Monthly Archives: November 2017

Assessments Visiting Home

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This week your child is bringing home several assessment documents to share with you, and then return to school, in their orange assessment folder. They must be returned by this Wednesday, November 29, please.

These may include:

  • a several-part math assessment
  • their personal narrative writing
  • their genius hour unit rubric

Math

These assessments stretch back over the first few months of fifth grade and focus on concepts related to place value, and the four operations.

These assessments should be understood as being a snapshot of student understanding on a particular day at a particular time, in a particular way of demonstrating mathematical thinking. This particular way of assessing understanding may present an incomplete picture of student progress. It is for this reason that many forward-thinking institutions have moved away from written assessments as the sole way of testing and grading. ZIS is no exception and these assessments represent only one of several ways data on a student’s mathematical thinking is collected.

Personal Narrative Writing

Over the course of our personal narrative unit, students developed many writing seeds, and worked on many strategies for improving the quality of their writing. Eventually, they chose one seed to draft and evolve. In most cases, the writing in their folder is not to be considered a final “published” piece. It is instead the state this writing had reached by the end of that unit.

As writers, we value process heavily. For a piece of writing to have pasted on notes, parts crossed out or highlited, and other sorts of visible thinking is an integral part of our writing process. We often call these drafts our “Frankenstein drafts” for all these bits and pieces that hang off them.

Genius Hour Rubric

This rubric reflects the students’ first independent inquiry of the year. Those students who have still not yet completed blogging on their inquiry have not yet received their rubrics.

These assessments are being sent home primarily to enrich your conversations with your child about their thinking and learning. Please take the time to look at them with your child, alongside their reflections. Then, sign them (somewhere obvious) and return them promptly to school. They must be returned by this Wednesday, November 29, please.

Many thanks for your ongoing support of your child’s home away from home!

Warm regards,

Jamie

 

Kindness Challenge!

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In the lead up to the end of term, 5R was inspired by the gorgeous advent calendar created by Rebecca and Lisa, our class parents, to create our own calendar. This one, instead of containing treats, would contain instead kindness challenges.

The class started by watching this video:

Then students brainstormed “kindness challenges” we could take on as a class, for each day. We collected these in a form, and voted on them.

Finally, the ideas with the most votes were added to this calendar. We’ll open one door per day to read that day’s challenge. The next day, we’ll share some stories of the previous day’s challenge.


5R Update: Energy, Fractions and Field Trip!

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Learning Update

This week, students have drafted their first informational piece about energy!  They’ve been researching, reading nonfiction texts, and taking notes. They will use this research to revise their informational reports. During unit time, students have been creating demonstrations and performing experiments about energy. Then, they have explained how energy is transferred and/or transformed during these experiments. Most students have completed making videos of these and posting them to their blogs.

During math time, we’re learning about fractions.  This week we’re comparing and ordering fractions.  Next week we will find equivalent fractions in order to add and subtract.  If you would like to work with your child at home, there are some fractions games and practice on the Netvibes page.

Field Trip to Umwelt Arena

Tomorrow, on Thursday, as announced last week on the newsfeed, the students will visit Umwelt Arena, an environmental museum, in Spreitenbach. Students should bring a lunch with them that day. The cafeteria will provide packed lunches for students who normally order cafeteria lunch. We will depart the school at 9:00 and return by 3:00, so students do not need to arrive early or be picked up late.