5th Grade: Specials Spotlight
Second Quarter 2016-2017
Exploratory Team
PE
Wow, how is the school year already halfway over?! I can’t believe it! Second quarter in P.E. was packed full of great stuff. The fifth graders spent some time second quarter practicing and perfecting their throwing and catching skills with activities such as Perfect Pass, Mat Ball, and Monster Ball. We also got to practice using footballs in different ways. It was fun to watch the students learn and progress with their football skills! They really seemed to enjoy playing ultimate football. Their teamwork and sportsmanship was incredible! An important part of P.E. is setting goals for ourselves. I shared with the students some of the goals I have set for myself, as well as for them, and how those goals motivate me to always try my hardest. The students then got to create a goal for themselves that is relevant to P.E. or physical activity. It is so exciting to see them so motivated about something! Their goals are all so great and I know with hard work they can all achieve them! We will be working towards our goals as the school year progresses. The second quarter was also filled with a few holidays, which called for some super fun themed activities! Some student favorites were Pumpkin Patch, Thanksgiving relay, Feed the Reindeer, and Sleigh Ride. The words for this quarter were nutrition, courtesy, goals, humility, helpfulness, and grateful. This school year has already been so fantastic and I can’t wait for the rest of it! Here’s to 2017!
Counselor
We have been so busy and second quarter has flown by. In guidance lessons we have become masters at starting class with a zones of regulation check in. The students start by saying “I feel _______________, I’m in the ____________ zone. This allows the students to identify how they are feeling and if they are focused and ready to learn. This process allows students who are not feeling ready to learn the opportunity to use strategies to help them regain their focus and regulate their emotions. We also spent several weeks learning to have growth mindset. A growth mindset is understanding our brain and how it works. Having a growth mindset helps us to realize we can learn anything with effort, hard work, time and a positive attitude. We also just started our Too Good for Drugs curriculum.
We will continue working with this program through third quarter. Each grade level has its own standards. Fifth graders aim for the starts as they learn and practice peer refusal strategies through role plays and skits. Students learn how to set reachable goals, and demonstrate effective communication skills. Lessons give the students the opportunity to predict the consequences of the decisions they make and examine the effects of making healthy choices.
Technology
Towards the end of the quarter, we finished up with The Hour of Code activities. These game like activities help to build problem solving skills and root skills of coding.
Music
During the second quarter, 5th grade classes started working on some instrumental pieces for our 5th Grade Extravaganza, which will be on March 7th! They learned about the difference between melody and harmony and how chord changes make music more interesting. After reviewing some rhythm skills, students worked with a partner to create a Fall Composition, which they performed for the class. We also began our unit on Tinikling. This Philippine folk dance has been a favorite tradition here are Riverview for many years. Students have done a wonderful job of learning the first steps, the poling rhythm and technique involved with this dance. I am impressed with their teamwork during this unit – there have been lots of encouraging words for one another and classmates helping each other to perfect the steps! In January, students will have the opportunity to audition for the Tinikling performance team for our program. Information and permission slips went home in December, and are due back on January 6th. This is optional, and will be held outside of regular school hours. To finish off this quarter, we spent some time learning Winter Holiday songs for the school-wide sing-a-long! I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Break! I’m looking forward to some fabulous music making in 2017!
Art
Library
In our library classes this quarter students began using “self-checkout.” This was introduced to the students last year during fourth quarter as fourth graders. Self-checkout is both a privilege and a responsibility. As freedom in the library increases, expectations for responsibility also increase. Students check to be sure they returned their books before checking out new ones. They place books they wish to have held for them until the following day in a designated spot. Students reviewed how to use the Destiny Library Management System on both laptops and iPads. They learned how to search for books in the catalog, place holds, and check their account information. This year they also learned how to limit their search to a particular section of the library and how to identify books in their reading lexile range. They found a book they were interested in, checked to see if it was available, then located the book on the shelf using the call number. Students can also look up books from home with this link: http://destiny.usd232.org/ . The William Allen White program is in full swing, and students are busy reading the nominees. If the reading log that was sent home earlier this year has been misplaced, a copy can be found on my website at http://riverviewlibrary.weebly.com/ Students reviewed locating books in the Everyone, Fiction, and Biography sections using the call number.