La Lectura
This week we identified and wrote about characteristics of main characters. We also identified author’s purpose.
Students did a great job writing about their Thanksgiving holiday in their Spanish journal. We are working on having complete thoughts, noun-verb agreement, and providing details. After students wrote, they shared their writing with a partner who then needed to illustrate it. This helped the students to recognize if they had provided sufficient text for imagery.
Students have been working with their new spelling list. The spelling test will be next THURSDAY, December 12th.
We did a quick brainstorming session of what makes a good presentation and what specifically should be included in their genius hour presentations, when they are ready. We had our first student share his genius hour project with the cl
ass this week. This has been a great opportunity for the to share their own interests with their classmates while giving an oral presentation. Classmates were asked to provide critique: what were some things that were done really well and what was one thing that could be improved upon?
We learned all about the making of stuffed animals!
Las Matemáticas
We continued working with bar models to represent addition and subtraction problems. We are noticing that our biggest hurdle is copying the problems correctly! We talked about checking our numbers before completing the math.
We are also seeing how fluently knowing our math facts really affects our ability to solve math problems. We have been taking daily math facts quizzes for quite some time but are seeing some kiddos have stalled out. To help encourage progress in fact fluency we introduced www.mathfactspro.com as another way to help practice facts. (We are retiring Prodigy for now. Please have your kiddo practicing their addition and subtraction facts with either flashcards or this online program.)
We will soon be moving into multiplication where knowing addition and subtraction will be used as well. Please help encourage your kiddos to get all these subtraction and addition facts down before moving on to multiplication.
Science
Learning about concave and convex. Photo by Frederick
This week we started a new science unit on light and sound. Our main objectives were to:
* Recall the senses and their corresponding sensory organs
* Recall the senses and their corresponding sensory organs
* Identify the sun as earths main source of light and name other light sources
* Identify light as a form of energy that travels in waves
* Explain why light is so important
* Describe how the light waves travel in different mediums
* Explain how shadows are formed
* Explain how late is absorbed, reflected, or transmitted
* Describe the three types of mirrors: plane, concave, and convex
* Compare and contrast the terms concave and convex
History & Geography
Our new unit is on the Vikings. Our objectives this week were to:
*Identify and locate Scandinavia, the Vikings’ homeland, on a world map
*Describe the Vikings’ way of life at home and at sea
*Describe the purpose of runes
*Understand the meaning of the following vocabulary: raid, fjord, blacksmith, jarl, plunder, ransom, and rune
*Recognize that in addition to being skilled sailors and traders, the Vikings were also fierce and terrifying Raiders
*Explain the original of the word berserk
*Understand the meaning of the following vocabulary: oarsman, berserker, tow, cargo, and goblet
Wednesday Specials
Character Education
This week we were so grateful to have Dr. Torres join us for a special lesson. We brainstormed emotions and read a lovely book “Moody Cow Meditates”. We then made our own Mind Jars. We needed to imagine that this jar is our mind. When we are in a calm state, we can think clearly, and make good decisions. We imagined that the glitter is anger, worry, fear, etc – when those feelings hit, we may feel unbalanced or our thoughts may feel jumbled up. Our mind is cloudy and we can’t think as clearly. If we are still, slow down and take deep breaths our thoughts can settle and we can see more clearly and make better decisions.
Music with Ms. Nadia
During the month of November, we learned all about the Orchestra! This magical group of musicians led by a conductor is composed of four sections: strings, wood winds, brass, and percussion. Each section has their own distinct sound and their own special place on the stage, which we had the opportunity to sketch. Each instrument has its own range (set of notes its able to play). We learned that the bigger instruments have lower ranges. For example, double basses sound low while violins sound high. We had fun learning through games, posters, and drawing activities. Bryce even brought his own violin to class one day, which we compared to my ukulele. (It’s about the same size!) We also used a wonderful online resource which allowed us to listen to each instrument individually. Check it out at www.mydso.com/dso-kids/learn-and-listen/instruments !
As we learned about the orchestra, we continued to learn the song Simple Gifts, which appears in the seventh movement of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Through listening, we learned how to identify when each section is playing. It is a particularly great example of when each section of the orchestra is featured with its own shining moment. “Guess the orchestra section” is a fun game to play at home!