This week, the Third and the Fourth and Fifth Grades hosted their own parent lunches. In gearing up for the student-led parent conferences on Thursday, the theme for the Fourth and Fifth Grade was self-reflection. Students presented their Social Studies/Language Arts papers, as well as Math assessments, to their parents along with rubrics and assessment sheets by which they assessed their performance in their work. Students reflected on where they were in terms of their current writing and mathematics skills. In Language Arts, they assessed themselves in three main areas -- Structure, Development and Language Conventions. Each of these areas was further broken down into more detail. (Development, for example, breaks down into Elaboration and Craft, each with their own specific definitions.) And, in Mathematics, students used a self-assessment reflection sheet to take a good look at how they've developed over the last few weeks of class. They were given a post-assessment 'test' and a matching reflection sheet that helped them compare what they know with what they need to work on! We've most recently been working with fractions and decimals, base ten numerals, multiplication and division by powers of ten, and many other things. Students were given the chance to identify and reflect on the areas where they do well and the areas that they need to work on. By guiding the children through Language Arts and Math standards, making them a part of their own assessment and evaluations, and giving them standard definitions for each, students develop a real understanding for what they're doing. Additionally, they gain insight into how they were doing, how they're doing now, and how to plan for their own improvement in the future. Auction Project!The Fifth Grade also got a jump on their upcoming auction project, a bookcase designed and painted by the students, themselves. It was decided that the bookcase would be in the shape of a tree, and that each Fifth Grader would donate a book that had special meaning for them. Whether it be drama, comedy, action, or romance, each Fifth Grader will then create an custom inscription (in art class), with a personal message to the auction winner, detailing why it is that the book is important to them. Parent Assessment!This week, Fourth and Fifth Grade students were working on Area Models and the Partial Products Strategy. Can you spot the area model, and the Partial Products Strategy used to break it down, that this student is using? If not, ask your Fourth or Fifth Grader about it and see if they can help you! For more on Area Models and the Partial Products Strategy, and why it's so important to enhance understanding of the Standard Algorithm, please watch the video below! The Art of Reading People
2/16/2019
Third grade reading standards require students to analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact with a text to demonstrate reading comprehension. In third grade, readers go beyond identifying whether the character is nice or mean, they dive into a deeper analysis by looking through the eyes of the characters to figure out motivations. Empathy is a necessary life skill that can also be developed through reading biographies. Using a biography, students were able to learn about a person in a historical context and construct analysis of character beyond the realm of "good" and "bad". Reading about a historical figure gives students an opportunity to learn about a person, their struggles or challenges, and their accomplishments. As students realized that every famous person they studied had struggles and challenges, they learned that it is important to be kind to everyone, as we don't know the battle they are fighting. Through reading a biography, the students were exposed to history, and made connections to themselves and the world. Whirlwind!
2/8/2019
The last few weeks in Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade have been a whirlwind! We've done lots of work, but we've still squeezed in a tremendous amount of fun, as you'll see in this week's blog! Math & Social Studies Work...In Fifth Grade math, we spent this week creating division word problems, and then solving them using tiled arrays. The idea for the week was to visualize how division actually works, as opposed to using the standard algorithm (what most people grow up with). Through visualization, students are better able to grasp exactly what's happening when we divide 144 by 12, or 304 by 16. Using a tiled array, students can actually start to see the shape and form of the problem, enabling them to better solve it. In Third Grade, we took the very simple idea of comparing two maps from different time periods to help us ask questions and start an investigation. Instead of using maps to show us physical locations, in class we've been using maps to show us changes over time. In the video below, we compare how the United States looked at the time of the Alaska Purchase with him the United States looked now. Looking at the two maps raises all kinds of questions for the students (and even for me) that we will use to help us when we investigate some of the reasons for the purchase of Seward's Folly! (Oops, I meant 'for the purchase of ALASKA.) Junie B Jones!This past Friday, the Second through Fifth Grade classes were treated to an extra special performance of Junie B Jones, performed through the Alaska Theatre of Youth at Alaska Pacific University... and starring the Fifth Grade's very own Keeva! Junie B Jones tells the story of the eponymous character as she navigates her way through her first day of first grade, making friends, realizing she needs glasses, and revealing her personal thoughts to the audience members through her journal! Auction Project In Full Swing!But that wasn't all! Fifth Grade (with quite a bit of help from Fourth Grade) kicked off their auction project with a visit from Miss Cassie, who will be running and directing this year's project. Together, students started designing an unusual piece of furniture -- a bookshelf shaped like a tree! Students decided on the height of the tree, the length and thickness of the branches, and the angles from which they would hang! Students also started thinking about their favorite books, which they will inscribe with a special message for the reader and then donate with the shelf! Large & In Charge!But the week wasn't over yet. To celebrate the one hundredth day of school this year, the Fourth and Fifth Grades were given the honor of hosting half a dozen celebration stations! Kindergarten through Third Grade travelled from station to station and, with the help of our illustrious students, were treated to bean bag tossing, sticker sticking, cup stacking, race car driving, and quite a few other fun activities. Students received several quite a few compliments on their hosting skills, and should be proud of how well they did! Third Grade got into the act, too... as the oldest players, they set a great example for the littler ones. They had fun, played responsibly and even helped quite a few of the younger grades with their activities! Great job, Third Grade! And, Just For Fun...NEXT YEAR!And, for a special preview of what to expect in the sixth grade year at PNA, please click on the link below!
Talk in the Classroom
2/1/2019
Think about the times when you have had a really great talk with someone. It might be a great conversation with a parent, a best friend, or even a stranger. What made it so great? Now, think about the times when you had to talk with someone and it was awful. What made that conversation so powerfully bad? At PNA, students are taught how to communicate effectively. In fact, 3rd to 5th grade students are expected to meet the following Speaking and Listening standards: ELA-LITERACY.SL Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3/4/5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
In 4th/5th grade science, students were taught different ways to partner talk, how to agree and disagree politely, and how to compromise. After setting clear expectations, students filled in a contract to record agreements about how they will work together. This partnership contract encourages student ownership and accountability. In third grade, students are taught that conversations help readers grow ideas. The class came up with characteristics of a powerful conversation. We are not talking about, just conversations about life, but conversations about texts. Nowadays, some kids spend more time on video games than outside playing with other kids. Therefore, they don't get enough time to learn about social cues and body language that would help them have powerful conversations. Fortunately, at PNA, students given daily opportunities to develop their communication skills. |
Jessica GrahamMs. Graham graduated from the University of Alabama with a BS in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, and is currently working on her master's in reading. She enjoys hiking, traveling, arts & crafts, and playing the ukulele. Archives
April 2021
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