May 13, 2012

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 24^th.  We did have an overwhelming response in favor of sailing.  A note will be going home soon.  Keep an eye out for that!