Lynchsters Mr. Lynch's 5th Grade Class 

Since March is here, it’s important to pretend that spring is just around the corner. Less than three weeks they say. Winter can’t last forever, they say. You’ll be drinking iced coffees by the pool any day now, they say. I don’t know who they is, but this they character is lying.

Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up in a few weeks – mostly on March 19-20 although I offered times throughout the entire week. I e-mailed information about this to everyone last weekend. If you did not receive the e-mail, let me know.

Students should be finished writing their American Revolution Speech by Wednesday at the latest. This is so they could spend at least the last couple of days practicing in front of their peers. Last week Shawn Peter came in to talk to students about public speaking. He had great tips and the students learned a lot through his stories and experiences. A couple weeks ago,  each student was assigned a specific famous person from the late 1700s (and had the opportunity to change their person if they wanted). The speeches, which will be between 3-5 minutes long, will take place on March 17-18. Parents are invited to come watch their child’s speech, and I e-mailed very specific (almost to the minute) times so you will know when to drop in. Here is a copy of the assignment that students received: American Revolution Speech Packet 2014-2015.

We started Unit 5: Adding and Subtracting Fractions last week, using mostly fraction strips to build up conceptual understanding of fractions. This will continue this week as well, and students should also get back their test grades from Unit 4 at the start of the week.

Upcoming Events

Science CMT – Tuesday, March 3

March Vacation – March 9-13

Parent/Teacher Conferences – Thursday and Friday, March 19-20

Grade 5 Open House – Tuesday, May 26

Last Day of School – Tuesday, June 16 (w/four snow days)

Students started the American Revolution Speech project last week. Each student was assigned a specific famous person from the late 1700s (and had the opportunity to change their person if they wanted). The speeches, which will be between 3-5 minutes long, will take place on March 17-18. Parents are invited to come watch their child’s speech, and I will provide very specific (almost to the minute) times so you will know when to drop in. Here is a copy of the assignment that students received: American Revolution Speech Packet 2014-2015.

We finished the Unit 4 math test last week (it ended up being a two-day test for many students) and we start Unit 5: Adding and Subtracting Fractions this week.

Upcoming Events

March Vacation – March 9-13

Parent/Teacher Conferences – Thursday and Friday, March 19-20

Grade 5 Open House – Tuesday, May 26

Last Day of School – Tuesday, June 16 (w/four snow days)

While there isn’t a predicted Sunday night snowstorm (don’t worry, it’s all coming Saturday night) there still isn’t school on Monday (as usual) due to President’s Day. On a different note, only one month until spring!

We finished Unit 4 (Multiplying and Dividing Decimals) in math last week. The test will be this week, but the timing will depend on mother nature and her willingness to give us a somewhat uninterrupted week. This week, students will finish presenting the reading book previews they created using Google Slides. We’ve been doing several of these each morning. These previews were based on a book they’ve read this school year, and will serve as a backdrop to a presentation they will give the class. The point of the book preview is to get the class excited about new books that their classmates have read. Certain criteria was required for these slides, including text, graphics, and animated .gifs.

Upcoming Events

March Vacation – March 9-13

Parent/Teacher Conferences – Thursday and Friday, March 19-20

Grade 5 Open House – Tuesday, May 26

Last Day of School – Tuesday, June 16 (w/four snow days)

As usual, there will be a snowstorm coming in Sunday night so I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that we’re seeing a little Monday deja vu. If this pans out… well, the last full day of school on a Monday was January 5 and the next possibility for a full day on a Monday will be February 23. That will be two full Mondays in two months. Wow. Four weeks until the March vacation.

We’re nearing the tail-end of Unit 4 (Multiplying and Dividing Decimals) in math. In a snow-free world, we probably would have taken the test already, but in the Connecticut-world, the test will most likely be next week. This week, students will continue presenting the reading book previews they created using Google Slides. These previews were based on a book they’ve read this school year, and will serve as a backdrop to a presentation they will give the class. The point of the book preview is to get the class excited about new books that their classmates have read. Certain criteria was required for these slides, including text, graphics, and animated .gifs.

Upcoming Events

March Vacation – March 9-13

Parent/Teacher Conferences – Thursday and Friday, March 19-20

Grade 5 Open House – Tuesday, May 26

Last Day of School – Tuesday, June 16 (w/four snow days)