Sneak Peek at the Past Two Weeks
I would like to thank everyone who attended your parent-teacher conference. I really do appreciate your time and support!
Math: We finished up our Data Unit and have begun our Fraction Unit. We have been using fraction bars to help us develop our "fraction sense." My students have learned that fractions with big denominators are small fractional parts and fractions with small denominators are big fractional parts, and my students have learned how to use the fraction bars to find equivalent fractions. Your child should be able to explain and show you how to do the following:
1. How can I identify mixed numbers and improper fractions when given a picture?
2. How can I use mixed numbers and improper fractions interchangeably?
3. How can I change a fraction to a decimal?
4. How can I find equivalent fractions?
Reading: We have been learning how to locate answers in informational texts. My students have been learning a reading strategy called the QAR (Question and Answer Relationship strategy), which teaches them the four kinds of questions and how to locate answers to those questions. My students should be able to tell you the difference between "Right There" questions, "Think and Search" questions, and "Author and Me" questions. My students are working on identifying and answering these questions as we read our guided reading books about physical and chemcial changes.
Language Arts: During Language Arts, we have been learning how to vary our sentence structure in our writing. My students have been learning how to distinguish between simple setences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences. Identifying these types of sentences is difficult for my students, and we will continue working with this skill. My students have begun revising, editing, and publishing their fictional narratives. They have been working really hard to add similes, personfication, different types of sentence structure, strong verbs and strong adjectives to their stories.
Science: We have begun our Matter Unit during Science. My students have been participating in science experiments for the last two Fridays during Fun Friday to preview this unit, and it definitely has been exciting for them. I hope they told you about making candy apples and grilled cheese sandwiches as well as their mosaic pumpkins. During these experiments, my students have learned the difference between physical and chemical changes in matter. My students should be able to explain and discuss the following:
1. What is matter?
2. What is mass?
3. Which has more mass...an elephant or a deer? Why?
4. If you weigh a ball of clay and then flatten it like a pancake, does it weigh the same? Why?
5. What is a physical change? Name three examples and tell why they are physical changes.
6. What is a chemical change? Name three examples and tell why they are chemcial changes.
Looking Ahead
November 8th- No School/Teacher Workday
November 10th- All Pro Dads
November 21st-25th- No School/Thanksgiving Break
School Wide Reminders
1. Be sure to become a PTA member for only $5.00 to help our school.
2. Parents and students are not allowed to return to the classrooms after dismissal. My students have ample time to pack up and write in their agendas.
Reminders to Parents
1. Please send a note if you change the way your child will be going home. In order to ensure your child is safe, I need a note.
2. Please send in the permission slip for Performing Arts.
3. Please encourage your child to put his/her name on homework assignments. We do this at school, but I still have at least 4-5 "No Name" papers for each assignment I give. This worries me for middle school.
4. Please encourage your child to check his/her homework to ensure he/she has completed every question. I have many papers that are turned in, and they are incomplete. This has turned into a big problem in our classroom. My students are aware of it, and I have been giving "Captain's Consequences" to help my students learn from their mistakes. If they are not checking over their work, they are not following my verbal directions and this concerns me.
Crew Compliments!!
I would like to congratulate my class for winning our school Box Top Competition for grades 3-5. Thank you, parents, for collecting box tops and helping our P.E. Department earn money to buy equipment for our school.
Chloe D. is doing a great job on our morning announcements!
Jasmine, Lauryn, Melanie, Abigail, and Bianca did a great job singing last week along with the other Honors Chorus members!
Ways to Help at Home
1. Please engage your child in a conversation every night about the skills he/she learned that day. They can use their agenda to help them remember everything we learned that day.
3. The following websites are good resources to help your child:
http://media.emgames.com/emgames/demosite/playdemo.html?activity=M5A006&activitytype=dcr&level=3 (mean, median, mode, and range game)
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/math/meanmedianmode.html (mean, median, mode, and range)
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/fractions/memory_fractions3.htm (mixed numbers)
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/fractions/memory_equivalent1.htm (equivalent fractions)
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/fractions/equivalent_fractions_shoot.htm (equivalent fractions)
Lisa Bower
Comments