Weekly Update 11/9/19

In math, the children have been learning to add two-digit numbers with and without regrouping. They are also solving word problems that require regrouping. This is usually a tricky new concept at first, but I am proud of how the students are working hard and learning this new skill!  We will cover lessons 6, 7, and 1 from Chapter 3 next week, and then begin reviewing for a test on either Friday or Monday.

Our earth science unit continued this week with students learning about erosion. Groups used models of a river to see how "rocks" could break apart as they travel from high elevations like mountains to low elevations like the ocean. The children learned that sand is made from tiny rocks. They also constructed cornmeal models of plateaus and conducted experiments to see that water could erode the land to form canyons and rivers.

In reading, our study of non-fiction continues. Students are learning about a variety of text features, including, titles, headings, the table of contents, and glossaries. Children are working on clarifying the meaning of new vocabulary words by using glossaries, context clues, and photographs.

The children learned all about the parts of a friendly letter in writing. Then, they wrote a variety of letters to practice their skills. We also read Dear Mr. Blueberry and Can I Be Your Dog? which are both books written as a series of letters. Letter writing will be used in our next big writing unit, which is opinion writing.

This week's Flat Stanley returned to us all the way from Japan!