News From the Week

     This week in math we have been reviewing the multiplication computation of 3 and 4 digits by 1 digit and 2 digits by 2 digits. There was a test on those skills on Friday.  We also been learning about symmetry. We used purple mirrors to find lines of symmetry, created shapes with a set number of lines of symmetry and then learned about rotational symmetry. Students created two identical quilt squares, after learning about the history of quilts. Then one of their squares was rotated 90 degrees to the right. The result is a gorgeous bulletin board that you can see when you come in for your parent conference.  We are now working on learning about metric measurement. This week we spent time learning about estimating and measuring. Then we held a Mini Metric Olympics.
     In writing students decided on the chapters for their animal report book. We  learned about a main idea or focus sentence and then students have taken their notes and written a main idea and details for each of their animal report paragraphs. They should be finished with the writing of the report today. They have been keeping track of words to add to a glossary at the end of their book. On Friday we will be gathering photos to add captions to. They have looked at rubrics for the content and the editing of their reports. We will start typing the report next week.  We also wrote back to our pen pals from Calais this week.
     With our read aloud, My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George students are given vocabulary words from the chapter and are learning to look them up in the dictionary and to match the meaning with the sentence. For instance browse in the book means what the deer are eating. Then students share the word with the class and put it and the definition on our word wall.
     We have been writing many opinion pieces. This week we read an article in Time for Kids about how children in the U.S. have too much stuff. Then they wrote their opinion about it.
     In social studies we have been learning about the Abenaki. During literacy we have been reading about Abenaki life We saw a video that talked about Abenaki of today.  We have been learning and playing various games that taught lessons. For the last two weeks we have been reading Abenaki myths. One of the students asked yesterday, "Is this literacy or social studies?" The answer was, "Yes, it's both."  They read about what the Abenaki do in each season and then made a Venn diagram comparing what they  do in each season to the Abenaki. Next, they used the Venn diagram like a detail map and wrote an essay of the comparison. This is practice of a typical essay question that might be on a social studies test.
     One of the literacy lessons that we have been working on for the past few weeks is point of view.  I read picture book and we determine who is telling the story and why is that important to the story. We will continue with this next week with some fairy tales that have a changed point of view and how different the tale is.
     In Tech Ed students have chosen a book that they know well and are creating book trailers. They have planned the sequence of frames, created a folder on the network and downloaded at least one image.

Parent Conferences

You will also get this paper in your child's Friday folder.

                                                                                                            3/22/13

Dear Parents,

            Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled for Monday April 8th.   I will also be offering some conferences in the evening on Wednesday April 17^th . Please only sign up for the evening conferences if you can not make the conferences during the day.   

            Please pick your three best choices and I will assign you a conference time. Thank you.

                                                                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                                                                        Robin Gannon

Child’s name _________________________

April 8 day

8:00-8:20am _____                             1:30-1:50 pm ______

8:30-8:50 am_____                             2:00-2:20 pm ______

9:00-9:20am _____                             2:30-2:50 pm ______

9:30- 9:50 am_____

10:00- 10:20am _____

10:30-10:50am _____

11:00-11:20am _____

11:30-11:50am _____

12:00-12:20 pm_____
12:30-12:50 pm _____

1:00-1:20pm______

April17 evening

5:00-5:20 pm ____

5:30-5:50pm _____

6:00-6:20pm _____

6:30-6:50pm _____

7:00-7:20pm _____

7:30-7:50pm _____

_____ I do not feel a need for a conference at this time.

_____ I would prefer a phone conference.  A good time to call would be _________

_____ I can not attend any of these times. A better time would be ___________

Robin Rainbow-Color Mixing

     On Friday we did a color mixing activity. Students were given a cup each of red, yellow, blue dye and a cup of water and a pipette. Students also had a 6 x 4 plastic tray. Their first challenge was to create 24 different colors using the primary colors. At first they thought it was impossible but they were all able to do that. Their second challenge was to either create 24 different greens or the write a recipe for a color and have someone replicate it. For instance, for this color, which they could name, add 4 drops of blue and 2 drops of yellow. Below are photos from that day.

Dr. Seuss and Buddies

On Friday we celebrated the birthday day of Dr. Seuss. We read Dr. Seuss books to our buddies and then ate a great hat cake that Sara Garland made. Thanks Sara. Below are photos from that day.

 

News 3/15

     This week in spelling, students were given a list of spelling activities. On Monday, they need to copy their spelling list in cursive and return the notebook to school on Tuesday. For homework the rest of the week, they can choose three or more activities from the list. These are due on Friday so students would return their notebook on that day. The test will still be on Friday  but will be in cursive.
     In math we have been working for the past few weeks to learn to multiply 3 and 4 digit numbers by a 1 digit number ( 345 x 5). This week we are learning to multiply 2 digit numbers by 2 digit numbers ( 34 x 56). First, we learned to break apart and multiply. So, in the above equation we would break apart 56 to 34 x 50 and 34 x 6 and then add them together. Next, we created four boxes and broke apart both numbers. See below.
 

Now, we are learning the traditional multiplication algorithm. From the Common Core, this is the way students are expected to multiply but they need to understand what it means, that is why they learn to break apart the numbers first.  They are recording how to do these methods in their math notebook. They can use this for reference when they do their homework.  We have also been learning about symmetry as we head into a unit on geometry and measurement.
     In Tech Ed students have chosen a book that they have read and know well. They will be creating a movie trailer to inspire students to read their book.
     In writing students have chosen an animal to study. They are currently taking notes about their animal. Next week we will be deciding on chapters for their book and choosing focus topics for their paragraphs.
     In social studies we have started to study the Abenaki.  We played a bingo game to learn some vocabulary. I am reading them some myths and then playing some games related to the myth. We also saw a video that talked about current Abenaki life.
     We completed the VT lakes and rivers test. Next Thursday will be the VT counties test. Students will have a practice sheet that they can use to make a puzzle on Monday.
    One of the things we did in literacy this week was to write a connection piece to the Natalie Kinsey-Warnock book From Dawn to Dusk. We compared what they did in each season to the author's family in the book. We read an article about what the Abenaki did in each season. Then we compared what we did in each season to the Abenaki and created Venn diagrams comparing them. We are currently reading Abenaki myths.

Four Winds and News

     Hooray! Hooray!! We have raised enough money to go to the Boston Museum of Science of June 6-7th!! Good job on all the fundraising.  Chaperones we will send you a note this week with how much money you owe and when it is due.
       On Friday we had Four Winds on Sound. Many thanks to Sara Kirby and Margaret McCoy for doing an awesome job.  We saw a puppet play and then tried to guess what made the sounds that we heard. We learned about the parts of the ear and how the inner hairs can be damaged by loud music and not be able to be repaired.  Next, we put rubber bands around wooden bowls and watched the vibrations and listened to sounds.

 We used tuning forks to move colored sugar that was put on plastic wrap tightly put on a can and to make splashes in the water.

We had to match up film canisters that had the same sounds.

 We listening to the tone changing from high to low when air was blown into a rootbeer bottle and then it changed from low to high when the sound traveled through the water in the bottle.

We used hangers and string to listen to vibrations and..

 ... cups and string to listen to words.

  We also went outside and listened for sounds and heard our claps echo against the building.
 Thank you Sara and Margaret!

Menu and More

The menu that I added last week kept bleeding across the whole page so I had to delete it. Please see the school website for the menu.

Just a few notes about this upcoming week-

There will not be a regular spelling test but we will be working on some word work skills.  There will not be a Weekly Report since there are only three days.  On Wednesday we will be reading a booklet put out by the Vermont Secretary of State to learn about Town Meeting. Students will have a Vermont rivers and lakes test on Thursday  3/14 and a county test the following Thursday.  We will be reviewing them every day. They have papers to study at home and they can also use their geography salt and flour map.  Their mystery book report and project is due 3/15 but it can be turned in early. We will be starting the study of Vermont Abenaki next. In writing we will be writing reports on animals that we will be giving to our first grade buddies. Our next read aloud book is  My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.  We will be using it to work on the Common Core skills of comparing books within the same theme (survival or man vs wilderness), finding evidence from the story (students will have their own copy of the book) and vocabulary study ( how to figure out what a word means).  Next week we will be reading Dr. Seuss books to our buddies.  If students still have some Dr. Seuss books can you send them next week? Thanks.