The students have been learning how to subtract two-digit numbers with regrouping. We will continue with Chapter 4 next week, focusing on lessons 5-9. In centers, students are reviewing how to create numbers in model form using base ten blocks. Several students are also working on creating books about animals that include facts about their size and weight. They are having to conduct research and write the weights in standard, expanded, and model form.
Our reading lessons have been focused on finding text evidence in both the words and the pictures. Students must be able to find evidence that helps support their answers to questions about the books they read. The children are practicing re-reading and highlighting the text evidence in the passage.
In writing, the most of the children have finished their first opinion letters about books. This letter focused on a book with a great character. As students finish, they are recorded themselves read their letters to make a digital book recommendations through Seesaw. Make sure to take a listen to the reasons and examples they gave about why they love their books. Now, students are beginning their second letters and expanding upon what they have learned. They are choosing a new book and will be writing about three reasons they like the book. Reasons can include favorite parts, the title, the pictures, or even a lesson they learned.
Our current social studies unit is about economics in our community. The children have been learning about producers, consumers, goods, and services. We have also discussed the different types of transportation needed to move goods to different places. Some activities have included matching service job titles to their descriptions, brainstorming goods they purchase with their families, and putting production steps in order for a farm that grows melons and ships them to grocery stores. The kids were even able to use what they have learned in reading to add captions to the steps. We have watched videos of different goods being produced in factories, like Crayola Crayons and Airheads candy.
We will be working on a Market Days assessment project for our economics unit over the next few weeks. Students will be working in teams to design and produce goods. The goods will then be "sold" to third grade consumers. Follow the blog to see our progress as we get the project underway. A list of production supplies was sent home in your child's green folder. If you can donate any of these supplies, please send them in with your child. Thank you in advance for any donations!
We had a wonderful assembly with storyteller and arts educator Bobby Norfolk! The students enjoyed listening to and participating in his lively stories.
We wrapped up our unit on matter in science with a final Mystery Science lesson. Students explored the question, "Why are so many toys made of plastic?" They learned that some materials have the property of being meltable. They worked in groups to test four different types of candy to see if they were meltable or not. Students first made predictions, and then carried out the experiment by putting the candies in hot water. Then, they recorded their results. We found jelly beans held their shape the best, and chocolate was the most meltable. Students were also able to watch and discuss videos of how different products are made from meltable materials, including glass figures, crayons, and toys.
This week in math we learned about the "break apart" strategy to help us add bigger numbers using mental math. We also reviewed the lessons from Chapter 5, and we will be having a test over the chapter on Monday. Students should have review pages with extra practice problems in their green folders to help them study. Our next chapter will involve subtracting two digit numbers. Students may want to review their subtraction basic facts to help prepare for this chapter.
In reading, the students practiced reading the whole page when trying to determine the meaning of key word in a non-fiction book. They learned to read on and go back and re-read to look for context clues. They are also learning that good non-fiction readers will often read several books about a topic. Students worked in groups to compare and contrast a variety of books about the same topic. They noticed that the text features, sub-topics, and ways the books are organized can have both similarities, as well as differences.
Students have started their first opinion letters in writing. Each child has chosen a favorite book with a good character. They are writing about why their book has the best character. Students filled out graphic organizers to plan their opinion statement, reasons, and examples. They also learned what goes into a good opinion introduction. We are going to work on the body of our letters next.
We started our week with students learning about the voting process and participating in the Kids Voting election. Each child filled out a voter registration card and was able to cast a ballot!
In science, the students have still been "stuck on a deserted island". Luckily, there was a chicken laying eggs on the island. This week's problem from Mystery Science was to solve how to cook food over a fire without burning their hands. The children learned that some materials have insulating properties and others have conducting properties. They tested aluminum foil, Styrofoam, and cloth to see which material would be the best to make oven mitts from. Students worked in partners to see if they could feel cold and heat from water bottles through the materials. Ask your child which material was the most insulating!
In math, we are continuing to work through Chapter 5. The students are learning to add two-digit numbers together with regrouping. They are also practicing this skill to answer word problems. We have used both base 10 blocks and pencil and paper methods to regroup. This week we will finish the rest of the lessons in the chapter and test either on Friday or Monday. This is a good time for students to brush up on their basic addition facts, as fact fluency is key for adding larger numbers.
We continued to explore text features in reading. This week we covered the index, table of contents, glossary, photographs, drawings, captions, and labels. The children are learning that many new facts can be found by reading text features. Moving ahead, we will be learning a variety of ways to find the meaning of unknown words in non-fiction. We will also be comparing and contrasting key details found in books over the same topic.
We are ready to begin our opinion writing unit. Students will be selecting favorite books to write opinions about. Last week, we read Mercy Watson to the Rescue, which we will use to model writing opinions about a favorite character.
Using the Spelling City app is a favorite way to practice spelling words for the students.
This week's Flat Stanleys returned from San Francisco, Seattle, and Houston!
The students ended the week with a fantastic music program and Veteran's Day celebration. I enjoyed hearing the students sing - they did an amazing job!
