October 1st Update

We finished our solar system classroom presentations.  I was amazed at the variety of visual aids that were presented to help our classroom understand some large-scale concepts.  Students designed models with LEGO's (gears included), modeling clay, drawings, light bulbs, and PowerPoint presentations.  Great job, 5th grade!

In math, we are finishing up our chapter on multiplication of multi-digit numbers.  Students also learned techniques to identify patterns and then generalize to expand the number pattern.  For a challenge, we investigated the Fibonacci sequence.  Where do we see examples of patterns in art or nature?

Our RRO topic this week was to discuss the question: "How can you stand up to a friend when they are bullying someone?"  The students reflected the difficulty in standing up to a friend when they are showing bully-like behavior; however, they were able to generate great "stand up" statements on their own.