La Lectura

Thank you for coming to share the Thanksgiving play with us!  They were all so excited to be able to perform for you!  We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving break next week and are able to compare and contrast your own Thanksgiving traditions with the first Thanksgiving and with Susy’s family.

Please be sure to have the kiddos continue to ready daily during their week off. I have asked them to record their reading 3 times during the vacation. (Record in kidsa-z.com)

I’ve sent the Genius Hour folders home with the kiddos and asked them to start working on any props they plan to use during their presentation. Any posters or text should be done in Spanish.  (Please note: there is no actual due date for their presentation.  This is an open-ended project where kiddos are researching and planning at their own pace.)

Las Matemáticas

2nd / 3rd Graders will be more successful in our next unit of study if they start already comfortable with their Multiplication Facts 0-5.  Here are some fun and helpful links:

Multiplication Fact Practice (0-5): 

Science

We are finishing up our Ancient Rome unit and will start a new science unit when we return from Thanksgiving break.

We also worked on a personal essay about things we are thankful for.  We focused on paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting details.

 

History & Geography

This week our objectives were to be able to:

• Explain what the Temple of Jupiter is and the significance of its location in Rome.
• Describe the activities that took place in Rome´s markets and the Forum.
• Understand the meaning of the following vocab: gladiator and marble.
• Recognize the Colosseum and understand its structure.
• Describe how the Colosseum was used.
• Describe the structure and uses of the Circus Maximus.
• Understand the meaning of the following vocab: Colosseum, arena, and chamber.

 

Character Education

During the month of November we have been focusing on Gratitude and what that means to us.  We have talked about expressing our thanks when others offer us things (not asking if there is more or a different kind of the offered item).  We have talked about being grateful for the time others spend with us, for the love of our families and friends, for the shelter provided to us at home and school, and for the food we eat. We talked about how not everyone has these things and how easy it is for us to take these things for granted.  Sometimes it’s important to stop and think about all the wonderful people, things, and opportunities we have in our lives.  Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect on these things and to give our thanks.

In the month of December we will be focusing on generosity.  We have already spoken about being generous with our time, our words, our actions and our resources.  Our tradition at SWS is to demonstrate generosity through a charitable organization.  This year we are collecting gifts for the YWCA Family Shop, which allows families in need to shop for free.  Tags can be picked up on the SPA bulletin board.  It would be great if you could include your child in this process. All items need to be returned to the school by December 16th.

Art with Ms. Kelly

Fall Still Life (continued from October)

Our goals were:

• Observe real fruits and vegetables
• Use overlapping to create depth
• Add color and texture with tissue paper and water

Henri Matisse Collages

Our goals were:

• Learn about the French artist Henri Matisse
• Look at a variety of his artwork
• Read Drawing with Scissors by Keesia Johnson and Jane O’Connor
• Make a collage by cutting out shapes (without drawing them!)

The students did an amazing job cutting out birds, stars, flowers and leaves to create a collage in the style of Henri Matisse.

Pinecone turkeys

• Use sticker foam to draw and cut out turkey features
• Make turkey “feathers” from pipe cleaners 
• Learn about the difference between paintings and sculptures

The students created a variety of very colorful, fun turkeys! I hope you enjoy these during the 

Thanksgiving Holiday!