9/21/11

Happy Wednesday!

Here are some brief updates about what we are studying in each subject this week!

Math: We continue on with place value, addition and subtraction strategies, and practicing our multiplication facts!  If you notice your student do his/her addition and/or subtraction problems in a different way than how they would "traditionally" be done, don't panic!  Our Investigations math series pushes students to think outside the box a little bit, which in turn gives students a better understanding of numbers and math concepts (we call that "number sense").  We have NOT thrown the traditional way of adding and subtracting out the window, we are just trying new ways of thinking, also!

Science: We are getting ready to start our nutrition research!  Students will be using netbooks to research the food groups/healthy living.  Once we have completed the research, the students will demonstrate their learning by creating a new model/way of representing the food pyramid!  I am looking forward to all of the creative ideas my students come up with!

Social Studies: This week we have worked REALLY hard on locating places on maps using latitude and longitude!  See if your student can tell you the difference between the two!  It is kind of a tricky concept, and we will continue to practice with it.  Next week, we will study the different map types and the purpose(s) for each type.

Language Arts: Earlier in the week, the students had some opportunity to do some creative writing with a story starter that I put on the board.  "One morning, I woke up and saw a dinosaur in my backyard!"  We had so much fun being creative writers, and we definitely enjoyed sharing our crazy stories with the class!  We continue to work on getting familiar with our 7 comprehension strategies (sensory imaging, schema, inferring, questioning, determining importance, fix-up strategies, and synthesizing).  We are also still on our unit titled "Journeys."

Homework for tonight:
* Math - page 61
* Science - None
* Social Studies - Maryland map
* Language Arts - Popcorn bag book report due September 28 (1 week from today)
* Word Journeys - study new words


Reminders:
* Book orders are due THIS Friday, September 23
* Bring a snack and a drink THIS Friday, September 23
* Popcorn bag book reports are due a week from today, Wednesday, September 28
*October 5 - Walk to School Day - more info to come
* Answer the joke on this blog by Friday for a treat!  If I don't have your answer by Friday morning when the bell rings, I will not accept it!

Have a wonderful evening!  See you tomorrow!