We are almost halfway through the school year! My friends have already started a countdown!
Just a few quick reminders:
Math: We are spending the week reviewing the things we learned in topic 4. We are going over the division rules and practicing both our division and multiplication facts. They brought home their math books today so that they can start reviewing for the test. There are a lot of pages to cover, but a lot of it is just equations. I would have them focus on the questions that required a written response. The topic began on page 166, and we finished on page 228. We will complete the practice test tomorrow. Their math test will be Friday morning. Social Studies: We started going over things last week, so this week we are continuing what we started. Today we started working on the practice test, and some of the questions were a little tricky. We learned a lot of information, so we will have to organize it and decide what is important and what is just “extra” information that helped us understand the information. We started practicing how to summarize paragraphs into 12 words or less, and that has helped them narrow their focus. They brought home their books today to start reviewing. The pages they should review are 48-81. The test date as of now is Thursday. However, if I think we need an extra day, then the test will be Friday. If the date changes, I will send out an email. Important Dates:
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Remote learning is going great. I know it was a big learning curve, and it came with its own challenges, but we’ve handled them with GRACE. Thank you all for doing all that you are doing! The theme this year should indeed be, “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!.”
Math: We are approaching the end of topic 4. We have a couple more lessons to complete before we move into the reviewing stages. The last thing we will go over in this topic is how to solve word problems using multiplication and division. The goal is to take the test next Friday. So, continue to have them use Dreambox and practice their multiplication and division flashcards. Reading: We are wrapping up our unit on immigration. I am really excited about our first field trip, even if it is virtual. We have mastered the skill of making predictions but identifying the theme and the details to support it is still a slight struggle. Please continue to have them practice our reading strategies in their free reading time. Science: We are wrapping up lesson 2 of our second chapter. We were supposed to do a science experiment, but there are not enough materials for each of them to do their own. So, we are just going to move forward without the project. It’s not ideal, but it’s not feasible right now. Since we are indeed reaching the end of our chapter, we will begin the review stages and start preparing for our test. The goal is to take the test next Tuesday. Social Studies: We spent a lot of time learning about economics over the last month. It makes me smile to see and hear them apply what we’re learning to other subjects and their own lives. We are currently finishing up the last lesson, so that means we will be moving into the review stages soon. The goal is to take the social studies test on Thursday of next week. Important Dates:
We are back on the saddle and getting back into the swing of things. With these two weeks of remote learning, we are going to take things slow and stay flexible. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make these two weeks as simple as possible.
As of right now, we are staying remote until December 11. We are due back into the building the week of the 14th and finish out the first half of the school year. I am staying hopeful that we can finish the first half of the school year together. Religion: We were working hard on finishing up our hunger unit project, but life threw us a curveball. So, the hunger unit project is on hold until we come back in January. That would give us more time to put together something great. They were working extremely hard, so I would like for them to see it through. In the meantime, we are moving into our Christmas unit. Although it is a Christmas unit, we are not focusing solely on the birth of Jesus. The overarching question is, “Who is God that he would use ordinary people to fulfill his promise?” We spent some time talking about the people that they knew of that God used to pave the way for the birth of the Messiah. I explained that we were going to learn about Moses & Aaron, Samuel, Ruth, Ester, Elizabeth & Zechariah, Mary & Joseph, and John the Baptist. This unit is always a fun one, with them being able to record themselves pretending to be one of the people that we learned. Things will be a little different this year, but they will still have a chance to do some fun “acting.” Math: We are climbing through topic 4. Division is a little tricky, so we are taking our time. Throughout the school year, we have learned a lot of tricks and tips that will help us master multiplication and division. Learning about fact families two weeks ago has really helped with this division topic. I see them applying what they know about multiplication to help them figure out division equations. (“I know that 7x8=56, so 56/7=8) This week we are focusing on dividing by 8, 9, 0, 1, and even and odd numbers. Just like with fact families, learning about even and odd numbers and their role with multiplication will help with mastering division. Please continue to have them use their math flashcards, and practice the different strategies that we are learning in class. Reading: We started a new unit this week, but a number of the things we are working on are things that we’ve already covered. Last week, we learned about making predictions and identifying the theme in different texts, and we will spend some more time with those. We will also learn about similes and metaphors, which is a small review as we talked about similes when we learned about metaphors a few weeks ago. Some other focal points that we will cover include historical fiction, long e, and singular and plural nouns, This new topic is focusing on immigration, and a lot of the stories that we will read will be about people who traveled from one country to the next. I explained that people who came to America would come in from all sides of the country, and one of the most famous places is Ellis Island. Throughout this unit, we will learn different things about Ellis Island and hear some true stories from immigrants. Next Friday, we will take a virtual field trip to Ellis Island Museum and learn about all of the history that we have preserved. They are very excited for our first field trip, no matter if it is a virtual one! Science: We spent a couple of weeks learning about electricity. They enjoyed the science experiment that we did with the balloon. We also spent some time understanding electric charges and how they are important in determining if objects will attract or repel. This week and next week, we will shift our focus to magnetism. We will learn about electromagnets, magnetic poles, and magnetic fields. Before we end this chapter, we will do a science experiment using magnets. Social Studies: We are still moving through our second chapter. So far, we have learned about goods/services, consumers/producers, and needs/wants. They can explain the differences very well! We also spent some time learning about imports and exports, and why companies would want to import and export goods. When we were in class last, we learned about the three types of resources, natural, human, and capital. They are enjoying our current lesson, as it talks about costs and benefits. I’ve been teaching the lesson in a way that they can connect with, so we’ve played a few rounds of would you rather. Within the game, we have discussed the benefit or cost of our choices. Important Dates:
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