Weekly Update 3/28/14

Class Updates:

In math, we have spent this week learning about area and perimeter.  Students were able to practice these skills in a variety of ways, including using Cheez-It crackers to help calculate area.  Food always seems to help us learn math!  We will be having a quiz on area and perimeter next week on Wednesday.  Students were also given a yellow Customary Measurement Study Guide with several benchmark measurements.  They should be studying these regularly, just as they would basic facts.  We will be moving into a measurement unit next, covering both customary and metric measurement.

In reading and writing we are learning about poetry.  The students are practicing trying out different forms of figurative language in writing poems of their own.  We are also learning to read poems closely to analyze them for author's craft, theme, mood, and imagery.  Eventually students will be creating mini poetry anthologies.  We are also reviewing the parts of a friendly letter and the children are writing letters to me about the fiction books they are reading.

We have started a new chapter in social studies, which covers events leading up to the Civil War and Missouri's role in the Civil War.  Currently we are focused on the issue of slavery and the Underground Railroad.  We have read some great stories based on true events that have helped bring this time period to life, including The Patchwork Path and Henry's Freedom Box.  We have created quilt squares that represent the hidden meanings used in freedom quilts that helped guide slaves to the north and Canada. Take a look at some of the students' work: