4th/5th Week 13

by | Dec 5, 2015 | In The Loop

Language Arts 

In Literacy this week, we did a great deal of oral language development. It was wonderful to share and hear our holiday adventures. This was a great opportunity to review vocabulary and language structures we often use during this special time of the year. Some of the word work included verbs in their infinitive and participle forms(compartir – compartido, decorar – decorado-, cocinar – cocinado, leer – leido, festejar – festejado, viajar – viajado, etc.). Similarly, some of the language structures included comparatives and superlatives:  Este  vaso de jugo es mas dulce que este otro. Este color es el mas claro de todos.   
We also had a chance to check the homework and revisit some key concepts about biographies. Great job everyone turning in their homework reading records! We finished our short but full week with our dictado. On Monday, students will be given their new spelling words.

Math

We did some continued work with fractions and mixed numbers this week and will continue with more of the same next week. We are learning quite a bit about adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing (next week) fractions that are improper and proper as well as mixed numbers. The students are all working well toward mastery with these concepts!

Social Studies  

IMG_2791In Social Studies everyone presented a speech about an important figure of Renaissance history. These were so fun! I was highly impressed by all the work put in and facts memorized. Thank you to the parents who were able to take time and come watch these informative presentations! Next week we will start a new unit on England: Golden Age to Glorious Revolution. Stay tuned!

Science

 We had a great time conducting the first part of Investigation 3: Concentration and Soft Drinks Recipes. Some of the guiding questions included: “What is a concentrated solution? How can we determine the relative concentrations of solutions?”. During our investigation, students observed and compared soft-drink solutions that differed in the amount of powder (water held constant) and the amount of water (powder held constant) to develop the concept of concentration. Great work everyone!

At home, help your child reflect on the following question: Is a concentrated solution the same as a saturated solution? How are they different and how are they similar?

Art

This week we discussed Renaissance art. The students recently studied Renaissance history with Miss Sally so it was good for them to see some of the famous artwork by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli. We started by looking at the differences between a Medieval painting and a Renaissance painting of Mary and Jesus. Then we looked at several more Renaissance paintings and sculptures. We had a few minutes to start on a clay project, but we will have more time next art class to work on clay sculptures. This is such a wonderful little group of students!

A NOTE ABOUT ART GRADES: I use art grades to let you know what topics in the curriculum we’ve covered and not as an indication of skill, since all children have wonderful creative abilities.