UPCOMING EVENTS

Oct. 22nd FALL RECESS - No school 

LANGUAGE ARTS

1ST GRADE:  We continued using the Caesar Cipher Wheel to decode messages.  On Monday, we needed to go back over the instructions on using the wheel. Four days between classes was a little too long for them to retain the complicated steps to figure out the codes.  By Tuesday’s class, however, they were back to working the wheel.  We talked more about deciphering versus enciphering.  Enciphering is making the code and deciphering is breaking the code. We also talked about making a connection between the letters in the code and the letters in the actual word. Next week we will move onto a new cipher.  

2nd GRADE:  The girls continued with their book study.  They have been so enthusiastic about the book that class has been a pleasure.  They even begged to read ahead.  This week the girls took a short T/F quiz on their reading.  After the quiz they did a book walk. I placed five stations around the room.  Each station had a question about the book that the girls needed to answer.  On Tuesday we discussed what they had written and talked more about the book.  Just a gentle reminder that until our book study is complete, the girls will have reading homework most Monday nights and another assignment to have more chapters read by the following Monday.  For Monday, the 18th they have been asked to read chapters 11-15.  

3rd GRADE:  This week we worked together to create a poster of all Folklore.  The kids were given a large sheet of paper that we folded into sections.  We used these sections to write out what makes a myth a myth and how is it is similar or different than a legend.  We had time to read the The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and discuss why it is a legend and not a myth.  We then played a quick game of telephone to show how through time people can change parts of or add onto a story and those stories can become a legend.  We will continue the discussion of myth and legend next week. 

4th GRADE: On Monday, the kids practiced interviewing me for the change interview they were asked to do as homework.  We discussed obtaining enough information from their interviewee to be able to create a multi-paragraph paper.  On Tuesday, after interviewing their subject Monday night, I walked the kids through the process of writing a three paragraph paper.  I modeled the paper using my informing on the white board and the kids used my model to start writing their paper.  We will finish up writing and typing the papers next week.  

MATH

1st GRADE: We started the week by preparing shapes for a game that we will play in the coming weeks.  Four stations were set up around the room with sticky notes.  I broke the kids up into button buddies and put a pair at each station.  Station one and two were folding sticky notes into either triangles or rectangles.  Station three and four were cutting the rectangles and triangles from station one and two into squares and smaller triangles. The kids rotated though the stations.  They did a fantastic job of staying on task and we are well prepared with ample amounts of shapes to use in our games!  On Thursday we finished up folding a few more rectangles and triangles.  I then asked the kids to look around the room and find a shape to share with the class.  The kids enthusiastically took to this activity.  One girl even pointed out that each letter in my October banner was inside of a hexagon!  

2nd GRADE:  My second graders continued working with triangles to make other shapes.  They experimented with different triangle shapes to see which types of triangles could make a square and which could pair up to make a parallelogram.  On Tuesday we investigated the angles of a triangle. I will have the admit that this was a hard concept for the kids.  We discussed that when we add the degrees of each angle together it equals 180 degrees every time.  I showed them some examples.  Then I put examples on the board of different types of angles; obtuse, right and acute.   I showed them that the degree in an obtuse angle is greater than in a right angle and that an acute angles degrees are less than a right angle.   

3rd GRADE:  We continued our work with patterns.  The boys were given an algebraic worksheet with a chart that asked them to find the pattern.  The chart had terms on top and numbers on the bottom.  They quickly figured out that in the first question, the numbers went up by 4.  After figuring this out they had to tell me how to find the 15th term.  They quickly said just count up by four fifteen times.  I then asked, “But what if you needed to find the 156th term?  Could you easily count up by four?”  This made them think and we discussed that if we found an algebraic equation to explain the relationship between top and bottom, they could come up with an answer easily for finding the 156th term.  After a little more thought the kids realized that they could take the term and multiply it by four to get the answer.  After this discovery, they were able to look at more challenging problems.  We worked on the first few together and then I set them free to work as a group.  The boys were on the right path but still needed a little help. Next week we will finish up this lesson. 

4th GRADE:  This week the children were taught a Math magic trick!  Cards with the numbers 1-10 were placed with odds on top and evens on the bottom.  The students were asked to pick 5 cards with a specific rule of only one card from each column.  Next, they had to find the sum of the numbers they choose.  Once they had the sum in their head, I told them that I could find the sum by only asking one question, “How many odd numbers are in your hand.”  I showed the kids the trick and then let them each take a turn picking the cards.  They were amazed that I found the correct answer every time.  Some were so sure that I was cheating I was assigned a “watcher” to make sure I was not cheating.  Kids kept trying to guess how it worked yet none prevailed.  I did tell them that eventually I will reveal the secret and they too will be able to perform the trick.  On Wednesday to help with understanding how the trick might work, the kids were split up into pairs and given a worksheet. We will finish the worksheet next week.  Just a heads up, next week they will be making their own cards and I am pretty sure they will want to test this magic trick out on their parents!