Happy Thanksgiving!

This week compared two stories:  The Three Little Pigs and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.  The students then had to write an opinion piece about whose side they were on: the pigs or the wolf.  The winner was: the pigs!!

We took as assessment for Topic 4 and the students performed very well.  Look for these to come home next week to be reviewed and signed.  Next week we will begin learning several strategies for subtraction.

In writing, we first read a story called Turkey Trouble.  The turkey tried disguising himself so that he wasn't eaten for Thanksgiving dinner.  So we did a writing assignment called:  How to Help A Turkey Escape from Thanksgiving Dinner.

Of course the highlight of the week was our compliment party.  The students earned 20 marbles (compliments) and therefore they were able to watch the movie of our favorite book, The Witches.

Last but not least, I would like to wish all of my families and very Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for many things, one of which is the great community that I live and teach in!!

"Things" We are Thankful For...

This week we did a writing assignment about things we are thankful for. BUT, we didn't do the traditional things like family, friends, food, shelter, etc.  Each student was given an everday object and wrote about why they were thankful for that thing.  Did you ever think how important or thankful you are for such things as shoes, band-aids, mittens, sand and even the alphabet?  Those were just some of the choices the students had.

This week our essential question was "What are features of different animal habitats?"  We read about the coral reef.  Did you know that it takes one year for the coral reef to grow one inch?  We also read about the life of a sea turtle.  We looked for the main topic and supported it with key details.  We also practiced using suffixes and prefixes.  

In math, we started adding double digit numbers using the old tried and true algorithm.  Please keep in mind that some of the language we use when teaching may be different that you are used to.  We use the term "regroup" instead of carry.  

We finished up our Earth Systems unit in science this week.  Stay tuned for an exciting announcement for what we will be doing starting next week for science.  

 

Ugly Pumpkin

This week we read a book called The Ugly Pumpkin.  The ugly pumpkin is left out because he looks different from the other pumpkins.  As it turns out, the pumpkin was actually a squash. The students then did a writing activity and wrote about a time when they felt "squashed."

In reading this week, we read fables.  We read the stories and discussed the lesson that the story was trying to teach us.  We also identified the problem and solution in the stories.  Next week, we will be continuing this theme and comparing Cinderella stories from different cultures.

We finishe up Topic 3 in math.  Look for the Topic 3 test that was sent home today to be reviewed and signed.  In the upcoming topic, we will be continuing to add using different strategies including the traditional -carry the 1- way.  Today we played some fun math games to practice skills.  

The students have been busy the past few weeks writing a personal narrative.  Next week, they will be putting the finishing touches onto their story.  Then we will do a "writer's chair" to share with the class.

In science, we took a walk around the school to find erosion.  We found some bark worn off trees, gulleys in the ground, hills, and a tree even fell in the distance while we were out there.  The students' task was to come up with a way to prevent the erosion from happening.  We had some pretty clever ideas such as: build walls, fill in areas with soil, cover the trees, etc.  Great ideas, class!!

Keep in mind that there are only two days of school next week for students!!