Hi...from Florida!

Hi, everyone! As the students know...my family and I flew to Florida on Friday...I left school as soon as the kids did, so I didn't have time to blog...and I didn't think I'd get to, BUT my parents brought their laptop...so HERE I AM!

We had such a good week...lots to tell you...

We've started a new science unit and we are having fun with ROCKS! This week we found the difference between rocks and minerals...we observed the minerals graphite, calcite, feldspar, and talc...we tested each mineral for it's hardness using a scratch test (fingernails, pennies)...we found that talc and graphite were the softest and that feldspar was quite hard...we talked about Moh's scale of hardness...used by petrologists everywhere...we redefined properties and found the physical properties of rocks and minerals. We used a spring scale to find the mass of rocks...we had very active scientists!!

Our language arts unit coincides with this unit...it is titled "Reading Science Textbooks"...and we have split up into three groups, each reading about either Sedimentary Rocks, Igneous Rocks, and Metamorphic Rocks. This week we focused on identifying text features and how they help us find the main idea. We will be taking this further upon my return, using the main idea graphic organizer to write a summary.

In math this week we worked with factors, multiples, multiplication properties, and we dove deep into division (a little alliteration!) Just like with EVERY other area in math, we seem to be all over the place with division so we are breaking into different groups for different concepts. We all worked on estimation this week. With division, students have to find numbers that are compatible...it's not as easy as rounding to the nearest hundred...because with division, only certain numbers divide into others evenly. The kids really seemed to pick up on this...but the kids who know their division basic facts had a much easier time...having the kids practice skip counting...7, 14, 21, 28...while in the car, while killing time in a doctor's office, or while in the shower, for that matter, would greatly benefit many of the kids...especially the 6's, 7's, 8's and 9's!

EXAMPLE: 739 divided by 8...if you round to 700...not easy to divide...if you round to 740...not easy to divide...but if you skip count 8s and see that 72 is a basic fact...then make the number 720 and you have a quick estimate...720 divided by 8...90!

The students also took a quiz on graphing and probability this week...and they all did very well!

We are starting to work on root words...bio and graph were the root words from this week...the kids brainstormed as many words containing bio and graph as they could...and then tried to figure out the meaning of the roots...they found out that these roots are derived from the Greek language. We will have a test on these words this coming Friday.

And speaking of this coming Friday, I will be out on Thursday and Friday of next week. We are taking advantage of the short school week. One of my favorite substitutes will be with the kids, Mrs. Ram. She and Mrs. Maenner will be introducing the kids to a White House Letter Writing Contest that all students will be participating in! The kids will be in the computer lab researching the history of the White House for the letter writing contest, they'll be drafting their letters, they'll also be working on division and science vocabulary.

I hope many of the kids will get to view the Inauguration...especially President-Elect Obama taking his oath of office. With our study of Presidents and First Ladies, they already have a unique perspective and they will be able to make many connections as they watch.

I will back in class Monday, January 26th.

I hope you stay warm...I guess it would be rubbing it in to tell you that the kids went swimming in an outdoor pool today? :-)