We've been busy in Club Ed.... S.T.A.R. Testing State Testing and Reporting is now complete, and we thank the scholars for not only working hard all year, but also for participating actively in review activities to prepare for testing. This year, we practiced strategies in all subject areas and focused more intently in the area of Language Arts. Scholars seemed to enjoy rotating through each of the five classrooms to review and refresh concepts in Math as well as fourth and fifth grade Science. A special thank you goes out to the parents for making sure that your sons and daughters were well rested, had a healthy breakfast, and arrived at school on time! .Open House - May 20th (6-7PM) Please join us on Wednesday, May 20th for our annual Open House. Scholars have been working hard this year, and they are anxious to reflect on and share all of their great learning this year. I look forward to sharing in the scholars' many accomplishments with you. Dismissal will be at 11:50 AM that day. Please see the Math and Science pages on this site for detail about what we are studying in each subject. In Math, we are a pilot classroom for two textbooks that the district is considering for adoption for the next seven years. We have finished testing the second book, Houghton-Mifflin's California Math. Based on a district vote, we are recommending the Pearson Scott Foresman book for adoption and will use those materials for the remainder of the school year. This book has a digital path -- the entire book is online, and there are also many great resources for scholars. Please look for the link on the "math links" page. Some General notes about the class..... A unique aspect of this class is that scholars have two teachers this year. In my classroom, scholars focus on mathematics, science, and technology; in Mrs. LeFever's class, they will study Language Arts and Social Studies. Mrs. LeFever and I have many exciting, standards-based learning activities planned for the year, designed with the diverse scholars' learning styles in mind. As the year progresses, please check out the Science and Math pages on this website for more specific details about the topics we're studying. Why "scholars" instead of "students?" Simply put, these fifth graders seem to like their distinction as scholars. They are encouraged to embrace the concept of scholarliness in their approach to their learning. Following our study of scholarly attributes, or behaviors, the first week of school, you will soon hear scholarly vocabulary such as academic humility, resources, tools, exercising intellect, needing time to ponder, and being curious by asking purposeful questions. Additionally, we will consider different perspectives, particularly from the point of view of a disciplinarian. For example, during a field trip to the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, scholars were asked to think like a chemist when experimenting with water chemistry and to think like a marine biologist when dissecting a fish to determine affects of pollution on the fish's health. Depth and Complexity Mrs. LeFever and I will introduce icons of depth and complexity as a thinking tool and differentiation strategy while studying the curriculum. Scholars formulate "big ideas" to generalize the main points of study, and they also look for "language of discipline","details", "patterns", and "unanswered questions." There are more icons and concepts within the depth and complexity model, and we will be introducing and working with more of the icons as the year progresses. The strategy lends itself nicely to differentiation as scholars are able to interact with the subject matter with a level of depth and complexity that is appropriate with their cognitive ability. Interactive Newsletters, or circle maps, began on Friday (9/05) and are part of our Friday routine. This thinking map serves as a tool for scholars to share with their parents the events of the past week in class as well as upcoming important events. We hope you enjoy these interactive newsletters and that parents will appreciate the opportunity to find out that more happened in school than "nothing!" I am truly fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such bright and energetic scholars and am excited to teach and learn from them! Mr. Tobenkin