Our Research Has Begun…
Hello Families,
It has been a busy week of learning. Here are a few highlights of what is going on in class!
In Math, we are finishing our story problem unit by focusing on multi-step problems. These are problems that have more than one “action”. For example: Kim collected things at the park. She collected 18 red leaves and 13 yellow leaves. She also collected 26 sticks. How many more leaves did she collect than sticks? In this example, our mathematicians work to make sense of the problem and understand that there is a combining component (red leaves plus yellow leaves) and a comparison (comparing total leaves to sticks). And as always, students are trying hard to make their thinking clear to our mathematical community both on paper and orally.
In Social Studies, we have moved into our new unit: New York City Over Time! We are beginning the unit by imagining what life was like in New York City long ago. Some of us imagine “long ago” as a time before cars and subways, when New Yorkers travelled by horse and carriage. Some of us are thinking way back to the age of the dinosaurs and are imagining New York City as a lush, volcanic land. This brings us to our first home extension project, which will go home later this week. In order to make the concept of change over time more personal, students will create a timeline of their own lives to show how they themselves have grown and changed. We hope you enjoy working on this project with your children. We certainly love seeing the finished products!
In Writer’s Workshop, we are taking our research and bringing it to life. We have now gathered our research and are beginning to sort out what we are looking for. We will be taking the questions that we have created and will be organizing our thinking by using index cards. Once we have our cards organized we will look for the answers to our questions. We have started off by looking at a pictures of our topics and describing them. If you child does not have a picture of their topic please send a picture in with them.
In Reader’s Workshop, we are coming to the end of our shared read aloud, Puppy Power. We are focusing on where the turning point is in the story. We will be creating storyboards to illustrate the four parts of the book. (the beginning, middle, turning point and the end) Through the use of the storyboards we will be able to show how our main character, Frannie, has changed throughout the story. We also have learned how character traits can mold and shape a character. We have also created lists of character traits that we would like to have in a friend. Be sure to ask your student what traits they want in a friend.
Just a few reminders, Monday, November 21, 2016 is Family Monday. You will be able to get a glimpse into your child’s classroom environment. In math, we will first go through a typical Morning Meeting. Then we will introduce a problem for the kids to investigate on their own. As they work, you will have a chance to confer with your child and gain some insight into their problem-solving strategies. Next Tuesday, November 22, 2017 we will be taking our class trip to the Wyckoff House. Make sure to dress appropriately and pack an easy to eat lunch. Wednesday, November 23, 2016 is Pajama Day! Also, if your child comes to school with articles of clothes that can come off during the day (ex. Sweaters, hats, scarves etc.) please label them with their name and class. With the moving of classes many students are losing pieces of clothing.
Thanks and have a great week,
Ms. Mathis and Ms. Anne