Hi Families,
Yesterday's snow day was a lovely chance to rest and refresh, but it also caused me to forget about my weekly blog. So here is a somewhat abbreviated version just to keep you in the loop.
Math: We are fully into our fraction unit. This week, we tackled decimals and learned how they are related to fractions. We used a 10X10 grid to visualize decimals, and we talked a lot about decimal place value (tenths and hundredths) so that students can read and write them correctly. This coming week, we will begin learning how to put variou fractions in order, and we will also learn about improper fractions and what they mean.
Reading: All groups have finished their social issues books! We are spending a little time just free reading during reading time. This gives everyone the opportunity to have some choice, and also give me a chance to do some reading assessments as I get ready to write up report cards. I am noticing that the class has a lot more stamina than they used do when it comes to reading!
Writing: We are just about finished with our persuasive essays. After learning the format of this kind of essay with their opinion piece, this essay is getting written quickly! The students are becoming proficient at using paragraphs, which is one of the main objectives of this particular unit. Next we will tackle literary essays, using a very similar format.
Social Studies: We finished our civics unit on Monday with a debate. I really enjoyed watching and listening as the "legislators" debated the pros and cons of the bill. They all had nametags and I referred to them all as "Representative Smith, etc." They thoroughly enjoyed this! In the end, the bill did not pass. Since then, we have moved onto a short unit celebrating Black History month. Although we started out talking about and defining racism, we will focus a lot on the lives of both ordinary Black people and those who have done amazing things (not only activists but musicians, doctors, etc.) We will read a lot of books and watch a lot of short videos to spark conversation over the next few weeks.
A few other important points:
Sale: Thank you to all who have sent in items for our sale this Wednesday. If you have anything to send, it's not too late!
Valentine's Day is coming up. Although we won't have a party, I will allow the students to pass out Valentines. Bringing Valentines is completely optional, but if your child brings them, please make sure they bring one for everyone in the class so that we don't have any hurt feelings. Here is a class list:
- Gabe A
- Gabe P
- Maeve
- Jaela
- Lily
- Makaylee
- Aubri
- Greta
- Lorna
- Catherine
- Kuziva
- Noah
- Jack
- Eli
- Aiden
- Dylan
- Myles
- Ellie
- Emma
- JJ
- Malakai
- Cameron
- Abel
