Some people have had questions about our field trips, I hope this helps.

I truly enjoyed meeting with parents over the last few days. I heard some amazingly helpful feedback on my classes. If you have any thoughts concerning homework or class time, please feel free to call or e-mail as I find the communication helpful.

The Revolutionary War board games are completed and impressive! This week we'll work with the circulatory system so that we can impress the museum staff with our amazing knowledge! Of course, I'm referring to Friday's in-school heart dissection!

In addition to the science aspect, we'll also consider the notion of democracy and the beliefs which led to the creation of our nation's ...

Theme has been busy this week putting the finishing touches on their board games. I sent a rubric home yesterday and this will be used in order to grade the games. In addition to the rubric, students are also creating self-assessments and students will provide feedback on the games after playing them. The three assessments will be used in order to provide a well thought-out final grade. Of course, the second half of this week will be conferences. If you do not have a conference, please feel free to call or write if you have any questions or concerns.

Wow! It feels great to be back! I hope that everyone had an excellent break! Well, as usual school is running at full speed! This week we'll work on our final project for the Revolutionary War and will begin to introduce The Constitution and aftermath of the Revolutionary War. Next week, we'll have an early release on Wednesday and conferences on Thursday and Friday. This will be followed by a long weekend to honor Martin Luther King. This means that even though we just got back, we still have a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time. The final assessment for the Revoluntionary War (student-created board games) will be worked on during class and will be due next Tuesday, January 15th.

Hello and welcome to the week before break! This week in Theme we'll continue with our student presentations of the Revolutionary War. Students will also meet with their partners in order to begin considering their board games. If you need assistance gathering materials for your student's board game, please let me know and I'll be happy to help. The students took notes on the game board requirements; please meet with your student to go over these guidelines.

In addition, we'll look at the film Liberty! Which documents the occurrences of the Revolutionary War. There will not be any theme homework over the break!

*Scholastic Books Orders are Due on Friday, December 15th!

*I have four parent volunteer openings for our Winter Party on the afternoon of December 21st! If any of your family members volunteered for the Halloween party, please let other families have the opportunity to volunteer for the Winter Party! Please e-mail me if you're interested!

Wow! This month is flying by! This week in Theme we'll begin with building an impressively large list of the significant people, places, and events of the Revolutionary War. Each student will research their chosen aspect of the Revolutionary War and they will then present their research to classmates. This will create one organized and combined list that the students can refer to while creating their board games. I'll send home the specific requirements of the board games by mid-week. A basic overview is that the students can work in pairs and their game can be based on another game concept such as Monopoly or Sorry. It can also be based on a television game show such as Deal or No Deal, Jeopardy, and of course, Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? Original game concepts are also encouraged. Only the "system" behind the game can be similar, the student has to do everything else. For example, you have to create ALL game piece and even the pieces should relate back to the Revolutionar ...

Hello and welcome to December! Well, the first trimester is behind us and we're moving forward into the second trimester nicely. I spoke with each student about their academic and affective grade. During these meetings, I often reminded students that this is the FIRST trimester. It can be a time for students to test academic and behavioral boundaries. The first trimester grades should be considered a starting point for student improvement. I spoke with students about reflecting upon the trimester and where their academics or classroom behaviors could be strengthened. The talks went well and I believe that your students will continue to put their best foot forward during the school day. Alternatively, some students have used the first trimester to truly shine and show all the 5/6 teachers exactly what their capable of. To these students, I recommend a good pat on the back and encourage them to keep up the good work! I also recommend that students make sure ...

I hope you all had an excellent break! Today in theme we'll finally get back to the wilderness, and consider our KSS experience. We'll also consider the end of the Revolutionary War and the creation of a nation. We've completed our trimester presentations and grades for the final product will be posted soon. Our trimester concluded last Tuesday and as a result, the final grades posted this week will be the final grades for the trimester.