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