Class 5-316 2014-2015: 2014

12.23.2014

Our Holiday Bazaar Highlights! Happy Holidays!!!

12.16.2014

12.01.2014

CRITICAL NUMBERS BY KAYA
MATH RAFT
There once was a feud between two families, The PEM (parenthesis, exponents and multiplication) family and the DAS ( division, addition and subtraction) family. Nobody knew how the feud started and nobody had the courage to stop it.

On a summer day in late August a multiplication sign was born into the PEM family, her name was, you guessed it, Multiply. Two days before a beautiful division sign was born in the DAS family and her name was Divide. They were destined to be best friends they just didn’t know it yet….

On her 10th birthday, Mulitply’s father told her that she could go into the PEM/DAS Woods. Those were the woods that separated the PEM family and the DAS family. Multiply was so excited because she was a curious girl and had always wanted to go in the woods to explore the world outside her family borders. The very next day Multiply went into the woods. She was having so much fun talking to the squirrels and smelling the exponent flowers.

Divide was nothing like Multiply. She was a girl who always followed the rules and was a bit fearful of new things. On this same day Divide ran into the woods chasing after a lost ball. She couldn’t find the ball and was searching everywhere when suddenly Divide saw something move in the bushes. She screamed as Multiply tumbled out of the bush. “Thank goodness, I thought you were a PEM. WAIT, you are a PEM,” Divide yelled in horror.

“Step back, I know karate,” said Divide.
“I’m sorry I frightened you but just because I’m a PEM doesn’t mean you have to Karate chop me. You know DAS’s aren’t that perfect either,” yelled Multiply.
“Well at least I don’t jump out and scare innocent operations!”
“I didn’t jump out! Mr. Squirrel accidentally bumped into me and I tripped over a rock!”
“Well you don’t have to get all defensive!”

In the middle of all their fighting they heard rustling in the bushes.
“Maybe it’s one of your parenthesis friends,” Divide teased.
“Shh, it sounds like some algebra.”
“Eeek I hate Algebra, it’s so scary!”

Suddenly a numerical expression jumped out from the bush.
“AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!” both of the operations screamed hugging each other helplessly.

Fortunately the expression got tangled in the bush and couldn’t get to the girls. This caused the two operations to start laughing hysterically.

“I almost peed my…body” Multiply said barely able to speak. From that day forward, they formed an unbreakable bond. The also had the courage to break the feud and become…. PEMDAS

And that, ladies and gentleman, was how PEM DAS came to be.

Ms. Z's Sample Math RAFT: An unrequited love story of numerals separated by grouping symbols. On the outside, looking in. Looking upwards to that curving and cozy line that separates us... From them. Knowing you're in that grouping symbol is difficult for me, knowing that my only hope to be let in, to have that parenthesis disappear, means that you're no longer you. You'd be a product of you and something else.

And who is in there with you anyway, my sweet one. Is it that brash eight, who mocks my linear form, boasts of his proximity to that double-digit ten, so revered, a factor to so many. Or is it that shifty five, its contrast of curves and angles. Yes, yes. It is that 5, so well know a math fact is he.

And who made these rules, this order, anyway? That some operations get privileges different from the rest is not just unfair, it’s illogical. Do I have a lesser value than other numerals simply because I have a lesser value than other numerals? Standard form can be so unfair. Perhaps if I was represented as a fraction whole, I might garner the respect of that elite group within your grouping symbol, dear one.

Oh that multiplication sign, so varied in its representations, so practical an operation for so many. Why can’t I be a factor, too? And not just an addend. To see you in there, one, amongst the snobbish and boastful values… they know nothing of your complexity. Our kind is neither prime nor composite. We are unity, the integer between two and after zero. Natural numbers, you and I.

After peeking my eyes above your fencing parentheses, I see who is in there with you. It’s 5 and 2 and you, darling 1. Three factors whose product is 10. Alas, the heavens shine upon me! For you times them plus me is 11. Together again.

11.30.2014

What We're Thankful For:

14 Thanksgiving from Ms. Z on Vimeo.

Three Months in! A Collection of Birthday Celebration Memories

14 Birthdays from Ms. Z on Vimeo.

Our Harvest Festival was a great success!

Fun times together

Toasting our cupcakes

Nom nom nom

Families helped make this event so special.

Eagerly awaiting raffle results

11.21.2014

P.S. 58's First Unplugged Night

On Unplugged Night I didn't watch TV. Instead I did some drawing and it was FUN!!! So really I felt really confident about it. Mostly, I was the only one who did it. Also, I played with my little sister. That is what I did on Unplugged Night :)
- Betzy

I played my new board game that I never got to actually play, I started making a christmas present for my brother, I worked on my latest comic "GUY," I also worked on another comic "SQUARE FRUIT" and I also built a roof deck for my house in LEGOs. (My brother vandalized it, so I had to build it a 2nd and even a 3rd time.) I read a magazine and my book, <i>The fourth Stall</i>. I put my brother to bed and that was very hard for me because he refused to brush his teeth. So I ended up dragging him to the sink. He ran for his life, so he went to bed without brushing his teeth and with paint covered clothes.
- Brendan

I got a package and opened it, and hung out with my brother. When he went to turn on the TV, I refused and went to read my new books. Then my dad, my brother and I ate Chinese food and my mom came home. While my dad went to the computer for work, I finally got to talk to my mom. After I took a shower and went to bed.
- Jackson

I didn't go onto any electronic device for the whole night. My Mom didn't check her email and we talked. Instead of watching TV, I drew a lot. We played Sorry and Battleship. After eating dinner and walking my dog we came home and played about a million rounds of Battleship. Then I took a shower and drew some more and went to bed.
- Sasha

When I got home, i was really excited to draw. I had the best idea to draw a comic about a bird in a reality show called THE BIRD SHOW. Then, me and my mom's friend came over. They talked while i drew my comic. Then, after dinner, I asked if they wanted to play my favorite board game Cartoona. You have these body pieces and you put then together and make a cartoon character. For every piece, it has a certain amount of points. The person with the most amount of points wins. We play that a lot, so my mom's friend taught me how to play a card game called Rummy. It was really fun but I didn't win. After that, my mom's friend taught me this addicting game called Higher or Lower. We played a round of that then I ran around saying "GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" because I won. Then I brushed my teeth and went to bed. First I drew and then I read. Then I woke up and went to school and started writing this. Unplugged night is a fun thing to do and i'm going to do it once a week. -THE END-
- Porter

I played Battleships with my mum. She won so I made the game go on until I sank all of her battleships. After dinner she read Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire to me.
- Theadora

"Unplugged night" was was probably easier for me because I went to after school first. At after school I went outside, played in the gym, and other activities. When I got picked up it was already around 5:45. I went home and read for homework. My dad started making dinner around 6:30 and I decided to help him; even though it seemed a bit early for dinner. At 7:00, me and my dad played chess ( my mom is in away). I won. We played a few more games and then got bored. This is my favorite part... I started jumping on the couch and doing anything I could to pass the time. Unfortunately, it lasted less than 3 minutes. After that I decided to go back to reading and playing games. The games took a long time because I was making weird sounds the whole time and the cats kept sitting right where we were playing. Before I knew it it was bed time and I went to sleep. Yay!!!!!!!!
- Esti

Last night on Unplugged Night. Me and my family played board games such as Sorry, Monopoly, Battleship and Mancala. We also played cards. My grandma was there, she played also. My sister had Flamenco until 4:30 and I was selling raffle tickets at the school. So we got home at about 4:30. Then we went out to dinner. I think Unplugged Night is a nice opportunity to spend time with your family. I think that everyone should do unplugged night. I am going to do it more often now. If we have another unplugged night, I hope everyone does it next time:D:):)
- Ruby

On Unplugged Night I didn't have much time at home. First, I went to the an appointment and then swim class. I did not use electronics for any of it. When I got home my Dad was watching TV so I told him to turn it off. My Mom had to email an important email so I just thought about what I wanted to do and checked Online sites for craft ideas. Then my Mom said that she wanted to glue fake leaves on Mason Jars to be candle holders so we did and my hands got very messy. My Dad couldn't do unplugged because he had work to do. Then we all decided to do a puzzle. I was just peeling the glue off my hands and playing with my cat. Then I had to go to bed. I read earlier so I didn't have to read. I got home very late so I didn't have much time. Being unplugged is fun and I hope that everyone who didn't be unplugged tries it.
- Sara

Yesterday was unplugged night and I had more fun than I thought I would! I played with my Legos. Me and my brother set up my T.M.N.T. toys and I hope you do it to!!!!
- Connor

What Happened to Our Class Pumpkins?!

They spent October and most of November on Hercules. But now it is time for the 4th annual Harvest Festival Pumpkin-Cupcake transformation.

It's about time they turned into cupcakes already! After some roasting and pureeing, they became cupcake batter along with a pile of chocolate chips. Vegan, of course.

Some vanilla "butter"cream frosting. Savory roasted pumpkin seeds are just an added bonus.

Cooling...

All dresses up with a sprinkle of maple vanilla bean sugar.

And that's how a pumpkin turns into a cupcake.

11.15.2014

Working Hard & Playing Hard

Choice Time helps balance our hard work with down time. It's a time to enjoy each other's company...

and to get a little kooky...

...to do interesting things with scrap paper....

...and to make dry erase art...

Mano A Mano Visits 5-316!

An organization called Mano A Mano visited the 5th grade to provide some background on Dia de los Muertos! Our focus on this holiday previewed some of the geography, history, and customs we will explore more deeply in our Latin American unit.