Math Update

Our current unit includes some of the following topics:

• Multiplication and Division strategies and practice, including taking a 50-Facts Multiplication Test periodically to test progress
• World Tour: using our Math Reference Books to look up mathematical information about various countries (average high and low temperature during given months, bordering nations, average rainfall during given months, etc)
• Finding Air Distance using a globe scale. We learned that the SCALE for a typical globe is approximately 66 miles per 1 inch. We learned how to translate that to various distances between countries.
• Number Stories: there's a method to the madness! Step 1: Understand the problem! (Reread if you need!). Step 2: Plan what to do! Step 3: Carry out the plan and show your work! Step 4: Look back and see if your answer matches your original estimate.
• Recognizing TRUE or FALSE number sentences, as well as identifying if there is not enough information to solve the problem.
• PARENTHESES in number sentences tell you which operations to do first! For example, the sentence 28-6+9=31 is TRUE as is 28-6+9=13 depending on WHERE the parentheses are placed...

Science Update

 We've been learning and exploring plants: what they need, what they are made of, and what they do. We learned about a plant's four needs: sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and minerals/nutrients. We learned about photosynthesis which takes place in the chloroplasts; this is what makes the plant green... We also learned about different types of roots and their roles. We discovered that carrots, radishes, and beats are all taproots that hold extra "food" for its plant! We studied photosynthesis and learned that  leaves not only make sugar-food for the plant, but through their stomata (small openings) they absorb water and carbon dioxide, as well as expel water vapor and oxygen. This helps our environment. Did you know that not all plants have true roots? Check out this air plant below!

Reader's Workshop

 We've launched our Book Club! We've been reading and discussing "The Jacket" by Andrew Clements, a favorite children's author. The beginning of the book establishes the seed of a problem: Phil's brother leaves his lunch money at home, which forces Phil to search for him in the hallway at school. However, the problem grows when Phil grabs the wrong kid by the jacket, and it turns out that the wearer of the jacket isn't his brother at all...The drama continues with the fight that ensues, which leads to a big question: would Phil have reacted differently had the owner of the jacket not been African American? Phil begins to explore the meaning of PREJUDICE and struggles with his own attitude toward people who are different than himself.

We've been practicing on using DETAILS from the text to support our opinions about the problems and the characters during the book discussion. This is an important skill that good readers do. Please enjoy the pictures. I've attached the link for the Andrew Clements website if you'd like more information about the author!

http://www.andrewclements.com/

TRIP this WEDNESDAY: PLEASE READ

Dear Parents,
We are going on a trip to the American Museum of Natural History this Wednesday. We will need to leave at exactly 8:45 am. PLEASE be on time; we will be forced to leave latecomers behind. In order to make it to our scheduled show "field trip to the moon", we must stick to a very tight schedule. Thank you for your cooperation!

We are looking forward to this amazing learning experience which is bound to be fun as well. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.