Clustr Map
May
12
5DN Weekly Update: May 6th – 10th
May 12, 2013 | | Leave a Comment
China Alive Week
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor hail shall stop the fifth grade from enjoying their wonderful China Alive week. This past Thursday the fifth grade ventured to Shanghai’s famous Guyi Garden and the Nan Jiang water district. As soggy as the day proved to be, it was a tremendous amount of fun exploring these sites. Sitting down for some delicious XLB didn’t hurt, either!
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17 – “Keep Calm and Dance On” Dance show
- Friday, May 17 – Eagle Leaders retreat – all day on the Pudong campus. Eagle Leaders are responsible for the work that they missed during classtime.
- Friday, May 17 – Jump Rope Assembly from 10:45 to 11:30
- Wednesday, May 22 – Fifth Grade Band and Orchestra concert – 1:45 p.m. in the auditorium
- Thursday, May 23 – Fifth Grade Soccer Day – 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Thursday, May 30 – Fifth Grade Migration Museum Showcase from 8:00 to 9:35 a.m. for parents and visitors
- Friday, May 31 – ES/MS/HS – Step Up Day
- Friday, May 31 – Barbeque swim meet for SAS swimmers
- Thursday, June 6 – Summer Sizzler
- Friday, June 7 – Fifth Grade Moving Up Day from 10 to 11:30 a.m. A lunch reception will follow the ceremony.
- Tuesday, June 11 – Elementary School Assembly
- Tuesday, June 11 – Last day of school; 11:30 a.m. dismissal
Helpful Blog Sites
- General PTSA Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/pudongptsa
- ES PTSA Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/pudongptsaelementary
- ES Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/espudong
May
10
Keep Calm and Dance On – May 16th & 17th
May 10, 2013 | | Leave a Comment
May
5
5DN Weekly Update: April 29th – May 3rd
May 5, 2013 | | Leave a Comment
Track & Field Day 2013
On Friday, SAS Pudong hosted our annual 5th Grade Track & Field Event. I truly do not know where to begin praising the students of 5DN. On the levels of performance, sportsmanship and maturity, it was a day I will always cherish as a teacher.
Memoir Mind Mapping
This week, 5DN got busy with what will be their final genre study in writer’s workshop this year, memoir. To begin, students took an inventory of life topics from which they could choose from. As they learned, life topics are recurring significant ideas that writers tend to revisit many times throughout their lives. Once the students had chosen their life topic, they brainstormed ideas using the (free) downloadable mind-mapping program, XMind. This program is helping the students generate seed ideas for their memoirs which will be published in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
Latitude & Longitude with Google Earth
Questions to Ask Your Child
- What is your life topic for your memoir?
- What events did you participate in during Track & Field Day?
- Did you find our home on Google Earth?
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- Thursday, May 9 – China Alive field trip for fifth grade to Nanxiang Old Town (Nanxiang is the birthplace of the xiaolongbao!)
- Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17 – Dance show
- Wednesday, May 22 – Fifth Grade Band and Orchestra concert – 1:45 p.m. in the auditorium
- Thursday, May 23 – Fifth Grade Soccer Day – 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Thursday, May 30 – Fifth Grade Migration Museum Showcase from 8:00 to 9:35 a.m.
- Friday, May 31 – ES/MS/HS – Stepping Up Day
- Friday, May 31 – Barbeque swim meet for SAS swimmers
- Thursday, June 6 – Summer Sizzler
- Friday, June 7 – Fifth Grade Moving Up Day from 10 to 11:30 a.m. A lunch reception will follow the ceremony.
- Tuesday, June 11 – Elementary School Assembly
- Tuesday, June 11 – Last day of school; 11:30 a.m. dismissal
Helpful Blog Sites
- General PTSA Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/pudongptsa
- ES PTSA Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/pudongptsaelementary
- ES Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/espudong
Apr
28
5DN Weekly Update: April
April 28, 2013 | | Leave a Comment
Migrations & the Five Themes of Geography
This week in social studies. students began looking at the five theme of geography as a means of entering into their study of human migrations. This week, 5DN examined both place and region and using the example of China, learned how geographers can look at maps using different lenses. 5DN is going to be examining China very closely over the course of this unit and has begun looking at the different regions and provinces of China as well as the different ethnic groups within the country.
Everyday Math Unit 10
On Friday, students wrote their Unit 9 math test which will be going home early in the week. The following is an overview of what to look forward to in Unit 10 (Family Letters will go home Monday).
A MESSAGE FROM MR. HOSSACK ABOUT TRACK AND FIELD DAY
The Annual SAS Pudong Elementary Interschool Track and Field Meet is fast approaching. We have been working on the events in PE class and hopefully the students are excited about this event. Parents are welcome to come and watch your child run, throw and jump against schools from across Shanghai.
The Grade 5 Track and Field Day will take place on April 30th, between 10:00 and 2:30 p.m.
Your child needs to bring proper shoes, clothing that he/she can move in, a hat, a large snack, lunch and a water bottle. There is no designated lunch time, so students will have to eat between their events.
We ask that all students participate and that they do a minimum of 3 events. We also would like them to pick at least one event from the track section and one from the field section. They can do a maximum of 5 events on the day and the relays at the end of the meet do not count towards that total.
The track events are 100m, 200m, 400m and the 800m. The field events are the long jump, triple jump, the javelin and the softball throw. The relays will be held after all the other events. There are medals for first, second and third places!
Thank you, if you have any questions please email Mr. Hossack at scott.hossack@saschina.org.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Tuesday, April 30 – Fifth Grade Track and Field Day
Wednesday, May 1 – No school
Thursday, May 9 – China Alive field trip for fifth grade to Nanxiang Old Town (Nanxiang is the birthplace of the xiaolongbao!)
Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17 – Dance show
Wednesday, May 22 – Fifth Grade Band and Orchestra concert – 1:45 p.m. in the auditorium
Thursday, May 23 – Fifth Grade Soccer Day – 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 30 – Fifth Grade Migration Museum Showcase from 8:00 to 9:35 a.m.
Friday, May 31 – ES/MS/HS – Stepping Up Day
Friday, May 31 – Barbeque swim meet for SAS swimmers
Thursday, June 6 – Summer Sizzler
Friday, June 7 – Fifth Grade Moving Up Day from 10 to 11:30 a.m. A lunch reception will follow the ceremony.
Tuesday, June 11 – Elementary School Assembly
Tuesday, June 11 – Last day of school; 11:30 a.m. dismissal
Helpful Blog Sites
General PTSA Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/pudongptsa
ES PTSA Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/pudongptsaelementary
ES Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/espudong
Apr
21
5DN Weekly Update: April 15th -19th
April 21, 2013 | | Leave a Comment
Mixtures & Solutions Finale
A very special thanks to Mrs. MinMin, a parent from Mrs. Wiltgen’s class, who helped cap off our Mixtures & Solutions unit. Student scientists, including our very own Qiny (pictured), conducted experiments involving copper sulfate solutions and sodium chloride. The experiment was a perfect compliment to our final investigations involving chemical reactions. This unit has been a wonderful glimpse into the basic building blocks or the world around us.
To be continued . . . in Middle School!
Area, Perimeter & Volume Using Sketchup
This week, in conjunction with Unit 9 of Everday Math, students were reintroduced to Google Sketchup, a 3-D drawing program that enables students to render objects using the same tools that architects and engjineers use each day. This week, we’ve been playing around with the functionality of the program and performing basic tasks such as rendering a 1000 cubic foot cube (dimensions included). This week, we’ll be moving on to spheres and cones. For fun this weekend. students were tasked with designing a new tower for the Lujiazui skyline. Please check blogs this week for results.
edmodo
Over the past few weeks, we have been exploring a relatively new educational social media called “EdModo”. It is a way to connect students and classrooms with scheduling, assignments, calendars, posts, and updates, offering many of the same platform options as Facebook. The key difference with this platform is that is controlled by the classroom teacher and any and all activity is monitored. At the moment, 5DN is only using EdModo for optional homework assignments and reminders. For example, many students have uploaded the EdModo mobile app on their mobile devices and receive message alerts about homework assignments and school reminders. Please feel free to explore EdModo with your child and get a parent login through your child’s account. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- Monday, April 22 – MS elective choices due
- Friday, April 25 – 5AR will sign up on Powerschool
- Tuesday, April 30 – Fifth Grade Track and Field Day
- Wednesday, May 1 – No school
- Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17 – Dance show
- Thursday, May 23 – Fifth Grade Soccer Day
- Friday, May 31 – ES/MS/HS – Stepping Up Day
- Thursday, June 6 – Summer Sizzler
- Friday, June 7 – Fifth Grade Moving Up Day from 10 to 11:30 a.m. A lunch reception will follow the ceremony.
- Tuesday, June 11 – Elementary School Assembly
- Tuesday, June 11 – Last day of school; 11:30 a.m. dismissal
Apr
16
A Reminder from Fred Rogers. . .
April 16, 2013 | | Leave a Comment
Apr
15
Is Your Child Getting Enough Exercise?
April 15, 2013 | | Leave a Comment
Source: a-health-blog.com via Warriors on Pinterest
Apr
14
5DN Weekly Update: April 8th – 12th
April 14, 2013 | | Leave a Comment
- Student Led Conferences
- A special thanks to all parents who attended Student Led Conferences this past Thursday and Friday. It’s a sincere pleasure to have our parents come in and take a glimpse into the world of the fifth grade at SAS. We were particularly proud of showcasing digital literacy skills with iMovie, Google Docs and our Wordpress blogs.
Math
We will study Unit #9 which covers Coordinates, Area, Volume and Capacity. This week will reinforce the student’s knowledge of plotting ordered number pairs on the x and y axis. We will transform, translate and reflect these values to show we can manipulate the data.
Reading
Students will continue their experiences with book clubs on Monday. We selected our novels and our partners before the break and novels will be dispersed first thing. Following the lead of Mrs. Wiltgen and Mr. Martin, we are introducing texts that deal with heavier social issues and migrations. Discussions around these texts will help us transition into our final social studies unit of the year on human migrations.
Writing
Students have been studying the form of the literary essay and investigating what makes it unique from other essays (i.e.- persuasive, informational). This coming week, students will be diving head first into their own literary essay where they will set out to substantiate an opinion of their own from a book they themselves have read.
Science
This past week, we completed the “Fizz Bizz” investigation of our science unit with chemical reactions, where two materials are involved and a new material is created and we can not go back to our original ones. For example, lighting a match – we can’t go back to the original match, unlike physical reactions such as changing water into ice, we merely have to warm the ice cubes to get the water back. We will be using calcium chloride and baking soda. Notably, this is the same experiment that students demonstrated for parents during SLCs.
Mar
31
5DN Weekly Update: March 25th – 29th
March 31, 2013 | | Leave a Comment
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- Monday, April 8 – Back to school (Day 4)
- Thursday, April 11 – Student Led Conferences
- Friday, April 12 – No School – Student Led Conferences
- Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19 – Visiting Author Pamela Duncan Edwards (5thgrade time TBD)
- Tuesday, April 30 – Fifth Grade Track and Field Day
- Wednesday, May 1 – No school
- Thursday, May 23 – Fifth Grade Soccer Day
- Friday, May 31 – ES/MS/HS – Stepping Up Day
- Thursday, June 6 – Summer Sizzler
- Friday, June 7 – Fifth Grade Moving Up Day
- Tuesday, June 11 – Elementary School Assembly
- Tuesday, June 11 – Last day of school; 11:30 a.m. dismissal
Helpful Blog Sites
- General PTSA Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/pudongptsa
- ES PTSA Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/pudongptsaelementary
- ES Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/espudong
Mar
24
5DN Weekly Update: March 18th – 22nd
March 24, 2013 | | Leave a Comment
MAP Testing is DONE!
At long last, 5DN has completed their MAP testing for the fifth grade. Testing took place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this past week. Heartfelt congratulations go out to all students who had to sit through three straight days of computer generated testing. The good news is that there has been comprehensive growth in all areas tested and the class has been given new Lexile scores to choose just right books.
Book Clubs
Students have now completed their second book club in as many weeks. The conversations are getting richer by the day and the level of discourse continues to deepen. This week, the class examined “Character Development” using a lesson model that Mrs. Rekate came up with. She came up with the genious idea of looking at the character of Luke Skywalker as he developed through the Star Wars movies (chapters 4 – 6).
Parent Surveys
A heartfelt thanks to all of you who took the time to fill out the parent survey through PowerSchool. I truly cherish the feedback and rely on the input of parents to become a better teacher. I will be posting a reflection here on my blog in the coming weeks to thoughtfully respond to your comments and concerns.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- Thursday, March 28 – Last Day of School before Spring Break
- Friday, March 29 – NO SCHOOL
- Monday, April 8 – Back to school (Day 4)
- Thursday, April 11 – Student Led Conferences
- Friday, April 12 – No School – Student Led Conferences
- Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19 – Visiting Author Pamela Duncan Edwards (5thgrade time TBD)
- Tuesday, April 30 – Fifth Grade Track and Field Day
- Wednesday, May 1 – No school
- Thursday, May 23 – Fifth Grade Soccer Day
- Friday, May 31 – ES/MS/HS – Stepping Up Day
- Thursday, June 6 – Summer Sizzler
- Friday, June 7 – Fifth Grade Moving Up Day
- Tuesday, June 11 – Elementary School Assembly
- Tuesday, June 11 – Last day of school; 11:30 a.m. dismissal
Helpful Blog Sites
- General PTSA Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/pudongptsa
- ES PTSA Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/pudongptsaelementary
- ES Blog: http://teachers.saschina.org/espudong
Supertracker
