First off this week, I want to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy some quality time relaxing and enjoying family and friends over our break next week. My crazy family and I are venturing to New York City to enjoy the holiday, see the parade, and celebrate my birthday (a little early!) So excited!! This week 4th and 5th grade math students completed their first of five problem solving challenges with the November Math Olympiad contest. And I must say, they did AMAZING!! For the first time in my history at Werner, SIX students got all five problems correct (five 5th graders and one fourth grader.) We are off to an awesome start! The next contest will be December 17. Here are a few math updates for the month: 5th grade - We are in the middle of a unit on algebra and studying the uses of algebra in real-life. (I know you are asking, "Are there any?!") Of course there are! We have been applying geometry formulas to solve area/perimeter problems, as well as rate charts and graphs. When we return from Thanksgiving break, we will conclude this unit and move on to studying fractions (specifically multiplying and dividing them) in the month of December. 4th grade - Tomorrow 4th grade will take their unit test covering decimals, measurement, and converting measurements. Converting measurements is a tricky concept for 10 year olds (especially when converting from a small unit to a large one... for example 40mm = .04m) but with practice they are getting it. After break, we will be moving on to a unit on multiplication and then long division. 3rd grade - These students are in the middle of a unit on place value in very large numbers and decimals. This unit will continue after break before we begin a week on number systems from other cultures and then a geometry unit. Throughout each week we are also still focusing work on learning basic multiplication facts and also working on problem solving strategies (so they too can be successful with Math Olympiad next year.) And now for a language arts update: 5th grade - We have begun a study of poetry that will last through the month of December. While the students are reading novels in homeroom, in my class we are looking at different types of poetry, as well as different poets. Our time will be spent reading AND writing poetry and learning to love the uses of language and the creativity that poetry allows. Already just today I was amazed at the description and the imagery that was being created in their first attempts. 3rd grade - Third graders have been reading a book called The Green Book. The story takes place on a new planet "Shine" that is being colonized by humans who were forced to leave Earth (a little sci-fi genre for us.) The book explores many great issues for us to discuss (questions like how important are books, how do humans deal with change, how might life be different in the future.) We have been webbing ideas, images, key words, and feelings that appear within the story as we read as well as learning new vocab words (biorhythms and fodder for example.) Since some of these students have a creativity ID, we have also been doing projects related to creativity with the book. Those include creating a time capsule of important things from our lives on Earth that we would want to remember from 2014, writing a persuasive argument for what luxury item you would want to bring on a trip to "Shine," and in the coming weeks, we complete a book project of their choice to complete our work on this book and our work for this quarter.
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May 2018
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