Math: Geometry
is all around us, both two dimensionally and three dimensionally. In unit 11 students have been learning about
the properties of various three dimensional geometric solids, using a lot of
vocabulary such as faces, bases, edges, vertices, congruent, parallel, polygon,
and more. Quiz your child on the various
properties using objects from home. You
may want the Student Reference Book handy!
Along with three dimensional objects, students have been working to find
the volume of rectangular prisms. Students
have also been weighing and estimating the weight of objects.
This week students
will learn how to subtract negative and positive numbers from each other. I often use the phrase, “take away” instead
of “subtract” because it helps me think about how to solve the problem. If I take something negative away, I end up
better off. If I take something positive
away, I end up worse off.
Our unit 11 test
will be next Tuesday. Students will
start unit 12 next week focusing on rates, such as miles per gallon, items per
package, etc. Unit price will be included
in this. A great experience for students
is going to the store to find or calculate unit prices by taking the total cost
divided by the number of ounces or items in a container.
Literacy: Students have been revisiting how to
determine importance while reading non-fiction.
We are reading about our current science unit, setting our purpose for
reading, and using headings, bold words, pictures, and our inner conversation
to decide what is important to remember.
Students are using FQR charts (Facts, Questions, and Responses) to take
notes on their reading.
This week students
will use their knowledge of reading non-fiction and note-taking to start some
research on an environmental problem, on a pioneer in the environmental field,
or on an environmental solution. This
will be nicely connected to our science unit on ecosystems and environmental issues. Students will create a visual and oral presentation
which we will hopefully share with others!
We will keep you posted.
Science: I
hope, by now, you have heard exciting news coming from our ecosystems unit! Fish and snails are having babies, crickets
are nibbling on our plants, and the isopods are disappearing to dark places in
the terrariums. Students have been
thinking about interdependent relationships to understand how one thing affects
many other things. This week, students
will connect their aquariums and terrariums to understand how land and water
ecosystems affect one another. Take a
hike, go in your back yard or garden, and have conversations on how things in
those ecosystems affect one another.
Notes: Our
Sullivan’s Woods and Madison trips have been a great success. Thanks for getting forms and money in to make
these trips possible!
Heritage Hill is
coming up on May 24th. We did
have an overwhelming response in favor of sailing. A note will be going home soon. Keep an eye out for that!
