What a week! Between the Turkey Trot, the Harvest Dance, the field trip to Concordia for the orchestra concert, and our academic work, we really packed it in! I want to acknowledge what a fantastic job the 4th graders did, holding down the fort while the 5th graders went to Camp Edwards last week. The 4th graders were responsible, respectful, and had a lot of fun, too. Our 5th graders had an incredible experience at camp this year; what a wonderful group! They, too, were respectful, responsible, and had a blast.
Reading/ Writing: As you all know, we began the Growing Up project this week. We discussed what "family" means (they're not necessarily related to you), and how this project will reflect the students' experiences growing up, as well as their familys' experiences. Most of our time was spent discussing the nuts and bolts of the assignment choices. I also did a mini-lesson on interviewing techniques and we began brainstorming for the autobiography.
I'm looking forward to working through this project with the kids. It's somewhat of a tradition, and one that the entire 4th and 5th grade does at the same time since it connects with our current curriculum. The Thanksgiving break and upcoming holiday season is a nice time for the kids to connect with family and friends on a more personal level while collecting stories, photos, memories and ideas for their projects. For handouts and other information given in class, click here.
4th Grade Math: Our 4th grade math students did an excellent job on their Unit 3 test. We put in quite a bit of extra work on these concepts and it paid off! Now, onto Unit 4: Decimals and Their Uses. We started Unit 4 this week, reviewing the concept of tenths (1/10 or 0.1) and hundredths (1/100 or 0.01). Students practiced writing, comparing, and ordering these values. This is another very difficult unit for many students, so I've again planned to differentiate quite a bit in order to challenge the students as fit. Next week you'll receive the family letter. Ask your kids to convert a fraction in tenths to a decimal. (ex: convert 3/10 into a decimal... answer: 0.3)
5th Grade Math: 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:
- Send in your Box Tops! Each classroom is collecting them; proceeds support the Whittier PTO.
