In hopes that this will be more convenient for you, newsletters will go home on Mondays attached to the assignment notebook. Please sign on Monday to indicate that you’ve read the newsletter. Thanks!
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Rabbi Kahn read us a wonderful story called Colored Water. Ask your child if they can tell you what the story was about. We read a short story about Dr. King’s life a few weeks ago and have been working on special projects that can be seen on the hallway bulletin board. Our new librarian, Helen Chronister, has also been reading the students books related to Dr. King’s work for equality and in honor of black history month.
In math we are continuing our work with division and multiplication. This week our focus is on learning multiples of three. Knowing how to recite the multiples makes it easier to multiply. The children will bring home a mini- book today that they can use to study from until they can say the multiples from memory. Encourage them to practice reciting the multiples whenever they have an extra few minutes in the car, in the checkout line, as they get ready for bed…. If your child still struggles with quickly and accurately recalling addition and subtraction facts, please continue to work on these at home as well. There are quite a few tools available to help your child learn according to his/her learning style. If flashcards don’t seem to be helping, try checking out a CD from the library that sets math facts to songs.
Two spelling tests are coming home today. Please sign the tests and make sure your child corrects the any misspelled words- correct spellings are in the assignment notebook. This week is a review week in our Vocabulary Workshop books, so the spelling words are taken from our new science unit.
Writer’s Workshop in well under way and many students have finished the first draft of their first story. Mrs. Stock is working to help keep things on track and conferencing with children about their stories. All students are also working on Buckle Down Reading. This book reviews reading skills, comprehension, and writing strategies and gives test taking tips.
In science we are shifting our study of resources and soil to engineering. Today we had a special guest speaker, who is an electrical engineer, introduce us to engineering. The children have all received a bookmark and special engineering project to do at home. Our new science unit is called Marvelous Machines: Making Work Easier. In this unit the children will explore and discuss simple machines, technological processes and industrial engineering. They will learn about the connections between the physics of simple machines and their uses in industrial processes. Because engineering projects are hands-on, materials are often required. Several of the materials necessary for this unit are listed below. If you have any of these materials available, please consider donating them to the class before 2/17. Thanks!
Engineering project supplies:
Carabineers CDs Water bottles 0.5-liter and 1.0-liter
No comments:
Post a Comment