Welcome to our weekly newsletter update!Below you will find five sections (math updates, reading/writing updates, science/social studies updates, friendly reminders, and upcoming dates). If you have any questions or concerns, please send us an email.
Math Updates Thank you so much to everyone for the Amazon Gift Card before winter break. I really appreciate the thoughtful gift and looking forward to treating myself to something soon! In math this week, we continued our multiplying decimals unit. We worked on multiplying whole numbers by decimals (4 x 0.3), multiplying whole numbers with whole numbers and decimals (4 x 3.4), multiplying with decimals to the hundredths (4 x 3.45), and multiplying with multi-digit factors (43 x 3.45). Next week, we will move to multiplying decimals by decimals without whole numbers. Many students already have multiple strategies to multiply these kinds of problems in our work next week. Most students are either using the area model strategy or standard algorithm for multiplication. In addition, we discussed estimating an answer before solving for the exact answer. This will help students to see if their answer is an accurate one, based on an initial estimate. Many students are struggling with this idea. Check-in with your student to see what they understand about decimal multiplication and estimation. A flier was sent home today about a multiplication workshop led by Mr. Lerner on January 15th at 8:05 AM in the Library. In this fun and interactive workshop, parents and families will learn powerful strategies for helping their children master the multiplication facts. We will also review some fun math games and activities that families can use at home to make practicing fun and effective. Ideal for parents of children in grades 3 - 5. Spanish interpretation provided. As always, please reach out with questions or concerns via email. Reading/Writing Updates This week in reading we continued to analyze the elements of fiction in the novel Tuck Everlasting (Babbit). We explored the concepts of climax and character change in fiction. Students applied this learning to the novels they have been reading independently in a journal entry about a conflict a character in their book is facing and how that character has changed. We will finish the book next week and take an end of book assessment. In writing we explored, got ideas for, and drafted personal narratives. We read Patricia Polacco’s Still Firetalking to see another example of personal narrative as well as a short narrative called “On Respect: What I Learned from Carl”. Students completed quick-writes on what they have learned from others and valuable lessons they’ve had. Next week we will continue drafting and select one draft to develop into a final piece of writing. I want to thank everyone for all of the wonderful gifts. They are truly appreciated. Science/Social Studies On Monday, January 7th, we started our new unit entitled Where We Are In Place And Time. This unit focuses on immigration and migration. The lines of inquiry for this unit are as follows: 1. Patterns affect structures2. The impact perception has on boundaries 3. How organizational structures are connectedOn Monday, during science class, we began dissecting owl pellets. This dissection will help us with our study of food chains, food webs, survival, competition and much more. You can see some photos of our progress at my website under photos: http://peirceroom324.weebly.com/We hope to cover the following scientific concepts over the next 6 or 7 weeks.Cells, Organisms, Organs, classify living things, dichotomous keys Animals, plants, fungus, protists, bacteria Biodiversity, structures (roots, stems, leaves), tree slices and tree ages, photosynthesis Plant responses and adaptations, survival, competition Plant diversity, seeds no seeds, flower no flower, variations within a species Animal diversity, traits, adaptations, life cycles, migrations, inheritance We started studying the history of immigration during social studies class. We will be reading several articles and watching several film clips to prepare for our final debate in March. Our debatable issue is: The United States should embrace relatively high levels of immigration and not adopt policies to significantly reduce immigration. Friendly Reminders
Upcoming Dates January 15: Multiplication Facts Workshop at 8:05 in the Library January 16: Student of the Month Ceremony
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