5th Grade Buddies

We joined our 5th Grade buddies on the field on Friday to play some touch football. It was great to see the 9-1 boys fitting right in with an older group, and it was especially special to see how well the brothers supported and encouraged one another! We look forward to seeing them again in a few weeks! Terrific job, boys!

Character Traits in Reading

We spent time using the Scholastic website to create a Stuart Little scrapbook, listing character traits we had identified from our reading. The students did a wonderful job using the website and demonstrated an in-depth understanding of our mouse protagonist.

Partner Proofreading

After each composition, the boys review the composition checklist and proofreading their writing out loud with a partner. This helps the boys identify and correct errors in their writing, apply skills learned in grammar class, and share different ideas developed from the same topic.

Geography Treasure Map

To practice our geography mapping skills, the boys drew their own treasure maps with directions to reach the treasure! Each map included 8 landforms, key, and a compass rose. The directions used transition words from composition class and the cardinal directions  to help the treasure hunter navigate the trail to the treasure. The boys did an incredible job!

Character with Mrs. Nichols

Mrs. Nichols visited the boys on Friday this week. During her lesson, the boys interviewed one another and then began to practice making commercials about each other. They did a terrific job with their interviews, and their commercials are sure to be terrific.

Math: Comparing Numbers

This week we worked on comparing numbers, which also reviewed place value and <,>, and = symbols. The students learned how to use the symbols to create expressions to "prove" their answers to word problems.

During class, the students challenged each other with difficult number comparisons on the board. The students also held secret numbers on their foreheads as teammates arranged them to make the greatest number possible (working up to the hundred thousands place!) We just started working with rounding, spending Friday working as a group with number lines. We will continue our work with number lines next week to ensure that each student has a conceptual understanding of rounding by continuing to strengthen his or her number sense.

Stuart Little Boating Adventure

After spending time working as a group to preview Stuart's boating adventure, the readers broke into small groups to work on their fluency. The students continued to focus on the new vocabulary words and helped one another sound out challenging phrases. After completing this activity, each student identified exciting sentences from the chapter to illustrate. It was evident that this chapter was one of everyone's favorites thus far!

Family Interviews

The boys shared their interviews with one another last week. We enjoyed finding similarities and differences among our families. Since we will be visited Mrs. Nichols this week, we will complete the family interview activity next week!

P.E. Team Building

This week the Ninth Age boys and girls joined together for some terrific team building activities. The video below will give you a sneak peek into some of their challenges.

PE Team building video from Ms. Gentry on Vimeo.

Math Journals

We have begun our work in our math journals this week, and the students have done a wonderful job! We practiced standard, expanded, and word form, geometric shapes, and patterning. I look forward to their continued hard work!

Place Value Battleship

During homeroom math we have continued to practice our place value skills, working up to the ten thousands place. Today the boys played "place value battleship," which added an exciting twist to this skill.

Place Value Battleship from Ms. Gentry on Vimeo.

Two Inch Adventure

While reading Stuart Little, we have enjoyed hearing about the adventures made possible by his size. The boys took a few minutes to create stories about an adventure they would take if they were only two inches tall. Throughout the year we will write stories from others' perspectives; based on the creativity shown in this short writing assignment, I look forward to their future compositions.

Two Inch Adventure from Ms. Gentry on Vimeo.

September Mile Run

Today the Ninth Age boys tackled the first mile run of the year. They will track their scores throughout the year to see their progress. I am already impressed by how they challenged themselves and how hard they worked!

September Mile Run from Ms. Gentry on Vimeo.