It was wonderful to see you all at conferences this week! Our short week in the classroom was still filled with plenty to do: we visited the science fair, started our Ecosystems unit in science, and set up our Google accounts while familiarizing ourselves with "Google Documents."
One of our 4th graders, Lily, had an ingenious idea: please save (and/ or use!) clear, 2-liter bottles from your Super Bowl parties!! Mrs. Darley generously provided us with 30 bottles so we can begin setting up our ecosystems. Though we have enough to get started, we need to collect 30 bottles to replace what we borrowed. So keep sending those bottles in- Super Bowl is a great place to start!
Reading: We wrapped up our first story of the "Teaming Up To Survive" unit. The story was about a team of explorers' perilous journey to the Antarctic in 1915. Also, although the holidays have been over for more than a month, we persevered and made it through A Christmas Carol! That piece of literature is an incredible teaching tool; the students thoroughly enjoyed Dickens' writing, though difficult at times. We were able to connect the themes in A Christmas Carol to our STAND discussions about Positive Attitude, and Dickens' writing to our own writing strategies. We are happy that we'll wrap up such a long journey next week, but also happy that we did it. It was a special experience to share.
One of our 4th graders, Lily, had an ingenious idea: please save (and/ or use!) clear, 2-liter bottles from your Super Bowl parties!! Mrs. Darley generously provided us with 30 bottles so we can begin setting up our ecosystems. Though we have enough to get started, we need to collect 30 bottles to replace what we borrowed. So keep sending those bottles in- Super Bowl is a great place to start!
Reading: We wrapped up our first story of the "Teaming Up To Survive" unit. The story was about a team of explorers' perilous journey to the Antarctic in 1915. Also, although the holidays have been over for more than a month, we persevered and made it through A Christmas Carol! That piece of literature is an incredible teaching tool; the students thoroughly enjoyed Dickens' writing, though difficult at times. We were able to connect the themes in A Christmas Carol to our STAND discussions about Positive Attitude, and Dickens' writing to our own writing strategies. We are happy that we'll wrap up such a long journey next week, but also happy that we did it. It was a special experience to share.
4th Grade Math: We reviewed the Unit 5 math test and began Unit 6: Division, Map Reference Frames, Measures of Angles. Please encourage your kids to continue practicing their math facts to improve their speed and accuracy. Some ways to do this are skip counting (3, 6, 9, 12...), flash cards, verbally quizzing each other, and using www.xtramath.org. Fourth grade is a pivotal year in math: students are asked to quickly become comfortable recalling their math facts in order to apply them to higher level thinking. It can feel tough really quickly if those basic facts aren't solid!
5th Grade Math: Check out Ms. Wennerberg's website and newsletter for updates: http://www.op97.org/swennerberg/
Science: With started Ecosystems! Our first lesson introduced the concepts of living and non-living things. Throughout our unit we'll learn about how living things depend on each other as well as how they depend on non-living things. As I mentioned above, please keep collecting 2-liter bottles. We need to reimburse Mrs. Darley for the 30 that she donated to our class.
Social Studies: Check out Ms. Wennerberg's website and newsletter for updates: http://www.op97.org/swennerberg/
Social Studies: Check out Ms. Wennerberg's website and newsletter for updates: http://www.op97.org/swennerberg/
Miscellaneous:
- I sent home a permission slip yesterday for two new fieldtrips. We'll visit Brooks Middle School on two different occasions in February; the permission slip covers both trips. Please send it in, signed, with $3.
