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!