Ms. Braat's Fantastic Fives

May 18-22 Learning Outcomes Mathematics Students investigate symmetry as a geometric property.   What Did Students Do? This week in our Grade 5 classroom, students have been learning about symmetry and asymmetry in math and art. We discussed how symmetrical objects can be divided into matching halves, while asymmetrical objects do not have equal sides or matching parts. To help students better understand these concepts, we took our learning outside and participated in an exploration activity around the school grounds. Students searched for examples of both symmetry and asymmetry in nature and the environment around them. They observed objects such as leaves, playground structures, rocks, and trees, discussing whether each example showed balanced symmetry or irregular asymmetry. This hands-on activity encouraged students to look more closely at the world around them and apply their classroom learning in a real-world setting. It was wonderful to see students working collaborativel...

May 11-15 Learning Outcomes Social Studies  Students examine government and social systems in ancient civilizations and empires.   What Did Students Do? This week in our Grade 5 social studies class, students explored the history and importance of the Silk Road through a variety of interactive learning stations. As students rotated around the room, they discovered how the Silk Road connected different civilizations through trade, travel, culture, and the exchange of ideas. Each station focused on a different aspect of the Silk Road, allowing students to learn about goods that were traded, the challenges travelers faced, important routes, and how cultures influenced one another along the journey. Through reading activities, images, maps, and discussion, students worked collaboratively to build their understanding of how the Silk Road helped shape societies across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. This stations activity encouraged curiosity, teamwork, and critical thinking as ...

  May 4-8 Learning Outcomes English Language Arts and Literature  Creating and communicating ideas in organized written forms for different purposes and audiences   What Did  Students Do? This week in our Grade 5 classroom, students began working on their informational writing pieces . We focused on building strong introduction paragraphs and learning the important parts that help capture a reader’s attention and clearly introduce a topic. Students learned about the purpose of a hook , how to create an engaging topic sentence , and how to develop a clear thesis statement for their essays. We discussed how a strong introduction helps guide the reader and sets the stage for the information that will follow. Students practiced organizing their ideas and thinking carefully about how to introduce their topics in an interesting and informative way. Throughout the week, students worked hard to draft and improve their introductions while developing confidence in their wri...

April 27 - May 1 Learning Outcomes Social Studies  Students examine government and social systems in ancient civilizations and empires. What Did  Students Do? This week in our Grade 5 classroom, students were introduced to an exciting new area of learning by exploring how governments make decisions. As part of this introduction, students worked in groups to create their own “governments” and were given the task of developing one classroom rule that would be fair for everyone. Students spent time discussing ideas, thinking carefully about fairness, and considering how their rule would impact others. Each group then created a poster to clearly present their rule, explain why it is fair, and share how it would benefit our classroom community. After completing their posters, students presented their ideas to the class, practicing their speaking and listening skills while explaining their thinking. Once all groups had presented, we held a class vote to decide which rule would be i...