Welcome back from Spring Break!  

Keep Tahoe Green?…The Chemistry of the Asian Clam Expedition:

Students are involved in the first case study “The Algal Bloom.”  Beginning with atomic structure and moving into the periodic table, students have been working up to focusing on Phosphorous and Nitrogen as key players in our local aquatic ecosystems.  Students are going to focus on the atomic structure of N + P and build models of these elements, complete with the correct protons, neutrons, and electrons.  Students also participated in fieldwork at Donner Lake working through centers based on the ecology of Corbicula fluminea.    We harvested live specimens from the lake bed to conduct our second case study project as well.  Very exciting!  Students are learning how to write a proper lab report, following the steps of the scientific method, through various chemistry experiments.

 

Mathematics:

5th graders are building upon their knowledge base of fractions by examining the relationship between fractions and decimals.  Tenths, hundreths, and thousandths are charted on a grid and expressed in fraction form, and, finally by dividing the numerator by the demoninator, students can see how that fraction can be expressed as a decimal.  Students are also dissecting STAR test prep material to prepare for state testing in May, as well as practicing how to “write about math” in their daily math ISN.  

 

Literacy:

Students continue to practice their Daily 5 work while staying mindful of their reading stragegy goals.  Students are conferencing with Reading Specialists and me regularly, and respond daily to what they read.  We continue to stay current with conventions practice by Wordly Wise and Spelling work.  For our writer’s workshop, students designed a Decalogue piece based off of a modeled assignment from Because of Winn Dixie.  It was peer reviewed and students have drafted a final.  From that piece, students will then write a narrative from the character’s perspective.

 

Upcoming Events:

We have alot of fieldwork coming up- please pay close attention to the incoming emails and correspondance.

Goal Setting Conferences are coming up next week- the calendar is open, please sign up via email on the google document or send a note with your child with a requested time slot.

Next week we have a minimum day on Wednesday and Thursday.

April 20 is the SELS yard sale- see the Director’s notes for more information.

***Major THANK YOU!!!  to all of the Fieldwork Coordinators and Chaperones on our recent to soon-to-be fieldwork!!!!

Proudly,

Julie