Update on Online Work
The District has been working on their online learning plan to meet certain requirements and guidelines by the State of Michigan. Initially, the work was designated by our leaders as “Enrichment,” and I kept cautioning parents and students to complete it, regardless of its name. An update from the district will come out within the next several days – but the work has to be completed, and with concerted effort.
There will be different guidelines regarding student work: meeting class expectations, progressing towards expectations, and minimally or not meeting expectations. When your student completes the work – they need to put in good effort. Some students have turned in blank documents – they have been returned to them and are entered as missing. They need to complete them still. If they are not able to “connect” to the assignments, which has been stated by a few families, parents will need to reach out to the district to find out when they can borrow a Chromebook. However, the work they missed will still have to be made up. Again – an update from the district will come out within the next several days, but this is the latest from our online meetings.
For much of the work I have posted, the students are very capable of completing it without difficulty, with the slight exception of Math. Please monitor your students – they need your structure and support at home for online learning – that is how many of them have improved so much this before the crisis hit. Please don’t let their hard work (and mine!) prior to March 13th have been in vain. Thank you!
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Happy Wednesday! It was great to “see” many of you at our Google Meet yesterday. We will start scheduling those at least once a week. Please plan on meeting again next Tuesday at 11 a.m., unless another meeting pops up for me before them.
Please answer the questions from the “Information Needed” post in GC. Several of you have submitted this already – thank you. I need the information to plan our future lessons.
VERY IMPORTANT! For those of you having difficulty accessing/answering/submitting the work. It is BEST for you to use a Chromebook, laptop, or desktop. It’s when you use a tablet that you are encountering problems. Use your tablet for other things (videos, games, etc), use your laptop or desktop for your online learning. Thank you
- read 30 minutes
- help parents!
- Moby Max: MANY of you did not do the assignment yesterday and are behind. If you didn’t do yesterdays, then you have 2 to do for today. Yesterday’s S. S. review was on Comparing/Contrasting. Today’s S.S. review is on “Drawing Conclusions.”
- Math: Module 6 Lesson 15 video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcKDsyhwq_U, Learn and Succeed problems from lesson 15, Zearn to the end of 15.
- 180 Days of Language Day 8 – follow the instructions in Google Classroom
- 180 Days of Reading Week 26 Day 3 – follow the instructions in Google Classroom
- MathWarmUp #88 – follow the instructions in Google Classroom
Tuesday Thanks and One More Worksheet to Answer Tonight
Hello – I am planning my instruction for the rest of this week. We (the Howard Staff) had a nearly 2 hour online staff meeting this afternoon and will have more meetings each day this week to prepare for the State of Michigan Guidelines regarding our instruction. I feel very fortunate to have an amazing group of children and parents this year who have been helping, supporting, and inspiring me through this. None of us planned for this – yet, we need to still meet the needs and expectations that are set for our families, our children, or community, and our jobs. Thank you for all you are doing. Thank you for supporting me through this! I typed up a questionnaire in Google Classroom – it saves me from making 23 phone calls tonight. Please fill it out and “turn it in” by tomorrow. Thanks again – See you online tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
I had an unintentional alarm clock this morning. At 7 a.m., a crew from the city’s tree service was pounding on my door to alert me that they were going to start pruning the trees on my city easement. NOT my preferrred way to wake! There will be lots of coffee today. 😁
Mrs. Thomas sent us the codes for her Google Art Classroom. Please see the link and code below from today’s earlier blog post. Last week, I posted about Code.org – this is another learning platform available to you about computer coding. You need to login through Clever and email me for your secret codes.
Edulastic MidModule Assessment – Many of you completed it, several haven’t and you HAVE to! If you weren’t able to see your score on the assessment, please email me and I will send it to you. I’m not ok with the scores, but I balance your scores with missing my math expertise. (You see – I am a very good math teacher! 😉💪🏼) We will discuss the main ideas during Google Meet either today or later this week.
- read 30 minutes
- help parents
- Math: Module 6 Lesson 14 video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs–B4ozOlk, Learn and Succeed problems from lesson 14, Zearn – to the end of lesson 14 (so it looks like you are on lesson 15).
- GoNoodle: Virtual Dance Party https://about.gonoodle.com/danceparty (Something fun to break the monotomy)
- 180 Days of Language and Reading – due by the end of today (see the posts in GC from yesterday)
- Math WarmUp #87: It’s in your math folder – complete it by tomorrow please.
- MobyMax: Login through Clever. We are starting this with GENERAL Social Studies Study Skills. Today I assigned Comparing/Contrasting. PLEASE take it seriously – these lessons and learning help you.
From Mrs. Thomas/Art
her blog: https://iblog.dearbornschools.org/thomas/
5th grade Art Google Classroom: https://classroom.google.com/h class code: oknozyb
email Mrs. Thomas directly with questions – she is available daily
For Instrumental Music Students – from Mrs. Hartrick
Please read these letters from Mrs. Hartrick. Contact her with any questions or concerns:
(1) Band Students https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s68n0rA5ijijHfduQYU22__Afkld-5oPowbxFkTABZc/edit?usp=sharing
(2) Orchestra Students https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gIMx9u5ciER5OvQ9R3-HkIVIXQry5wVspbbk3IFqrVA/edit?usp=sharing
Monday, April 13, 2020
Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed your “Spring Break.” I don’t usually travel during the school year, so I spent it at home. It has been a little over 4 weeks since the virus has changed how we interact with life. I hear some complaining about being “stuck at home.” How about changing that perspective to “safe at home.” I feel fortunate that our safety and well-being is kept as a primary focus by our state and federal government. Yes, it is changing things. However, I hope we all grow a deeper appreciation for what we all have. #Perspective
We will be having a Google Meet tomorrow. If you would like to participate, and I hope you all do, please check Google Classroom (GC) at 11 a.m. for the link. Just like our first Google Meet, I will ask you to mute your microphone when we get everyone settled. Then, I will go through and give everyone an opportunity to share out. On the right side of the Google Meet page is a place for you to text the entire class. If you have a question, concern, or a thought to share, please type it in that place. Those of you that participated last time did a GREAT job of following the expectations. Mr. Troy Patterson is in charge of the district’s technology. He set up these guidelines – please remember to: 
Please continue to check that you have all the work submitted that needs to be submitted. (There are many things still missing from several of you.) AND – do not email it to me. You can figure out all kinds of tricks and maneuvers in your video games – you can figure out how to submit an assignment properly!
- read 30 minutes – as I have posted several times, there are many online book sites that offer free books during this time. Find a great new book to escape in. I have been rereading a Stephen King anthology, Nightmares and Dreamscapes.
- Help your parents – and remember that it’s not just helping with chores around the house, it could be helping a sibling or simply getting out of their hair. (That’s a figure of speech – look it up and let me know what it means.)
- Mrs. Bagnall “returns” from her maternity leave today. Keep checking her blog for lessons and activities: https://iblog.dearbornschools.org/bagnalj/
- Math: Mid-Module Assessment – This was posted in GC, before break but I found another district resource available to us, Edulastic. Please go to the district’s student resource page, click on Edulastic and login from there.
- 180 Days of Language: Days 6 and 7 will be posted in GC. Type your responses on the Google Doc and submit it to me in the assignment by the end of tomorrow.
- 180 Days of Reading Week 26 Days 1 and 2 will be posted in GC. Type your responses on the Google Doc: Day 1 – multiple choice answers only; Day 2 – Complete C.E.R. response (multiple choice and claim evidence reasoning sentences). Submit it to me in the assignment by the end of tomorrow.
- I gave directions for “Code.org” in GC over break. You will need to email me for your secret words to get logged in. Medina already started. The lessons used to be similar to “Angry Birds” but Medina said now they are like “Minecraft.” Most students love this part of 5th grade – I hope you do, too. It is just a beginning to computer technology and coding that you could sign up for in middle and high school.
- Science: Mystery Science posted a new video last week that is very appropriate for today’s world pandemic. Get out your Science journal, take notes, and answer questions as you watch “How Do Germs Get Inside Your Body?” https://mysteryscience.com/mini-lessons/germs#slide-id-8055
- Most of the rest of this week will be on Social Studies. We will begin to alternate between Science and Social Studies each week.
Successful Google Meet
It was great seeing so many of our classmates today during our Google Meet! I miss you all very much. I know you are bored, but I am glad you are staying home and are safe. Thank you, Parents, for allowing your child to connect. It made all of us feel better. Students – Please use next week to double check the assignments and get caught up on anything missing. XO 😘