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Calendar Highlights
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The fall dance party for Levels 3 & 4 will be Friday, November 15 from 5:30 to 7:00. It will be a glow party meaning we will have black lights which make neon and white clothing glow. If parents would like to chaperone and or provide snacks, contact Vanessa Gray.
Reminder
Students wearing costumes to school will be asked to change into clothing from the out and about closet.
Homework This Week
- Reading: Read the newsletter Monday, and read a book of choice Tuesday -Thursday! Don't forget to tie in your reading goals
- Writing: Spelling. Students will bring home a spelling list on Mondays and have three tasks to complete on binder paper each week. Here's the routine: Monday - sort your words into categories based on the categories at the top of your list watch out for oddball columns: those mean there are some words that don't fit into any of the categories! Tuesday - print your words in alphabetic order using your best handwriting. Wednesday - write your words in complete sentences. Thursday - quiz yourself! Students will turn in Spelling homework on Friday and take a spelling test.
- Math: expect a 10-20 minute assignment each day.
Project
This week, we learned that the trees in a forest communicate with each other via fungi that attach to their roots, sharing nutrients and sending messages. We walked through the Matteson Forest where we saw firsthand what different types of timber harvesting looked like. We saw a forest that had only been logged for old growth, a stand of trees that had been replanted after a clear cut, a forest that had been selectively thinned, and a patch of forest that had recently been clear cut. Later, at Sain Creek, we explored the connection between form and function and also engaged in the design process. We made prototypes (*secret word*) of boats that could carry our pinecone people safely down the creek.
Ask, what type of forest was your favorite? How did your boat prototype do?
Extend your learning by teaching your parents about Oak Galls.
Literacy
This week Students analyzed Speak Up by Janet S. Wong, and Birdfoot's Grampa by Joseph Bruchac. They wrote their own two-voice poems to practice perspective-taking. Merlins also read and analyzed the poems Hurricane by Lillian Moore and Foul Shot by Edward A. Hoey. After studying these, they practiced writing their own poems to express mood and tone using juicy verbs and strategic line breaks.
Ask, how are two voice poems different from other poems we have read so far? What mood did you show in your mood poem? What poem are you most proud of?
Extend the learning by reading one of these poems to your family with your best dramatic pauses.
5th Grade Math
This week, fifth graders started our Unit 2. We will be introducing adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. Students began by using money and clock face fractions to visualize what different fractions look like. Then, students used these models to practice adding and subtracting fractions. We ended the week with the clock face game where students practiced showing and creating fraction equations using the clock model.
Ask what is a denominator and what is a numerator? How are the denominators different when we use money and when we use a clock?
6th Grade Math
Announcement from Hilary: please check in with Hilary if your student's math homework is taking them more than 30 (whole group) to 45 (independent group) minutes to complete each night. There are steps we can take to make homework feel more like practice. Working on math can feel frustrating if the practice is too challenging and takes up an entire evening!!!
This week, Sixth Graders continued to work with multiplying and dividing decimals and whole numbers. We pushed out brains in thinking about questions that ask How many times more than... and how many times less than... We also are experimenting with open seating. Students can choose between three tables: one for talking over answers, one for working with an adult who can model problems, and one for working silently.
Ask your student how do we use "3 times more than" or "twice as much as" in the real world?