Happy chilly Friday!
I hope you are all staying healthy and warm! We have had a warm and cozy week here in the classroom. Here is the rundown:
We finished up the linear measurement part of our math unit. The class learned how to convert inches to feet and yards, and millimeters and centimeters to meters. More importantly, they learned about how to measure perimeter. They all understand how to do this! We will keep practicing it throughout the year. We have moved on to learning about polygons and symmetry and measuring the area of odd shapes. This short unit is hands-on and fun for everyone!
Of course, the most exciting part of our math work this week was our checkbooks. Everyone got paid and entered their paycheck amount into their check register. Then they wrote me a rent check and a tax check (along with a great discussion about why they all owed different amounts for taxes -- based on income) and subtracted those amounts in their check registers. It took a little time to refresh our understanding of the US algorithm, but we all got there! The students seem to LOVE this activity! Some of them are finding out it is hard to make so little money and manage their bills... they don't know this yet, but some of them will receive a "welfare check" later (following a discussion about how our government uses some of our tax money.) Such important life learning!
We continue reading our social issues books in clubs. This week, we focused a lot on figuring out the social issue, and on HOW to have a good, rich book discussion. This takes practice! They are already getting better at it!
In writing, we are still working on our opinion pieces. The students are writing about all sorts of things, ranging from sports teams to friendships to cats versus dogs. The topic is important because a good opinion essay needs 3 solid reasons. For example, I might write "I love ice cream because it is refreshing, it has lots of flavors, and there are so many yummy toppings." My next job would be to write a paragraph saying more about each of those 3 reasons. We are using colors to help us stay organized. Ask your child to explain more about this!
Our civics unit continued this week. After learning about our rights and responsibilities as citizens last week, we shifted into learning about how our government works. This week we learned about the 3 branches of government and what their responsibilities are. The class understands the need for checks and balances. They could all pass a citizenship test!
On Wednesday, February 9 (an early release date) we plan to have our "sale" to celebrate the ending of the checkbook activity. If you have any kid-friendly items that you were thinking of throwing away or donating to Good Will, please consider sending them in. The class will have a blast "buying" each others' stuff! Let me know if you have any questions about this. Thanks in advance!
That's all for this week. Stay warm!
