Week ending 08.29.25
Week ending 08.29.25
◼︎ Extreme Writing
Extreme Writing is a great way to wake up the Weekend Brain!
Several of us even hit new writing fluency heights!
◼︎ Math: Fractions
Today we concluded our review of adding and subtracting fraction. 5G’s got it!
What’s more, 5G enjoyed difficult fraction challenges!
◼︎ D.E.A.R.
D.E.A.R. = Drop Everying And Read — and 5G loves to read! We’re gently moving away from “read anything” to “read a chapter book.”
Please remember Fridays are our Library Day. If students wish to check books out, they’ll need their library cards.
◼︎ Of Megaquakes & Tsunami
Why wasn’t the July 2025 tsunami bigger? After all, the quake that produced it reached 8.8 on the Richter Scale.
In 3 pairs and 1 trio, 5G dived into this question. If you’re curious to learn about tectonic plate subduction, how fast tsunami waves travel in the open ocean, and the reasons why a megaquake might not produce a dangerous tidal wave, check out our text!
◼︎ Brain Break!
In some Scandinavian countries, law requires students get a 10-minute break every 45 minutes of (hard academic) class time.
Rest assured, 5G earned their Megaquake/Tsunami Brain Break on Monday!
Brains refreshed, students finished up their Megaquake/Tsunami studies and—we discussed what they’d learned!
◼︎ 5G continues to inspire —
— MICROSCOPE MANIA among visitors from other classes!
◼︎ Scavenger Hunt & Mo’ Microscope Mania!
Word seems to have spread about our Day 1 Scavenger Hunt.
This morning Tati sent volunteer scavenger hunters hunting!
And interest in our microscopes remains strong, visitors almost as inspired as 5G!
◼︎ Math: Multiplying Fractions
Some years ago now, Liping Ma, a researcher, noted that while Chinese elementary teachers could come up with practical examples of how you might conceive of multiplying fractions, US and European elementary teachers often could not.
If, like Dr. Cat, you grew learned math from such a teacher, you too might find it hard to explain what 1/3 x 2/3 means. You know the algorithm, but what does it mean to multiply one fraction by another?
How would you explain this to someone just learning about fractions?
What practical examples might you give?
Could you illustrate 1/3 x 2/3 so your student could see what you’re talking about?
5G students were challenged with:
Illustrating (a non-fraction) equation such as 3 x 4 — in four different ways (e.g., dots, arrays, width x length = area, number lines, etc.)
Illustrating 3 x 1/2 so we could see three halves being added together (e.g., three 1/2 pizzas = 1.5 pizzas)
Illustrating a half pizza divided into four equal parts (and making sense of 1/2 x 1/4 = 1/8 — each piece is 1/8 of a whole, only half of which we see!)
One of our best fraction multiplication models kicked off homework:
Imagine it’s Pumpkin Festival. Your family wants to set up a HUGE water slide.
You ask Mr. Skye and Mr. Reyn how much of Osco Field you can use.
Mr. Skye says, “You can’t go all the way along that back edge. You go about 3/4 of the way along.”
Mr. Reyn says, “And you can come about about 1/3 of the way along the other fence.”
A friend then asks you, “So how much of Osco Field can you use?”
She wants the answer as a fraction.
Your dad says, “Area is calculated by multiplying the length by the width.”
Your mom says, “The length is 3/4 of the way along the back fence.”
Your older brother says, “And our width is 1/3 along that other fence.”
Your older sister says, “So we multiply 3/4 by 1/3.”
And you say, “3/12 — or, if I reduce it — 1/4.”
Look at the diagram above.
See the 3/12 that is shaded green?
It’s 3/12 of the whole of Osco Field — even though we’re not concerned about the whole, just about the part we can set up the water slide on.
◼︎ Post-Lunch Cool Down
Our family-style lunches are often lively. With the green full of laughter and games soon thereafter, students have requested our afternoons of tough academic work begin… with a cool down.
A quick nap (supported by a wealth of research) and a period of D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) and…
• Lunch and the green are SO EXCITING!
… 5G is refreshed and ready to roll!
◼︎ Finishing Introduction to Ancient History in the Americas
Having learned about the Nor-che Chico (Caral-Supe) civilization of Peru and about Poverty Point, in what is now Louisiana, today we turned our attention to the Americas civilizations that followed.
We will be focusing on the following civilizations in more detail in the coming weeks:
• “OM A.I!” is our way of remembering these civilization in the order they appeared.
It was a pleasure for us to do a “Texts+” with 5G: first reading the comprehension questions and watching the video, then reading the text together and discussing/answering the questions.
You can learn a lot in 5G!
◼︎ Let There Be Light!
How it came to pass is hard to say, but the press of Microscope Mania resulted in the two “dark” microscopes finally getting plugged into a wall socket, having one one switch switched and two knobs turned, and revealing both ‘scopes worked!
◼︎ School Photos
Our day (really) started with school photos. Always fun!
◼︎ P.E.
Then it was off to P.E. with 6G.
◼︎ 1G-5G Book Buddies (Every Other Week)
5G students are wonderful models for 1G students; great readers too!
◼︎ 5G-6G Innovation & Robotics
Splitting into our two mixed-grade Innovation & Robotics teams, when in the 6G classroom with Ms. Kieburtz students began serious innovation research, while in 5G, student managed to get our big blue box of Sphero robots working!
◼︎ More Fraction Multiplication Mental Melt Down!
Fractions — especially multiplying and diving them — especially attempting to illustrate the multiplication and division of fractions with clear diagrams is not easy.
Even for adults.
While we — students and teachers alike — are fairly comfortable with the algorithms (i.e., how to manipulate numbers)—
— and with one way of illustrating the multiplication of fractions by whole numbers (we are calling this Method 1) —
— Method 2 had us stumped.
Even when we kinda sort understood it, the diagrams resulting from Method 2 did not seem to “lock it in.” We couldn’t SEE the answer, we resorted to the algorithm or Method 1 to SEE what we were doing.
As this conversation spilled over into other classes, 5G students got to see real Math Talk in action!
And— we may have stumbled on a way to SHOW the logic of Method 2!
All it took were four rectangular pizzas to be shared amongst 16 friends!
If you’re interested in having some math fun, check out Wednesday evening’s math homework!
◼︎ 5G Fills the Ranks of the “Thursday Morning Chapel Singers”!
All nine 5G students added their voices to the “Thursday Morning Chapel Singers,” for all three chapesl (PreK & K; 1G, 2G & 3G; 4G, 5G to 6G).
• 3G & 4G singers joined in too!
• Monteiro Chapel
• Two angels
◼︎ “We need a break!”
After 1.5 hours of chapel, 5G students deserved a break! Hello makai playground!
◼︎ The Rest of the Day
A busy day ensued: reading chapters 19 & 20 in Holes, a 10-minute nap, Extreme Writing, and a host of assessments!
• Extreme Writing: Many new PBs (personal bests) today!
5G finished up the day with Rev. Jenn (Religion).
◼︎ YMCA, Wordly Wise & Fractions Activity
The day began with a rendition of YMCA —
— Wordly Wise (our vocabulary-building text) —
— and a fun fraction-problem-creation challenge. (No photos, sorry!)
◼︎ Then back to Camp Green Lake!
Determined to get through our stack of class novels for the year, we kept digging Holes!
Be sure to get an update on what’s up with Stanley and his campmates.
◼︎ Friday is 5G’s Library Day
If any class likes books and reading, it’s this one!
And we solved the mystery of the new, blue cards at the library!
Red card are still fine!
(Green cards from 50 years ago also still fine!)
New cards are blue cards, and you can get one if you want
Should you get a new, blue card, you will have a new Library ID number
◼︎ Our Now “Traditional” Nap + DEAR
5G continues to enjoy 10 minutes of genuine downtime, followed by a period of quiet, personal reading.
As we have some budding writers in our midst, in addition to D.E.A.R. (“Drop Everything And Read”) we now have D.E.W. (“Drop Everything — Write!”)!
◼︎ History: First Peoples — Australia
After the success of the PBS special “First Peoples — The Americas,” 5G students asked for “more.” So today we learned how the first peoples of Australia migrated there over 40,000 years ago!
◼︎ And a Brain Break to End the Week!
5G worked hard not only today, but all week.
While Ava and London took down and folded the school flags — a dysfunctional carabiner is making this a long process — Banana Tag was the name of the game on the green.
It brings such joy to see young people running, playing, laughing, rolling — and not eyes stuck to a screen!
Be sure to read HNS’s weekly eBlast to keep up to date with the most accurate information about upcoming events!
We do our best to mirror the eBlast events in our calendar, and we add 5G-specific events. (Scroll down for future events! Hint: Look for the zoo!)
Coming up next week:
Monday, September 1:
• No school!
Friday, September 5:
Please note our daily schedule has been updated to reflect reality!
As always, this can be found on our INFO page.
