Class Update 9/29/18

Everyone looked great for picture day!

We wrapped up our science unit on the power of water and how it shapes Earth's landforms with further exploration of erosion. Students created models of plateaus out of cornmeal, salt, and water. Then, they observed how water can carve out canyons, create cliffs, and even wash away land in landslides. The children were able to compare their models to pictures of actual landforms and learn about how this process occurs slowly over long periods of time. We will be switching back to social studies this coming week.

We worked on the first two lessons of Chapter 2 in math this week, which focused on skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. Students also used skip counting to solve word problems more efficiently. This week, we will cover lessons 3 - 6.

In writing, the children have worked through all of the steps of the writing process: brainstorming, planning, drafting, revising, and editing, on their personal narratives. The students have been working more with their writing partners. They are learning how to give a "glow" - something their partner did well, and a "grow" - something their partner could improve upon. Partners are also using editing checklists and goal sheets to make sure they make their writing the best it can be. I am proud of the helpful conversations they have been having! Now, students will begin a second personal narrative about a new topic. Upon completion of their second draft, they will choose one of their stories to publish.

In reading, students are practicing making predictions about their books. They listened to My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother, which is great for making predictions and connections. The children are making both before reading and during reading predictions with stop and jots during independent reading and together in reading groups as well. This is something you can have your child practice at home. The goal is for the prediction to be based off of something that has been read in the text or seen in an illustration from the book.

Class Update 9/21/18

We continued our science unit this week with our second Mystery Science question, "Why is there sand at the beach?" The students were able to learn about the processes of weathering and erosion to see how rock can be broken down into smaller and smaller pieces and carried from mountains all the way to the ocean. The children worked in groups to model this process with paper "boulders".

Later in the week, the students were able to explore different samples of sand and pebbles. They looked at the samples with magnifying glasses and made observations about the size, color, and shape of the sand. Then, they drew conclusions about where the sand came from. Students took pictures of their sand and posted their thoughts to Seesaw.

We have finished Chapter 1 in math, and will begin Chapter 2 next. The second chapter focuses on number patterns. The students will learn concepts related to skip counting, repeated addition, even and odd numbers, and arrays.

In reading, students are beginning to record their thinking with "stop and jots" on Post-It notes. Over the next few weeks they will learn the many types of stop and jots they can do, and practice with their independent reading books. Carpet partners shared stop and jots about connections to get started. Next week, we will focus on the strategy of making predictions about our reading.

The children's personal narratives are coming along nicely. Most students have finished drafting and have been working on revising. They learned different ways to make strong leads that hook the reader, like starting with a sound effect or with talking. The children are also revising to "show" what is happening, rather than to "tell" what is happening by adding adjectives and strong actions. Writing partners have been conferring with each other to help give advice about places to revise each other's writing.

Thank you to everyone who sent back the envelopes to mail our Flat Stanleys! The students cut out their Stanleys and filled out letters to mail to their friends and relatives. Most of the envelopes are stuffed and ready to be mailed out on Monday. If you still need to send in your envelope, please try to do so next week. We can't wait to see what adventures our Stanleys will be up to!

Class Update 9/14/18

We started our first unit in science this week to explore types of water and landforms on Earth's surface. We will be using Mystery Science this year to help the students answer questions and conduct investigations related to the science curriculum. This week's Mystery Science question was "If you floated down a river, where would you end up". The children learned that all rivers flow to the ocean and have a current. They also created a model of the earth and "made it rain" to see how rivers are formed and that they flow from high elevations to low elevations.

In math, we are now focusing on how addition and subtraction are inverse operations. Students are learning how to use related facts to help them solve problems and find missing addends. Next week, we will wrap up Chapter 1 and complete lessons 12 - 13. We will also review the chapter for a test. Review pages will be sent home in the green folder to help prepare for the test, which will tentatively take place on Friday, September 21st.

The children also spent some time on laptops in math centers learning how to access code.org to learn beginner coding skills. We are just getting started, but the students are very interested in learning more about this topic! Partners worked on iPads to do QR code scavenger hunts to solve addition and subtraction fact problems. Finally, many students were able to review their math skills by completing activities on Seesaw. I am proud of how they were able to record their thinking and show what they have learned! An example of one completed activity from Seesaw is below. Connect with your child's account to see what they have been up to. More activities will be posted soon!

Students are doing a great job participating in their reading groups. They are learning strategies to help them read fluently and problem solve tricky words. They are also working on retelling what they have read and checking often as they read to make sure they are understanding the text.

In writing, the students are learning how to craft personal narrative stories. They have each selected a true "seed" story from their past to write about. This week we brainstormed ideas and learned how to plan out the story by telling it across our fingers, adding planning notes to the top of the draft pages, and doing quick sketches. Students are now writing their rough drafts. They are trying hard to use sensory details to make their writing descriptive. Next week, we will continue to move through the stages of the writing process to finish drafting and begin revising.