End of November Update

It was great seeing many of you at Parent/Teacher conferences!  I am very pleased with the communication and support of our classroom families.  I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and a relaxing time spent with family and friends.

Here's a little update about the happenings in our classroom:

In science we are continuing to investigate magnets; learning vocabulary such as attract, repel, north and south poles, and magnetic field.  Students have already worked through a variety of inquiry-based experiments as they build an understanding for how exactly magnets work, and will continue to explore more in the next couple of weeks.

Following our magnet unit, we will enter a social studies unit around wants/needs and good/services.  Students will understand the difference between a want and a need, as well as understand part of our economic world of workers who provide goods and workers who provide services. 

In Writing Workshop, students continue to discover ways to write with "voice".  We will also begin thinking about using quality word choices in our writing - such as "vigorous verbs" and words that imitate sounds (onomatopoeia).

In math, students have been working on finding simple math facts within longer cominations of numbers (number strings) in order to quickly solve addition problems in their heads.  This way of manipulating numbers gives students a firm foundation for later, more difficult math equations.  An example of solving a number string looks like this:

4 + 7 + 6 + 6 =

The student will look for combinations of 10, doubles, and near doubles to help.

4 + 7 + 6 + 6 =

4+6=10  (combination of 10)   7+6=13 (near double; 6+6+1)

 

Now we have...   10 + 13

13 is really 10+3, so 10 + 10 + 3 =  (thinking 10,20,23)  23

 

 

Also in math, we are revisiting story problems with two digit addition and subtraction.  Our new understanding of how numbers work has positively influenced our approach to solving these types of problems, as compared to the beginning of the year.  Together we have shared (and will continue to share) different strategies to solve these types of problems.  Many approaches that students use enable them to actually solve two-digit problems in their heads!

 

Telling time is revisited often throughout the year.  At this point of the year, students should be able to tell time to the half hour.  Learning groups will be formed to help students who need more support in telling time.  We are constantly assessing, reassessing, and forming flexible groups, according to student's needs.  This is true in all areas of the classroom, not just math.

 

We will next move into data analysis, as we collect data and use graphic organizers such as line plots and Venn diagrams to organize the data.

 

December will be here before we know it!  I will do my best to keep you updated on all the events that take place in December.  Don't forget to also check the school website, and read the school's December Newsletter for more information.