The Three Little Pigs

For the last two weeks we have been studying point of view. We decided that a fun approach to this topic was to have students read many different versions of the same story, each with a different point of view. We went with the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs.

We also asked the students to create comic strips that showed a parent's point of view. They really turned out great. Here are a few samples.

Here's Kelsey's:

And Madison's:

It is fun to see such clever creativity in our students.

 

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Forestry Center Pictures

             

A Lot of Fun to Share!

Oregon Forestry Center Field Trip
On Friday, we enjoyed a fantastic trip to the Oregon Forestry Center. Thank you so much to our families for sending money to help cover the cost of transportation. We believe that our field trips offer immeasurable enrichment to our classroom instruction. The students had a chance to study a woodland habitat and look for signs of consumers, producers, and decomposers. They also looked at how forestry products are made and used around the world, and the types of trees that are found globally. Due to the poor weather we nearly had the museum to ourselves! Thank you also to the many parent volunteers that helped make the trip possible.

One of the beautiful displays at the Forestry Center

Technology Grant Recipients
After school, I finally had a chance to check my email and discovered that our Mrs. Harrington and I had received a HUGE, $5,000, technology grant!! 'Kindle-ing a Love of Reading' was funded through the Classroom Technology Innovation Grant provided by the Hillsboro School District. With the money, we will be purchasing a classroom set of Kindles, enough for each one of our 34 students! We cannot wait to start buying e-books and using these new devices with your children. Our hope is to have them ready after winter break.

Energy Presentation
Another fun announcement is our guest speaker for next week. On Monday, Margaret Rodriguez-Springer, will visit our classroom for a full day presentation on energy, energy use, and conservation. Mrs. Anderson helped coordinate this event, which we are excited to share with the students.

'Tis the Season of Giving

Many of our students were excited to help us when we asked if they would be willing to help create "commercials" to advertise the many activities currently happening around the school. Please watch the short videos below to hear all about our canned food drive, coin drive, and upcoming field trip this Friday.

In addition, please be aware that we will NOT be sending home Fox Reports on November 25 or December 2nd, because of our short weeks. If you have any questions about homework (Yes! there are still reading logs over the long Thanksgiving weekend) or your student's behavior, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Harrington or Ms. Kinsman by phone or email.

     

We are Ready!

Report cards are finished, conferences are scheduled, desks are clean! I think we are ready to meet with families next week. We will see you on Monday (with Mrs. Harrington) and on Tuesday (with Ms. Kinsman) for conferences. Have a great weekend!

Fifth graders cleaning their desks!

 

 

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Notes on November

You may notice that your students are not bringing home Fox Reports this week. Instead we have attached their conference time confirmation sheet. If you think that you will not be able to attend your scheduled conference, please let us know right away. You can reach us by phone (503-844-1140 x5527) or by email (kinsmanl@hsd.k12.or.us or harringk@hsd.k12.or.us).

On Friday, we have early dismissal (school ends at 11:20) to allow time to prepare for conferences on the following Monday and Tuesday. We are looking forward to meeting with families to discuss the first quarter report cards and set goals for the rest of the year. Please make sure your student attends conferences with you.

Finally, the week following conferences, school will only be in session on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is a budget reduction day and Thursday and Friday are reserved for Thanksgiving break. Here's a calendar to help you make sense of the rest of the month!

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
11 No School – Veterans’ Day	12	13 Lego Robotics club, 6:00, room 230	14	15 Early release, 11:20 Conference prep
18 No School- Parent-teacher conferences	19 No School- Parent-teacher conferences	20 Lego Robotics club, 6:00, room 230	21	22
25	26	27 No School- Budget Reduction Day	28 No School- Thanksgiving	29 No School- Thanksgiving

November Events

Thank you to all the families that helped make our Board Game Bonanza a success. The students enjoyed spending Friday afternoon playing games with their friends and sharing snacks. In fact, we were having so much fun I forgot to take any photos! I did, however, get this great shot of the finished art work from Thursday.

I think this artwork perfectly captures a teacher's mood after two days of fun!

There are two important events coming up in November: report cards and conferences. This Friday, November 8th, students do not have school; it is report card prep day for teachers. We also have no school on the 11th for Veteran's day.

Then, on November 18th and 19th, we will be holding conferences. This is our first time having conferences after the first report card. We feel that it will be an excellent opportunity to discuss your student's progress and objectives for the rest of the school year. We will be sending home conference confirmations on Wednesday or Thursday. If you have any questions or concerns about the conference time, please contact the school and we will work with your family to find a better time.

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Throwback Thursday: Ms. Kinsman

Last week, the students were shocked to learn that I had the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. as part of a field trip in the 5th grade. It was an extraordinary opportunity, which was made possible by a lot of fundraising, financial support from my friends' parents, and one amazing woman. Technically, the trip happened after fifth grade was over (we went in June, shortly after school was out), but it marked one of the most important years of my life.

The amazing Mrs. Dulaney was both my fourth and fifth grade teacher. I was so fortunate to have this wonderful woman in my life. She was (and still is!) a dedicated educator who provided amazing learning opportunities. She was a friend, a mentor, and the woman who inspired me to become a teacher myself.

As unforgettable as the D.C. trip was, it was only one of the many activities I remember from fifth grade. We read and performed a play from King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. We created news stations and performed newscasts in front of our class (my news station's theme music was a Milli Vanilli song...kids ask your parents). Mrs. Dulaney had "mystery guests", or people from our community with interesting jobs, visit our class so that we could guess their professions by asking yes/no questions. One of my classmates dissected a brain (don't worry, I think it was a sheep brain!). Every day was an adventure in the fifth grade.

I think the most important activity from that year was a very special writing assignment. Mrs. Dulaney had us create autobiographies of our future and mine is still one of my most treasured possessions. For me, this acitvity represented a life map that set me on a course for my future. While I didn't go to Stanford, end world hunger, and then use my money to become a philanthropist (by the age of 25, no less), I did earn two college degrees, become an educator, and try to use my knowledge to help students the way Mrs. Dulaney helped me. More than anything, Mrs. Dulaney showed me a future that I may not have found without her guidance and care.

Fifth grade was amazing. I am so excited that I get to be a part of your child's life during this important year, and look forward to seeing what they make of their futures.

Oh, and here's the picture. Can you figure out which one is Ms. Kinsman?

A special thank you to Joel, who posted this fantastic picture on Facebook and made my life a lot easier!

We Have a Busy Week Ahead of Us!

The last two weeks have been busy, but I think next week might 'take the cake' (that's an idiom fifth graders...see if you can find out what it means!). Here is a brief list of our upcoming events. Parents, we could use some help on Thursday and Friday afternoon. If you are available, please email Ms. Kinsman or Mrs. Harrington. Any additional adults in the room will make for a lot more fun!

See below for volunteer opportunities.

Monday

On Monday afternoon, we will have a presentation from NASA on what it is like working and living aboard the International Space Station! Through our connections with another teacher in our district, we were able to set up this opportunity. This is a perfect "launch" into our next science unit: the solar system.

A beautiful picture of the International Space Station

Wednesday

Every other Wednesday we do not have specials. This year Mrs. Harrington and I have decided to use the open time to incorporate more art into our curriculum. Our students finished beautiful leaf projects, which you will be able to see on display during conferences. On Wednesday, Mrs. Harrington will introduce our next assignment, which I'm positive the students will enjoy. If you would like to check out the project, please visit the Art Projects for Kids website. This is an amazing blog with tons of fantastic ideas.


Thursday

On Thursday afternoon the students will be working to complete their art projects. Ms. Kinsman could use one to two parent helpers from 1:30-2:25 to assist students with the final portion of the project. It will probably get a little messy! Old newspaper donations would also be very helpful to contain the mess. Please send a stack with your student if you have any available.

Friday

Friday afternoon, from 1:30-2:20, we will hold our first Board Game Bonanza! We have asked students to bring in board games that they would enjoy playing with their friends. Choices might include Uno, Jenga, Sorry, Life, etc. We recommend bringing games that take less than an hour to play, and require very little set-up and clean-up. Parent volunteers who are willing to come and help supervise the games are invited, as well. Please send an email if you would like to join us.

Students have asked if they can bring treats to share, and if a family is able to donate cookies, chips, fresh fruit, or individually packaged juices, that would be fine. Please let Mrs. Harrington/Kinsman know if you would like to share treats.

Next week we will post lots of photos documenting all the fun! I also owe Mrs. Harrington a Flash Back Thursday photo of myself from fifth grade, so be sure to check in later in the week!

Two Weeks of Fun

One problem with using a mobile device to store photos and videos for this blog is that it's mobility is limited by my memory. Despite numerous visits to Free orchards on my days off last week, I forgot the iPad each time! With it now firmly in my possession, I can share some highlights from the last two weeks.

The Art of Division

The first is a video featuring Kali explaining how to use an array to solve a division equation. This skill is extremely important, as we do not not teach the kids the old algorithm for division (remember divide, multiply, subtract, bring down?). Watch as she solves 308 divided by 22:

If your family does have an apple device, you can download a new app called Number Pieces, which allows students to use digital versions of the manipulatives we use in class for math. Ask your students if they can tell you the quotient for the problem below:

Healthy Living

Hopefully you had a chance to look over your students' health logs last week. During ELD, we have been studying healthy diets and are now coving a unit on healthy lifestyles during content time. We asked the kids to work in groups to write public service announcements for a healthy diet. They did a great job. They were all very creative and entertaining!

Pictures

And finally, a photo collage of life in our classroom.

 

 

 

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Writing Sparks! Reading Logs! Fox Reports! Oh, My!

It always takes a few weeks for our students to adjust to the homework routines of our classroom. We greatly appreciate the family support in helping to make sure that this work is completed, as well as our students' efforts. Mrs. Harrington and I wanted to share a few writing samples from the first week of school, which we thought were excellent examples of Writing Sparks. The first is from Laura, who wrote about her summer trip to the pool:

Have you ever gone to a pool with a huge slide? Well I have, and I am going to tell you all about it. 

On the Way… 

As I am entering the room, I was almost amazed to see how it looks on the inside. While my dad is paying for us, I look inside only to see that on the side of the place is a big slide. But, I don’t think I will get on that ever! 

I am Getting In! 

And after I get dress, I run to the pool and jump in as soon as I can. My brothers and I want to go to the outside pool. My oldest brother, Ivan, wants to go diving. And, my younger brother, Adrian, wants to go and use the kid slide. And so we travel outside. 

Wow They are Brave! 

After my little brother and I got there he was scared but he got over it after a while. And he went down the slide and kept on doing that for a while. I glanced at my oldest brother, Ivan and he just dived in. I was really impressed that he did that. 

I am Not So Sure… 

And soon after all that, I decide to (with a little help), ride the big slide. Ivan convinced me by saying, “I will wait for you at the end.” I said, “okay.” 

And as I was going up I kept thinking to myself, “Should I got back? Or, keep going?”
When I got to the top I was really nervous. But I got it together and went down. It was awesome!! And I was so glad that I did that. It was fun. As soon as I finished the slide my dad said it was time to go. So we got our stuff and went home. 

I hope you know what it is like to go on a hug slide.

We also have a part of a story from Evelyn, who describes her first days with her new dog:

The next day my mom told us that her church friend had a free dog. At about 9:45pm we left to see the puppy. We got in the car and left. She said she lived in an apartment. In the apartments we got lost. Then we called the lady and found her house. The puppy had fleas and lots of hair. We took him home. 

The next day we got its food, leash, collar, bed and a little house. It slept outside. The next day we took it to the vet. They gave it a rabies shot. The poor dog jumped, he was so scared. She got rid of the nasty fleas. We took him to Petco so they could give him a haircut. At 8:15 he was finished. He was horrifying! He looked like a naked rat. He still has hair, but not that much. He is so cute now. He is our first dog.

It is so fun to read about our students' lives outside of the classroom. Please encourage your children to write at least three paragraphs each week, with about five sentence per paragraph. We know this may be tough for some kids, but we believe they can do it!

In addition to the Writing Sparks, we also ask students to read 30 minutes every evening. Fifth graders are expected to write 2-3 sentence summaries describing their reading for the night. We would like to see kids sticking with the same stories until they are completed. Please make sure these are returned to school on Friday morning for Mrs. Harrington and Ms. Kinsman to look over.

Finally, you have seen a few Fox Reports come your way. These are a great way for us to stay in touch with families. These are sent home almost every Monday night! You are more than welcome to write notes on your child's report before you send it back to school on Tuesday.

If you have any questions or concerns about our weekly homework requirements, please do not hesitate to ask. And, thank you again for helping build successful routines for your learners.

Thank Goodness this is Not a Photo Blog

While my photography and video production skills leave a lot to be desired, I am thrilled that I am able to share some of this week's work. In math we have been reviewing different strategies for solving 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication problems. Here is a chart of all the methods we have covered so far:

And, as hard as it might be to believe, we actually learned another strategy on Friday that we nicknamed "Jasmine's Way" after our student Jasmine. The greater math world calls it Lattice multiplication. It has been in use for centuries and is still taught to students in many parts of the world!

I also wanted families to see these strategies in action. Below are the videos of four students from our class solving multiplication problems using the standard algorithm, partial products, an array, and the distributive property. Feel free to use these videos to help with homework next week!

September's Throw Back Thursday

 

Digging around for a 5th grade photo was kind of like going down memory lane. In some ways it feels like ages ago (yes, I am getting older....), but in other ways it seems like just yesterday.

Interestingly enough, my own 5th grade experience was with a dynamic duo of two teachers in a job share. With one flaxen blonde teacher and the other with hair as dark as my own, these two synced everything together and had a ball teaching us crazy 5th graders at Witch Hazel Elementary in Hillsboro. I have fond memories of that old school, now demolished, with polished wooden floors, brass coat racks for all, and a true blackboard where my teachers showcased their perfect cursive everyday. 

In that same 5th grade classroom, I actually interviewed for my teaching job with HSD. With a quick flight "home" to Hillsboro to visit family in the February of 1999, three district principals held an interview for me. I had no idea where I would be ultimately be placed in a school or grade level, but secretly I really wanted 5th grade! Truthfully, I was a bit disappointed when I heard it would be 4th grade, but here we are today- back in 5th grade after A LOT of years in 4th.

That 5th grade year was incredible. Other than adoring my two job share teachers, I remember two key experiences from that grade. I LOVED read aloud everyday. And just like our class does now at the end of our 20 minutes of read aloud, we would literally BEG our teacher to continue reading. I learned to love books in 5th grade. The Indian in the Cupboard is still an absolute favorite. Perhaps I will read this aloud to my class this year too.

I also remember an incredible opportunity for a patriotic musical that tied into the history content of 5th grade. Standing tall dressed like the Statue of Liberty in front of the entire student body, yet at the same time totally petrified, I sang "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...." Next to me sat my best friend dressed as Betsy Ross. This friend, " Betsy Ross", my very best childhood friend, stood beside me eleven years later as I spoke my wedding vows. 

Memories of a lifetime. Friends for a lifetime. Now an educator for a lifetime.

The Official Week Two Report

Has it only been seven days since the last post? That is hard to believe considering the HUGE amount of work we accomplished over the last week. Here are just a few of the highlights:

• We finished our Unit 2 pretests in math and were pleased to see how well our students remembered the multiplication strategies we taught last year. My goal for this week is to put together videos of students demonstrating strategies for solving a two-by-two digit multiplication problems. You might be surprised by all the different techniques.
• The students have been assigned their states for the PowerPoint presentation they will be making over the next three weeks. So many of our kids came to the first day of fifth grade eager to get into the computer lab. We are excited for this presentation.
• Mrs. Harrington has been working up a sweat organizing field trips and guest speakers for the year. It looks like we have a trip to the capital and Hagg Lake in the works! We will provide more information in the future.
• The students have also been working on their first piece of formal writing, composing a piece on a classmate they interviewed early last week. 

This week also marked the first homework and reading log turn-in cycle. You will all be receiving a Fox Report tomorrow that needs to be signed and returned on Tuesday. Thank you to our families that worked hard with their students to ensure that this work is completed and returned on Fridays. Reading about your family's adventures over the summer break was a lot of fun. 

Be sure to check in on Thursday, as we have a special "Throw Back Thursday" post we are excited to share! 

Have a fantastic week! 

The Official Week One Report

What a whirlwind of a week! It is hard to believe how much we can fit into the first four days of school. We not only reviewed most of our classroom rules and expectations, but also began new math instruction, helped students find "Good Fit" books and have been teaching literary elements.

If you are trying to learn more about what we covered this week, here are some questions you could use with your students to get the conversations rolling...

What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?

How do you pick out a "Good Fit" book?

What is the order of operations?

What is one goal you have for fifth grade?

Why is it important to read with expression?

What are the five major regions of the United States?

Next week we will continue to establish our new routines in reading and ELD, and will have our first visit to the school library. All of our students should have a book or magazine to read 30 minutes each night at home. Please remember that in addition to the reading, your child is also expected to write a 1-2 sentence summary of their reading each night! This is a great practice strategy for comprehension (or showing that you understand what you are reading). If you find that your student is struggling to read each night, please check with Mrs. Harrington or Kinsman to help find reading material that is appropriate for your child. The first reading log of the year was sent home on Friday and is due back this Friday!

Finally, we will be sending home permission slips and surveys this week regarding our new blog. Please make sure these are completed and sent back to school with your students. I am excited to begin posting more pictures and assignments from the classroom, but want to be sure I have parent permission before doing so. 

Thank you for getting us off to a great start!

Ms. Kinsman & Mrs. Harrington

A Note for the First Day of School

Dear Students & Families,

While many students are filled with uncertainty and a bit of apprehension as to what the year will truly hold, we hope that by the end of the first day, students go home with excitement and ease for the coming year. We realize that we can have profound impact with students based on our interactions, tone, and comments.

We are eager to meet all student's needs. At our school and within our classroom, we strive to challenge all learners. We also realize that our learning is never done; teaching a new grade level presents a fun change and with new standards taking effect on a state level, instruction is rapidly changing and evolving to better prepare students for higher education. We look forward to pushing students to critically think and reflect on their own learning this year.

We are so grateful for the many parents who have offered to volunteer this year. Together we will work to create a collaborative learning experience for your child. It is going to be a great year.

Kim Harrington & Laycee Kinsman

After!

After a week of meetings, planning, organizing and more meetings, we are just about ready for the start of the school year. Many of our classroom routines will look the same as last year.

Yes! We will have a weekly reading log, but now the students also have to record their minutes from the weekend!

Yes! We will still have assignment organizers, but now the students will have a planner, or booklet, where all their organizers are stored.

Yes! We will still send home a Fox Report, but now it is only a half-sheet that will be attached to the weekly writing homework. (YES!! Of course, we still have weekly writing homework!)

Yes! Spelling lists will still be made every week, but we will have more practice time built into our reading block.

And, Yes! We will have nightly math homework, Monday through Thursday, due every morning.

But other routines will be changing. Our homeroom students will now stay with us for the majority of the day. Very little switching will be done in reading, math or ELD. The fifth graders from Mrs. Dow's room will join us during content (science and social studies) and math. In addition, we will have longer specials (10 extra minutes!) and our desks are taller (a special thank you to Bryson, our nighttime custodian, for extending the legs of 35 desks and replacing the smaller chairs).

If you are finishing your back-to-school shopping this weekend, here is a list of the essential items needed in Mrs. Harrington/Kinsman's classroom:

• 5 Plain Pocket Folders in different colors (if you have strong hunting skills, Kmart had these for $0.15 a folder)
• As many sharpened pencils as you are willing to send.
• 3-5 spiral notebooks (Fred Meyer had these for less than $0.50 last week)
• As many boxes of tissues as you are willing to send (they have these at the Dollar Store)
• Colored Pencils
• Glue Stick

We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Enjoy the last days of summer and we'll see you on Tuesday!

 

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Who Needs Electricity?

Meet the Teacher night was a huge success! Almost all of our families were able to make it, despite the unexpected power outage in Cornelius. Mrs. Harrington was a champion and drove through the crazy downtown Hillsboro traffic to print our new 5th grade brochures! She made it back just in time. Ms. Kinsman was especially grateful for her return, as she also had to have Mrs. Harrington bring back a pair of fancy shoes for her to borrow for the evening. While half a size too small, Ms. Kinsman was convinced the brown dress shoes were a much better choice than these:

Great for working in the classroom...
Not so great for making a good first impression.

We want to thank all the parents and students that visited with us this evening. We were pleasantly surprised by the number of volunteer forms we received and are looking forward to having the extra help in the classroom. It is obvious we are serving some amazing families again this year!

Before...

After a fun and relaxing summer, Mrs. Harrington and I returned to this...a very clean classroom in total disarray! On Wednesday afternoon everything should be in order for our Meet the Teacher night. We are so excited to see some old friends returning to our classroom, along with students we did not have a chance to work with last year. We'll see you soon!

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A New Blog for Our Classroom

We are so excited to announce our new blog for the 2013-14 school year. Mrs. Harrington and Ms. Kinsman (or H/K as we are known on many forms) are hoping to increase parent communication and involvement by using this awesome web resource. Not only will we include important classroom updates, but families will have a chance to see their students in action with photos, videos, student presentations and assignments.

In fourth grade, we spent a lot of time helping kids understand multiplication and division by building arrays. In fifth grade, we will continue to use these helpful arrangements to multiply and divide fractions! Not only that, but we will also study early U.S. history, the forces of motion, and the interconnections between living things. As you can see, we learn about a whole ARRAY of topics in our classroom. Stay tuned for more updates.

Ms. Kinsman & Mrs. Harrington