Math
As we are now successfully reading and writing numbers to one million, we will shift our focus to comparing two or more numbers. We will look for what the numbers have in common and how they differ. We will use the words greater than, less than, and equal to in order to compare.
To integrate our geography unit and make real world connections in math, students will use current and previous US Census population data to compare the population across states, age groups, regions, etc. Our goal is to be able to read and analyze large numbers (to the millions) so that we can round numbers the following two weeks. By using Census data, we will be able to infer why population in each state varies. We will be able to infer how geography plays a huge part is the disbursement of US Population.
A helpful website that we will be using in class is http://www.census.gov/schools/census_for_kids/
Our goal is to have weekly quizzes that will assess student progress with each section of material taught. The day we have the quiz will depend on how far we get in teaching the concept. Quizzes will be announced and written in agenda books each week. Math homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday to reinforce concepts students are learning in their small groups that week. If your child is frustrated by the homework and unable to determine a strategy for completion, please write a note on the paper and we will review with him/her the following day.
In addition, students should be practicing their basic facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication) each night. Students must be fluent in all four operations by the end of this year. Two great websites we use in class are:
www.multiplication.com
www.thinkingblocks.com
Over the next two weeks, students will be taking the Measures of Academic Progress Math (MAP-M) so that we can get baseline data to help us meet the needs of each student. Later in the month we will take this computerized assessment for Reading as well.
Reading/Science
This week students will engage in reading informational texts to make generalizations and analyze relationships. We will read various text to determine distinctions between decomposition and competition among various plants and animals that share a habitat.
Each day students will practice what is taught in the mini-lesson in their guided reading group. Teachers will continue to complete reading assessments with students to gain an accurate reading levels to form groups. In guided groups we will read various informational texts to make generalizations about how plants/animals co-exist in the same habitat.
This week each class will take the MAP-R (Measures of Academic Progress, Reading). Our schedule is as follows:
Tuesday: Mr. Bidwick, 1:00
Wednesday: Ms. Hudson, 1:00
Thursday: Mrs. Dynda, 1:00
Social Studies/Media/Writing
In math, we will look at geographic characteristics of various states in order to help us determine present day settlement patterns based on US population.
In Media we will begin to research the geography and settlement patterns of Native Americans before 1400. As a class we will generate research questions to guide our inquiry projects. Each student will select a native culture group to research. We will look to identify the geographic characteristics of the land settled, how the culture shaped the roles of men and women, as well as various other questions once generated. After gathering our research, students will use what they have learned about native culture to craft a historical fiction piece of writing.
Our media time will be flexible and based on the needs of each class. Mr. Bidwick's class is gathering research this week followed by Mrs. Dynda's class the first week of October. Our media time has moved from 11:15 to 1:00 in order to accommodate each grade level's needs. We will also have book check out during that time.
As we prepare for gathering research about various Native tribes in media, in social studies students will gather research about the various regions of settlement of Native people. We will gather as much information as we can about the geography of the land (setting) so that we have enough background information to write our historical fiction narratives about life in a Native tribe pre-European exploration.
In writing, students will analyze research gathered about the region chosen in order to compose a paragraph about setting. The goal is to describe the geographic characteristics of the land and then explain the human characteristics of the settlement/tribe due to the physical characteristics. This setting paragraph will be our second graded writing assignment.
For example, students who research the Eastern Woodlands would be able to note that Native people used the bark from trees to make wigwams for housing. Since trees were an abundant natural resource, there was a ready supply to support the survival of the tribes. Some tribes even made a bark stew to eat!
Science
During this marking period we will study ecosystems, particularly the Chesapeake Bay.
We will observe each animal (cricket, isopod, snail, guppy) and the plants that will provide nourishment for survival. We will examine our habitats (eco-columns) to determine how well our plants/animals are surviving based on our design.
We will also use bread to analyze the process and importance of decomposition. In reading, we will make generalizations about the need for competition and decomposition of specific habitats in order for the successful survival of the ecosystem.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Weeky Newsletter, September 16-20, 2013
Math
As we are now successfully reading and writing numbers to one million, we will shift our focus to comparing two or more numbers. We will look for what the numbers have in common and how they differ. We will use the words greater than, less than, and equal to in order to compare.
We will be flexible in our thinking about place value and flexible in the ways we write numbers. For example, when we have 70 tens, we really have the number 700. The value of the number does not change but we can represent in many different ways.
Questions we will ask: How does thinking about a number in standard form help you interpret the same number when written in expanded form? What strategy helps you determine a number that is 2,000 more than this number? How can we compare two numbers by looking at the placement of each digit?
Our goal is to have weekly quizzes that will assess student progress with each section of material taught. The day we have the quiz will depend on how far we get in teaching the concept. Quizzes will be announced and written in agenda books each week. Math homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday to reinforce concepts students are learning in their small groups that week. If your child is frustrated by the homework and unable to determine a strategy for completion, please write a note on the paper and we will review with him/her the following day.
In addition, students should be practicing their basic facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication) each night. Students must be fluent in all four operations by the end of this year.
Over the next two weeks, students will be taking the Measures of Academic Progress Math (MAP-M) so that we can get baseline data to help us meet the needs of each student. Later in the month we will take this computerized assessment for Reading as well.
Reading/Writing/Inquiry Project
This week students will engage in reading a Junior Great Books realistic fiction selection to compare similar themes in text. During this block, students will learn routines and ground rules for collaborative discussions.
Each day students will practice what is taught in the mini-lesson in their guided reading group. Teachers will continue to complete reading assessments with students to gain an accurate reading levels to form groups. This week we will use the story "Fresh" to note the extent to which each student is able to use text evidence to make inferences. We will also use a vocabulary web to analyze a specific passage from the story to determine key vocabulary.
In writing class last week students wrote the body paragraph of their character analysis including a main idea sentence. The main idea sentence states our opinion of our character followed by specific text evidence to support our analysis of the main character. We looked at an example character analysis to notice how an author uses linking words to show the relationship between his/her opinion and the reasons/evidence from the text. This week we will focus on writing a closing paragraph to revisit our opinion of the character from our opening. We will first listen to each other's paragraphs to make sure they include all required elements. Next we will use various grammar rules to edit and revise our work for spelling and punctuation.
Social Studies/Media/Writing
We will continue to look at geographic characteristics of Maryland to help us determine Native American settlement patterns. By analyzing the natural resources of Maryland, we will justify why various Native people chose to settle in the places they did and examine the pros and cons.
In Media we will begin to research the geography and settlement patterns of Native Americans before 1400. As a class we will generate research questions to guide our inquiry projects. Each students will select a native culture group to research. We will look to identify the geographic characteristics of the land settled, how the culture shaped the roles of men and women, as well as various other questions once generated. After gathering our research, students will use what they have learned about native culture to craft a historical fiction piece of writing.
Our media time will be flexible and based on the needs of each class. Ms. Hudson's class is gathering research in the beginning of the week followed by Mr. Bidwick's class. Our media time has moved from 11:15 to 1:00 in order to accommodate each grade level's needs. We will also have book check out during that time.
Science
During this marking period we will study ecosystems, particularly the Chesapeake Bay. Last week we used the engineering design process to determine the best living conditions for our plants and animals. We built a terrarium to begin growing plants for our insects to eat. Our live animals will be delivered to class during this week. We will observe each animal (cricket, isopod, snail, guppy) and the plants that will provide nourishment for survival. We will also study photosynthesis this week.
As we are now successfully reading and writing numbers to one million, we will shift our focus to comparing two or more numbers. We will look for what the numbers have in common and how they differ. We will use the words greater than, less than, and equal to in order to compare.
We will be flexible in our thinking about place value and flexible in the ways we write numbers. For example, when we have 70 tens, we really have the number 700. The value of the number does not change but we can represent in many different ways.
Questions we will ask: How does thinking about a number in standard form help you interpret the same number when written in expanded form? What strategy helps you determine a number that is 2,000 more than this number? How can we compare two numbers by looking at the placement of each digit?
Our goal is to have weekly quizzes that will assess student progress with each section of material taught. The day we have the quiz will depend on how far we get in teaching the concept. Quizzes will be announced and written in agenda books each week. Math homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday to reinforce concepts students are learning in their small groups that week. If your child is frustrated by the homework and unable to determine a strategy for completion, please write a note on the paper and we will review with him/her the following day.
In addition, students should be practicing their basic facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication) each night. Students must be fluent in all four operations by the end of this year.
Over the next two weeks, students will be taking the Measures of Academic Progress Math (MAP-M) so that we can get baseline data to help us meet the needs of each student. Later in the month we will take this computerized assessment for Reading as well.
Reading/Writing/Inquiry Project
This week students will engage in reading a Junior Great Books realistic fiction selection to compare similar themes in text. During this block, students will learn routines and ground rules for collaborative discussions.
Each day students will practice what is taught in the mini-lesson in their guided reading group. Teachers will continue to complete reading assessments with students to gain an accurate reading levels to form groups. This week we will use the story "Fresh" to note the extent to which each student is able to use text evidence to make inferences. We will also use a vocabulary web to analyze a specific passage from the story to determine key vocabulary.
In writing class last week students wrote the body paragraph of their character analysis including a main idea sentence. The main idea sentence states our opinion of our character followed by specific text evidence to support our analysis of the main character. We looked at an example character analysis to notice how an author uses linking words to show the relationship between his/her opinion and the reasons/evidence from the text. This week we will focus on writing a closing paragraph to revisit our opinion of the character from our opening. We will first listen to each other's paragraphs to make sure they include all required elements. Next we will use various grammar rules to edit and revise our work for spelling and punctuation.
Social Studies/Media/Writing
We will continue to look at geographic characteristics of Maryland to help us determine Native American settlement patterns. By analyzing the natural resources of Maryland, we will justify why various Native people chose to settle in the places they did and examine the pros and cons.
In Media we will begin to research the geography and settlement patterns of Native Americans before 1400. As a class we will generate research questions to guide our inquiry projects. Each students will select a native culture group to research. We will look to identify the geographic characteristics of the land settled, how the culture shaped the roles of men and women, as well as various other questions once generated. After gathering our research, students will use what they have learned about native culture to craft a historical fiction piece of writing.
Our media time will be flexible and based on the needs of each class. Ms. Hudson's class is gathering research in the beginning of the week followed by Mr. Bidwick's class. Our media time has moved from 11:15 to 1:00 in order to accommodate each grade level's needs. We will also have book check out during that time.
Science
During this marking period we will study ecosystems, particularly the Chesapeake Bay. Last week we used the engineering design process to determine the best living conditions for our plants and animals. We built a terrarium to begin growing plants for our insects to eat. Our live animals will be delivered to class during this week. We will observe each animal (cricket, isopod, snail, guppy) and the plants that will provide nourishment for survival. We will also study photosynthesis this week.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Weekly Newsletter, September 9 to 13, 2013
Social Studies
Our focus this week will continue to be all about decision-making. Students will work together to brainstorm class ground rules and develop a list of jobs/responsibilities of all stakeholders (parents, teachers, and students).
We will also look at geographic characteristics of Maryland to help us determine Native American settlement patterns. By analyzing the natural resources of Maryland, we will justify why various Native people chose to settle in the places they did and examine the pros and cons.
Math
Our focus in math will continue to be to read and write numbers to the millions period. We will study three place value periods (ones, thousands, and millions) and analyze the value of each digit. During weeks one and two we've noticed that students need additional practice reading and writing numbers to the millions period (hundred millions, ten millions, and millions). Please encourage your child to read and write numbers to the millions period in number/standard form, word form, and expanded notation. We will continue to reinforce this in class so that students will be able to compare numbers during the next weeks.
We will be flexible in our thinking about place value and flexible in the ways we write numbers. For example, when we have 70 tens, we really have the number 700. The value of the number does not change but we can represent in many different ways.
Questions we will ask: How does thinking about a number in standard form help you interpret the same number when written in expanded form? What strategy helps you determine a number that is 2,000 more than this number? How can we compare two numbers by looking at the placement of each digit?
Our goal is to have weekly quizzes on Fridays. Math homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday to reinforce concepts students are learning in their small groups that week. If your child is frustrated by the homework and unable to determine a strategy for completion, please write a note on the paper and we will review with him/her the following day.
In addition, students should be practicing their basic facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication) each night. Students must be fluent in all four operations by the end of this year.
Over the next two weeks, students will be taking the Measures of Academic Progress Math (MAP-M) so that we can get baseline data to help us meet the needs of each student. Later in the month we will take this computerized assessment for Reading as well.
Reading/Writing/Inquiry Project
In week 3 students will engage in reading a Junior Great Books realistic fiction selection to compare similar themes in text. During this block, students will learn routines and ground rules for collaborative discussions.
Each day students will practice what is taught in the mini-lesson in their guided reading group. Teachers will continue to complete reading assessments with students to gain an accurate reading levels to form groups. This week we will use the story "The Gold Coin" by Alma Flor Ada to note the extent to which each student is able to use text evidence to make inferences. We will be looking for places in the text where Juan (main character) sees or does something that demonstrates a change. We will also use a vocabulary web to analyze a specific passage from the story to determine key vocabulary.
In writing/media students will begin to explore the impact a character has on the telling of a story. By week 5, students will be working to draft their own historical fiction stories. Through our flexible media center time, students will have many options for final products. In class last week students wrote an introductory paragraph to analyze the effect a character had on the plot in their novel. This week we will work on the body of this essay. We will include a main idea sentence that states the reason for our opinion of our character followed by text evidence. We will look at an example character analysis to notice how an author uses linking words to show the relationship between his/her opinion and the reasons/evidence from the text.
Science
During this marking period we will study ecosystems, particularly the Chesapeake Bay. We are asking for 2 Liter bottles so that we can make Eco-columns to house our animals and plants for observation. If you are able to donate, please rinse the bottle (warm water, no soap), peel the labels, and send in the bottles with your child. Students will learn the criteria for a good habitat. They will also learn the distinct characteristics of plants and animals. This week we will use the engineering design process to determine the best living conditions for our plants and animals. We will also build a terrarium to begin growing plants for our insects to eat. Look for our live animals to be delivered the week of September 16.
Our focus this week will continue to be all about decision-making. Students will work together to brainstorm class ground rules and develop a list of jobs/responsibilities of all stakeholders (parents, teachers, and students).
We will also look at geographic characteristics of Maryland to help us determine Native American settlement patterns. By analyzing the natural resources of Maryland, we will justify why various Native people chose to settle in the places they did and examine the pros and cons.
Math
Our focus in math will continue to be to read and write numbers to the millions period. We will study three place value periods (ones, thousands, and millions) and analyze the value of each digit. During weeks one and two we've noticed that students need additional practice reading and writing numbers to the millions period (hundred millions, ten millions, and millions). Please encourage your child to read and write numbers to the millions period in number/standard form, word form, and expanded notation. We will continue to reinforce this in class so that students will be able to compare numbers during the next weeks.
We will be flexible in our thinking about place value and flexible in the ways we write numbers. For example, when we have 70 tens, we really have the number 700. The value of the number does not change but we can represent in many different ways.
Questions we will ask: How does thinking about a number in standard form help you interpret the same number when written in expanded form? What strategy helps you determine a number that is 2,000 more than this number? How can we compare two numbers by looking at the placement of each digit?
Our goal is to have weekly quizzes on Fridays. Math homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday to reinforce concepts students are learning in their small groups that week. If your child is frustrated by the homework and unable to determine a strategy for completion, please write a note on the paper and we will review with him/her the following day.
In addition, students should be practicing their basic facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication) each night. Students must be fluent in all four operations by the end of this year.
Over the next two weeks, students will be taking the Measures of Academic Progress Math (MAP-M) so that we can get baseline data to help us meet the needs of each student. Later in the month we will take this computerized assessment for Reading as well.
Reading/Writing/Inquiry Project
In week 3 students will engage in reading a Junior Great Books realistic fiction selection to compare similar themes in text. During this block, students will learn routines and ground rules for collaborative discussions.
Each day students will practice what is taught in the mini-lesson in their guided reading group. Teachers will continue to complete reading assessments with students to gain an accurate reading levels to form groups. This week we will use the story "The Gold Coin" by Alma Flor Ada to note the extent to which each student is able to use text evidence to make inferences. We will be looking for places in the text where Juan (main character) sees or does something that demonstrates a change. We will also use a vocabulary web to analyze a specific passage from the story to determine key vocabulary.
In writing/media students will begin to explore the impact a character has on the telling of a story. By week 5, students will be working to draft their own historical fiction stories. Through our flexible media center time, students will have many options for final products. In class last week students wrote an introductory paragraph to analyze the effect a character had on the plot in their novel. This week we will work on the body of this essay. We will include a main idea sentence that states the reason for our opinion of our character followed by text evidence. We will look at an example character analysis to notice how an author uses linking words to show the relationship between his/her opinion and the reasons/evidence from the text.
Science
During this marking period we will study ecosystems, particularly the Chesapeake Bay. We are asking for 2 Liter bottles so that we can make Eco-columns to house our animals and plants for observation. If you are able to donate, please rinse the bottle (warm water, no soap), peel the labels, and send in the bottles with your child. Students will learn the criteria for a good habitat. They will also learn the distinct characteristics of plants and animals. This week we will use the engineering design process to determine the best living conditions for our plants and animals. We will also build a terrarium to begin growing plants for our insects to eat. Look for our live animals to be delivered the week of September 16.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Weekly Newsletter, September 2 to 6, 2013
This week's unifying question: What criteria can we use to make a good group decision?
Social Studies
Our focus this week will continue to be all about decision-making. Students will work together to brainstorm class ground rules and develop a list of jobs/responsibilities of all stakeholders (parents, teachers, and students).
We will also look at geographic characteristics of Maryland to help us determine Native American settlement patterns. By analyzing the natural resources of Maryland, we will justify why various Native people chose to settle in the places they did and examine the pros and cons.
Math
Our focus in math will continue to be to read and write numbers to the millions period. We will study three place value periods (ones, thousands, and millions) and analyze the value of each digit. We will be flexible in our thinking about place value and flexible in the ways we write numbers. Our knowledge of place value will help us in week 3 when we will round numbers to various values.
Our goal is week is to have a quiz on Fridays. Our first quiz will take place this Friday, September 6. Students will be expected to read and write numbers to the millions period.
Reading/Writing/Inquiry Project
We will begin the marking period by examining the elements of the genre historical fiction. We will read the story Pop's Bridge to examine the actions of characters and how they impact the story. We will also compare this book's theme to the theme of Freedom Summer to examine the different ways that theme is presented in a story. As the week comes to a close, students should be able to determine the main characters, the point of view their text is told, and be able to identify ways the character's actions impact the development of the plot.
Each day students will practice what is taught in the mini-lesson in their guided reading group. Students were given a novel the first day of school which we hope to finish by this Friday. During these first two weeks, students will be given novels to read based on their guided reading levels from third grade. Teachers will be completing reading assessments with students to gain an accurate reading level to form groups.
In writing/media students will begin to explore the impact a character has on the telling of a story. By week 5, students will be working to draft their own historical fiction stories. Through our flexible media center time, students will have many options for final products. More information will come soon.
Science
During this marking period we will study ecosystems, particularly the Chesapeake Bay. We are asking for 2 Liter bottles so that we can make eco-columns to house our animals and plants for observation. If you are able to donate, please rinse the bottle (warm water, no soap), peel the labels, and send in the bottles with your child. Students will learn the criteria for a good habitat. They will also learn the distinct characteristics of plants and animals. This week we will use that criteria to determine if a Venus Fly Trap is a plant or an animal.
Social Studies
Our focus this week will continue to be all about decision-making. Students will work together to brainstorm class ground rules and develop a list of jobs/responsibilities of all stakeholders (parents, teachers, and students).
We will also look at geographic characteristics of Maryland to help us determine Native American settlement patterns. By analyzing the natural resources of Maryland, we will justify why various Native people chose to settle in the places they did and examine the pros and cons.
Math
Our focus in math will continue to be to read and write numbers to the millions period. We will study three place value periods (ones, thousands, and millions) and analyze the value of each digit. We will be flexible in our thinking about place value and flexible in the ways we write numbers. Our knowledge of place value will help us in week 3 when we will round numbers to various values.
Our goal is week is to have a quiz on Fridays. Our first quiz will take place this Friday, September 6. Students will be expected to read and write numbers to the millions period.
Reading/Writing/Inquiry Project
We will begin the marking period by examining the elements of the genre historical fiction. We will read the story Pop's Bridge to examine the actions of characters and how they impact the story. We will also compare this book's theme to the theme of Freedom Summer to examine the different ways that theme is presented in a story. As the week comes to a close, students should be able to determine the main characters, the point of view their text is told, and be able to identify ways the character's actions impact the development of the plot.
Each day students will practice what is taught in the mini-lesson in their guided reading group. Students were given a novel the first day of school which we hope to finish by this Friday. During these first two weeks, students will be given novels to read based on their guided reading levels from third grade. Teachers will be completing reading assessments with students to gain an accurate reading level to form groups.
In writing/media students will begin to explore the impact a character has on the telling of a story. By week 5, students will be working to draft their own historical fiction stories. Through our flexible media center time, students will have many options for final products. More information will come soon.
Science
During this marking period we will study ecosystems, particularly the Chesapeake Bay. We are asking for 2 Liter bottles so that we can make eco-columns to house our animals and plants for observation. If you are able to donate, please rinse the bottle (warm water, no soap), peel the labels, and send in the bottles with your child. Students will learn the criteria for a good habitat. They will also learn the distinct characteristics of plants and animals. This week we will use that criteria to determine if a Venus Fly Trap is a plant or an animal.
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