An Amazing Week with a Sprinkle of "Fifthgradeitis!"

Greetings from Room 10!

      We had an exciting week in Room 10.  While a part of our focus was preparation for the upcoming NYS ELA and math tests, we didn't let that get us down. Instead, we enjoyed the final preparations for the annual 5th grade Wax Museum. During school, the children's dress rehearsal included visits from both 4th grades and 2nd grades.  They had the opportunity to hone their skills for the evening exhibit.  From my vantage point (at the bake sale table), I heard numerous comments about the children's performances; all of which were extremely positive. The children's hard work while researching their wax museum subject certainly paid off!  I am including some photos of both the day and evening museums.

      Fifthgradeitis! While it's not a real word, it happens to my students every year.  And this year is no exception. I bring this to your attention because I spent some time talking to the children this week about maintaining the "5B Community" that we established in September. As a part of our community, it is important to think about others as well as yourself. And it became apparent that the children needed reminding of that! There was a short period of time when I had a room full of Divas, complete with attitude and demands.  I think our talk helped them see the importance of being a community and thinking of others.

      On April Fools Day, Ms. Qualtere and I traded places for the morning. During this time, Ms. Qualtere helped the children come up with a prank to pull on me.  I hope your child told you about it!  They had me confused and fooled for rest of the morning.  As I told the children, it was the BEST PRANK EVER!!! More importantly (and this might sound silly) but spending the morning with Ms. Qualtere's class made me realize how thankful I truly am to have your children in my class!  It helped me put things into perspective and realize that even when they are being "divas," they are MY DIVAS!  And I love them!!!

       The next two weeks will be challenging because of the number of hours we will spending with NYS testing.  The children will need plenty of sleep and a hearty breakfast.  I plan to have the kids eat their snack at 9:15am because NYS does not allow for breaks during testing. Each day, testing will begin at 9:30am and last a minimum of 90 minutes. Children will be given an opportunity to work on their tests in the classroom for an additional 60 minutes. Children requiring additional time (beyond the 2 1/2 hours) will have the opportunity to do so in a different location.  We hope to have math at noon and will have recess and lunch at 12:55pm.

                                                                       Kind regards,

                                                                       Lester Betor and class

Whale Museum and Wax Museum and PHOTOS!!!

Greetings from Room 10!
          The Whale Museum was a huge success!  The children did beautifully creating their 3D whales (whether they were made from wood, clay, Model Magic, styrofoam or cake) and their Google Slide shows were awesome!  Congratulations, 5B!  Here are some photos of the children with their whales OR, as in the first picture, at the Bowling alley--we missed you Maddie and Tyler!

      Our Wax Museum is on Thursday, March 31st at 6:30pm.  All students should plan to arrive at 6:15 to get set-up in the gym.  Every participant needs to bring a small metal can (like a soup or vegetable can) to collect the nickels.  For those of you who volunteered to send in baked goods, you may send them to our room anytime throughout the day, or may bring it Thursday night when you arrive...it's up to you.  DRESS REHEARSAL:  Although I previously reported that our dress rehearsal for the 4th grades would be 3/30, we might change that to 3/31; the same day as the event. I will tell you for sure on Monday.    Have a wonderful "spring" weekend!  Lester B and class

YAY! We are BACK UP!!

Greetings from Room 10!
      Our class blog is up and running!  It took intervention from our Help Desk to become operational again. For some reason, access to my blog (which I have been doing for years) was being denied.  It doesn't really matter now since I am UPDATING!!!  YAY!!!
      Just a few important dates to keep in mind as we move into the end of March:

                   Monday, March 21            3D whale models due
                   Thursday, March 24          Betor's Bulls-Eye Project #4 due
                   Thursday, March 24          Whale Museum 9:45 - 10:40
                   Thursday, March 24          NC student informational session 11:00
                   Wednesday, March 30       Wax Museum Dress Rehearsal
                   Thursday, March 31          Wax Museum 6:30 - 7:30

      I am excited to be adding a picture from the play.  Enjoy!!  Lester B and Class

               

Room 10: A Classroom UPDATE!

Dear Parents of Room 10,

     We had a great week in Room 10!  In reading, the students had the opportunity to share their story epilogues in guided reading groups. We also worked on figurative language, more specifically, idioms.  Each group participated in an idiom game during reading groups, and the kids loved it.

     In writing, the children completed their research and added the information to a graphic organizer. Some students have already begun writing the first draft of their opinion essay. They have chosen some very interesting topics!

     While I will NOT be introducing new words this week in our spelling/vocabulary unit, you should see your child studying each night. On Friday, your child will be taking a 50-word spelling/vocabulary test. They should have 50 index cards on which the word, definition and a sentence should appear.  Please work with your child to master this new vocabulary as well as the spelling of each word.

     The whale unit gives us the opportunity to focus on both science and social studies. Yesterday, the children “close” read an article on whaling history and developed a timeline that stretches nearly 4,000 years.

     Next Friday we are celebrating both Valentine’s Day and Twin Day. I sent home a pink ½ sheet listing out all of the children’s classmates for valentines. If your child plans to exchange valentines, they must have one for each student in the class. We will be celebrating with an ice cream social at 2:00pm. You are welcome to join us.

     Yesterday, we also finished the book, Auggie and Me. The “Julian Chapter” was AMAZING!  We began a new read aloud called  Zach’s Lie.

Classroom Update

Dear Parents and Students of Room 10,

      Last week, while not quite as eventful as the week before, kept us very busy, indeed. The children have been researching topics for their opinion piece in writing.  We are so fortunate to have the Chrome Books as we use them very frequently...and I don't have to remember to sign up to use technology 2-3 weeks before.  What a benefit!!  As a part of the research process, we have stopped to discuss a variety of interesting topics such as wearing uniforms in public school, pay rates for professional athletes and whether students should get paid for good grades.  We have been reading lots of opinion essays, dissecting them and working backwards from essay to graphic organizer.  We have been working on opinion essay reading in guided reading groups.

      This Wednesday, the children will be drawing, painting and cutting out whales to scale; that is, one inch for every foot.  They are excited about this project and we look forward to your help.  Many of you have volunteered to join us, and we really appreciate your taking time out of your day to help us out.

      In addition to the concert Wednesday afternoon and evening, the children will have the opportunity to meet and listen to a gentleman talk about what it's like to live with a disability on Thursday. Not only is John Robinson an amazing human being, but he is also my neighbor.  I am looking forward to seeing him talk to the children. 

                                                                                    Have a terrific week,

                                                                                    Lester B.

DARE Graduation

Greetings from Room 10,
      On Friday, January 15th the children graduated from the DARE Program. Congratulations!  We were proud of our DARE essay readers, Zachary Price and Alicia Prieto, as well as Lucas Fros for calling the 5B students to receive their diplomas.

       

      Despite the short week, the children will be completing their vocabulary/spelling unit again this week. In addition to their nightly homework, you should be seeing your child studying all of the words (spelling and definition) nightly. This will prepare them for the 50-word test in a few weeks.  While this can be challenging, it is a good way to prepare for the expectations of middle school.

      In small group reading, we have been discussing our Ocean Book Club books and have also focused on reading persuasive letters and articles. This mirrors our writing unit. At this point, we have been dissecting articles to determine whether they meet the criteria for 5B persuasive writing. 

      Whales, whales, whales!  Science has been exciting because the children love the whale unit; so many questions. Thankfully, I can answer most of the questions they ask, but we will need to be resourceful and use our Chrome books to address other questions.  I love teaching about whales and the children LOVE learning about them. I am hoping to begin showing "Voyage of the Mimi" later this week.  It has thirteen, 15-minute episodes chronically a whaling expedition to monitor whales.  It is on the "older side" and it stars a young...very young...Ben Affleck. I wonder how many of you have also been exposed to this program?

      On Friday, January 22nd, the school as a whole will be celebrating The Trumpet of the Swan with a "DARE TO BE DIFFERENT" Day!  The fifth graders should wear a UNIQUE or MISS-MATCHED outfit. We will also be joining the school's "Dare to be Different" parade.

      Don't forget, play rehearsal will be on Tuesday at the children's regular times.

                                                                                                                                   Enjoy,

                                                                                                                                   Lester B. and class