Thanks so much for all of the contributions and
participation in the Halloween festivities. A special thanks to Nicole
Muller and Simona Matuonto for organizing the forces as well as the team of
moms who helped decorate the room! And, thanks to all of the parents who came
to celebrate, and brought so many great treats for our party. It was so much
fun! Many pictures of the whole class was taken. Please share your photos with
everyone! We would all love to see!
Announcements:
Trimester One Report Cards: Available electronically
on Skyward Friday, November 7th.
A few notes about the report cards:
Standards-based reporting represents a change for students,
parents and teachers. In writing the reports, I realize that we
all have to change our mindset about what standards-based grading means.
Keep in mind as you read the reports:
Many standards are year-long. This means that we will continue
to work and assess the standard and many marks will change for the next
trimester. Most students are in beginning and developing at this time.
I think the best thing to keep in mind when looking at the
marks on the report card is that, if your child is really struggling in class
in an area, we have already talked at Student Led Conferences. I am
extremely proud of the overall progress of the class and feel that every single
student should be proud of the progress made this trimester. I am always
available for conversations about your child’s progress and work within the
classroom. Please email me at anytime to schedule a time to meet.
Please read below to learn what is happening in our Units of
Study this week.
Reading Workshop: Podcasting in Book Clubs!
Students have been meeting in book clubs to share their
ideas, questions, and connections about a book they are sharing with others.
This week, each book club will create a podcast of their thoughts.
Look for these to be popping up on the students’ e-portfolios. Students
will:
·
Prepare to share their ideas using specific details from the text.
·
Follow agreed upon rules for sharing within discussions.
·
Ask “thick” questions and participate in discussions, which
address the questions.
Writing Workshop: The First Literary Essay
Students grasped the concept of the five paragraph essay
based on their feelings about India and we moved quickly onto the literary
essay, which is much more challenging. All students worked to read the
text closely and form a hypothesis about a character. This week students
will put together their essay. Our teaching points will focus on:
·
Writing a simple summary, along with a strong thesis statement in
the introduction.
·
Weaving in a direct quote from the story to act as strong
evidence.
·
Using transitional phrases to help the flow of an essay.
·
Revising for publication.
Math: Factors v. Multiples
Thinking about math in real world situations is a perhaps the
most important thing we will do this year. Often, these get called word
problems. This week, we use the four functions and apply them to real
world situations (which, yes, are usually in the form of word problems). This week, our teaching points will
include:
·
Identifying factors of numbers 1-100.
·
Identifying prime and composite numbers.
·
Exploring the different algorithms for multiplication and
division.
·
Use all four functions as a way to solve different types of math
problems.
Social Studies: Making Salt-Dough, and Making Salt
Dough Maps of South Asia
We are finishing our imovie about how South Asian mountain
range and river systems are born. These will be published on our portfolio
sites within the next two weeks.
As a final assessment of the landforms of South Asia, and
explaining how South Asia has changed over time and continues to change today,
students will make salt-dough maps. And, to practice precise
measurements, we will also be making the salt dough ourselves. Salt dough
is made with only flour, salt, and a small amount of oil. It doesn’t
stain clothes, usually, but it is best if the students come prepared to get a
little messy on Wednesday.
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