Happy New Year!

Sierra Scientists Expedition:

We have jumped head first into the new semester with a mini-unit on Scientific Method and Scientific Inquiry.  Students have participated in a black boxes lab, a chemistry lab, and are now building paper airplanes for a method lab- they are loving it!  By learning the process of science, students will gain an understanding of how to “do” science in our expedition. We will begin the BBK for our expedition in the coming weeks!

Language Arts:

Students are now working on the voice writing trait, and just created a fractured fairy tale in which they wrote a parallel story to an original fairy tale.  We began by listening to “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” and then, “The Wolf Who Cried Boy.”  From these examples, students chose a fairy tale, wrote a rough draft, and, based on a rubric, have begun grading their peers on one criteria off the rubric.  

Students have begun their literature circle rounds and are loving their new titles!  So far they have finished three rounds- ask them about what is going on with their characters in the book!

Spelling tests are still taken every Friday, and Daily Oral Language and spelling lessons are on a daily basis.  

Math:

5th graders are learning how to wrap their brains around multiple digit division.  They have been playing three games that focus on taking real-life division examples and solving through mental math, estimation, and conversion, and multiplication menues.  I am very impressed with the dedication and interest the students are showing in class!

4th graders are playing games that revolve around single digit division and are having fun learning a new way to solve these problems!

Please let me know if you can make the fundraising meeting on Thursday January 19th!  
Have a great LONG weekend- no school on Monday!

Julie