January Newsletter:

Hello Akers Crew!

January is a great academic month! The students know the daily routine and can get so much accomplished. This week, we put final touches on our Letters About Literature author’s letter. We are in the process of finding addresses of authors and mailing in our letters for the contest. Letters About Literature is a national contest in which students write to an author that has inspired or changed them. Some students have sent out emails as well and have already received responses back from their favorite author!

In Expedition, we are finishing our Synthesis Boxes and a writing piece about Benjamin Franklin. This written piece will also include a character section to correspond with our HOWS and Ben’s maxims. Many of the boxes will stay here as students want to keep them for passages. The hard work and creative the students have put into their box is impressive! We will kick off our new Science Expedition later this month and will share information soon.

Bridges Fourth graders continue to explore strategies for double digit multiplication. They can solve multi-step math problems using strategies based on place value and properties of operations. The students can also create generic rectangles to complete harder double digit multiplication problems. Exploration in multiplying with money and units of measurement through our workstation games will be on the lesson plans this month. Finally, students will take a post-assessment covering concepts in multiplication, and demonstrating an understanding of multi-digit multiplication. Then we will start a new unit towards the end of the month covering and exploring Fractions! I will have more information to come as we get closer to our fraction unit. We will need an egg carton for each person- please start sending those cartons into our class.

Bridges 5th grade mathematic students are finishing up their Unit 2 studies on fractions with unlike and like denominators and equivalent fractions by using 4 specific strategies to solve them:  applying clock values, money values, ratio tables, and double number lines.  From collecting data from our checkpoints, students are learning quickly the strategies to master these concepts.  The problem of the week currently is to create a musical poem on musical composition paper.  This composition is actually written words, read and spoken musically.  They are just launching this, and I can’t wait to see the final product.

Thank you to Jeremy and Steve for a delicious and healthy Harvest of the Month treat.  We enjoyed the blood orange and grapefruit salsa!

I want to THANK our wonderful crew families for the thoughtful words and gifts I received before our break. I feel so appreciated and it heart warmed. I truly enjoy working with your child and look forward to an amazing 2015!