The Friday post on SUNDAY...oops!!

Hi, everyone...sorry to miss my Friday posting...this week really got away from me! Here is an update on everything I can remember! ;-)


SCIENCE
We are well underway in our Populations unit!! The kids planted three different kinds of seeds yesterday in preparation for one of the populations that will be sent to us. We get a shipment of aphids in a couple of weeks, and the seeds we planted on Thursday will be used for our aphids! On Monday we'll be planting terrariums for the populations of crickets and chameleons that will be shipped to us later this month! The students used the scientific process while planting...we asked the question "Do soaked fava beans grow faster than unsoaked fava beans?" We observed the wet and dry beans and made a hypothesis. We will now continue to observe as we await the first sprouts and make conclusions based on our data...these kids sure love science!!

WORD STUDY
This past week we did a word study unit on vocabulary from science...and I'm pleased to say that everyone did a super job on their word study tests! During the school day we did many different activities to use the words in a fun and different way. We played "Spelling Hopscotch" outside, made "Spelling Flowers", and created a picture dictionary to make sure the kids knew the meanings of some of these rather large words! I was pleasantly surprised at how many kids enjoyed the "Create Your Own Activity"!! We had some amazing games and word searches that we all got to try out!! Next week we will focus on a different 12 words from the science unit...I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with for the "Create Your Own Activity" again!


MATH
We are jumping from one subject to another in math these days...Quarter 4 is a review and extension of so many of the objectives covered during the other three quarters. I pick the concepts to teach based on the pretest that I gave at the beginning of the Quarter. This past week we were focusing on geometry. We had a lot of fun with Marshmallow Geometry where we constructed 1, 2, and 3 dimensional figures and discussed their vertices, angles, sides, and faces. I had to pry the papers apart to look at them because they were SO sticky!! We constructed a triple venn diagram sorting shapes by attribute. We did this in cooperative groups...and I'm pleased to say...they were EXTREMELY cooperative! I am always in awe of these kids and their ability to work with many different people. They argued quite a bit during this project, but it was GOOD arguing...they were using all kinds of math language as they decided which part of the venn the shapes fit in. Yesterday we worked on using geometric shapes when making patterns and working through word problems.


LANGUAGE ARTS
We finished King of the Wind...I'm not sure who enjoyed it more...the kids or ME! What a wonderful piece of literature! We are now headed into a unit on plays. The students will be comparing a story to a play and identifying all the elements in a dramatic play. They will be assigned to one of three plays and will be doing all the leg work to prepare for a production...a small production that will put on in the classroom for the other two groups. All three plays are fairy tales that have been "fractured"...they are very funny and I think the kids will really enjoy this unit!

WAX MUSEUM
We have begun practicing our wax museum. The kids will be have to practice every evening for homework. They DO NOT have to memorize their biography. However, they should know it SO well, they can talk about "their" lives, not read about "their" lives. By now, the kids need to have a good idea of what they will wear or bring for their performance. We will be having a dress rehearsal on Wednesday, May 14th for the second grade magnet students, so they will need those things then. If you have ANY questions about the wax museum, please email me and I'd be happy to help! I am very excited to see the finished product!

I will be out Tuesday morning to attend a field trip with my four year old daughter, Kate. But will return in the afternoon. Mrs. Gallo will be subbing for me!

Have a great week...and as always, please contact me with any questions!