Reading: The kids did great work talking about and writing about Shiloh this week! Hopefully you caught a glimpse of their discussions in the video that I sent earlier this week. I'm really pleased with how they are maturing in conversation. Oftentimes students will raise their hand with something they'd like to share, all the while missing great thinking and conversation by their peers. Therefore, we've been specifically working on connecting what they want to say to a student prior to them, and then adding on with their own comments. I've observed deeper discussions and better listening- really great work! This weekend the kids should read the last 3 chapters of Shiloh. They'd love for you to read it with them!
I taught the students how to record their thinking on Post-Its as we read in order to pay closer attention to the book itself, as well as how their minds are thinking about the books. This will be something we continue to do throughout the year; it focuses their thinking and helps them feel better prepared for conversation. It also helps them identify confusion. Ask your kids what they wrote about when they read. Do they make connections to other parts of the story, their own lives, or other things they know about? Do they reread when they're confused?
Writing: Narratives are complete! Thanks for your great work with our writers at home. This first unit was a long road, but the kids have come very far in their ability to apply good writing strategies to their work. We are going to make their stories into an Anthology, one for each child, so stay tuned for that before the holidays! Talk with your child about new ideas they might have for writing. Share with them one of your favorite authors or books; if it's not child-friendly, tell them a child-friendly summary! They love to hear about what grown ups are reading.
We also did a learning-style inventory. Students selected one choice among several for a set of question and at the end, tallied their responses to see which style of learning suites them best (for example, when you meet someone new, do you remember their face but no name, their name but not a face, or the place where you met them but neither their name or face). They loved doing it and really got into how we can adapt our learning to accommodate these styles. It will be helpful for us as teachers to know how they prefer to process information. Ask them what style they ended up with, visual, auditory (listening), or kinesthetic (movement)!
Math: This week we continued our multiplication and division unit by learning multi-digit by one digit multiplication. There are three different ways we will be learning and this week we focused on two ways. We learned the area model which is familiar to us since we just learned area and perimeter. We also learned the partial product method which explains how the place value chart helps us in multiplication. We did many problems together and even tried 4 digit by 1 digit problems. Next week we will start to learn the traditional multiplication algorithm. Ask your student if they can show you how to do 234x3 using partial products.
Social Studies: Our election unit is coming to an end! We talked a little more on Monday about the electoral college process and the popular vote. Now students are working on a presentation of what they have learned about the election process. They have a number of topics to pick from and will be creating a slide presentation to share their knowledge. Ask your student how their project is going.
Science: This week we have reviewed what we have learned about Soils and Landforms. We worked at our tables a big question and shared our answers to teach the class what we know. We also worked on an open note check-in with a partner. We will go over the check-in together and make a study guide for our science test in the next week or two. It's hard to believe trimester 1 is almost over! Ask your student how they did on the in class check-in.
Miscellaneous:
WHITTIER FUNDRAISER – GEPPETTO’S TOY BOX HOLIDAY SAVINGS CARD
Please remember to participate in an amazing Whittier fundraiser by purchasing your Geppetto’s Toy Box (GTB) Holiday Savings Card. Your $5 purchase goes directly to the Whittier PTO and in exchange you receive 20% off in-stock items at GTB from 11/22-11/29/16. Plus, you can use the Card as many times as you want during that time. You can purchase your Card by either completing the order form that is being sent home this week (it’s also on the Whittier website and in the Whittier office vestibule) or find Stephanie Thomas on the playground/blacktop either before or after school (she will also be selling them at the Harvest Dance on Friday, 11/18). Whittier benefits and YOU benefit – it’s a win/win!
WHITTIER WELCOME REFUGEE PROJECT – ADULT FILM SCREENING OF “THE GOOD LIE”
Please join the Whittier Welcome Refugee Project for a FREE film screening of “The Good Lie”, staring Reese Witherspoon. The movie tells about a group of Sudanese refugees and their experience upon entering the United States. Following the movie, there will be a discussion with Peter Magai Bul and Gabriel Dut Atem, both of whom spent more than 14 years in refugee camps after fleeing war in the Sudan in the late 1980s. The screening will be in the Whittier Auditorium from 6-9pm on Friday, December 2nd. Please note that the movie is rated PG-13 and you may view the trailer at www.thegoodliemovie.com.
