January 20-23
Writing:
We will continue our unit on persuasive writing this week. Our guiding question will be "How can we persuade our parents to have our own dream bedroom?" We will use our OREO graphic organizer (opinions, reason, examples, opinions) to put our sentences into paragraph form. We will take our writing through the writing process to create a persuasive letter to our parents about our bedroom.
Reading
We're wrapping up researching our class topic on turtles. This week we will work on presenting our research as a class. Students will work in pairs and groups of three to organize the information we collected by category, such as habitat, food, characteristics, life cycle, etc. Towards the end of the week, each group will present their part to the class.
Math
This week we are putting our regrouping skills to work as we practice both addition and subtraction problems along with games, word problems and a fun a project! Our project is called "Figure Me Out" and students will need to come up with math problems to match numbers in their lives, such as shoe size, age, numbers of siblings, etc. We will learn more about our classmates as we try to figure them out!
Spelling
We will continue to practice the spelling rule of the week each day. On Fridays we will assess how well they know the spelling pattern. If you would like additional "at home" practice there are some links on the blog under "websites". A great site to visit is Go-Noodle. There is a game called Body Spell that would be neat to use!
The spelling list will come home on Monday and we will assess their knowledge of the spelling pattern on Friday.
Science
This week in Science we will be observing objects in the sky and looking for patterns. Students will learn that there are recognizable patterns in the natural world and among objects in the sky. We will observe, describe, and record patterns of objects in the sky, including the appearance of the Moon. Students will know objects in the sky include the Moon, the Sun and the clouds. We will discuss how the appearance of objects in the sky change over time.
At-Home Enrichment (optional homework):
Research: research the "question of the week" and bring what you find out to school. It can be any type of presentation such as a poster, powerpoint, game, etc.
Question of the week: What causes some people to feel sea sick or car sick?
Math enrichment:
Here are a few fun games that will put kids' addition and subtraction skills to work:
Weight the wangdoodles- focuses on beginning algebra skills: http://www.mathplayground.com/mathgames/SL_WeighWangdoodles_secure.swf
Puzzle Pics Subtraction: http://www.mathplayground.com/puzzle_pics_subtraction.html
Puzzle Pics Addition: http://www.mathplayground.com/puzzle_pics_addition.html
Grand slam math- focuses on word problems: http://www.mathplayground.com/GrandSlamMath1.html
Science Enrichment :
At Home Moon Masks Project: Create a Moon mask!
Materials: White paper plate, black marker/crayons, ribbon (2 pieces), Glue
Directions:
You will make a Moon mask using a paper plate.
1. First, decide what appearance your Moon will have. You can make a Full Moon, Half Moon, New Moon or even a Crescent Moon.
2. Gather your black marker or crayon and a white paper plate. Cut out two eye holes.
3. Draw craters on your moon mask. Color the Moon black where the
craters would be casting shadows.
4. Turn the mask over. Glue one piece of ribbon to each side of the mask.
You will use the ribbon to tie your mask in place.
5. Let the glue dry and then wear your Moon Mask! Tell others about the
features of the Moon you drew on your mask.
Reminders
January 19th: No school- Martin Luther King day
January 21st: Science Fair
January 29th: International festival
