with them.  The fifth grade has been asked to perform a reader’s theater.  Each member of the class has a part in this performance.  The title is The Baker’s Dozen, by Aaron Shepard.  Pay attention for a surprise at the end. We hope to see you there!

 

Biome Projects By: Patrick

What is a biome? The American Journal of Science identifies biomes as a major regional or global biotic community, such as a grassland or desert, characterized chiefly by the dominant forms of plant life and the prevailing climate.  Biomes are ecosystems, places on the globe that are defined by the animals, plants, and climate in that particular location.

In science with Mrs. Mitchell we have been working this week on finishing up our group projects researching these biomes.  The class was divided up into small groups, each of which were responsible for creating a movie about their biome.  This assignment integrated our technology class, and the work we are doing with the new Mac laptops.  In each movie the groups had to include pictures of animals, plants, land structure, and dominant climate for their biome.

Some of the biomes researched included:

 Temperate Forest

Grassland

Tundra

Rainforest

History Visits the 5th Grade

Annawon Weeden, named after the last Wampanoag war chief to surrender during King Philip’s War, began performing with his family during his early years. Since then he has become a father, activist, tribal mentor, artist, singer, dancer, model and actor. His work has been featured at the Haffenreffer Museum, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Smithsonian and the Boston Children's Museum, and he has appeared in numerous publications including National Geographic. Currently, he is an educator working at schools and museums but also spends much of his time volunteering cultural services for his tribe. As an actor, he has appeared in films on the Discovery Channel, PBS, and most recently in Journey to 10,000 B.C. for the History Channel.

Holiday Hope

Last year Holiday Hope assisted approximately 300 families and 350 individuals who had fallen on hard times. These people battled with terminal illness, mental or physical health problems, limited education or resources, and personal tragedy. In most cases, providing adequate food and clothing for their families was a daily struggle.

The goal of Holiday Hope is to help families and individuals in need at the holidays and throughout the year. To accomplish this, Child & Family invites companies, individuals, families, schools, and churches to participate in this project. There is a level of involvement suited to anyone interested in providing local children and families with the greatest gift of all… hope.

If you are not a member of our classroom, and you would like to help please visit Child & Family services website for more information. Holiday Hope Child & Family Services

Multiplication By: Jake

During the month of November we discovered a new unit in math, Multiplication and Models.  The unit began with multiplying fractions by whole numbers.

Here is an example of a multiplication problem involving fractions

3 ½  ×  4  =

In order to solve this problem we learn how to follow these steps:

1.  Find half of the whole number

½ of 4 is 2

2.  Multiply 3  ×  4 = 12

3.  Take the ½ of 4 and add it to your multiplication question

4.  12  +  2  = 14

In the multiplication unit we also learned how to multiply using two-digit and three-digit numbers.  We learned an algorithm that would help us solve problems that are multi-step. Many of the students thought that multiplying two-digit numbers would be difficult, but we found the algorithm very helpful.

The last section in the unit on multiplication was estimation.  This section made multiplying two- and three-digit numbers a snap.  We all hope that the next unit in division is as enjoyable.

Authors and Us By: Mae

AuthorFest rocked!  From November 15^th to the 19^th, Friends Academy held a book fair in the Commons.  Scholastic supplied the books that could be purchased.  Friday, November 19^th, the fifth grade was able to meet with two of the visiting authors.     

The first author we met was Cynthia Lord.  Mrs. Lord is the author of Rules, which was one of the reading books for fifth grade over the summer.  She brought a few things for us to see that were connected to Rules.  Mrs. Lord’s book won a Newbery award, and she had the award on a plaque.  She showed us some of the things that inspired her to write the book.  Mrs. Lord explained some of the things that happen when you write a book, and when you want that book to be published.  Mrs. Lord introduced us to her new book Touch Blue, which many of us in fifth grade want to read.

The second author we visited was Eric Kraft, who wrote the hilarious Lenny And Mel series.  Mr. Kraft explained that it is not an easy task to get a story you have written published.  He shared a few of the rejection letters that he got back from different publishers.  Many of the letters he explained left him wondering if the publishers even read his stories.  Mr. Kraft told us that no matter what the publisher thinks about your story, you should always thank them for taking the time to read your story.

Finally, we had our AuthorFest luncheon.  Students had subs, chips, apples and a cookie, and something to drink.  Some students had family members eat lunch with them in the gym. When our class was done with lunch we had the chance to visit the Book Fair in the Commons or get a book signed by one of the visiting authors.  What a great day to appreciate great writing with some wonderful authors!

Project Learning

Project learning, also known as project-based learning, is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges, simultaneously developing cross-curriculum skills while working in small collaborative groups.

Because project-based learning is filled with active and engaged learning, it inspires students to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying. Research also indicates that students are more likely to retain the knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through traditional textbook-centered learning. In addition, students develop confidence and self-direction as they move through both team-based and independent work.

Video running time 9 min.

In the process of completing their projects, students also hone their organizational and research skills, develop better communication with their peers and adults, and often work within their community while seeing the positive effect of their work.

Because students are evaluated on the basis of their projects, rather than on the comparatively narrow rubrics defined by exams, essays, and written reports, assessment of project-based work is often more meaningful to them. They quickly see how academic work can connect to real-life issues -- and may even be inspired to pursue a career or engage in activism that relates to the project they developed.
Students also thrive on the greater flexibility of project learning. In addition to participating in traditional assessment, they might be evaluated on presentations to a community audience they have assiduously prepared for, informative tours of a local historical site based on their recently acquired expertise, or screening of a scripted film they have painstakingly produced.

Project learning is also an effective way to integrate technology into the curriculum. A typical project can easily accommodate computers and the Internet, as well as interactive whiteboards, global-positioning-system (GPS) devices, digital still cameras, video cameras, and associated editing equipment.

Edutopia focus on learning

Lit Circle By: Kate

Discussion Director, passage picker, summarizer, word wizard, creative connector, artful artist, these are all new classroom jobs we have in 5^th grade.  These are not the daily jobs we were assigned at the beginning of the year.  However, these are the jobs we have started in Literature Circles.  The past two weeks we have been working in small groups called literature circles or book groups.

The class was given a choice between three different Roald Dahl books, Danny Champion of the World, The BFG, and The Witches.  Some students had read one or two of these titles, but many students wanted to re-read a book.  Our literature circle is organized like a book group or book discussion.  Each student gets an opportunity to share something at the meeting.  Each job has a specific task, and the jobs rotate every meeting.  The meetings have been really great.  We get the chance to hear what our classmates are saying about the books we are reading.  We will continue running literature circles this year in 5^th grade with other books.

Blue Hills By: Ryan

 “We are going to hike in the pouring rain, really?” Patrick

“Yes, but if it is too wet we can always have the bus bring us to the top of the hill.” Mr. C

“We should hike no matter what!” Daniel

The destination of our class was, Blue Hills Weather Observatory.  In science we’re in the middle of a unit on weather documentation and observation.  The bus ride to Blue Hills was extremely long.  When we arrived in Milton we were glad our teachers decided to hike the Hill. The hike up the hill was about thirty or forty minutes. The cold weather made the large droplets feel like sleet.  When we arrived at the Blue Hills Observatory, two gentlemen showed us into the building.  The grade was broken up into companion groups.  Each group had a different activity that they were going to do.  The two groups would then switch and do the other activity.

The first activity was to learn a little background information about the weather observatory.  We watched a newscast about the weather station, and went on a scavenger hunt through the small museum looking for answers to our worksheet.  We also got to see a member of the Blue Hills team, Mr. Skilling, recording weather information.  This year Mr. Skilling is celebrating fifty years of work at the Blue Hills Weather Observatory.

Our second activity was building our very own weather kites.  We called the kites that we built, flexible flyers.  Along with balloons, these kites help weather observers record weather data. The data collected helps meteorologists record changes in the region over a period of time. The trip to Blue Hills was a complete success.  We are all very excited to see what we will be doing next in science.

Plimoth Plantation By: Anitra

On the shores of Plymouth, Massachusetts there is a landmark that played an important role in the Puritans’ trip from Holland to the New World.  Aboard this merchant vessel passengers were forced to live amongst livestock and cargo. They traveled onboard this ship to the new world, and today in the harbor there is a life-sized recreation of the Mayflower, rightfully called the Mayflower II.

Three miles down the road, at Plimoth Plantation, the class was able to visit a Wampanoag homesite and the 1627 Plimoth Colony. The Wampanoag homesite was filled with Native Americans that dressed in traditional clothing worn by the original members of the Wampanoag Tribe.  These people spoke to us about what the effect was on their ancestors when settlers first came to this land.  One of the guides at the homesite, Robert, took time with some of our smaller groups to answer questions we brought with us.

After we had gathered an adequate amount of information from the native perspective, we traveled down the Eel River to the 1627 Plimoth Colony.  The 1627 villagers at Plimoth are actors, and they are playing roles of settlers at Plimoth seven years after landing.  The information we gathered was important for our project that we are starting in social studies.

5th Grade News

Dear 5th Grade Families,

This week, our trip to to Plimoth Plantation was fun and informative.  The students all demonstrated great appreciation and curiosity when visiting both the Wampanoag homesite and the Colonial Plantation.  Students asked thoughtful questions and recorded them diligently while waiting patiently and eagerly to interview members of the plantation and homesite.  In the coming week, students will compile their information from the trip and enrich it with research done independently.  They will then present their information to the class using visual aids and hands-on activities.  We can't wait to see what they come up with!

On another note, we had our first literature circle meetings this week.  As the students reflected on what contributed to successful meetings, they discussed how well their group members listened, how important it is for each group member to arrive prepared, how valuable it is to hear all five voices in the group, and meeting their goal of having conversations rather than a series of presentations. The thirty minute meetings are a pleasure to listen in on, and they provide even more insight into who your sons and daughters are as learners and leaders.

Have a fantastic long weekend!
Warmly,
Tanner