Here is an update on what your child is studying at school.

Math- We have been working on: solving a variety of problems involving addition and subtraction, reading, writing, and identifying the place value of numbers to the millions and estimating sums and differences. We are taking a test on Monday.  Most students are ready and doing very well.
After Thanksgiving vacation we will have a short unit on angles and polygons.

Science- Students have been very excited to study rocks and minerals. Each day we used food ingredients to demonstrate a type of rock. Igneous rocks are formed by intense heat so we made rock candy by boiling corn syrup and sugar. Sedimentary rocks are formed into layers by pressure. We pressed together different colors of Airheads. This was very fun and even tasted good. (Our igneous rock had a slight burnt taste.) Metamorphic rocks are formed by a combination of heat and pressure. We layered, pressed, and heated graham cracker crumbs, marshmallows, sugar, and chocolate chips to demonstrate this rock. The rock cycle was shows how each rock type can change into another type. We also studied fossils.

The Rock Cycle

student writing

Writing- We have been writing about our ideas in the form of essays. We talk about “pushing our thinking” to generate ideas as we write. One of the essays students have been writing describes what they are thankful for.

Reading: Our reading mini-lessons have been about elements of a story-the plot, characters, and setting. The story The Princess and the Pizza has a plot with a “twist”-a variation from a typical “princess” story.
Most of the time students are given the opportunity to read books of their own choice during reading time. After Thanksgiving, students will be reading Stone Fox in small book club discussion groups. A book club of a few girls is reading the book Esperanza by Pam Munoz Ryan.

Important Dates

April 15 Westshore Symphony Concert

May 6 Voyageur Field Trip

June  Last Day of School

Spring is Here!

Spring arrived Friday at 7:44 a.m.  We tried balancing the egg on end and it actually worked!  I tried it half an hour later with Mr. Gort’s class and it wouldn’t work.  There is just a brief span of time during the spring and fall equinox that this happens.  We are very grateful for the warmer weather.  Students are actually eager to get outside to play.  Please continue to send apparel appropriate for the weather.  Sweatshirts, jackets, and sometimes even mittens are still needed!

Field Trip

On May 6 we will have another class field trip.  We will be going to the Saugatuck/Douglas area to go canoeing.  These will be large “voyageur” type canoes that hold 14 + paddlers.  Naturalists from the Saret Nature Center will be guiding us on a one hour canoe experience. (We really just go across the bayou and back, but we learn a lot about the voyageurs, and have fun!).  Parents are welcome to join us.  A few parents may help with providing “muscle power” on the canoe trip as room permits.  We will have a picnic lunch at a nearby park and go to Mount Baldy for a hike.   Watch for more information!

Math

My students have successfully completed our study of fractions.  We are working on measuring and geometry for the next few weeks.   This is a nice break from some very hard, intense work.

Science

Important Dates:

March 10-Trip to Lansing
March 13-Reading Counts party
March 16-Book Fair
April 3-Spring Break begins

Conferences

Thank you parents for your great support. We achieved 100% attendance meaning every student had at least one parent come to conferences. I always look forward to meeting with each one of you. Together we are a team working to serve your child. I appreciate your insights, suggestions, and hearing your concerns. I always enjoy conferences because it gives me a chance to tell you what wonderful things your child is doing. I appreciate your kind words and willingness to help. Your children want to do well because they know that you expect it of them, and that you care so deeply about their education. It means a lot to me to have a part in this special task.

Social Studies

We are looking forward to our trip to Lansing to visit the capitol and the historical museum. We have been studying the three branches of government (executive, judicial, and legislative) and the levels of government (national, state, and local). This study should make our visit more meaningful as we see where the governing process takes place in our capitol. We have focused on the core democratic values of representative government, check and balances, and popular sovereignty.

Please check the recent posts on the left side of the blog if you need to review important information about our field trip.

Math

My group will be finishing up fractions this week. We will be practicing multiplying a fraction by a whole number for a quiz on Thursday. If that goes well, we will then spend a few days reviewing estimating numbers to the nearest 10 and 100.

Mrs. Jurewicz’ group is continuing their work on fractions.

Mrs. Bouwens’ group is studying methods of multiplying multi digit whole numbers.

Just Write!

We have been working on our fictional stories and they are almost completed! Thank you to the moms who have offered to help type them. I am going to have students begin to type this Thursday, but I know some students with longer stories will need some help.

During the week of May 4, we will celebrate the writing work we have done all year long. This celebration will include tours, skits, podcasts, publications, a famous author visit (Shirley Neitzel), and post stories. Students will be encouraged to wear their Just Write T Shirt on their tour date and throughout the week. If you would like to order one, please turn in your money and the completed form by March 30, 2009. justwritetshirts09

Reading

We have been working on strategies to help us better comprehend what we read. Inferring is a crucial skill readers use in order to make meaning of the text they’re reading. We’re practicing inferring in both fiction and nonfiction material, from articles about the Titanic to Time For Kids to Patricia Polacco books. Inferring takes place when readers use their background knowledge (schema) along with text clues in order to grasp what an author may be telling us without spelling it right out.

Reading Counts Party

All of the students have earned the privilege of going to the Reading Counts “Outer Space” party on Friday, March 13. Congratulations! Our class will go from 1:35 to 2:00 p.m. These students will enjoy a special “outer space” presentation by the Grand Rapids Public Museum literacy program called, Read and Connect.Sally Ride. Students will even be able to touch a piece of the thermal panel from an actual space shuttle, a tektite and a meteorite. Plus, they will be able to see some personal items of our local astronaut hero, Roger B. Chaffee. Lastly, students will be able to sample food that the astronauts would have when they are in outer space! A special thank you to the GR Public Museum for providing this program to schools like ours!

This special presentation will include having the museum’s historical interpreter dressed in full costume as astronaut,

Spring is Coming!

(scavenger hunt clip art=pink tulips)