Language Arts
This week we completed our Perchas story with a text study. We examined this piece for specific examples of names of places (and their capital letters). We also looked for text evidence of main idea/topic sentences and their supporting sentences.
The students also started a new story this week. Typically we access prior knowledge, do a pictures preview, discuss what we think the story might be about and then read the story together. This time the students read the story with a partner the first time through and then individually (and orally) summarized the story for me. Their comprehension is FANTASTIC!!! I was very impressed!!
We had a very in-depth word study of words that represent concepts. We completed a two-page spread in our Estudio de Palabras journal. These concept studies included:
- other words connected to the concept
- descriptive words
- synonyms
- definitions
- illustrations
Please ask your child about this and the concepts they chose.
Spelling/ ortografia(palabras con güe y güi) Test on Tuesday, 12/15
vergüenza desagüe
pingüino cigüeña
bilingüe zarigüeya
paragüero lengüeta
antigüedad yegüita
ungüento lingüista
agüero argüir
averigüe
Math
The class has a done a great job demonstrating understanding of the concept and process of multiplication. They are able to label the factors and products, describe the step-by-step process of double and triple digit multiplication with and without regrouping. They have shown an understanding of story / real-life application of multiplication. We also worked in pairs to create our own multi-step story problems and then asked the rest of the class to solve them. Creating our own problems helps us to better understand how to read and understand what questions are being asked and to determine how to use the information given in story problems.
The students took their multiplication assessment on Thursday and did a fantastic job. Friday we introduced division through it’s relationship with multiplication. Fact families!! They thought these were pretty neat and facil/ easy. We used the 4 sections of our ‘gifts’ to show our multiplication and division fact families.
Social Studies
This week we have continued learning about the Vikings and the Norsemen of Scandinavia. We have 
read about what their home life was like, some of the rights of passage for boys, and what their general daily life was like. We also learned that, like the Romans, the Vikings had three different classes. As we go through each chapter the class writes responses to questions about what we have read and then some students share theirs with the class. I have been so impressed with the quality of answers that are being written down and the discussions that they elicit from the rest of the class. We are keeping these answers to be used later as study guides for our end of the unit test. Students are also encouraged to write vocabulary words down. This process is furthering them along on learning how to take good notes.
On Friday we took a break from the Vikings and got into the holiday spirit. Holly and Sophie did a presentation on Chanukah for the class. We played dreidle and got to try some yummy Latkes. We loved hearing about this special holiday!
Roman tests were returned on Monday. Overall the class did a fantastic job. Almost everyone remembered some of the idioms we learned from our lessons and were able to earn extra credit for writing them down. Our reports and some of the smaller illustrations are up on the bulletin board in the hall.
Science
We have begun our sound portion of the Light and Sound domain in science. This week we learned what sound is. We found out that sound is a form of energy that travels in waves. These waves are made by vibrations which move tiny particles in the air. The vibrations are called sound waves. Sound waves travel at different speeds depending on the medium in which it travels. We also learned that sound cannot travel through space because it is quite nearly a vacuum, absent of particles, and sound needs particles in order to travel.
On Thursday we did several science experiments that demonstrated sound waves. We explored what happens when sound travels through a variety of 
mediums. We also watched a short film on how sound travels.
English Spelling/Writing
For journal this week some of the class wrote about what it would be like to be a Viking. Others decided that they wanted to write what it would be like if their teacher was a Viking. I can’t wait to read these entries!
Spelling test scores last week were outstanding! I have been very impressed at how hard everyone has been working on their spelling this year. I told the class that after the winter break I will try lowering how many activity points they need to turn in, as long as scores continue to stay at the level I am seeing I think we can cut one activity per week.
We reviewed antonyms this week for grammar.
Art
The 2nd and 3rd graders continued working on their holiday tree landscapes. They created a background using bands of tissue paper, and then they cut out tree shapes from the tissue paper designs that they made last week. The students learned how to arrange the trees to show depth in their pictures. Next week we’ll add some finishing touches to these beautiful landscapes.
Music
We talked about Mozart, Bach and Beethoven, with Sr. Kit playing “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” on the harp and discussed the differences between folk and classical music. We also reviewed our Spanish language carols.