Tuesday November 18, 2008
Math: Homelink 4.5 "Shopping at the Grocery Store"-For this lesson and sheet , the skill being practiced is estimation. Today we practiced figuring out what number we could use that would be the"close-but easier-to add" number so that the price of two items could be estimated or added mentally. For example, for $.79 we could use $.80. The hint about a price that includes 5 in the ones (ie.) $.65, is that we estimate up using $.70. By the same rule, $.44 would use $.40 in estimating. In this homework, the student needs to decide if the sum of the two items named could be covered by $1.00. The bottom is just practice adding with multiples of 10.
Scholastic Book Orders and payment by check are due by Friday 11/21. Also Friday morning is "Photo Retake Day".
Monday November 17, 2008
Math: Homelink 4.4 "Temperature"- On the front side, the student needs to write the temperature shown on the thermometer. On the back, he needs to color in the "mercury" or bar to show the temperature indicated. Lastly, #'s 13-18 is practice adding or subtracting with with multiples of ten.
Friday November 14, 2008
Math: We had a lesson on thermometers and telling temperatures in both Celsius and Fahrenheit scales but as it is Friday, there is no homework coming home today for it.
Scholastic Book Orders are coming home today. There are four different brochures from which to select. Payment in check form and orders are due back next Friday, November 21st. Thanks so much to parent Rhonda Rickert, Allison's mom, for labeling these and collating these.
Backpacks may have some more notices as well as work from the past two weeks as we sorted to Portfolios today.
Thursday November 13, 2008
Math: Homelink 4.2 "Parts-and-Total Number Stories". On this sheet they practice another organizing diagram for combining quantities into totals. Like in yesterday's "Start-Change-End" diagram, it is strongly encouraged that the children indicate with a "?" what information is being sought. The other two boxes are filled in with the information known. They get the numbers from the introductory side where four different weight packages are shown. Again , they need to make a number model that shows the operation or process used to solve the problem.
*** Orange half-sheet Confirmations slips came home with those children whose parents who returned their Parent -Conference selections.
Blue half sheet invitations came home with the children who have prepared the Veterans Day "Readers Theater" play. The time is tomorrow in our classroom at 2:20 p.m.
Monday November 10,2008
Math: Homelink 4.1 "Change Number Stories"-For problems #1-3, the recommended order of the process is to fill in the boxes with all the information they know (information given in the problem). They write a question mark (?) in the box for what they want to find out. Next, writing the number model on the line helps to identify the process. Lastly, the put the answer on the blank line with the unit word. We filled in the boxes for # 1 so that it would help them to remember to put in the "?". For #'s 4-12, they are practicing adding or subtracting with multiples of 10 as this is the most important skill of this unit.
*** Bookbags: If your child brought home a bookbag for the book What Time is it? on Friday, please have her complete the sheet and return all the parts on Wednesday. Another group is bringing home the nonfiction book Shipping Goods in their bookbags. Again, if it's possible, please have him finish the inside paper and bring it all back on Wednesday.
*** No school tomorrow due to Veterans' Day. Early Release Day on Wednesday.
Tenth Week: November 3-7,2008
In writing, we continued efforts to "edit" and "tweak" the assortment of assignments that are underway. The presence of volunteers Lisa Erickson-Harris, Joshua's mom on Tuesdays and Lisa Van Deinse, Thomas' mom on Thursdays to keep the "creative juices flowing" as well as help out with the nitty-gritty of spelling and other "mechanics" are crucial. Rhonda Rickert, Allison's mom, helps out with handwriting so the stories can be readable. She has been working with several children doing practice on letters and numerals that are often reversed. Three parents are"in the wings" in the unseen role as typists: Nick's mom Kerri Robinson, Molly's mom Julie Davis, and again, Rhonda Rickert. Recently, the children have been keeping them busy word processing drafts for classroom books. In this season of thankfulness, I wanted to express my gratitude for all their help.
Reading At the Market helped remind the children of various places where consumers can have their needs for products satisfied. We compared such kinds as "Flea Markets", "Crafts Fairs", "Farmers' Markets", "Supermarkets" and "Malls". Then they designed some of their own choosing. In preparation for today's visit by several representatives of the New Page Paper Company in Rumford, we read the nonfiction book How Paper is Made. After they explained the various steps from forest to paper, each child went through a simplified, smaller scaled process to make a round "sheet" of paper. These are drying in our room presently. This demonstration addressed the interrelated curriculum areas of science "Life Cycles" of the tree and forest with the social studies aspects of producing a product to meet a need.
We finished up Unit 3 in Math as well as in Word Study. The children used the "Magic Slates" and "Magic Pencils" in directed steps to practice this week's newest batch of "Trick Words" from the classroom word wall. Children get practice on individualized lists at the "Stamping Center" during Readers' Workshop. New Word Study concepts this week included words with the vowel teams -oi and -oy as well as review of the ideas of base words, the suffixes -s and -es to make words plural, and a rule to help them remember which to use when.