by Jill & Sarah | Dec 16, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we read Dos días de mayo. Our objectives were:
- understand the use of question marks and exclamation points as punctuation for interrogative and exclamatory sentences
- recognize the difference in spellings and meanings between homophone pairs
- recognize digraphs in our spelling list
- review topic sentences and practice identifying them within a paragraph
- use the comprehension strategies such as Asking Questions, Making Connections, and summarizing to construct meaning from the story
- review cause and effect and use it as we read the story the second time
Matemáticas
This week we finished our multiplication unit. Our objectives were:
- Multiply ones, tens and hundreds with regrouping
- prepare for the chapter test by working on “Mi librito de multiplos”,historias de multiplicacion, the chapter review sheet, and our Multiplication charts
- prepare for the chapter test by playing Multiplication Concentration
- students will demonstrate mental multiplication to multiply on the chapter test
- students will demonstrate multiplication of 3 digits by 1 digit with and without regrouping on the chapter test
Kids did a great job on the multiplication test! Keep working on those multiplication facts at home!
History & Geography
Social Studies with Ms. Marci
This week we read about the Western and Eastern Empires and began reading about Romes lasting contributions . We also had fun doing a reader’s theater about Romulus and Remus. The class continued to work on their Roman Contribution opinion papers.
Our objectives were to:
• Identify some of the contributions of the ancient Roman civilization, and describe how they have influenced the present
• identify and locate on a map the following areas : Turkey and Istanbul
• explain that Rome had favorable and unfavorable emporers, and give a few examples
• identify a few factors that led to the decline of the Roman Empire
• explain why the Roman Empire split into two parts: the Western and Eastern Empires
• describe the development of Christianity during the Roman Empire, including the persecution of Christians
• describe the rise of the Byzantine Empire
• identify Constantine the Great as the first Roman Emperor to make laws to end the persecution of Christians, and describe 
his other contributions
History & Geography with Ms. Laura: We studied Japanese cultural traditions: flower arranging, wearing a kimono, growing bonsai plants and doing origami. We enjoyed a special visitor, Ms Mitsue, to help us learn more about Japanese culture and traditions. She showed us some authentic Japanese items and taught us how about origami. We finished this short unit, Japan Today, with a review and assessment, another Japanese folktale, The Crane Wife by Odds Bodkin, and some tasty Japanese style treats.
Science
This week we continued with our Light and Sound science domain. The class had fun exploring tools that use lenses.
We began to read about what color is. We also learned a new song about sound and light waves.
Our objections were to:
• identify light as a form of energy the travels and waves
• describe how light waves travel in different mediums
• explain that color is determined by how light is absorbed and reflected
• explain what causes a rainbow to occur
• identify the spectrum of colors that make up white light
English Word Work
We had our spelling test on Friday. The Gorillas did particularly well this week. In grammar this week we worked on homophones, question sentences and explanation sentences. In our journals we used the word “murmur” in a personal or seasonal story.
Specialists
Art with Ms. Kelly:
Holiday Pictures
Both the 2nd/3rd and 4th/5th graders learned how to use watercolors to paint holiday ornaments and how to use oil pastels to draw tree branches. The students combined these 2 media to make beautiful holiday pictures, some of which have been on the bulletin board at school. We talked about reflections, and using light and dark colors to make the ornaments look three-dimensional. The students layered different colors of oil pastels to create the texture of tree branches. All the students did a wonderful job on this project.
We also had time to create some holiday cards from extra watercolors, and the students learned how to use an art technique called Quilling to create a paper snowflake. Quilling originated in the 1600’s when nuns used feather quills to make paper coils which were combined to create designs. The students rolled paper strips (1” x 12”) around pencils or crayons and then glued the pieces together. Their snowflakes can stand alone or be used as an ornament. These would be fun to try at home!
Have a wonderful holiday!!
Character Education with Ms. Jennie: A huge thank you to all the SWS community for making our 3rd Annual Giving Tree for Share a BIG success. Our van was stuffed full of holiday goodness! Thank you for your kindness and generosity to help those less fortunate!
by Jill & Sarah | Dec 9, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we read Perchas urbanas: donde anidan las aves. Our objectives were:
- learn to apply the context surrounding a word to help discover the concept of words related to a specific topic
- understand the capitalization of names of places
- use comprehension strategies such as asking questions, and summarizing to construct meaning from the story
- review Cause and Effect and use the comprehension skill as we read the story the second time
Students also received their new spelling words on Thursday!
Matemáticas
This week we began working with multiplying multiple digits by one digit. Our objectives were:
- Multiply ones, tens, and hundreds mentally
- Multiply ones, tens, and hundreds without regrouping
- Multiply ones, tens, and hundreds with regrouping
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci.
This week we read about the downfall of the Roman Empire. The class began to work on their research for their Roman Contribution opinion papers.
Our objectives were to:
• locate on a map the following locations: the Mediterranean Sea, Europe, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, North Africa, and Cartridge.
• describe the evolution of government in ancient Rome: monarchy to Republic to empire
• identify some of the contributions of the ancient Roman civilization, and describe how they have influenced the present
• explain that Rome had favorable and unfavorable emperors, and give a few examples
• identify a few factors that led to the decline of the Roman Empire
Social Studies with Ms. Laura: We located Japan and identified it as a country made up of four main islands. We recognized the Japanese flag and learned of its symbolism. We discussed the main geographical features and staple foods of Japan. We learned about haiku and try writing, and illustrating, our own haiku. We recognized Japan as a modern industrial nation, with the large city of Tokyo as its capital. We discussed the many Japanese inventions we use in our lives. We read the Japanese folktale The Greatest of All by Eric Kimmel. It ends with a Haiku!
Science
This week we continued with our Light and Sound science domain. The class learned more about light, how it bends, and how 
some familiar tools and instruments and bend light in interesting and useful ways.
Our objections were to:
• identify light as a form of energy the travels and waves
• describe how light waves travel in different mediums
• explain how light is absorbed, reflected, or transmitted
• describe the three types of mirrors: plane, concave, and convex
• compare and contrast the terms concave and convex
• compare and contrast transparent, translucent, and opaque objects
• describe how mirrors and lenses are used in variety of instruments
• explain how life is refracted
English Word Work
We had our spelling test on Thursday. In grammar this week we reviewed past tense verbs. In journals the class used the word “taunt” and wrote about a time when they either taunted someone or felt taunted.
by Jill & Sarah | Dec 2, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we read Abran paso a las patas! Our objectives were:
- identify whether a verb is in past, present, or future tense
- To use comprehension strategies such as Asking Questions and Predicting to construct meaning from the story during the first read
- Understand that a writer can write stories based in reality or fantasy and be able to identify examples of fantasy or reality within stories
- Introduce book report
- introduce and define new spelling words
Students took home their book report instructions this week. The book report is due January 4, 2018. All of the writing for the book report will be complete in class, students will complete their shoe box diorama at home.
Matemáticas
This week we finished our chapter on Multiplication of 6,7,8, and 9. Our objectives were:
- Divide to find the number of items in each group
- Understand the related multiplication and division facts
- write division sentences for real-world problems
- Divide to find the number of groups
- express division sentences for real-world problems
- Students will review multiplication by creating multiplication Holiday trees!
- students will demonstrate mastery and understanding of multiplication and division on the chapter test
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci.
This week we learned about the significance of Julius Caesar, Augusta Caesar, Marc Anthony, and Cleopatra to Ancient Rome. We finished our Roman lapbooks this week and began brainstorming our Ancient Roman contribution papers.
Our objectives were to:
• identify in locate on a map the following areas: France (the area formally known as Gaul) Spain, England, Germany, North Africa, and Egypt.
• describe the life in contributions of Julius Caesar
• describe the evolution of government in ancient Rome monarchy to Republic to Empire
• describe the role of Cleopatra of Egypt in the Ancient Roman civilization
• identify some of the contributions of the ancient Roman civilization and describe how they have influence the present
• describe the life and contributions of Augusta Caesar as first Emperor of Rome
• explain the significance of the Pax Romana and how it affected the life of Romans
Social Studies with Ms. Laura:
We learned about the Chinese zodiac, by listening to the book Cat and Rat The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac by Ed Young. We made our own zodiacs! We celebrated Chinese New Years with a song and loud parade. We ended Ancient China unit with a review, assessment and some traditional food. We are introduced to our new unit, Japan Today, by reading a Japanese folktale, The Badger and The Magic Fan by Tony Johnston and Tomie DePaola.
Science
This week we began our Light and Sound science domain. The class did a few Light experiments involving the concept of concave and convex as well as refraction and magnification.
Our objections were to:
• recall the census and there corresponding sensory organs
• identify the Sun as Earth mainsource of light and name other light sources
• identify light as a phone is Energy that travels and wave
• explain why life is so important
• describe how late waves travel in different mediums
• explain how shadows are formed
• explain how light is absorbed reflected or transmitted
• describe the three types of mirrors: plane, concave and convex
English Word Work
We had our spelling test on Friday, everyone did really well! The class sorted and practiced their spelling words on Tuesday and Thursday. In grammar this week we reviewed past tense verbs. In our journals we used the word “baffled” and wrote about Thanksgiving break.
Specialists
CHARACTER ED with Ms. Jennie:
Giving Tree update: Thank you to all of you who have purchased gifts for Share’s Giving Tree this year! We have just one more week to get our gifts in. All unwrapped gifts are due back to school on this Thursday, December 7th. If you do forget for some reason, you could also bring them to school on conference day – Friday the 8th. I will be taking all the gifts to Share on Mondaymorning.
December theme for character ed this month is Positive Thinking! We read a wonderful book called Perfect Square last week where a square gets cut, hole punched, ripped, crumpled, etc. and instead of becoming negative about these “challenging circumstances” it decides to transform itself into new, wonderful things like a bubbling fountain or a beautiful landscape. We are constructing our own “square art” and these will be displayed at the end of the hallway. We will also read one more book this month entitled Last Stop on Market Street, which is about a grandma teaching her grandson to look around and see the beauty in everyday things, even things that might be seen as unfortunate or ugly. Check out our bulletin board for the quotes and poems of the month!
Music with Ms. Erin
What we did in November:
– Built familiarity with
the acoustic guitar
– Learned about the life of Tchaikovsky, and listened to his suite from Swan Lake, both piano and orchestral arrangements
– Learned about songwriter Woody Guthrie, and sang This Land is Your Land
– Learned and practiced rhythms using Eighth Notes
– Started our Christmas Carol Lyric Booklet project
Plans for December include:
– Finish our Christmas Carol Lyric Booklets and sing carols
– Learn and sing ‘Hanukkah O Hanukkah’
– Learn how to sing a canon (round) with Hey, Ho, Nobody Home
– Use percussion bells to keep a steady beat with music
by Jill & Sarah | Nov 18, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we were able to complete a writing project with our two full days together! It was great hearing the kiddos speak Spanish all day and having the extra time to do something fun. Our objectives were:
- to use comprehension strategies such as Asking Questions, Clarifying, and summarizing to construct meaning from the text during our first read of Criaturas de la ciudad
- use the comprehension skill Drawing Conclusions as we read the second time
- test spelling words
- understand words that tell us when an action is occurring
- check out library book for the upcoming Book Report
- write a response to a nonfiction book about Thanksgiving
Over Thanksgiving break there is no spelling homework and no reader homework! Kids should be reading their book report book over break, when we get back from break you will get more information on the book report, most of which will be completed in class!
Matemáticas
This week we continued working with multiplication. Our objectives were:
- understand multiplication by using area models, number lines, and array models
- practice multiplication facts of 7,8, and 9
Over the break the only homework is to continue working on Khan!
History & Geography
This week we worked on our Roman lap books and we read about Augustus Caesar and the Roman Empire.
Life on the Silk Road
H & G with Ms. Laura: We learned about the silk … its discovery and its secrets! We ‘role’ played life on The Silk Road, with students acting as Chinese traders, western traders and bandits. We began to study for customs relating to celebration of Chinese New Year, including making some Chinese lanterns, dragon stick figures and singing a Chinese New Years song. We will celebrate Chinese New Years on Tuesday, November 28th! Wear red!
Science
On Thursday and Friday we finished our animal presentations. The students did a great job of presenting in a clear and projected voice, while reading from their report. They also fielded questions and comments from their audience afterwards.
Specialists
The Giving Tree: Look for the tree and the gift tags in the hallway. Information about the specifics of the Giving Tree is posted in the hallway, and we’ll send out more details in an upcoming newsletter as well.
by Jill & Sarah | Nov 11, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
Veteran’s Day assembly
Classifying and categorizing our story!
This week we prepared to read Criaturas de la ciudad. Our objectives were:
- understand the difference between gue and gui and review when there is a soft g vs hard g
- review antonyms and synonyms
- to use the comprehension skill Classify and Categorize as we read El niño que no creia en la primavera a second time
- understand and use commas in a series
Matemáticas
Playing multiplication train!
Playing multiplication train!
This week we worked with multiplication. Our objectives were:
- use multiplication properties
- practice multiplication facts of 6
We also began taking our fast facts multiplication quizzes this week. Students have been doing a great job working on both accuracy and speed!
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci.
This week we learned about the daily life in Rome. We particularly focused on the contrasting differences between patricians and plebeians, and how this inequity caused unrest and ultimately led to the spectacles of the Coliseum and Circus Maximus. We enjoyed a “Roman dinner party” on Thursday and worked on our Roman lapbooks throughout the week.
Our objectives were to:
• Identify some of the contributions from ancient Roman civilization, and describe how they have influenced the present
• explain that women did not have as many rights as men in Roman society
• describe the everyday life of the ancient Romans
• compare and contrast the three categories of people in ancient Rome colon patricians, plebeians, and slaves
• review why ancient Rome was considered a civilization.
Social Studies with Ms. Laura:
We continued our study of Chinese calligraphy by practicing characters. Miria helped us write the characters representing the numbers the numbers 1 through 10. Alora brought her Buddha Board, purchased on our field trip to Lan Su Chinese Gardens last year. She generously demonstrated and shared the use of the board with the class. It was great fun! Thanks Miria and Alora! And Kate brought us her dad’s two authentic Chinese robes, and members of our class modeled them! Thanks Kate and Joe! We discuss some of China’s many inventions, including kites, umbrellas, paper, woodblock printing, gunpowder, fireworks and porcelain. We tried some block printing.
Science
On Monday we took our animal classification assessment, the class did a great job of demonstrating how much they have learned about this subject. We celebrated the end of our domain with popcorn and a film on baby animals in the forest. Everyone has done a great job of 
finishing up their informational paragraphs and getting their animal projects in. We will be presenting their projects and interesting facts throughout the next couple of weeks.
Schedule for presentations:
Thurs. Nov. 9, 2:30 – 3:05 pm – Ben, Emilie, Dean, Marisol, Kate, Pierce
Thurs. Nov. 15, 2:30 – 3:05 pm – Naomi, Natalie, Alora, Luke
Fri. Nov. 16, 2:00 – 3:05 pm – Ayden, Lucas, Gaby, Adi
English Word Work
Spelling and grammar:
Students will not be tested on their new sorts until next Friday the 16th. Spelling homework will be due at that time as well. In grammar this week we reviewed synonyms and homonyms.
In honor of Veteran’s Day, we had two guest veterans from the VFW come speak to the students on Tuesday. The students did a wonderful job of listening and asking thoughtful questions.
Specialists
Art with Ms. Kelly:
The students in all grades have been learning about Pablo Picasso this month in Art. We read a short book about this famous artist, and also looked at several examples of his artwork. Some of the art vocabulary words the students are learning about and/or reviewing this month are Cubism, Realistic, Abstract, and Collage.
We’ve been focusing on Picasso’s use of the guitar and violin as a theme in his artwork. He created a variety of drawings, paintings, collages and sculptures depicting these stringed instruments, some of which are recognizable and some are not. The students then made their own version of a cubistic guitar using the collage technique. The kindergarten and first graders worked really hard on this challenging project!
The students learned how to draw a simple guitar shape by observing a real guitar, and using basic shapes. The following week they cut the guitar drawing into shapes and rearranged it on a background of a variety of papers. It was fun to look at the wonderful compositions (arrangement of shapes) when we displayed the artwork on the whiteboard! The 2nd and 3rd Grade class artwork is on the bulletin board at school. I think Picasso would have loved seeing all the students’ creative, abstract art!
It was great having Miss Erin teach the students about guitar music while we were working on guitar art! We’ll be doing one more Picasso art project at the end of the month.
by Jill & Sarah | Nov 4, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we read El niño que no creía en la primavera. Our objectives were:
- Have students practice comprehension by playing Halloween “Guess Who?”
- understand adverbs that describe time/order, dialog dashes, and adjectives
- to use comprehension strategies such as Asking Questions, Clarifying, Visualizing, and Predicting to construct meaning from the story
- to understand the definition of our new vocabulary in order to better prepare for the spelling test next week
We also worked together on our reader homework this week in class. Monday they will be receiving their new reader homework as normal.
Matemáticas
This week we began learning about the Multiplication Tables of 6,7,8 and 9. Our objectives were:
- Students will practice 4-digit addition and subtraction by playing a Halloween math game
- Use multiplication properties by modeling multiplication on number lines and dot paper, and understanding the commutative property, multiplying by 1, and multiplying by 0
Next week we will begin practicing our multiplication facts at the beginning of each class by taking fast facts quizzes. Students will try to complete each quiz within 4 minutes and with 100% accuracy. Once they have passed a quiz they will move on to the next set of multiplication facts working up to x12. If the student does not pass they will retake that quiz until they are able to pass.
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci.
This week we learned about the Punic Wars and some information about the daily Roman life in the city. We also had fun working on our Roman wax writing tablets.
Our objectives were to:
• identify and locate on a map the following : Mediterranean Sea, Italy, Sicily, North Africa, Carthage, Spain, and the Alps.
• explain the significance of the Punic Wars between ancient Rome and Carthage
• describe the role of Hannibal in the Punic Wars
• describe the everyday life the ancient Romans
• describe the many structures the ancient Romans built, including roads, bridges, aqueduct, and amphitheaters
• Identify some of the contributions from the ancient Roman civilization, and describe how they have influenced the present
Social Studies with Ms. Laura:
We explored the importance of ancestors in Chinese beliefs and tried to understand ways that ancestor worship has been practiced. We wrote letters to a special someone! We talk about the Great Wall of China and read the book The Seven Chinese Brothers. We talked about the Chinese Language and writing. We talked about the importance of written language to a civilization, comparing Ancient China to Ancient India. We practiced some Chinese calligraphy.
Science 
This week we finished our classification of animals domain and read about vertebrate animals around the world. We continue to work on our informational paragraph about an animal of our choosing. Students will be creating their animal, in some form of their choosing, at home next week.
Our objectives this week were to:
• identify cold-blooded or warm-blooded and vertebrate / invertebrate as important characteristics used to classify animals
• identify fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals as groups of vertebrates
• identify basic characteristics of fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals
• close-by particular animals as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, or mammals
• compare and contrast two groups of vertebrates
• identify insect as in invertebrates
• identify insect has the most numerous group of animals that have currently been identified
English Word Work 
We took our spelling test on Friday. For grammar we reviewed proper ways to punctuate quotes in sentences. For giggles, we used Halloween costumes to identify possible character traits and then shared them with the class.
In our journals we used this week’s vocabulary word, “attire” to describe our Halloween outfits.
by Jill & Sarah | Oct 28, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we took our first unit assessment and began our new unit. Our unit assessments consist of a comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and writing piece. We spread our assessments out over two days to make it more manageable. These assessments are used to keep track of the progress our class is making throughout the year. Our objectives this week were:
- Students will demonstrate their comprehension and writing ability and understanding of grammar and vocabulary on the Unit Test
- Introduce new story and new unit WIld Life in the City
- Define new spelling words
- Create visual spelling list
- Take spelling test
Matemáticas
Working on Real-World math problems!
This week we worked with real-world addition and subtraction problems. Our objective was:
- use bar models to solve 2-step real-world problems involving addition and subtraction
Real world problems involve a lot of steps. They must not only understand the story problem and what it is asking for but they must also know what steps to take to get the final answer. Students worked really hard this week and the biggest thing we noticed is that we need to slow down and take each problem step-by-step. We will continue working on real-world problems next week and take our assessment.
History & Geography
Wrath of the Roman Goddesses/Gods
Social studies with Ms. Marci.
This week we had a great time dressing up like Roman gods and goddesses. Each person introduced their goddess/ god and describe them. We also learned about the Roman Republic and played the “Who Am I Game”, identifying patricians, plebeians, slaves, senators, and consuls.
Our objectives were to:
• identify and locate on a map the following: the Mediterranean Sea, Italy, Rome
• Identify and describe ancient Roman gods and goddesses
• explain why ancient Rome was considered a civilization
• compare and contrast the three categories of people in ancient Rome: patricians, plebeians, and slaves
• describe the evolution of government in ancient Rome from monarchy to republic
• describe the importance of forums in Roman society and government
Social Studies with Ms. Laura: We completed our study of Ancient India with a review, an assessment, dressing up and having a special snack, including ghee, the sacred offering to the Hindu god of fire, Agni. We read Ms. Frizzle’s Adventure Imperial China to preview our next unit on Ancient China. We heard about important rivers, farming rice, drinking tea, honoring relatives and ancestors, important Chinese inventions, The Silk Road, The Great Wall of China, The Emperor and Chinese New Years. We began our study of Ancient China by locating two rivers, Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze. We talked about why rivers are both helpful and destructive, comparing the importance of these rivers to those of Ancient India. We talked about the basic principles of Confucianism and tried to see its influence on Chinese government and culture.
Science 
This week in our Animal Classification domain we continued to learn about mammals. The class is preparing to write an informational paragraph/ paragraphs on an animal. They have begun to plan and gather information this week.
Our objectives this week were to:
• observe and describe basic characteristics of an animal
• identify basic characteristics of mammals
• classify particular animals as mammals
• compare and contrast two groups of warm-blooded animals
English Word Work
We took our spelling test on Friday. This week we worked on sorting in different waves in order to help us remember spelling patterns. For grammar, we reviewed predicates in sentences.
In our journals we used this week’s vocabulary word, “eerie” and we also wrote about our field trip.
Thanks to everyone who drove on our field trip. It was not only a beautiful day but a great success.
Specialists
ART:
This month the 2nd and 3rd graders learned about Australian aboriginal dot painting. The students created turtles, fish, and lizards, using q-tips dipped in tempera paint. Then they used this same technique with fall leaves using warm colors in the leaves and cool colors in the background. The students really enjoyed this project and created some beautiful patterns and designs.
The 2nd and 3rd graders also worked on leaf rubbings with crayon and watercolor. They learned how to overlap shapes, and use warm and cool colors to create some beautiful leaf designs.
We also discussed Value, or light and dark, in the artwork. We looked at a Vermeer painting with strong lights and darks, and then the students used chalk pastels to create light and dark sides of a moonlit pumpkin.
Next month – Picasso art projects!
Character Education with Ms. Jennie In November, our theme for character ed will be Compassion and Generosity and we’ll be setting up our 3rd Annual Giving Tree for Share. Believe it or not, it’s that time of year again! Look for the tree and the gift tags in the hallway but the second week of November. Information about the specifics of the Giving Tree will also be posted in the hallway, and we’ll send out more details in an upcoming newsletter as well. Our quote of the month is: “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.” – Booker T. Washington and our featured poem is another seasonal one called “The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven” by Jack Prelutsky. Check out the bulletin board to see what books we’ll be reading as well!
Music with Ms. Erin
What we did in October:
– Learned how to read notation for the Treble and Bass clefs
– Learned about string, brass, and woodwind orchestral instruments
– Featured the cello (student share) and clarinet (teacher share) in the class
– Listened to pieces by famous composers Bach, Saint-Saens, Mozart, Debussy, Rossini, Gershwin, Grieg,
– Learned and practiced rhythm patterns in 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4 time
– Learned musical terms Accelerando, Ritardando, and Rallentando (gradually speeding up and slowing down)
– Learned about the life of composer Antonin Dvorak, and listened to an except of the New World Symphony, and his piece The Noon Witch
Plans for November include:
– Build familiarity with the acoustic guitar
– Sing along well-known songs with guitar accompaniment
– Learn about the life of Tchaikovsky, and listen to his suite from Swan Lake
– Practice note reading in the key of C major
– Learn and practice rhythms using Eighth Notes
by Jill & Sarah | Oct 21, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we read two stories! The first story we read was Compañeros de equipo, the second was La leyenda de Damón y Pitias. Our objectives were:
- use comprehension strategies such as clarifying predicting and summarizing to construct meaning from the text while reading Compañeros de equipo
- use the comprehension skill main idea and details to create Main Idea and Details Spiders as they read the story the second time
- use comprehension strategies such as self-questioning, clarifying, and summarizing to construct meaning from the text while reading La leyenda de Damón y Pitias
- define our new spelling words
Because of the field trip next Thursday we will be having our spelling test on Friday!
Matemáticas
Playing some subtraction games!
Working together on subtraction!
This week we finished our unit on subtracting numbers up to 10,000. Our objectives were:
- Use base-ten blocks to subtract with and without regrouping
- Use base-ten blocks to subtract across zeros
- Write subtraction number sentences
- Solve subtraction word problems
Students did a great job on their test! Next week we will begin Using Bar Models in Addition and Subtraction.
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci
This week we dive deeper into our Ancient Roman Civilization unit. In our journals we wrote a legend after hearing the legend of Romulus and Remus. We have also begun thinking about what we want to include in our lap book for this unit.
Our objectives were to:
• identify and locate on a map the following: the Mediterranean Sea, Italy, Rome, and the Tiber River
• locate the approximate area where the ancient Roman civilization began
• Identify some of the contributions of the ancient Roman civilization, and describe how they have influenced the present
• explain that most ancient Romans worshipped many gods and goddesses
• describe the religion and mythology of ancient Rome as similar to that of ancient Greece
• retail the legend of Romulus and Remus, and explain that this Legend is believed to tell the story of the foundation of Rome
• explain the importance of the Tiber River to the ancient Romans
Social Studies with Ms. Laura
We heard a Buddhist Jataka tale (a fable) and talked about its lesson. We then compared it to the familiar story, ‘Chicken Little’. After we acted out the Buddhist tale for the K/1 class, with our handmade stick puppets, and we listened to a second Buddhist Jatake tale and discussed its lesson. We learned about King Asoka, whose life was changed when he met a Buddhist monk.
On Tuesday, October 24th, we will complete the Ancient India unit with a review of all lessons and topics covered, a unit assessment and a costume party (dress like a person from Ancient India)! Students may bring outfits to school and change during the first part of class or they may dress up in the clothes and jewelry we have in the classroom.
Science
This week in our Animal Classification domain we learned about bird’s beaks and how the shape of their beaks helps scientist identify bird’s feeding habits. We had fun doing an experiment about habits beaks. On Friday we began reading about mammals.
Our objectives this week were to:
• observe and describe basic characteristics of an animal
• explain that scientists classify animals by common or shared characteristics.
• identify fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals as groups of vertebrates
• identify basic characteristics of mammals
• classify particular animals as mammals
• compare and contrast two groups of warm-blooded animals
English Word Work
We took our spelling test on Friday. We did a lot of practice with a partner on Thursday to get ready for our test. In grammar this week we worked on sentence structure, focusing on the predicate.
Just a reminder that we will have our field trip to the Bonneville Dam Visitor Center on Thursday at 9:45. Students should bring a brown bag lunch.
Apparently a little bird told that my birthday was this week. I felt very showered by love from everyone! Thank you so much!! ~Ms.Marcie
by Jill & Sarah | Oct 14, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we focused on grammar and writing. Our objectives were:
- understand how to vary sentences and stay on topic within writing
- continue working on Halloween autobiography
- building a better understanding of what auxiliary verbs are by creating verb trees
- understand what topic sentences are and be able to identify the topic
- understand and be able to identify different types of sentences
Matemáticas
This week we completed Chapter 3 Addition up to 10,000. Our objectives were:
- Review 4 digit addition with and without regrouping.
- Add greater numbers with regrouping in ones, tens, and hundreds
Remember that students should complete 50 minutes of Khan Academy each week!
History & Geography
We wrapped up our World Rivers unit this week. We discussed trade on rivers, worked on river research, took our unit assessment, and celebrated the end of our unit by wearing blue and sampling some “river” related food.
Our objectives were to:
• explain how Rivers help people trade with each other
• refer to a map and describe the locations of the Rhine, Danube, Volga, and Niger Rivers
• understand the meaning of the following domain-specific vocabulary: toll, manufactured good, network, and canal
Social Studies with Ms. Laura: We learned about Diwali, the Festival of Lights, with its many traditions. We heard the story of Prince Siddhartha, who grew up and became Buddha. We explored images of Buddha on the internet and drew our own images.
Science
This week in our Animal Classification domain we learned about bird’s wings and feathers. We examine feathers from several different types of birds and we looked at Edgar to examine a bird’s skeleton. We continued our science experiment and looked at pollution impact on in amphibians and reptiles after an extended amount of time.
Pollution experiment, day 4
Our objectives this week were to:
• observe and describe basic characteristics of an animal
• identify fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds as groups of vertebrates
• identify basic characteristics of birds
• classify particular animals as birds
• compare and contrast two groups of vertebrates
English Word Work
We took our spelling test on Thursday. Nice job everyone for being ready to take it a day early! In grammar this week we worked on linking verbs.
Sharing vacation time
his other contributions
History & Geography with Ms. Laura: We studied Japanese cultural traditions: flower arranging, wearing a kimono, growing bonsai plants and doing origami. We enjoyed a special visitor, Ms Mitsue, to help us learn more about Japanese culture and traditions. She showed us some authentic Japanese items and taught us how about origami. We finished this short unit, Japan Today, with a review and assessment, another Japanese folktale, The Crane Wife by Odds Bodkin, and some tasty Japanese style treats.
• identify the spectrum of colors that make up white light
Holiday Pictures
Character Education with Ms. Jennie: A huge thank you to all the SWS community for making our 3rd Annual Giving Tree for Share a BIG success. Our van was stuffed full of holiday goodness! Thank you for your kindness and generosity to help those less fortunate!
