I apologize for the lack of updates! The week's keep going by faster and faster now that we are reaching the end of the year (I can't believe I am even saying that to be honest). Anyways, please forgive me for the lack of communication these past few weeks and take a look at what we were up to this week!
Things To Note:
Have a wonderful and (hopefully warm-ish) weekend!
- I/E: We finished "Holes" last week and begin our final projects! Students were given a choice board of project options. These projects were different ways to show their understanding, knowledge and creativity. Some examples of projects were board games, a new book cover, researching outlaws, a "Camp Green Lake" guidebook, and a few more! I love giving options for students to do final projects. It gives them a chance to choose a way they feel the can best express their understanding in a way they enjoy.
- ELA: We took a week off from the traditional reading comprehension areas we focus on, and took the week to learn about writing fictional narratives! This is always a fun writing genre since there is a lot of freedom! Students are able to use their imagination and creativity to write a made up story with characters, dialogue, description and a problem/solution. As always, we also focus on making sure we proofread, edit and revise our writing through peer review and self reflection. I'm looking forward to reading these over the next week! Ask your child to share their writing with you if you get a chance :)
- Greek/Latin Root Words: Cede, Ceed, Cess = go; yield
- Overall, we are getting much better on our weekly quizzes, which has been wonderful to see!
- Greek/Latin Root Words: Cede, Ceed, Cess = go; yield
- Math: We took the week before spring break and last week to learn about least common multiples, denominators, greatest common factors and reducing fractions before officially starting Topic 7, which deals with adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. This topic is one that requires practice, practice, practice! Repeated exposure to the same types of problems help students to understand the process. So far, we have worked on finding common denominators for fractions with unlike denominators, reducing fractions to simplest terms and adding fractions. It can be many steps, but the more we do it, the better students are getting at it! Practicing at home would really benefit your child if they are having a hard time with the homework. We will start subtracting fractions next week!
- Social Studies: We started learning about the American Revolution last week. This has been one of my favorite chapters (maybe because I remember it the best out of all my history lessons in school). Either way, it seems to have interested students as well so maybe it's just one of those easily remembered history topics! We learned about the Boston Tea Party, Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts and the difference between Patriots/Loyalists. We'll continue with the American Revolution over the next few weeks as well.
- Science: After learning about the four different spheres, we've been learning about how different spheres interact with one another. In order to demonstrate this understanding, students were put into partner pairs. They then picked a card with two spheres on the card (e.g. biosphere & atmosphere). Partners then needed to create a google slide presentation that included the name of the two spheres, two examples in the form of pictures where both spheres are represented and a caption for each picture that labels how the two spheres interact and where each sphere was located in the picture. Once students had their google slides completed, they were able to use a recording tool called "ScreenCastify," where they were able to record their presentation audibly while their slides were presented on the screen. This helps students with their presentation and technology skills. We are working on incorporating various media formats into our school work and projects.
- Autism Awareness Month: We took some time each day this week to focus on Autism with April being Autism Awareness Week. We started off by watching a video called "Amazing Things Happen" It was a great introduction video for students to try and understand what autism is. Throughout the week, we talked about why this is an important thing to know about since we all will most likely interact with someone who has autism, most likely in a school setting. Students learned a great deal of facts about autism and essentially how each of us can be a good friend to someone who has it.
Things To Note:
- NO SCHOOL: There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, April 19th or Monday, April 22nd
- OPEN HOUSE: Open House will be Thursday, May 9th from 6-7 pm. More information about this will come home later in the coming weeks :)
Have a wonderful and (hopefully warm-ish) weekend!