Hi there!

Another week, another peek into what’s actually happening in our classrooms. We’re right in the middle of some heavy-lifting standards right now, so this week is all about checking for understanding, tightening up instruction, and giving students tools to work more independently.

Here’s what we’re using this week on the Top Floor 👇

Wrapping Up Survival + Pretesting Our Next Reading Focus​
We’re finishing up our survival unit in our district reading curriculum, but we’re already shifting our focus to what’s next. This week, we’re pretesting students on our upcoming reading standard so we can form targeted reading groups.

We use assessments we’ve created for each standard based on skill ladders, which helps us pinpoint exactly where students are and what skills need the most attention. The resource we pull from is our RI.5 Informational Text Bundle, and right now we’re zooming in on RI.5.5 – Text Structures.

And for this week’s freebie...🎁​
We’re sharing the exact RI.5.5 assessment we’re using so you can pretest your own students and plan reading groups with confidence.

Continuing Adding & Subtracting Fractions (Because… It’s a Tough One 😅)​
We’re continuing to spend time on adding and subtracting fractions because it’s one of those concepts students really need repeated exposure to.

This week, we’re focusing on:

• Multiple strategies for solving fraction problems
• Using an open number line for subtracting fractions
• Applying these strategies to word problems

One resource we’re especially thankful we created is our self-checking subtracting fractions word problem slides. Students work through problems independently and get immediate feedback, including explanations, so they can start figuring out why an answer works. Click here to check them out!​

With 32 students in a room, it’s hard for kids to know if they’re right or wrong in the moment. Self-checking resources help them build confidence and independence without waiting for us to get to everyone.

Starting a New Podcast for Listening Comprehension 🎧​
We’re also kicking off a podcast our students love: The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel. Find the podcast here!​

Podcasts are perfect for that 15–20 minute window after lunch or recess when kids need to unwind but still stay engaged. While listening, our students:

• Take notes on key details
• Write down questions and theories
• Track what they think is happening in the story

It keeps them actively listening instead of passively sitting and leads to some great discussions.

100th Day Is Coming Up (or Already Here!) 🎉​
We know some of you may have already celebrated your 100th Day, but it’s coming up for us soon. We’re actually hitting our 90th day this week, which means we’re officially halfway through the school year… how did that happen?!

If you’re looking for something easy, meaningful, and no-prep to mark the occasion, we use our 100th Day of School Activities for Upper Elementary. It’s print and digital, super simple to implement, and works great even if you’re celebrating a little early or late.

If you made it this far, here’s your freebie! As a thank-you for being part of our email list, we’re sharing the RI.5.5 text structures assessment we’re using this week — completely free. Here's the link: RI.5.5 Assessment​

More classroom updates coming soon!

Joe and Quyen from Top Floor Teachers

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