Monday -PE -Study hall before and after school | Tuesday -ELC -Project Work Time -Study hall before school | Wednesday -Art -Study hall before school | Thursday -Sustainability Symposium 1:00-1:50 -Study hall before school | Friday -ART -Study hall before school |
12/17: Sustainability Symposium 1:00-1:50 Please come and learn about your child's solution to a sustainability problem within Forest Grove
12/18: Council of All Beings Writing assignment is due first thing Friday morning
1/4: Return from Winter Break
News of the Week
Literacy
- Council of All Beings Writing homework
Last week and this week, the Merlins have been working on writing a 4 paragraph essay from
The perspective of a plant, animal or inanimate object from nature. The assignment is called,
“Council of All Beings” and it’s meant to be a way to look at something from another perspective.
Each paragraph is to answer a specific question:
1. What does the thing do in nature,--its habitat, routines, behaviors.
2. How does it help it the natural world?
3. How are humans negatively impacting its world.
4. How humans should change.
For reading, we’ll have to devote more of our energy to theme this week as it got pushed aside
to make room for our project work.
Ask, what perspective are you writing from for your essay?
Listen to your child explain what he/she thinks the theme was in their nature adventure story.
Extend the learning by reading a nature adventure story as a family. Write a story as a family from
A perspective another than your own.
Systems: Nature and Design
The classroom was buzzing with energy and excitement for our Sustainability Symposium. On
Tuesday, we had 4 experts in the room, so students could brainstorm ideas and share solutions with
science experts and individuals from the Sustainability Commission. Be sure to stop by Thursday
afternoon from 1:00-1:50 to see your child’s proposal! The project includes a poster, a sales pitch
as to why the idea should be adopted and hopefully a drawing of the idea or model.
Ask, what is your sustainability solution?
Listen to your child
Extend the learning by researching inventions inspired using biomimicry.
6th Grade Math
Overall, 6th graders were pleased with their results on their Block 3 test. I am proud of their hard work.
Retakes and signatures are due Friday, the 18th. We’ll be moving onto Block 4 this week, which has
us building our math vocabulary to understand words like “integer” and “absolute value.”
Ask your child to show you the Block 3 Test.
Listen to your child explain the Lucy’s shirt problem on the test.
Extend the learning by talking about integers that apply to our everyday life: temperature, elevation,
and owing money, for example.
5th Grade Math
Last week, 5th graders were introduced to adding fractions with unlike denominators using the FFEF (Fundamental Fact of Equivalent Fractions). We will continue to solidify and practice using the FFEF to find common denominators in order to add fractions. We will also look at subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators. We will also learn and use the Cancelation Law for Fractions to reduce fractions.
ASK: Your mathematician to show you how to use FFEF to add two fractions with unlike denominators.
LISTEN: To you mathematician explain Cancellation Law of Fractions.
EXTEND: Create story problems using adding or subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators and solve them.