It is hard to believe that we have been in school for a month already! We have been working hard in Room 19 and I hope to see this enthusiasm and effort continue throughout the year!
The book I spoke about at Curriculum Night, "A Parents Guide to Understanding Math Education in Today's Schools" has been kindly donated to our classroom. If anyone is interested in borrowing it please contact me! :)
The book I spoke about at Curriculum Night, "A Parents Guide to Understanding Math Education in Today's Schools" has been kindly donated to our classroom. If anyone is interested in borrowing it please contact me! :)
Math - In math we have been working on place value and number sense. This is an important concept for the students because it is used is all aspects of math. Students are learning about the different ways to write a number: standard, expanded and scientific notation. The students are also learning to use powers of ten and what this means. As we expand our knowledge of place value we are also learning about decimals. How to read and write them as well as ordering and comparing them. We will finish this unit with addition and subtraction of decimals.
Your students each received their IXL user name and password. This is a great tool and I highly recommend making IXL a part of your students nightly homework routine. Our class has already logged several hours and over 3,000 problems worked on! Way to go! Below are some areas that will be particularly helpful to practice with this unit.
Place values and number sense:
Decimals:
Add and subtract decimals:
E.6Estimate sums and differences of decimalsReading - In reading we have been working on routines and expectations of Reader's Workshop. As I continue to model what is expected. We just completed our interactive read aloud Frindle. Together the students and I discussed and recorded character traits we inferred as we read. I modeled how to take meaningful reading notes and how to develop these notes into a reading response. The students are currently working on taking meaningful notes from their independent reading books to develop into their own responses. Every night your students are assigned to read for at least 30 minutes and record a thoughtful comment on their reading logs. These comments should be supported with evidence from the text. To help your student with this, discuss the book they are reading. Ask them what they think and why. If you show interest in what your student is reading your student will become even more motivated to read.
Writing - We are working on composing our personal narratives. We have learned many strategies to lift the quality of these narratives such as, quality beginnings and endings, story arcs to help plan, how to find the heart of the story, and how to zoom in on a topic. Now that the student have a draft to work with, we will be applying revision strategies to their drafts. I am excited to see the students excitement for writing!
Social Studies - We have just concluded our study on the Mayan Civilization. The students were very interested in this fascinating culture. I hope to see this enthusiasm continue as we move on to the Aztecs and Incas.
Science - We are beginning our unit on simple machines. We will be studying levers, pulleys, wedges, inclined planes, screw, and wheel and axle.
Living Wax Museum - Your student should be working on their wax museum projects. The information has been given out, books have been chosen, and dates have been set. Your students have a calendar stapled into their assignment notebook that has all the "check in" dates recorded. I look forward to seeing their progress on this project.
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