5V Students Collaborating

If you walked into 5V on a recent afternoon and happened to witness us working on our claymation projects , at first glance (or listen) it would have appeared to be chaos. However, once you wandered around and listened to their conversations, you would have seen and heard creativity and collaboration at work.  They problem solved and discussed possibilities for creating the characters and backgrounds for the stop-action movies they "filmed".  You would have seen students using what they've learned through research to create accurate depictions of various Native American geography, dwellings, costumes, and tools.  In short, you'd have seen a great deal of learning.  Yes, learning about Native Americans, but more importantly, learning to work interdependently, to communicate effectively, to apply past knowledge to new situations along with many more of the Habits of Mind (see more info. in a previous post below) that will serve them for the rest of their lives.  Judging by the look on most faces and sound of their voices, I think they were even having a little fun too!

Here are a few photos of 5V students engaged in their work:

ACS Angel Tree

You're Invited

WINTER CONCERT

DECEMBER 8TH 

MONDAY AT 6:00PM

CONCERT DRESS (from Mrs. Madi)

G1, G3, G4, G5 - Girls: Christmas color outfit (dresses or skirts).

                            Boys: White or Christmas color shirt, dark pants.

 

G2 - Blue jeans + different color t-shirts with some rock print + sunglasses + Santa hat.

G5 dancing group will have different concert dress (Mrs. Madi will let them know).

* All Christmas accessories like head bands and Christmas hats are allowed.

* NO BOOTS on stage :)

Important Dates

November 17th     5V Claymation Film Day
November 20th     Arabian Nights 7:00p
November 26th     No School (Teacher PD)
November 27th     No School (American Thanksgiving)
December 14th       ACS Holiday Bazaar
December 19th     No School (Winter Break)
January 4th          No School (Teacher PD)
January 5th          School Resumes

5V's Party Committees

To promote independence, students will plan their own parties this year.  I will give them time in class to meet several times prior to the party.  Committees will make all decisions regarding food, drinks, activities and decorations.  Thank you in advance to parents for supporting your child in purchasing the things they offer to bring in.

Halloween
Upasana
Artyom
Liann
Karam
Sasha

Winter
Leah
Maddie
Dillan
Allison
Morad

Valentine's Day
Serene
Aisha
Ali
Hassan
Elizabeth

End Of Year
Amir
JeeYoo
ChaeWon
Adnan
Rosalie

Happy Eid!

Conceptual Math in Action

You may recall the graphic below from the Back to School Night presentation.  Above is an example of a 5V math student demonstrating she and her partner's understanding in all four areas.  They first constructed a three dimentional model of a rectangular prism (concrete), students then drew a two dimentional model of their product (pictoral).  After that, students wrote an expression showing the relationship between the models and the formula for finding the volume (symbolic).  Finally, they talked about and wrote word problems to go along with the product they decided to represent. 

Have a Wonderful Eid Break and...

Just in case any of you get bored over the break, I wanted to provide you with some suggestions:  

• Read one of those amazing IPICK books you have at home or borrowed from our classroom library (I know, I know...you're all doing this anyway)
• Keep up on CNN Student News by clicking this link (also available under the Student Resources Tab on our blog): http://edition.cnn.com/studentnews/
• IXL Math (This is a great opportunity to log some hours, get some great practice and keep your brain sharp): Place Value and Number Sense - A.1, A.2, A.3, A.4, A.6 Algebra - Q.1    Multiplication -  F.1 - F.18   Addition and Subtraction -  D.1 - D.11 
• Practice basic math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) either by getting a deck of cards and playing war, making flash cards, downloading free apps to your ipad, phone or computer, or by visiting the following sites:  http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/             http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/Mathmagician/cathymath.html   http://jmathpage.com/JIMSMultiplicationfactspractice.html
• E-mail me an "Eid Break Moment" - Just like a weekend moment - Remember to make it a "seed story" and include lots of sensory details and great adjectives so I feel like I've experienced it with you.  Don't forget to use your best descriptive writing, organization and of course punctuation and spelling.
• Take a photo or short video and e-mail it to me with a nicely written paragraph to introduce it.  
• Watch the video I posted on the blog about Malala and comment with your thoughts about her message and or what level her behavior is and how you know (include evidence).
• Check out the links to all of your teacher's blogs - I posted them under the "Student Resources" tab.
• Check out the "Just For The Learn Of It" tab on our blog and click on some of the links.
• Re-watch any of the videos I've posted and comment or e-mail me (a well written paragraph) stating what you noticed or learned the second time you viewed it.
• Find a nice spot, perhaps outdoors, in an airport or really where ever you are in the world and write down as many sensory details as you can possibly notice in 10 minutes.  Then write a descriptive "seed story" explaining what you saw, heard, smelled, tasted, felt (and how you felt).  You could email it to me if you like and/or even share it with a family member.  You could even do this throughout your break and at the end you'll have a nice little collection of the beautiful, interesting, peaceful, chaotic moments you spent just observing.
• Read a newspaper or magazine article on the plane, in a hotel, or at your house and summarize the article in a well written paragraph.  Share it with a family member or e-mail it to me.  Don't forget to include the title, author and publication it was from along with the main idea and only the most important supporting details.  
• Get creative and paint, draw, write poetry or a story, take interesting photos or make something (perhaps a sculpture, art project, or even something usable) out of only found materials; out of garbage, recycling, or things found in nature.  Really let your imagination and problem solving skills run wild!  
• Watch a great film and write a review or summary of it, then share it with someone you think might be interested or e-mail it to me.
• E-mail or write a letter to a family member, friend or loved one you may not have seen in awhile.  Tell them some of the interesting things you've been up to, how you feel about them and then ask them some questions about their lives.  
• Strive for "level D" by doing something just because it's the right thing to do.  Help out in some way and don't mention it to anyone; just notice how proud you feel because you did the right thing without seeking any praise.
• Look at the "16 Habits" post - find a way to practice one or more of them, then write a one paragraph reflection describing how it helped you get in the habit of____________ (whichever habit you decided on).  Again, you're welcome to share it with someone and/or e-mail it to me.
• Perhaps the most important thing - Have fun and really appreciate the time you have with your family!     

Pep Talk to Teachers and Students

How to Change the World

YOU Can Learn Anything...

...and remember that important, simple word if you haven't learned something: yet.  As in, "This is frustrating and I can't do it...yet."

Back to School Night

Dear 5V Parents,

It was so nice to see such a great turn out at 'Back to School Night' on Wednesday.  We really appreciate you taking the time, especially after your busy day.  As a grade 5 team, we truly felt your support and valued your questions and feedback.  It felt like we were able to have the kind of open, honest dialogue that will ultimately serve your child well this year. If you would like to refer back to the Prezi we showed, or if you weren't able to attend, the presentation is linked below.  Please continue to ask great questions and give honest feedback.  Again, my email address is jvanlare@acsamman.edu.jo.  Please feel free to contact me anytime.        

http://prezi.com/duy8nrgc_onp/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Kind Regards,

~Mr. V  

Check Out The Highlight Video From Our Awesome Dead Sea Field Trip

The Dead Sea Bonding Trip Was A Huge Success!

Everyone seemed to have a blast as we worked together, cheered each other on and spent time having fun as one united fifth grade community.  Our smiles shone as bright as the midday sun!  Moms and Dads, please come to BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT on Wednesday the 24th to see our awesome slideshow with many more photos.

Join The ACS Rice Bucket Challenge!

Mr. Gaylord's Grade 5 Selfie

Mr. Gaylord is our new ES principal.  On the first day of school he decided to capture the smiling faces of the Grade 5 students and teachers as we lined up to begin the year.  

Students Use Manipulatives to Deepen Understanding of Multiplication and Division

In math we have been working to deepen our understanding of the inverse relationship between multiplication and division by using unifix cubes to build different rectangular prisms.  For example, in the bottom photo a student makes 24 two different ways: one by stacking 6 groups of 4 cubes and the other by stacking 8 groups of 3 cubes.  This helps students to conceptually understand several different ideas:

1) The "fact familes" 4x6=24  6x4=24
                                 24÷6=4   24÷4=6                         
                                      3x8=24   8x3=24
                                      24÷8=3   24÷3=8

2) The Concept/Definition of Factors (numbers you multiply together to get a product) and Multiples (numbers you skip-count by to eventually land on a product...ie. if you skip-count by 3s, 8       times, you'll end up at 24: 3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24).          

3) The Volume of a Rectangular Prism 
(volume = length x width x height or V=L x W x H)
For example, look at the student using the orange   and green cubes above (ignore the colors by the     way), the Volume is 25 because the length is 5, the  height is 5 and the width is 1; V = (5 x 1) x 5 or 
                                                               V =  25

4) Shows a Real World Example of Solving             Equations with More Than Two Factors
(5 x 1) x 5 = 25  Orange and Green Cubes
(3 x 1) x 8 = 24  Black and Red Cubes
(4 x 1) x 6 = 24  Brown Cubes

5V Students Have FUN Practicing Basic Math Facts!

It is important for Grade 5 students to have their basic math facts memorized.  This will serve them as they move on to more difficult multiplication and division, solving problems, finding area and volume, algebra, as well as working with fractions, decimals and beyond.  MATH FACT WAR is a fun way to practice basic facts.  All you need is a deck of cards with the face cards and jokers removed.  Just like with the card game "war", the object is to win the other players cards.  Rather than with traditional war, where each player lays down one card, in Multiplication Fact War, each player lays down two cards.  He or she says the product of their two cards and the player with the higher product wins that round.  This keeps going until one player ends up with all of the cards.  There are certainly many other ways to help your child memorize basic math facts such as: creating or buying flash cards, downloading one of the many apps availible on phones (such as Flash to Pass), tablets and computers, and of course online games such as the link below.  http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/fruitshoot/fruitshoot_multiplication.htm 

Important Dates

September 13th     PTG Picnic   
September 18th     Dead Sea Field Trip   
September 24th     Back to School Night (For Parents)
October 3rd - 11th Eid Al-Adha Break
October 12th         Students Return to School
October 22-23       Parent Teacher Conferences   

Here They Are - 5V 2014-2015

Shots and Thoughts From Our First Few Days

What an amazing class!  Our first few days have been all about getting to know each other, establishing routines, and building the kind of classroom community that will facilitate each students' quest to reach his or her potential.  I'm confident that 5V is going to have an extraordinary year!

Communication

Hi 5V Students,

I hope you had a great first week and are enjoying your weekend.  I wasn't able to get the list of your e-mail addresses, so please don't worry if you didn't receive a message from me or if you were unable to get on to your e-mail.  We'll figure it out together next week.  Read, relax, have fun and enjoy some time with your family.

~Mr. V

2014 Wadi Rum Video