This week we traveled through Venus and Earth. We experimented with the differences in temperatures between having an atmosphere, and having no atmosphere to see why Venus is so hot. We also got to see why Earth is so special for us, why we are able to survive here above all other places. Homework: Moon JournalFor the next 7 days students should be tracking the moon. They were sent home with a tracker Friday to draw what the moon looks like each night. If they forgot their tracker at school, they can always use a separate piece of paper.
The two lovely ladies on the top left are showing off some of our nominated books. Each Tuesday morning students can nominate a book that they think is worth sharing with the rest of the class. They can give three detailed reasons why they like the book, and then leave it for other's to read. On the bottom this awesome helper is helping clean up after our play dough making during buddy time. Big buddies help little buddies read through a recipe and work together to make play dough. On the top right these kiddos worked as a team to make some creative creations during choice time. Visiting Clarkia's SymposiumLast week our class got a chance to visit Clarkia's symposium where Clarkia students shared what they were learning in their class, along with their work to present it. The Clarkia students did a great job engaging the Huckleberries. FeedbackIn the comments below I'd love to hear what things you like seeing on the website, or what you would like to see more of. I want to make sure that posting here is a good way to communicate about our class to you and that you will want to come back. Please let me know what is most helpful to you!
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This week we explored the sun and Mercury. We experimented with prisms to see how white light is really all of the colors of the rainbow put together. We practiced being strong scientists by researching and taking notes on the sun and Mercury. Test your kids, see what they can tell you about each! Some found that prisms don't just change how we see light, but that they can refract other things as well. VolunteeringJust as reminder, you can sign up to help out in class on our volunteer google doc. Here is thelink: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d2vMuPAQQIBMKjUEfHM4IYSTQIR2ml5PSMy32IiG_TE/edit Thank you to everyone who has been helping in class, it has been wonderful to have you! WritingDuring writing workshop this week we started our unit in narrative writing. We compared the differences between a narrative and an informational text, they then went to write their own narratives. When we research the different planets, students are writing in their space notebooks, so they are practicing informational writing as well. MathDominoes, dominoes, dominoes! We have been learning different games with dominoes to practice making simple addition equations, as well as becoming more fluent in basic math facts (ex. 2+4). If you have dominoes at home, you can play together! Here is one of the games below: Add and Compare (Practicing Simple Equations) -Place all the dominoes in the middle face down. -Each player takes a domino and says what the addition equation would be (4 dots + 3 dots = 7 dots) -Write down your equation and your partner's, then compare. (To simplify the game you can do this verbally and not write it down) -Whoever has the most total dots takes both dominoes and puts them aside in their pile -play continue until there are no more dominoes left in the middle at which point each player counts their total dominoes, the winner is the one with the most dominoes -players high five and say "good game!" This week we started our new unit: Exploring Space. We read some introductory books to space, made space journals for our research about space, and researched each planet to make a scaled size planet for our classroom. Fire Prevention Week: HomeworkOn Tuesday the local fire department came to our school to talk about fire safety with the kids. Each student was tasked with creating a fire escape route with their family in case of an emergency. The class that turns in all their escape routes first wins an ice cream party! The final deadline is October 21. Picture DayPicture day is next Monday, October 17. Students can wear a special picture day outfit, or come in a uniform. Don't forget to send students with their forms and money if you would like to order pictures. Math Resources UpdatedOn the resources page of the website the websites for math games has been updated for this month. Take a look to get some extra practice at home.
Roots Day VolunteersNext week we will be having Roots Day all day Friday. If you are interested in volunteering and joining our fun, you can sign up on http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0f4daaa62da5f94-roots. There are options to sign up to run a single station for the whole day and see all the kids, or sign up to follow one group around for the whole day. Volunteering in ClassAs an easier way to sign up for volunteering, I will be including an invitation to edit a google doc for volunteer sign ups in the weekly email. *If you are volunteering please make sure to check in with the office to get your visitor's pass and to make sure your volunteer hours are being counted! Any guest on campus should be wearing a visitor's pass. Picture Day October 17thOrder forms for pictures went out this week, please check for the form in your child's backpack. If they lost their form there are a few posted on the bulletin board outside our class, or you can get one in the office. Reading/WritingIn writing students have been thinking about what makes a story worth telling. They started their first story booklet this week, ask them what they wrote about and what made it worth sharing. (We talked in class how you might share an emotional story, one that teaches a lesson, a suspenseful story, or an unbelievable story. MathI have already seen so much growth with the first grader's counting. We have been continuing to practice counting using number racks, tallies, and groups of five to quickly recognize an amount of any one item. We also have introduced measuring using popsicle sticks to measure different objects.
The annual mascot challenge is now underway. Design a new mascot for the 2016-2017 school year that shows our spirit and encompasses the school idea of “Explorers”. Your designs need to be turned in to the Bee Keeper’s Office no later than November
2nd. See the MRA newsletter for more information. |
Important DatesMay 22 Independent Project
Presentations Begin June 2 Donuts for Dudes Archives
June 2017
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