Since my last post, we have worked on several different topics in math! After completing our addition and subtraction unit, we started a unit of fractions. Students worked hard to show fractions, name fractions, compare fractions, and find equivalent fractions. The children created drawings and number lines and used fraction bars throughout our fraction unit. Right before vacation, the children did some EGGS-cellent review! Around the classroom were plastic eggs. Within each egg was a math review question related to topics we've covered. Everyone worked hard to solve the problems.
If you would like a fun review option, I HIGHLY recommend checking out abcya.com. Online play is free. The Fraction Fling game is fun. There are also fraction tiles that your child can use to explore. Your child can drag fraction tiles to the work space to find equivalent fractions or to compare the sizes of fractions.
Students practiced describing and classifying quadrilaterals based on their attributes. They created fun Quadrilateral Quotes posters to show off their knowledge.
In other math news, the children have continued to work on committing multiplication facts to memory. One of their favorite ways to practice is to set a fidget spinner in motion and do as many facts as they can before it stops.
During our writers workshop, students have finished and presented their Question and Answer books, which they created in Google Slides. Students also completed an opinion essay with multiple paragraphs. They chose to read articles about either school lunches, recess, or working dogs. After reading, they formed opinions and planned how they would support those opinions with reasons, details, and examples. They needed to incorporate facts from their research to write convincing pieces. All students worked hard on their pieces and had the opportunity to share them with their classmates.
We've also worked on central message. We've discussed that the central message is the author's message to us about life. It's the big idea in a story. We've read several stories and fables. We worked on summarizing and compared the plot, the characters, and the messages of each story. We've learned that very different stories can actually have similar themes.
Students also spend quite a bit of their time reading from books they've chosen themselves.
Natasha came in to do a lesson about the history of whaling in Connecticut. She taught students about the types of whales that were most commonly hunted. She explained why those types of whales were hunted and brought artifacts to show the students.
Above, you'll see a tiny bottle of perfume with ambergris in it. What is ambergris, you ask? Prepare yourself for interesting and gross information. Ambergris is found in the intestines of sperm whales. It forms when the whale's body coats hard indigestible bits of the whale's meal. (For example...the hard beaks of giant squid.) Apparently, ambergris is very expensive and is used in perfumes.
Other fascinating facts:
- The sperm whale is our state animal.
- The Charles W. Morgan, which can be toured at Mystic Seaport, is the last surviving wooden whaling ship of an American whaling fleet. Once, there were more than 2,700 vessels. The ship was built and launched in 1841.
Important Upcoming Dates & Events
Art in the Dark Week - April 22-26, 2019
Camp Read-A-Lot - April 25, 2019 6:00-7:30
Field Trip to Lebanon Green - April 26, 2019
PTA Family Movie Night - April 26, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.
Talent Show - April 30, 2019
Children's Book Week - April 29-May 3, 2019 (On Tuesday the 30th, wear something that can be read!)
Mayfest (Trip to see high school art work) - May 22, 2019