LANGUAGE ARTS

1st Grade:  

First graders continued to focus on connections. Notecards with a single word were passed out to each student.  The challenge was for the kids to find the student whose word card connected with the word they held. The kids had fun figuring out how certain words connected.  We then discussed generalizations about connections and furthered their understanding by showing strong and weak connections.  We finished the week making a list of non-connections.  We got a little silly when I started asking if a microwave and a walrus went together! The kids enjoyed coming up with their own ideas!  

Please do not forget to have the kids send back the Shield of Connections assignment that is due Monday! We will assemble the shields on Monday and the kids will present them to the class on Tuesday.    

2nd Grade:  

We continued to work on our connections unit.  The girls looked at each other’s chart of connections and talked about how each chart was similar or different.  Many times the girls made similar, if not the same, categories of connections.  From this we worked on generalizations about connections.  They learned that connections show relationships amongst objects, places, ideas, and people.  This unit will help when we do a future novel study that revolves along the concept of connections.  

3rd Grade: 

On Monday we finished up our discussion on change.  Each group presented their categories of change from last week.  The students came up with generalizations for all change.  Change can be positive or negative.  It can be random or systematic.  Change can be caused by nature or humans.  It occurs at different rates of time.  We then delved deeper by discussing non-change.  We brainstormed examples and then listed those on the board.  

I really enjoyed language arts on Tuesday as we dipped our toes into a unit on the genre of myth! We looked at the following quote by an unknown author, “Aim for the stars; if you fall short, you will land on the moon.”  The kids broke up into two groups.  Each group came up with an explanation of the quote and then drew a picture of this explanation.  They then presented the picture and explanation to the class.  We will go further into myths next week.

4th Grade

Let’s talk about change!  The kids furthered their understanding of change this week through discussing generalizations about change. We also discussed non-change.  We made a list of items that do not change. For example, the months of the year or the past.  I was impressed at how deeply the kids went with this idea as I honestly thought I would have to pull more out of them.  We then developed generalizations about change. Change can be positive or negative.  It can be random or systematic.  Change can be caused by nature or humans.  It occurs at different rates of time.  

MATH

1st grade: 

This week we continued our focus on shapes. Starting with the triangle, we discussed the attributes of every triangle.  They all have 3 sides, 3 vertices, 3 angles and are a closed shape.  After writing those out on the board, the kids were asked to write them down on a Math worksheet.  On Wednesday we had shape stations for three other shapes. The kids broke up into groups with their button buddies (ask about button buddies) and each group listed an attribute of each shape.  By the end they put together that the number of sides, vertices and angles is the same for a shape.  Once finished, we used their ideas to fill out their Math journals.  At the end they were all rewarded for their hard work with a super smelly sticker!

2nd grade: 

We started learning about symmetry!  We began the lesson by looking at a pentagon.  I folded the pentagon in half to show that both sides were the same.  The kids then used mirrors to complete a Math worksheet that asked if certain shapes were symmetrical.  After they flew through the assignment to find lines of symmetry from their Math journals, we went on to look at symmetry with even crazier shapes.  I was so very impressed with this group of kids.  Not only are they extremely well behaved, they work hard!  

3rd grade: More talk about SARAH!  We continued our unit on patterns.  I had the boys use the information we collected last week from our Think Frames to put onto Think Deeply.  We then used this on Thursday’s lesson.  The boys were challenged to play the “My Name Game.”  This game drove the idea home on how to figure out a name problem algebraically.  Using their own name, they had to pick a number between 100 and 300 and figure out what letter that specific number would land on.  If the name had 5 letters we could use multiplication.  For those with 6 or 7 letters in their name, we needed to divide.  So we dipped our toes into a lesson on long division!  Once the kids had a sheet solved using their own name, they marked this as their key.  They then used their answer sheets to quiz their friends.   

4th Grade: Fourth grade continued with Zaccaro packets.  We learned more about variables and then learned how to balance equations.  The concept was difficult at first but by Thursday, after watching a short video about balancing equations, it was like a light went on and they really started to get it!   I love how these kids want to learn the Math and continue each day to be excited to come to class!