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! Comments are closed.
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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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