Merry & Bright Students!
With the holidays upon us, students are doing surprisingly well with staying focused and working hard in school! We have been making a lot of strides in thinking about theme, writing about theme and discussing theme during literacy. During math we have been dividing larger numbers and using our knowledge of place value to help us do so. Our multiplication quizzes were great and I can see that our studying during MAH has been really helpful as we do this more complicated division. We are asking questions, and forming more detailed hypothesis during science. I really could not be happier with our progress at this point in the year! Thank you for always supporting us, even when things get hectic!
Mystery Reader
Next Wednesday, December 23rd is a full day of school. To kick start our winter vacation, we are going to be participating in a fun reading activity called, "Booked In." We are going to spend a large part of that day reading some great books. To add to the fun, I thought it would be great if we could host some MYSTERY READERS.
We are looking for parents, grandparents, or siblings to volunteer to read a favorite picture book or poem to our class on that afternoon. Please let me know (secretly!) if you are available and I will give you some open times to choose from.
Reader's Notebooks
Students have been learning that they can jot down their thinking about what they are reading in many different ways. Here are a few examples of what students are doing in their notebooks as they think about their reading.
Full Steam Ahead!
We are learning so much in our classroom right now! Students are eager to get into the classroom each day to be scientists, explorers, mathematicians, authors and discussers of literature. It has been fun to watch them grow and mature over the past few months. I hope that you are starting to see growth in your child because I am certainly seeing it!
RAH Expectations
Students are expected to be reading the same book at home and at school. This allows us to focus on one set of characters, one plot, one problem and one setting. Having one book at school to read and one at home can create confusion. Sometimes, families want to share special books at home that deviate from what their children are reading in school. This is fine! It just shouldn't be happening all of the time.
Reader's Notebook
Students have been learning to read and notice points in the book that require them to stop and read with more intensity. The stopping points they have learned so far are included in a picture below. We are also learning that we can jot down our thinking so that we can reflect on it, share it with others, and grow new ideas. Tonight, students will be bringing home their Reader's Notebooks to share with you and to continue to jot their thinking as they read. Students shouldn't be writing the entire time, but should stop at least twice to jot down their thinking as they are reading. This is new so please feel free to email me with any questions!
Math
We are well into multiplication and division and studying those multiplication facts at home are really helping students be more successful in school with these concepts. Please don't forget that your child will be quizzed on December 15th on 1-6's. Also, if you are in need of the math websites that include videos and examples of what we are learning in school, please let me know and I can email them to you.
Writing
We are currently wrapping up our literary essay unit and will be making portions of our literary essays into iMovies. Stay tuned for these thought provoking premiers!
Science
We are learning about weathering and erosion and will become engineers in the near future. We are in need of some recyclables for an upcoming project. Here are some things we are looking for....
1. egg cartons
2. bottle caps
3. random pieces of plastic
4. plastic lids & containers
5. toilet paper & paper towel tubes
6. anything you think a child may use to invent something!
Any help you could I give us in collecting these items would be greatly appreciated!
Here are some pictures of students utilizing erosion tables and observing the process of weathering and erosion. They were trying to figure out what may have caused the massive weathering and erosion of the Grand Canyon and apply this learning to their own weathered and eroded play dough sculptures.
