Hello families. I hope you are all staying warm and healthy! Here is the rundown for this week:
Math: This week we started our fraction unit. So far, we have been finding fractional parts of a 4X6 rectangle, using what we know about 24 to help us find 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, etc. For young math thinkers, it is important to be able to SEE the fractional parts, and to understand what a unit fraction is (1/4 is easier than 3/4, for example.) We have also worked on equivalence, or understanding that 1/2 is the same as 4/8. Yesterday and today, we switched to a 5X12 rectangle, and we worked on finding 1/5 and 1/12, then 2/5, 4/5, etc. This was a difficult switch for the class, but it will all make sense to them eventually as we keep working at it! Next week we will move on to hundredths, and begin to make a connection between fractions and decimals. Stay tuned!
Reading: We are just about finished with our book club unit, and most clubs are close to the end of their books. We have continued to talk about IDEAS and how to push ourselves to discuss in depth rather than always retelling or predicing. We are getting there!
Writing: This week we switched from our opinion writing to persuasive writing. The students are all working on coming up with a thesis and 3 reasons for it. These pieces will be letters to you, to Mr. Williams, to me, to government officials, etc. The point is to try to convince someone to DO something or change something. I am impressed with the topics I have seen so far!
Social Studies: Since we learned about how a bill becomes a law last week, this week we learned all about our state government and about how our General Assembly works. We ended the week by looking at a few actual bills that are on the docket. On Monday, we will have a mock legislature and debate House Bill 28, which if passed, would make it possible for students to opt out of using a computer while at school. We had extensive conversations about who this bill would impact, and how. I think the class is beginning to understand that our legislators have a big job! I know they are all looking forward to the debate on Monday.
Here are a few important details for next week:
- We will have Snow Motion on Monday. Please be sure to send appropriate outerwear, etc.
- We also have our mock legislature on Monday. I have asked the students to dress"professionally" if they want, just to make it feel more like they are actually state representatives. I know this is tricky since it is the same day as Snow Motion, but they can change into their business attire after recess. This is OPTIONAL so please don't let it cause any issues!
- I am still looking for items for our store. Please feel free to send these in!
- How much money do you have in your account?
- What is a welfare check?
- What is a fraction, and is there such a thing as the bigger half?
- Who is Ruby, and what promise did Ivan make to her?
- What is your thesis for your persuasive piece?
