Math Updates: We have started our unit on multiplying decimals. Last week we learned how to multiply decimal numbers by whole numbers. We learned that we can multiply these numbers as if they are whole numbers and then place the decimal point in our answer based on how many decimal place values the factors have. We worked on decimal numbers that have place value in the tenths place.
This week we continued our work on multiplying decimals, but this week we multiplied whole numbers by decimal numbers with place values in the tenths, hundredths, and thousandths places. We continued to multiply these numbers the same way that we multiply whole numbers and then we correct the place value in the product. We used the standard algorithm method and we also created area models to represent our work. Science Updates We used pan balance scales and graduated cylinders to find the density of several objects. The students found that density is a ratio which compares Mass and Volume. During this lab, the students came to the conclusion that when the density of an object is less than 1g/cc, the object floats and when the density of an object is greater than 1g/cc, the object sinks. We graphed this lab using Mass and Volume as our coordinates. We formed a claim from the information in our graph and backed up our claim with evidence and reasoning. We also did quite a bit of work in our Super Savers book this week to find out how much water and electricity we are saving now that we have changed our aerators and light bulbs at home. On Wednesday we were lucky enough to have an instructor, Ms. Andrea Dennis, come into our classroom from the Nature Along the Lake/Friends of the Park program. She helped facilitate a discussion about the importance of water to all life on earth. She taught the students an Ojibwe (Chippewa) water song. The students then sang this song in Ojibwe, (pictures on the website). She focused on ways that we can conserve water and how to keep our drinking water clean. The students learned about natural resources in Chicago and about proper hunting and fishing protocol. Finally each student poured a cup of water into a big bowl while saying what is important about our water from Lake Michigan and why we should keep it clean and conserve it. ELA & Social Studies Updates We jumped right back in to learning after winter break. Last Friday during social studies and reading, students worked to build background knowledge about the novel we started this week, Ninth Ward. They worked through centers focused on Louisiana, New Orleans, and hurricanes. In these centers they read articles, watched videos, examined photographs, and took notes on their learning. This exercise broadened their knowledge of the context of the novel. As we began reading the novel, we explored several important elements of fiction: the characters, the setting, and the plot. We discussed how at the beginning of the plot, the author is slowly exposing us to detail about the setting and characters. That’s why it is called the exposition. We also began to think closely about the main character, or protagonist and worked explain her traits. In writing we worked to use mentor texts to help us develop strong opening and closing paragraphs. We also revised our essays to make sure ideas were well connected and clearly linked using transitional words and phrases. Students met with their reading partners to get peerfeedback about their drafts. They proofread the revised drafts for sentence fragments and began to type their final versions. This week’s word study focus were the prefixes pre-, fore-, poster- and after-. Students completed various activities to reflect on the meaning, practice the spelling, and make connections to words that were not on their list. Friendly Reminders and Announcements
Upcoming Dates January 20 No School - MLK Day January 30 End of Quarter 2 January 31 No School - School Improvement Day
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2020
Categories |