We had some special guest readers from Mrs. Blackburn's fifth grade class!
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Weekly Update 11/26/19
During this short week, we focused on being thankful. Students wrote letters of thanks to people who were important to them. They also created "thankful turkeys" to record the many things in their lives they are grateful for.
We had some special guest readers from Mrs. Blackburn's fifth grade class!
A Flat Stanley came back from New York City!
We had some special guest readers from Mrs. Blackburn's fifth grade class!
Friday, November 22, 2019
Weekly Update 11/22/19
We wrapped up our science unit by using an Enviroscape model compliments of MSD to study what happens when pollution and erosion come together in a community. We discussed what a watershed is, and various sources of pollution including fertilizers, chemicals, oil, and litter. The students quickly discovered after creating a "rain storm" that our water supply can become contaminated and harm is done to the environment. Then, they were able to brainstorm solutions that would help stop the erosion on the community model.
In math, we have started Chapter 5 on two-digit subtraction with and without regrouping. We completed lessons, 1, 3, and 4. Next week we will keep practicing the concept of what it means to regroup and the steps needed for regrouping.
In reading, the children have been writing main idea sentences for a paragraph or section of text in a non-fiction book. They have learned to determine importance and only include the key ideas the author is trying to teach them. We also read a Scholastic News article to study non-fiction text features in magazines. The students learned about why leaves change color in the fall.
The children finished up their first drafts of opinion letters in writing. This week was spent learning the parts of a strong conclusion, revising to change boring words to more interesting words, and editing. Peer conferences were held so that partners could ask either other clarifying questions about each other's opinions and offer feedback. Students used goal checklists to help each other revise their work.
It's been a busy week of learning, so we took some time for mindfulness and yoga on Friday!
In math, we have started Chapter 5 on two-digit subtraction with and without regrouping. We completed lessons, 1, 3, and 4. Next week we will keep practicing the concept of what it means to regroup and the steps needed for regrouping.
In reading, the children have been writing main idea sentences for a paragraph or section of text in a non-fiction book. They have learned to determine importance and only include the key ideas the author is trying to teach them. We also read a Scholastic News article to study non-fiction text features in magazines. The students learned about why leaves change color in the fall.
The children finished up their first drafts of opinion letters in writing. This week was spent learning the parts of a strong conclusion, revising to change boring words to more interesting words, and editing. Peer conferences were held so that partners could ask either other clarifying questions about each other's opinions and offer feedback. Students used goal checklists to help each other revise their work.
It's been a busy week of learning, so we took some time for mindfulness and yoga on Friday!
Friday, November 15, 2019
Weekly Update 11/15/19
We kicked the week off with a Veterans Day assembly to honor those who have served our country. Students were able to listen to special guest speaker, Mr. Ray Brantley, who served in the Navy.
In math, we have finished all lessons from Chapter 3 and will be having our test on Monday. Study pages were sent home with students to help them practice for the test. Moving ahead into next week, we will begin to work on subtraction of larger numbers. Students had fun creating numbers in the hundreds with base ten blocks to review place value concepts in centers. Also, take a look at some planes that students engineered from STEM bin materials.
Our study of non-fiction in reading will begin to focus on finding the main idea and supporting details from a section of text. Students are also writing "stop and jot" sticky notes about what they are learning from text features like captions, maps, and diagrams.
We have started our opinion unit in writing. Each child has selected a book with a favorite character in it. They are currently drafting letters that explain why the character they chose is a great character. Students worked hard to outline their reasons and examples using a graphic organizer. Then, they learned how to write an introduction paragraph. Currently, the children are wrapping up their drafts of their first reason with two supporting examples.
Our study of erosion continued in science this week as students worked to answer the question, "How can you stop a landslide?" Teams built cornmeal models of hills and then used a set of given materials to construct something that could protect the hill from rain storms and decrease the amount of erosion. They sketched designs, tested their ideas, and then made observations. Finally, students revised their inventions to make improvements based on what they saw. They learned that some materials worked better than others to cover the hill and absorb water. Many teams were able to engineer creative solutions to prevent the hills from eroding!
In math, we have finished all lessons from Chapter 3 and will be having our test on Monday. Study pages were sent home with students to help them practice for the test. Moving ahead into next week, we will begin to work on subtraction of larger numbers. Students had fun creating numbers in the hundreds with base ten blocks to review place value concepts in centers. Also, take a look at some planes that students engineered from STEM bin materials.
Our study of non-fiction in reading will begin to focus on finding the main idea and supporting details from a section of text. Students are also writing "stop and jot" sticky notes about what they are learning from text features like captions, maps, and diagrams.
We have started our opinion unit in writing. Each child has selected a book with a favorite character in it. They are currently drafting letters that explain why the character they chose is a great character. Students worked hard to outline their reasons and examples using a graphic organizer. Then, they learned how to write an introduction paragraph. Currently, the children are wrapping up their drafts of their first reason with two supporting examples.
Our study of erosion continued in science this week as students worked to answer the question, "How can you stop a landslide?" Teams built cornmeal models of hills and then used a set of given materials to construct something that could protect the hill from rain storms and decrease the amount of erosion. They sketched designs, tested their ideas, and then made observations. Finally, students revised their inventions to make improvements based on what they saw. They learned that some materials worked better than others to cover the hill and absorb water. Many teams were able to engineer creative solutions to prevent the hills from eroding!
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