by: Chris Heubaum  (201)
Nijuana Conway  (203)
Devin Chadwell  (203)
Jafet Cerritos (203)
Fabian Gandara (201)

Here's the recap of a day when there was plenty of energy (some +, some -).

In addition to being back from Thanksgiving break, we are back to the students writing the Daily Diary. 

• Today in Math class, what we all did was go over the math skill of the week, and we did some division problems. Then the last thing we did was a mini-division test on a Post-It. :-) Megan Wolynia :-)
• Today in Reading class, we sorted and learned our new vocabulary words. We are going to take a vocabulary quiz on Wednesday. :) Adrian Velez :)
• Today in Writing class, we did our D.O.L.s to help practice writing correct sentences. We also worked on our "Last Stop on 63rd Street" project. We worked on our "Storyboard" where we started to write the story and draw pictures. Next, we need to think about what our storyboard should look like. :-) Sonya Ujda :-) 
• Today in Social Studies class, we did a close read of an actual New York Times article from 1892 on the opening of Ellis Island. We then watched CNN Student News, learning about the death of Fidel Castro, recount efforts by the Green Party and a redesign of the wheel. :) Mr. Maynard :) 

rejuvenating 5-day break. Students will be returning to writing the blog after Thanksgiving break.

With that said, here's a quick update on what's been going on in Reading, Social Studies and Writing.

• In Reading class, we have been making great progress in Linda Sue Park's A Long Walk to Water, a dual narrative about an African girl named Nya's daily journey (eight hours at a time) to a pond for drinking water and Sudanese Lost Boy Salva Dut's terrifying tale of fleeing to the desert (with no family) as his village is torn apart by a civil war. 
• In Social Studies class, we wrapped up our election coverage and have gotten into our textbook, focusing on the different elements that make the United States, well, the United States. Through three lessons, we have covered the concepts of democracy, republic and free enterprise.
• In Writing class, both classes are working on a Thanksgiving-themed project based on the inspiring picture book Last Stop on Market Street. Working with a partner, the fifth graders are developing their own picture book called Last Stop on 63rd Street. The premise is for the students to be characters in their own stories, during which they will do some service project at the end of the story and realize how appreciative they are of the many things in life. I am excited for Monday and Tuesday as the students start to create storyboards for their stories.

With all of that said, thanks for the time and consideration. Enjoy the weekend. 
:-) Mr. Maynard :-)

Today was officially the first day of the second quarter. 

Here are today's and yesterday's posts.

Let's begin with Friday.

• Today in Math class, we had an exam. When we walked in, Ms. Reodica let us study our notes for a few minutes. There were 14 questions on the exam. It was about whole number patterns. After you were done with your exam, you worked on your worksheets. :-) Gizel Valenzuela  :-)
• Today in Science class, we were seeing if mold grew on our "Mold Terrariums." On our strawberry, we had white lines coming up. In the control group, the strawberry just melted down. On loose-leaf, we are going to write down any predictions or observations. :) John Rafacz :)
• Today in Reading class, we read read three chapters of ...Mr. Terupt. We read chapters with close reading signposts (Memory Moments) and read a few excerpts from Hope Was Here. We did an excerpt worksheet on Hope Was Here. :-) Dakota Silva :-)
• Today in Social Studies class, we did "Taking a Poll" and "What's the Issue?" on the elections. In "Taking a Poll," we have to vote on the most important election issue. Our only homework is the CNN Response and "What's the Issue?" :) Ethan Skol :)
• Today in Ms. Reodica's Writing class, we went over our personal narratives and learned how to make our title page. We did this so we could create our final papers. We need to rewrite our narrative. They will be due on October 31st or November 1st. :-) Abigail Sliva :-)
  
• Today in Mr. Maynard's Writing class, we did two D.O.L.s because we have tests on them. We learned how to fix sentences and find the simple subject and simple predicate. Then we wrote the D.O.L.s in our writing notebook. Also it gets our brains pumping for the rest of the day. :) Esteban Wheeler :)
  

As for Thursday, here we go.

• Today in Math class, we worked in our Prime Time book. We did about 10 questions. At the beginning of math, we did our Homework Check-In. In the Prime Time book, we were doing place value charts. We had to write them out. :) Sam Smierciak :)
• Today in Science class, we prevented mold from getting on our food. We test it everyday to see if our food is fine. We looked at the control group and compared what happened each day. :-) Mikey Torres :-)
• Today in Reading class, we learned about our fifth close reading signpost; Again and Again. We connected it to two books: Because of Mr. Terupt and Hatchet. We also did reader's theatre of Mr. Terupt and read Hatchet together. :-) Dylan Sartore :-)
• Today in Social Studies class, we are learning about the elections, "The Race Is On." We did it so we can learn about elections and how they work. We were learning about the Republican and the Democratic convention. Next after reading, we're going to our next paper, but we have to answer the questions first. :) George Seimo :)
• Today in Ms. Reodica's writing class, we worked on and peer edited our personal narratives. We did it to learn about our friends. We need to write our final draft next. :-) Lizzy Shultz :-)
• Today in Mr. Maynard's writing class, we did our D.O.L.s and then worked on a worksheet. It was on complex and compound sentences. The last thing we did in writing class is work on our second draft for our personal narratives. :) Nathan Troncoso :)

Here's what happened today in fifth grade. I will include Tuesday's entry below.

• In Science class, we were seeing mold grow. We worked on a worksheet and saw if the fruit had mold on it. :-) Adan Santamaria (201) :-)
• In Reading class, we learned about Words of the Wiser and how they teach us a lesson. We learned about themes like "being yourself" and "not letting anyone control you" in Pam Munoz Ryan's Riding Freedom. We also did a ...Terupt read aloud. :) Ryan Ryes :) (203)
  
• In Social Studies class, we watched CNN and did a worksheet about Presidents and how long they served in the United States. :-) Giovanni Rocha :-) (203)
• In Writing class, we did our word ladder and D.O.L. We did this to help us with our grammar and spelling. We worked on the second draft of our "Origins" section. We took notes on improving our "Origins." :) Luke Sizer :) (201)

Here is Tuesday's entry.

• Today in Math class, we did an activity to get us ready for our math lesson. We learned about algorithms. This means that when you do a multiplication problem, you estimate and then solve the problem. We did many problems as a class. Next we have to do our homework, which is related to our lesson we learned. The homework is due Thursday. :-) Gianna Ponce de Leon (201) :-)
• Today in Science class, we learned that if we keep food out it will mold. If the food is in the fridge, it will not mold. If you salt food, it will not mold. Each group got a food plate. Our groups will decide what we will do to stop it from molding or make it mold. We will now wait to see our results. :) John Rafacz (201) :)
• Today in Reading class, we read three chapters of Because of Mr. Terupt. After, we wrote our responses and wrote our questions on the whiteboards. Next we read some of A Long Walk to Water and had to write two tough questions. We worked with our shoulder partners and wrote down what our partner wondered. :-) by Danny Midona (203) :-)
• Today in Social Studies class, we did a couple of TFK articles on the election. We read the passages about the two main parties and their symbols, and answered questions. We have to finish the "Party Animals" response/questions. We learned how they had party animals to symbolize political parties years ago. :) Brooklyn Prendkowski (201) :)
• Today in Ms. Reodica's Writing class, we did a test on independent and dependent clauses. We did it to improve our sentences. We learned that an independent clause is a clause that makes sense on its own; and a dependent clause is a clause that doesn't make sense by itself. Next we need to study notes and do 10 book reports. That's what we did today in writing class. :-) Weronika Ptaszek (203) :-)
• Today in Mr. Maynard's Writing class, we did our D.O.L.s., looked at our feedback from our first drafts and started rewriting the Origins sections. :) Cassandra Reyes (201) :)