Field trip permission slip coming home

Reminders:

Parents, your student should have a permission slip for our upcoming trip to the Muir Beach/Redwood Creek area in Marin, for creek restoration work we will be doing. Please consider driving and chaperoning on this trip, Wed., Feb. 15--it promises to be a great experience. You can download a copy of the permission slip here; please sign and return it.

Homework:
Library Research: Strawberry students need to visit a library to collect books on their ocean topic. Please sign and return the sheet by Thursday with parent or guardian signature.

Fourth grade math, purple group: No homework tonight.
Blue Group: Division and multiplication practice page.

Fourth grade math
Purple group: We took an assessment of students' understanding of multiplication and division of double-digit numbers.
Blue group: We continued our focus on division, and what to do with remainders.
Blue Group Homework: Division and multiplication practice page.

5th Grade Math: Fifth graders completed an assessment today and will move into the 2D geometry curriculum next week. No homework tonight!

Story endings & word games

Homework:

Spelling, due tomorrow:
Write the word sort in your Blue Notebook using your Word Study workbook and the sort begun in class today.

Reading Log & Word Hunt:
Read 30 minutes a day
Hand in log and word hunt on Friday

Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Purple group:
Practice multiplication facts 10 minutes
Option 1 (plum): Unit 3, page 63-64
Option 2 (periwinkle): Handout

Blue Group Homework: Multiplication/Division word problems, pages 51-52.

Fifth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Tonight their homework is to read over their math notebooks and look back at their packets from the last few weeks to review the unit and study for tomorrow's short assessment.

Story endings
Students continued work on their stories by coming up with alternate endings to the original ending they came up with last week. Then they shared the original and new endings with their writing partners. To consider the importance of story conclusions, we looked at a Lewis Carrol poem with a "made-up" ending that did not fit the story in the poem. We discussed this ending, and why it did not seem to fit the mood and direction of the poem by having a sensational conclusion coming our of "nowhere." We contrasted it with the actual final stanza, that the students agreed, fit the poem much better by not magically solving the conflict or tone of the original poem.

Word Study
During word study today, students continued word sorts using their Words their Way workbooks in their small groups. Cafe Word was serving: Crossword Crunch and Thesaurus Soup (two side activities aimed at developing spelling and vocabulary knowledge).

Fifth grade math
Fifth graders played a lively game of Smart Board Jeopardy this morning to review the fractions, decimals, and percents unit.

Fourth grade math
Purple group: We started the week with our five-minute multiplication fact warm-up, but this time we tried an energizer beforehand, getting our heart rates up before answering the questions. Today's question: How can we break up or double & halve factors to multiply them? On the Smart Board, students shared strategies for solving double-digit multiplication, like breaking numbers into multiples of tens and units and drawing arrays, or doubling one factor and halving the other. Tomorrow students will take an end of unit assessment, and Wednesday we will review the standard algorithm for multiplication. This week fourth grade math will be shorter, since Cerrito is off to Fort Ross Thursday and Friday.

Blue Group: We began the day with warm-up problems in multiplication and subtraction. We practiced finding solutions to division word problems in small groups with an emphasis on understanding how to interpret the importance of remainders.

Students share alternative endings to their stories with their partners.

Happy Friday! Some pictures from afternoon choices time.

No homework this weekend. Enjoy yourselves!

Gratitude & Ocean Essays

Homework:
Reading schema homework due tomorrow

Reading log homework due tomorrow & 30 minutes reading - reading log here

Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Purple group:
Unit 3, pages 59-60; use mental math if possible
Practice multiplication facts for 10 minutes using cards or online games

4th Grade Blue Group Homework:
Mixed Practice Page and 1-12 Times Table for reference as needed.

Fifth grade math homework

Last page in this packet: Homework this week

Gratitude Journals
We wrote in our journals today, listing things they were grateful for, and we shared some of these in circle, like friends and candy. Students also brainstormed different groupings for Mix-It-Up Wednesdays at lunch, to help students get to know other people in the class better. Some ideas were clothes or shoes people were wearing, hair color, or whether people own pets, and what kinds.

Ocean Essays
Part of the ocean research project has been to write a one-paragraph essay about their progress so far researching ocean topics. Writing goals include capturing their reader's attention with a focused statement or question that will be explained in the paragraph, provide factual information in multiple supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.

Word Study: Spelling groups met today to review their word sorts, spell words out loud with a partner, and try a speed sort.

Reading Groups: During the week students are meeting to discuss a chapter books assigned to their group, and writing about their book. Our focus has been on making connections to our reading (schema) connecting experiences, knowledge and other books to the assigned text.

Fourth grade math
Purple group:
Today's question: What are some more strategies for breaking up numbers to multiply them? Students were enthusiastic to share their equations for the Quick Images we looked at this morning. Then we looked at cluster problems, sets for 4 or 5 related multiplication problems, and students shared their strategies for answering the final problem, using different equations from the cluster as starting points.

Blue Group: Today the blue group revisited and extended our work from yesterday with multi-digit multiplication problems, and strategies to break them into smaller parts to solve. The students are doing great with this process. We will visit more strategies next week, with the goal of helping the students select the method that works best for them in understanding and accuracy.

Fifth grade math
Fifth graders reviewed all the ways they have to compare fractions: common denominators, clock fractions, arrays, converting to decimals or percents, and more. They learned a new way that many students loved: cross multiplication.

Hard at work putting finishing touches on essays.

Getting information about sea otters by researching sources on the internet.

Matter & atoms

Homework:
Reading schema homework, due Friday

Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Purple group: Please finish your JUMP math packet from yesterday and Unit 3, pages 55-56.
Blue group: no homework tonight.
Fifth grade math:
They have two pages of homework this evening, which can be downloaded on Monday's blog.

Science
This week we have been continuing student independent research on their topic of interest related to oceans, but we have also launched a new chemistry unit on the elements. We started with a 3-2-1 thinking routine, where students wrote 3 ideas, 2 questions, and 1 metaphor or simile about the sentence "Matter is made of atoms." We talked about the 3 states of matter, solid, liquid, and gas, and watched a Bill Nye video about matter and atoms, which you can watch here: Video. We will continue thinking about these topics for the next few weeks, then repeat the 3-2-1 after the unit, so kids can see how much they've learned!

Fourth grade math
Purple group: Our question of the day: What happens to products when we double or halve factors? We started with quick image warm-ups, then discussed two related word problems. Students shared how they thought about putting 168 apples in bags if 28 or 14 apples fit in a bag. Then they worked on pairs of other problems that double of halve factors.

4th Grade Blue Group: The blue group learned how to break multiplication problems, like 17 x 31, into smaller parts to solve. No homework was assigned today.

Fifth grade math

Fifth graders played more Roll Around the Clock and did Show Me 1/2 work.

Good-bye Party

Homework:
30 minutes reading - reading log here
Fourth grade math homework

Purple group: Work for 30 minutes on your JUMP Math packet tonight

Plum: Option 1

Periwinkle: Option 2

Blue Group Homework: Multiples of 10 (started in class, pages 47-50)

Fifth grade math homework

All homework is available in one download: Homework this week

Good-bye party

Students each made a page for a special appreciations book for Calista today, and presented it to her at a party at the end of the day. Calista's mom brought two enormous hamburger cakes for us to wish Calista Bon Voyage. We all wished her best of luck on her adventure to Argentina.

Fourth grade math
Purple group: The purple group started with a mental math warm up. These activities are helpful to review different subjects, including time-telling and today, metric measurement. Mia shared that the way she remembers that there are 100 centimeters in a meter is to think of 100 cents in a dollar. Ronan pointed out that it can be hard to think of 100 as a 10, in the question: what is the nearest ten to 98? But 100 is a multiple of 10.

We also spent time breaking double digit numbers into a sum of a multiple of ten plus a unit, to make it easier to multiply. Students practiced this, then worked on their JUMP math packets. We also started talking about how to break numbers in ways that make it easier to double them.

4th Grade Blue Group: Today students practiced solving division problems with remainders mentally by skip counting. We reviewed multiplying with powers of ten working up to problems such as 20 x 13, and solving word problems with multiplication.

Writing partners & adjectives

Reminders:
Tomorrow is our student Calista's good-bye party at the end of the day. We wish her & her family all the best in Argentina.

Homework:
Be sure to turn in the Writing Plan and checklist sheet you used for your story if you did not turn it in today.

Word Study: Record your word sorts in your blue notebook. Be sure to write the heading of each set in the sort, just like in the book.
Green Group (Jeff's group): Sort 27 on page 107
Red Group (Stephen's group): Sort 3 on page 9
Orange Group (Stephen's group): Sort 24 on page 95

Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Purple group:
Practice multiplication facts for 10 minutes, using cards, Math Magician Multi, Pumpkin Multiples, Snowball Fight, or Patty's Paints
Option 1 (plum): Unit 3, page 49-51
Option 2 (periwinkle): Handout

Blue group: Knowing when to multiply or divide worksheet. From where you are, finish 2 pages (87 & 88 or 88 & 89).

Fifth grade math homework

All homework is available in one download: Homework this week

Writing partners & adjectives
Students met with a new writing partner today, and shared their story with them. Using helpful lists of adjectives, students underlined nouns and chose some adjectives they might consider adding to their writing, to describe things in more detail. We will be meeting weekly with our writing partners to continue the process of revising and refining our stories.

Cafe' Word: During word study we opened Cafe Word for business. As student await work in spelling groups there are menu items to choose from. Today's menu included Crunchy Crosswords and Thesaurus Soup.

Fourth grade math
Purple Group: The purple group had our weekly multiplication fact five-minute frenzy, where students try to improve their personal best by answering up to 100 multiplication facts correctly. Students looked over the past four weeks' work, and most were pleased to see that with practice they have improved their facility with these facts. Concentrating on one multiplication family at at time often helps; also thinking of a "trick," like building on other easier facts. Sofi was pleased to note that if you know 10x12 and 2x12, you can add the products to get the answer to 12x12. Students also completed a TERC assessment measuring their ability to answer 30 facts in 3 minutes, then answered the rest with unlimited time.

We counted around the class by 30s and 11s, then discussed the solving problem 15x13 using rectangular arrays. Amelia shared another way to think of this: 10x13 plus 5x13 (half of 10x13). Students worked on more multiplication problems involving multiples of tens, and why "adding zero" works: because we are multiplying groups of tens.

4th grade Blue Group: Today we reviewed the operations of addition, subtraction and multiplication to catch common mistakes being made with regrouping/carrying and process order. This was followed by a 5 minute multiplication facts test to keep track of progress with fact knowledge, then we resumed work determining when to divide or multiply.

Fifth grade math
5th grade mathematicians continued their work with clocks for combining fractions with unlike denominators. They worked diligently on Show Me 1/2.

Math games & self-assessment

Reminders:

Our fourth-grade student Calista will be leaving next week for an extended adventure with her grandparents, and she is transferring to a school in Argentina. Her good-bye party will be at the end of the day on Tuesday, Jan. 24. We will miss Calista and wish her all the best!

Homework:
Writing Homework: Due by Monday, 1/23

No math homework this weekend.

Self Assessment

This morning students reflected on their "Approach to Learning," using the same criteria teachers use for progress reports. We provided a rubric that spelled out what it "looks like" to stay on task, show pride in one's work, and many other criteria, at the Emerging, Competent, and Mastering levels, and students rated themselves. Figuring out one's strengths and challenges in how we learn is an important step for students to take ownership of their own learning and become lifelong learners.

Math games

The fourth grade met all together today to play games that strengthen students' computational skills, especially multiplication and division.

The Dice Game builds automaticity with multiplication facts.

MADS stands for Multiplication, Addition, Division, Subtraction, and builds fluency with all 4 operations.

The Leftovers game helps students divide and write expressions with remainders.

Oakland Museum Field Trip

Thanks to all of our chaperones today for an excellent trip: Monica, Don, Anne, Ashley, Larry, Keith, and Tara.

In the art gallery.


The John Muir exhibit.

And the docent led tour of the history gallery and Gold Rush exhibit.

Ocean currents

Reminders:
Tomorrow we are going to the Oakland Museum of California as part of our study of the Gold Rush. Students will need to bring a bag lunch, snack, water bottle, good walking shoes or boots, rain jackets. If bringing a backpack, empty it out so it is small and light.

Homework:
Writing Homework: Due by Monday, 1/23

Fourth grade math homework, due Friday
Purple Group Homework:

Option 1: Plum, Unit 3, pages 44-46

Option 2: Periwinkle handout
Blue Group Homework: Play the multiplication game we learned last week, The Dice Game. Bring in the completed score sheet Friday.

Fifth grade math homework:

Part 2, 3, 4

Fourth grade math

Purple Group: Today's question was "How can we represent a multiplication number with pictures?" Students in the purple group finished making "multiple towers" and represented situations with sketches of multiplication with multiples of 10, to see why the strategy "adding zero to the end" works.

Blue Group: The blue group learned a division game today called "Leftovers." In the game the students learned to write division problems with remainders. We also began work identifying when to use multiplication or division to solve a problem.

Ocean currents

Students met with their small group from last week to debrief one of the 3 experiments they did with water (hot, cold, salty, and/or not salty). They illustrated posters with the big idea, sketch of the experiment and observations, and how the density of cold vs. hot, or salty vs. fresh water causes water to move and create currents in the ocean. Then each group presented their findings to the class.

We found out that Spanish explorers followed a current of fresh water far out in the Atlantic Ocean to the mouth of the Amazon river, and South America, because fresh water floats above salty water. We also found out that upwelling is caused near our coast when cold, dense water rises and warm water sinks when it bumps against the continental shelf.

Why is Martin Luther King, Jr. important?

Reminders:

• Thursday, Jan. 19 we are going to the Oakland Museum of California as part of our study of the Gold Rush. Students will need to bring a bag lunch, snack, water bottle, good walking shoes or boots, rain jackets and a backpack.
  

Homework:

Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Blue group homework: Complete two pages of division packet #2. Bring packet to school tomorrow.

Purple group:

Practice multiplication facts for 10 minutes using cards, Math Magician Multi, or one of the following games: Pumpkin Multiples, Snowball Fight, or Patty's Paints (these 3 games can be used to practice 12's).

Option 1: Plum, Unit 3, pages 39-40

Option 2: Periwinkle, Arrays with Cans handout

Fifth grade math homework:
Part 1, 2, 3, 4

Why is Martin Luther King, Jr. important?
In morning and afternoon circles, we discussed Dr. King's work to end segregation and unfair laws against African Americans. Students shared what they knew of his work, and we watched a short video about his life as a young man and how he led boycotts and non-violent protests. Ask your student at home why MLK was important.

Fifth grade math
5th grade mathematicians learned how to find common denominators today, and they used them to compare fractions such as 7/8 and 5/6. This skill will take some practice, but will prove invaluable as we move into adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.

Fourth grade math
Blue Group: Today the blue group learned a card game called MADS, in which on their turn the player compares number cards and determines what operation (Multiplication, Addition, Division & Subtraction) can be used to match with a card in their own hand. Following the game we continued working on division skills.

Purple Group: Students in the purple group started making "multiple towers" as a way to think about multiplying double digit numbers, making vertical lists going up of multiples of numbers. We also did another five minute multiplication fact practice, to see if student's accuracy and speed with facts has improved.

Happy MLK Day

Reminders:

• No school or childcare available this Friday, Jan. 13, for Report Writing Day or Monday, Jan. 16 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. See you on Tuesday, Jan. 17!
  
• Please sign and return the permission slip your student brought home for the field trip to the Oakland Museum of California on Thursday, January 19 from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Homework:
No new homework over the 4-day break, but students should read 30 minutes a day.

Fourth grade math homework:
Students are encouraged to complete unfinished work, and practice multiplication facts. See past blogs for links to online games.
4th Grade Blue Group: Play the dice game at least once over the break.

Developing empathy
We began class today with an activity designed to help students see others' points of view. Students chose between four animals that they would most like to be: eagles, turtles, lions, or chameleons. They discussed why they liked being that animal, and why they wouldn't want to be the other animals, then presented that to the class. We talked about the advantages of having different kinds of people in a community.

This was extended by role plays in our all school assembly, depicting common situations at our school, and how the words and actions of students can be hurtful to others. Since one part of our mission is to develop generous hearts, bringing up issues like this and discussing them as a community are important.

Science: The students are continuing to work on their ocean research projects. Today they began writing the first of several short essays about their topic. Hoping to demystify the word "essay," and encourage the same energy students have in researching to go into reporting about it, the essays are about a half page in length with emphasis on catching the reader's attention, and sharing what factual information that has interested the researcher.

Gold Rush Simulation Game: We are well into the Gold Rush simulation and even began a round of "mining." Students prepare for mining by taking notes about Gold Rush related topics. They earn gold for completing the notes and other assignments. During a mining round, questions about the topics studied are asked (in a game show format). Questions are sourced from all areas of our California study this year, as well as the current Gold Rush information. The game has it hardships for the players, and we discussed our slogan today of, "The Gold Rush was not fair." While a game for us, we are discussing our essential question of "What happens when different cultures meet," in context of the inequity of people's experiences during the Gold Rush (pre-Civil War in the U.S.).

Fourth grade math
Due to today's assembly, we had only 20 minutes for math class today. Students in the purple group completed an assessment of their ability, given a double-digit division equation, to create a story problem and solve it.

Blue Group: We used our short math class to continue work in progress. The students are assigned the multiplication math game they learned in class this week to play at least once over the break. It is simple to play and uses regular dice. The students have a paper copy.

Science experiments & musical instruments

Reminders:

• Some students are planning a Valentine's Day Community Lunch with Caroline's mom Kathleen.  If your child is involved, you will be hearing from Kathleen soon, asking you to provide food on Tuesday, Feb. 14. The rest of the students will plan meals in March or May.
• We have a new schedule, which you can download here, due to the musical instrument program.
• No school or childcare available this Friday, Jan. 13, for Report Writing Day.
• Please sign and return the permission slip your student brought home for the field trip to the Oakland Museum of California on Thursday, January 19 from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Homework:
30 minutes of reading on the reading log students brought home Monday (see Monday's blog to download).

Pioneers in California chapter and questions. Responses are to be written in complete sentences, with special attention to capitals, spelling (words from text especially) and punctuation. This activity was started in class.

Fifth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Download homework on yesterday's blog.

Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Purple group:
Spend 20 minutes practicing 2 or 3 challenging multiplication fact families, using their student-made multiplication cards, Math Magician Multi, or one of the following games: Pumpkin Multiples, Snowball Fight, or Patty's Paints (these 3 games can be used to practice 12's)

Blue Group: No math homework, but practice multiplication facts (see above).

Science

As part of our study of the oceans, students did some experiments yesterday and today in groups of 4, testing whether temperature or saltiness would affect the density of water.

Student scientists collaborate to compare different temperature waters

Green-colored salty water sinks

Red colored warmer water floats above blue colored cold water

Cooperation is key when doing group science experiments

Musical Instruments

Many students brought home musical instruments they made this week as part of the music project.  The students are so engaged while working purposefully with the tools to create.

4th Grade Math

Blue Group: Today and yesterday the blue group worked in class on an assessment covering addition, subtraction and multiplication, including multi-step word problems. Today we also played a multiplication game with dice that can be played at home to practice multiplication facts and addition or subtraction computation. Some students began the next part of our study with division, practicing to break items into sets, and skip count to solve division problems. Homework was not assigned but all students are encouraged to practice multiplication facts.

In the purple group, we started with a mixed problem warm up. We learned that 1 cup = 1/2 pint, so there are 2 pints in a quart. Our question of the day was "How can we solve double-digit division problems mentally?" Students practiced looking at problems like 318 ÷ 7 as 7 times what would equal 318, without going over? After sharing strategies, we played an array game where students had to find missing factors for facts up through the 12s.

Fifth grade math
5th graders played a computer game to practice converting decimals to fractions and vice versa. They placed fractions on a percent number line on a worksheet. Math closed with a movement activity. Students bounced around three balloons – one with fractions, one with decimals, one with percents – and when the music stopped, they had to name the equivalents from each balloon.

New Musical instrument program begins

Reminders:

• We have a new schedule, which you can download here, due to the musical instrument program.
• No school or childcare available this Friday, Jan. 13, for Report Writing Day.
• Please sign and return the permission slip your student brought home for the field trip to the Oakland Museum of California on Thursday, January 19 from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Homework:
30 minutes of reading on the reading log students brought home yesterday

Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Purple group:
Option 1 (plum): Unit 3, pages 27-28, Unit 3, pages 30-31
Option 2 (periwinkle): Unit 3, pages 30-31, JUMP Packet 4

Fifth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Here's the homework for the next two nights. Tonight's homework is erroneously labeled "Thursday class," and is two pages in length.

Blue group:
Blue Group Homework

Today students began their first class with the Dresher musical instrument program. After a quick introduction, they chose a simple practice instrument to make, using tools--either percussion, wind, and string instruments. They will finish these tomorrow, then next week will begin the design process.

Fourth grade math
Students in the purple group started with quick images, writing equations for collections of dots, then continued work on division story problems with and without remainders.

Fifth grade math

Students worked today to find percents of a number. We began by using number sense: what's 100% of 200? Then 50% must be half of that, 25% is half of that, etc. We went so far as to practice changing the percentage to a decimal and multiplying with the algorithm to find trickier percentages, like what is 17% of 37.5? That last part will take some more practice tomorrow!

Getting to the Gold Country!

Reminders:

• No school or childcare available this Friday, Jan. 13, for Report Writing Day.
• Please sign and return the permission slip your student brought home for the field trip to the Oakland Museum of California on Thursday, January 19 from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Homework:
Strawberry Creek

Word Study homework

Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow

Purple group:

Practice multiplication facts for 10 minutes using cards, Math Magician Multi, or one of the following games:

Destination: Golden Gulch

Pumpkin Multiples, Snowball Fight, or Patty's Paints (these 3 games can be used to practice 12's)

Option 1: Plum, Unit 3, page 19, pages 23-24

Option 2: Periwinkle, Division with Remainders handout

Blue group:
Blue Group Homework

Fifth graders began their day with a mini-lesson on reading decimal numbers and decimal place value. They converted between decimals, fractions, and percents. The culmination of their day was a word problem in which they had to decide on a tip for a waitress and write about why they chose it and how they calculated it. tonight's homework

Getting to the Gold Country

Students worked in their small groups on the first decision in the Gold Rush simulation.

Student "Prospector" excitedly rolls for their group to find out the consequences of their decision to take the "short cut."

Great excitement to make to the Gold Country!

It can be hard to decide where to stake your claim.

Word Study program: Today we began working in our new Words Their Way word study workbooks. The goal is for students to analyze words based on a spelling concept, sort them into groupings and practice using the words in a variety of ways in class. At the beginning of the week the students will bring the words home to practice the sort tried in class, and record the sort in writing.

Fourth grade math

The purple group looked through marked work from the past month, to see how they are doing in understanding multiplication, division, subtraction, and data interpretation. Then we did another multiplication fact warm-up for five minutes. Students are expected to practice their multiplication facts through 12s, and each week we are checking to see if their speed and accuracy is improving against their own personal best time.

The question of the day: "How can we solve double-digit division word problems?" We looked at some double-digit division word problems in the TERC book with and without remainders, strategies to divide large numbers by halving the numbers or breaking up a larger number into a power of ten plus a smaller number, and dividing these.

4th Grade Blue Group: The blue group began working with division concepts today. We read, The Doorbell Rang, by Pat Hutchins to introduce the idea of sets of things (plates of cookies etc.). The students began work in the packet sent home today. The goal is to work on the packet tonight and tomorrow night in the 30 minutes of written homework time. We are continuing to practice multiplication in class, and basic multiplication facts. PLEASE practice multiplication facts at home. The students have their multiplication cards in their binders, or just roll dice and multiply.

Photos from Friday, January 6

We wrapped up designing environmentally-friendly vehicles with our K/1 buddies!














And finished up the seaweed v. land plant posters!