5th Grade Advanced Academics
Quarter 3, Week 6
ELA: This week with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth graders wrote letters to invite employees from local restaurants. Students are hoping to interview these employees on February 25 or 26 to find out more about the restaurant business! Math: This week with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth graders played The Menu Game at The Terribly Terrific Taco for two purposes: to figure discounts and/or profit increases for various food totals; to add decimals to $100. Quarter 3, Week 5
ELA: The fantastic fifth graders prepared for and held a debate on the topic: for or against keeping tipping as it currently is. Math: The fantastic fifth graders continued devising strategies for determining percentages of a monetary total, including tax, tip and discounts. Students added, subtracted, multiplied and divided with decimals. Quarter 3, Week 4
ELA: This week with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth graders looked at different perspectives concerning the issue of tipping. Does it benefit customers to eliminate tipping or to keep tipping as is? Does it benefit restaurant owners to eliminate tipping or to keep tipping as is? Does it benefit servers to eliminate tipping or to keep tipping as is? Math: This week with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth graders continued to develop computational strategies working with percentages, decimals, and fractions. Quarter 3, Week 3
ELA: The fantastic fifth graders read articles, looking for evidence to support a point of view on tipping. Students then pondered the question: Do you think tipping should be eliminated? Math: The fabulous fifth graders used fractions, decimals and percents to figure out tax and tip. Students then developed strategies to make this process easier mentally (or when using a calculator). Quarter 3, Week 2
Math: This week with Team Howko, the fabulous fifth graders used inquiry to figure out what percentage tax one pays when dining out. The students also developed strategies for determining tip on dining out subtotals. Quarter 2, Week 8
ELA: This week with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth graders leearned their last habit: sharpening the saw by discussing how they take care of your body, brain, soul, and heart. Math: The fantastic fifth graders continued their work with 3-dimensional shapes by working with nets (a two-dimensional shape that can folded into a three-dimensional figure). Students began this lesson by looking at boxes and discussing how boxes are made. Then the fifth graders found all 11 possible nets of squares using grid paper. Quarter 2, Week 7
ELA: The fantastic fifth graders continued their work on Habit #5 (Seek first to understand, then to be understood) by playing a counting to 20 game; by discussing good listening behaviors (and people who display those behaviors); by playing emotion charades to practice listening with their "eyes"; and by practicing mirroring back what the speaker is saying. Students were also introduced to habit 6: synergize (working together is better). Math: The fantastic fifth graders continued their work with 3-dimensional shapes by working with nets (a two-dimensional shape that can folded into a three-dimensional figure). Students began this lesson by looking at boxes and discussing how boxes are made. Then the fifth graders found all 11 possible nets of squares using grid paper. Quarter 2, Week 6
The fantastic fifth graders did a Thanksgiving STEM challenge. Students were challenged to make a catapult to help a turkey escape over a river! We represented the turkey with a purple cube and the river with two pieces of blue paper. Quarter 2, Week 5
Math: This week with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth graders made 3-dimensional prisms. The students then explored the relationships between the edges, vertices, and faces of these prisms. The fantastic fifth graders also did a Thanksgiving Table STEM challenge this week. This two-part challenge had students work together to 1) make a Thanksgiving table to seat a maximum number of holiday guests; 2) and support the most number of "turkeys"--represented by dictionaries.
Quarter 2, Week 4
English Language Arts: The fantastic fifth graders finished up their study of the fourth habit (think win win) by discussing the idea of the human doormat and ways to be better at thinking win win. Students then learned about the fifth habit (seek first to understand, then to be understood) by talking about being good listeners. First, the fantastic fifth graders discussed roadblocks to listening and which roadblock they most often use. Math: Students continued their study of surface area by figuring surface area, including when dimensions are not a whole unit (i.e. 12 cm x 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm). Students then collaborated to create a formula for surface area. Quarter 2, Week 3
English Language Arts: This week with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth grade students continued studying LEADERSHIP by learning about the fourth habit, think win win. Students looked at an image and analyzed whether or not it depicted "Think Win Win;" then students designed a better depiction of "Think Win Win." Students rehearsed some statements that people who "Think Win Win" might say. Then the fantastic fifth graders thought of road blocks to thinking win win Math: This week with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth graders reviewed surface area by determining the surface area of several boxes. They contrasted perimeter with surface area. Finally, students solved some box puzzles and determined the surface area of these boxes. Quarter 2, Week 2
English Language Arts: The fantastic fifth graders continued their study of LEADERSHIP by learning about Habit 3, put first things first. Students listed the people and activities that fill their time. They discussed what it means to put first things first and debated what exactly should be first. Students then prioritized to make a schedule for the week that keeps first things first. **After this week is finished, if your child could send their schedule back, we'd greatly appreciate the opportunity to display some of them.** Math: The fantastic fifth graders continued their study of solid figures. Students used their prior knowledge of solid figures to explore the concept of surface area. Students cut boxes; they then figured out the perimeter and area of the different faces. Finally, students figured out the surface area of the entire rectangular prism. Students examined their classmates' work for mistakes in the mathematical information and for admirable qualities of the products they created. Week 9
English Language Arts: This week with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth graders researched degrees, programs, and institutions of higher learning. They are continuing to show LEADERSHIP by beginning with the end in mind (habit 2). Week 8
English Language Arts: The fantastic fifth graders continued planning (Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind) by revising their resumes. Math: The fantastic fifth graders spent the week exploring volume. Students discussed using their open top boxes to box up pieces of cake (sized 3 in x 3 in x 2 in). Then students created 6 different cube boxes and examined the patterns of the dimensions of the cube and the size of the original paper.
Week 7
English Language Arts: This week with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth graders edited and revised their resumes to emphasize their resumes' role as a blueprint to their future. Math: Students continued their study of volume by striving to find a box with a volume greater than the ones we made (the greatest box was 588 cm cubed--14 cm x 14 cm x 14 cm), while still using a 20 cm x 20 cm piece of paper. Students used an organized list and looked at patterns to solve this challenge! Week 6
English Language Arts: The fantastic fifth graders are showing LEADERSHIP by beginning with the end in mind. They have researched what they want to be when they grow up and they are in the process of writing their resumes. Math: The fantastic fifth graders finished creating all the open top boxes possible from a 20 cm x 20 cm grid. Students then organized their information in a table to show the dimensions and the volume of the open top boxes they made. Students then discussed the following:
Week 5
English Language Arts: This week, with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth graders continued their focus on the second habit for LEADERSHIP (begin with the end in mind). To practice this skill, students created a vision board about what they want to be when they grow up by asking them the following questions:
Math: This week, with Team Howko, the fantastic fifth graders continued their focus on VOLUME. Students analyzed the formulas for the volume of different 3-D shapes and determined that volume for any 3-D shape could be determined with the formula V = (area of base) x h. Then, students created a variety open boxes and determined the volume of these boxes. Next, students used an organized list and grid paper to create all the possible open boxes from a 20 cm x 20 cm square. Week 4
English Language Arts: The fantastic fifth graders continued their study of LEADERSHIP by delving deeper into proactive and reactive behaviors. Then students read a variety of picture books and then used text evidence to analyze characters as either proactive or reactive. Students then learned about habit 2: begin with the end in mind. They experimented with rocks, sand, and water to emphasize the importance of the "big rocks" in their lives--family, friends, and goals. Next students read "Jackie Robinson: Justice at Last" by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns to see how Jackie Robinson began with the end in mind! Math: The fantastic fifth graders continued their study of volume. They displayed a quality of LEADERSHIP by using an organized list to ensure they can find all the dimensions of certain volumes. Students then looked at an alternative strategy for determining volume (other than the traditional length x width x height). Next students discussed the dimensions of a rectangular prism when the volume is a prime number. Week 3
English Language Arts: This week, with Team Howko, students began their unit on LEADERSHIP. Students discussed habits to define the term, and to brainstorm examples, both positive and negative. Then Team Howko introduced Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Students then learned about the first habit: Be Proactive. Then, the students categorized proactive and reactive language; and watched a video to look for proactive and reactive behaviors. Math: This week, with Team Howko began their unit on volume by accessing their prior knowledge about rectangular prisms. Students then discussed dimensions and orientation, as well as defined volume. Finally, the fifth graders compared square units and cubic units and built rectangular prisms with varied volume measurements. |
LOOKER, RUNNER, BUILDERS: (above) Here is the model Team Howko created; students were to use teamwork, communication, and leadership skills to recreate this model.
(below) Here are the recreations students made.
(below) Here are the recreations students made.
Week 2
Fifth grade students continued to learn the routines and procedures in Team Howko's room. Ms. Howell and Mrs. Krisko modeled reflection and problem-solving while establishing these routines and procedures with these fantastic fifth graders! Students reflected upon and explained their learning preferences for independent or group work. In addition, fifth graders focused on teamwork, communication, and leadership skills this week by completing a STEM challenge (create an umbrella to keep a tissue dry) and by participating in a Looker, Runner, Builder construction challenge (see pictures above). Week 1
This week, the first week of school, 5th grade students were introduced to the expectations of room 208s. Students reflected on what they need to be successful: from Mrs. Krisko and Ms. Howell; from themselves; and from their peers. Team Howko shared what they need to be successful: from themselves; from the students as individuals; and from the students as collaborative teams. We are looking forward to an fabulous year with fifth grade! |
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