Happy New Year!

I can't believe we've already had two snow days in 2015...well, I've been very busy on my snow days...and I realized, as I was working on Google Classroom, that I should fill you in on what/how YOU may want to participate in the classroom, too!

Your child has a username and password that allows them access to our Google Classroom.  You have probably helped them log on once or twice, but by now its second hand nature to them.  Each week I am asking the kids to complete their word study sort and sentences at home in the Google Classroom.  However, they also have a Google Classroom assignment in a different subject about once a week.  Word study assignments are not graded as they are done at home, but I do make comments on these documents.  All of the other assignments are graded.  They have a plethora of grades in the Google Classroom...and that's where you come in.  I know that you often review the work that comes home in the Take Home folder with your child.  I'm hoping you all look at it together; see what successes your child is having and pay attention to the areas they need to continue to work on.  You can use Google Classroom the same way...you just have to be at a computer at the same time.  Your review and discussion of these assignments and comments will help your child be a student who is reflective on his/her work and celebrates work completed well and learns from areas that need improvement.  If you have any questions about all of this, feel free to email me.

What else is going on?  Read on....

MATH...we are finishing up our UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY OF THE MOLI STONE unit...the M3 unit written especially for YOUR kind of kids.  M3 stands for Mentoring Mathematical Minds and if you'd like to learn more about it, click here... http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/projectm3/  As of late we have been studying Egyptian symbols and comparing their ancient number system to ours.  Just Friday the kids made discoveries about the Chinese number system, and this week we will be putting all of this information together to solve the mystery.  This unit has been of high interest, and the higher level thinking and discussions that go on are amazing.  While teaching this unit I have also been instructing on other standards that must be covered...elapsed time being one of them.  Over the next week we will figure out the mystery and then move into fractions...everything fractions!

WRITING...we are continuing our unit on informative writing.  The kids are making edits in their books daily and those books are really shaping up.  I'm so impressed by their writing.  Something different I did this year...based on a suggestion from a few of you at conferences...after our mid-quarter On Demand Writing assessment, I scored each writing piece (that's not different), went over the rubric with the whole class, and THEN met separately with each student to discuss their writing and review their own rubric.  It was very powerful...thanks for the suggestion. ;-)

READING...we have been doing a lot of comprehension work with printed text, website text, and short video clips.  We look for information in all text...captions, maps, charts, pictures...anywhere clues can be obtained to help improve our comprehension.  We discussed the concept of change this week...using our Scholastic Storyworks magazine, the students found evidence to prove that the character changed during the story.  We will continue with this idea of change as we venture into a novel later this month.

SOCIAL STUDIES...have you heard your child is an employee of a company?  Do you know that his/her company is creating a product that they will "sell" to classmates?  They are specializing and learning that interdependence is a real thing.  They will soon learn the effects of supply and demand (or lack thereof).  We are heading into advertisement this week as the production continues.  Stay tuned for updates.

SCIENCE...we will also be jumping into a new science unit soon...CHEMICAL TESTS.  The kids are gonna LOVE IT!!

So, hopefully you will forgive me for no photos...I promise some in my next post.  For now, stay warm and think melting thoughts...I NEED to see your kids!