Wednesday, October 5th, 2016 – A LOOK AT TODAY AND TOMORROW…
We’re really getting going now! There is just so much to share, but I can’t (nor do you probably want me to) share it all in one post. So…below is an overview of what we’re up to with many of our endeavors in class. I’ve also added some attachments that give clear examples of the types of experiences your kids are having (or will be soon).
In writing we are drafting and crafting our Small Moment narratives, as well as conducting peer-editing (student-to-student feedback). We will begin publishing within the week. The purpose of the Small Moment is to learn specific techniques and writing strategies that effectively pause the plot and stretch the moment, as well as to learn how to embed a life lesson into the heart of a story. Each day, I have also been teaching lessons on conventions related to paragraphing and comma usage, which the kids can execute in their drafting and free-writing at home. Below is a poster that all the kids are using this year, which outlays the types of strategies they’ll use, not just for this genre of writing, but for future genres as well. I’ve also attached the peer-editing form, so that you can see what types of feedback kids are asked to give each other, and a mentor text of a small moment, written by Yours Truly…
In math we’ve been dipping our feet deeper into the pool of double- (or more) digit multiplication. A reminder: STUDENTS WILL ULTIMATELY BE USING TRADITIONAL ALGORITHMS FOR LONG MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION, as these are most efficient when “executing” in math. The other models that we investigate and learn really do help students to see how it all works, and they can ultimately transfer that understanding to their efficient execution. But remember, you can help your child understand math however you see fit – THERE IS NO WRONG WAY!
In science and social studies, we have an overlying theme for the year: FORCE CAUSES MOTION, AND MOTION CAUSES CHANGE (ask your kids to show you the chant/dance; there will more about this in future posts). In science we are really getting into our unit on Sound, and the kids have already discovered that sound starts with a FORCE at the source; the vibration is the MOTION or pathway of the sound; and the sound itself is the CHANGE. We recentlyexplored an investigation which asked kids to discover the relationship ship between the length (and ultimately speed) of a vibrating object and the sound’s pitch. Using home-made “instruments,” students learned the following terms: directly proportional, inversely proportional, vibration, pitch (vs. amplitude), among other terms from past investigations. We are now moving on to how sounds travel through solids, liquids, and gases, and what changes occur in each medium…
In social studies, we are about to embark on our study of “The Story of America.” We start this story back in Europe and Asia in the Middle Ages. Students will become quite knowledgeable about life during the Middle Ages, and how the religious forces behind the Crusades caused a movement of people, goods and ideas. This motion created great change, leading to The Renaissance and the Age of Exploration, which ultimately lead to America’s discovery, settlement and colonization (a HUGE CHANGE). Below are some documents related to an upcoming project, which involves using nonfiction sources to gather research and take notes, and then to weave those notes in creating historical fiction and expository writing pieces.
Well, that’s it for now. I hope you enjoyed your snapshot into our classroom world, and there will be other snapshots to come. My next post will be devoted primarily to our reading lives. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow – Cathy
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