Thank you Veterans near and far. With a special thank you to our very own SWS Veterans.
Congrats to our students who climbed the reading mountain last month and read more than 12 hours! We celebrated with a movie and snacks during lunch and recess.
History & Geography
Our weekly objectives were to:
Identify Eleanor of Aquitaine as an important ruler of France and England.
Explain why Henry II and Eleanor were such a powerful couple.
Recognize the major events in Eleanor´s life.
Describe some of the problems of King John´s rule.
Identify the Magna Carta and explain the significance of the document.
Describe the origins of Parliament.
Identify the House of Commons and the House of Lords as the two houses of Parliament.
Identify the circumstances and cause of the Hundred Years´ War.
Puzzles available for extra credit and Friday (Math) Bingo
Remember: MATH …. It’s everywhere!
La lectura
This week we read Dédalo e Ícaro. Our objectives this week were:
To understand there is a difference between risk-taking and thrill-seeking
A lack of judgment can lead to tragic consequences.
We cannot always keep others from making poor choices.
Making inferences in our writing.
To be more aware of our subject verb agreement in our speaking and writing.
This concludes our first unit of study. Next week we will practice our test taking skills and be assessed on this first unit.
Students also received a new reader on Friday. This reader goes nicely with Veteran’s Day. Family time is just one of many sacrifices we can give thanks for.
Ciencias
Focus Question: Where are erosion and deposition happening in our schoolyard.
Students considered whether erosion and deposition are happening in their own schoolyard. We looked for evidence of erosion and for locations where deposition is in evidence.
We observed:
Erosion is the transport (movement) of weathered rock material (sediments) by moving water or wind.
Deposition is the settling of sediments when the speed of moving water or wind declines.
The science reader will be completed with a class discussion on Tuesday 11/13. There will be no quiz. Their subject/predicate HW from this book is also due on 11/13, as well as their bonus topic sentences.
This week in our unit on Ancient China we learned about the ancient process of making silk and the Silk Road. The class had fun acting out what traders might have encountered on the Silk Road. We also began to learn about the Chinese New Year.
Our objectives:
• recall the history of how silk was discovered
• understand how silk is made
• understand the cultural, economic, and geographic importance of silk
• identify the road from Europe to China as the Silk Road and know its significance
Making silk in China
Trading at a Silk Road town
Science
This week in our science domain, Cycles in Nature, we finished editing and published our frog paragraphs. We began the next section of the science domain Cycles in Nature. We are now learning about butterflies.
Picture day readiness
Our objectives were to:
• explain that is cycle is a sequence of events that repeats itself again and again
•identify introduction and conclusion sentences while listening to a paragraph being read.
•explain in writing facts about each stage of a frogs life cycle
• understand that the life cycle of a butterfly goes through a metamorphosis.
English Spelling and Writing
In our journals we used the idiom of the week, “He is a couch potato “. we got new spelling sorts this week and went over them in class. Your child should have brought one home on Monday. These sorts were also in last week’s newsletter. On Friday we took our practice spelling test, if students got a 100% on their practice test they will be tested on Word Wall Words next week for a chance to visit the treasure box . Our word wall words this week were: friends, float, found, green,
La lectura
We earned a movie party this week! The kiddos enjoyed watching The Cat in the Hat Knows a lot About That in Spanish!
This week we read La grulla de papel.
Our weekly objectives were to:
Understand and practice the letter y making the /i/ sound
Understand that in Spanish we use lower case letters for days of the week and months
Use the comprehension strategies making predictions and asking questions during our first read
Use the comprehension skill sequence cause and effect during our second read
We will be reviewing all our high frequency words next week!
Las matemáticas
This week we finished working with Bar Models. Our weekly objectives were to:
Model addition and subtraction as comparing sets
Apply the inverse operations of addition and subtraction
This week we had a lot of fun reading Un día una señora se tragó unas hojas. This was a great story to learn about fall vocabulary while listening for rhyme.
Our weekly objectives were to:
identify rhyme in stories
match rhyming cards
identify initial sounds
sort pictures based on their initial sound (O vs. I)
identify ABC order
We have been doing an ABC sound chart each morning. Here is a link to a video of our sound chart:
Las matemáticas
Our weekly objectives were to:
Add two dice.
Tell what number comes next (one more than) and what number came before (one less than).
Compare groups of objects.
Use tallies to represent groups of 5.
Count by 5’s and 10’s up to the number of the day.
History & Geography
In our unit on Native Americans this week we continued to learn about the Northeastern tribe of the Wampanaogs. The class also learned some general information on the Northwestern Tribes and had fun making a totem pole.
Our objectives this week were:
• identify the environment in which the Wampanoag lived
• understand how the Wampanoag tribe lived
• identify the Wampanoag as a settled tribe
• describe the food, clothing, and shelter of the Wampanoag
Science
This week in science we learned more about the sense of hearing and smell. Students had fun trying to identify different sounds. They giggled when we learned a new poem, Stinky Feet. We also read several trade books about our senses and began working on a class sense book.
Birthday Boy
Our objectives were to:
• identify the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch
• describe how the five senses help humans stay safe
• describe the sense of hearing and sense of smell
• identify the parts of the nose and its function
• provide simple explanations about how the nose and ears work
We had the pleasure of having students do their end on the unit presentations on Monday. We were so impressed and proud of their accomplished pieces. Once again, they did it!.
Our class spent the rest of the week working on another very fun project. You will hear more details about it very soon! Other objectives this week included:
• Cite relevant evidence from the text.
• Paraphrase fragments from the text in oral and written form.
• Determine the structure of a text: problem and solution.
• Ask and answer questions that help clarify understanding of the text.
• Accurately identify nouns
• Identify irregular plurals
• Identify the elements of a play.
Ciencias
This week we continued with our observation and documentation of the development of our milkweed bugs habitats and terrestrial environments. We read a very interesting piece, Biosfera 2, that illustrated some of the concepts seen in class. We finished watching the video of Jane Goodall’s remarkable experience developing her field studies on chimpanzees.
Mathematics
This week we completed Chapter 3 Multiplying and Dividing Fractions and Decimals and began our new Chapter 4 Ratios. Our objectives were:
Study for the Chapter 3 test by completing the chapter review
Demonstrate knowledge on the chapter 3 test
Complete the Prior Knowledge Quiz on ratios and review past skills to prepare for chapter 4
History & Geography
This week we continued learning about Ancient Greece and Rome. Our objectives were:
Discuss Raphael’s Fresco The School of Athens
Summarize the accomplishments and victories of Alexander the Great
Explain the significance of the Hellenistic Period and the library at Alexandria
English Writing & Spelling
Our objectives for writing were:
Continue revising our writing using DARE
Understand how and when to Exchange parts of our writing exchanging Trash Can Words for Million Dollar Words
Understand the ways womenś lives differed from menś lives in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Identify activities and occupations performed by women.
Recognize the achievements of Hildegard of Bingen and Christine de Pisan.
Recognize 1066 as the date of the Battle of Hastings and understand the significance of that battle.
Identify the Bayeux Tapestry and the Domesday Book.
Identify Henry II as the first Plantagenet king.
Describe the characteristics and achievements of Henry II.
Identify Thomas Becket.
Understand the circumstances of Becketś murder.
Newsletter by Mariela
Edited by Alora
Photo by Emilie
How was your Halloween? It was amazing at SWS! We had a fun parade and fun activities. So many amazing costumes. But don´t forget SWS parents, we don´t want the kids to be bouncing off the walls so no candy in kids’ lunches.
Puzzles available for extra credit and Friday (Math) Bingo
Remember: MATH …. It’s everywhere!
La lectura
This week we read, Dos boletos a la libertad.
Key concepts explored in this biography were:
A biography is written about a real person’s life by someone else.
An autobiography is written by a person about his or her own life.
Both a biography and an autobiography contain important information about the person’s life.
A biography or an autobiography often focuses on the most important events in a person’s life. It usually describes a person’s achievements or talents.
Sometimes the consequences of not taking risks are worse than the consequences of taking risks.
Gaining control over your life often requires risks that can possibly have grave consequences
Our objectives this week were:
To use context clues.
To draw conclusions.
To identify and write different types of sentences.
To identify different beginnings and endings for our writing.
To practice our cursive letters q andg
Ciencias
Comparing one table with slope and one without.
Focus Question: How does slope affect erosion and deposition?
We began our 2nd stream-table investigation. We continued to run stream tables to learn how environmental variables can affect erosion and deposition. We investigated how the rate and volume of erosion relate directly to the energy of moving water or wind.
Students were responsible for carefully following the instructions for the investigation while working cooperatively in their group. They were also responsible for taking notes in their science journal.
We continued our unit on China this week. We learned more about Chinese writing and calligraphy as well as Chinese inventions. We did lots of activities centering on what we learned this week. We practiced Chinese characters, made carp kites, did some “woodblock” printing, had a Chinese “tea” party. We also read several Chinese trade books.
Our objectives:
• understand how the Chinese language is written and read
• recognize the historical and artistic value of writing to the Chinese
•recognize some of China’s important inventions
•understand that a tea party is considered a formal ceremony
Science
This week in our science domain Cycles in Nature, we continued to work on our frog paragraphs. We watched a short video on the stages of a frogs life cycle.
Our objectives were to:
• explain that is cycle is a sequence of events that repeats itself again and again
• identify the stages of the life cycle of a frog
•identify parts of a paragraph
•explain in writing facts about each stage of a frogs life cycle
• understand that with feedback, writers can revise their work
English Spelling/Writing
In our journals we used the idiom of the week, “He is catching some Z’s “. For spelling we did some Halloween related activities with our sorts. On Friday we took our spelling test, if students got a 100% on their practice test last week they were tested on Word Wall Words for a chance to visit the treasure box . Our word wall words this week were: every,
Next week’s Green Group sort list
Next week’s Blue Group sort list
La lectura
This week we read Los duendes y el zapatero. Our weekly objectives were to:
Understand and practice the vowel blends ia, ie, ua, and ue
Review homophones
Understand the use of the colon in greeting and the comma in closings
Use the comprehension strategies making predictions and asking questions during our first read
Use the comprehension skill sequence and making inferences as we read the story a second time
Ourhigh frequency words for next week are estoy, hay, voy, hoy, and soy.
Las matemáticas
This week we continued working with Bar Models. Our weekly objectives were to:
Model addition as joining sets
Model subtraction as taking away
Apply the inverse operations of addition and subtraction
This week we read a playful poem about a young child who describes the wonders about his own shadow, Mi sombra. We also read Nada se pega como una sombra by Ann Tompert. This is a fantasy piece. To win a bet with Woodchuck, Rabbit tries many different things to get rid of his shadow. When he finally sees that his shadow is gone, he’s not as happy as he thought he would be. Upon his shadow’s return, Rabbit is more than happy to use the bet.
Our weekly objectives were to:
identify the rhyme and rhythm of poetry.
sing Una luna, dos lunas, identify rhyming words.
use the reading comprehension strategies of visualization, clarifying and making connections.
to identify periods at the end of sentences.
to identify capitals at the beginning of all names.
identify and write the letters Oo, Aa, and Ee.
sort pictures based on their beginning sounds.
Form a group of a given number.
Roll the dice and add that many candies to your chart.
Add the numbers and put the stick in the right pumpkin.
Use the number line to add and then find the answer to make a candy corn.
Las matemáticas
This week we continued with our counting strategies but also began our new unit on Size and Position.
Our weekly objectives were to:
Count up to 40 by 1’s and 10’s.
Compare groups of numbers.
Adding two numbers and using CANDY to help us count!
Learning Targets: I can make size comparisons using big and small.
I can understand the concept of same sized objects.
I can explore the idea that only a few big objects fit into small spaces and many small objects fit into big spaces.
I can identify positions of objects in space.
I can use appropriate language to describe and compare.
I can use language such as before or after to describe relative position in a sequence of events
Math vocabulary: adelante – before, detrás – behind, entre – between
Additional 1st Grade Learning Targets:
I can use ordinal numbers.
I can use position words to name relative positions.
Sharing about what we are learning.
History & Geography
This week we continued our unit on Native Americans of North America. We did some fun activities related to the Sioux tribe. The class learned about petroglyphs and drew some on “buffalo hides”. We also drew pictures of the shelter, clothing, and food of the Sioux. On Friday we began learning about our second tribe in this domain, the Wampanoag.
Our objectives this week were:
• identify the Sioux as a nomadic tribe
• describe the food, clothing, and shelter of the Sioux
• identify the environment in which the Wampanoag lived
• understand how the Wampanoag tribe lived
• identify the Wampanoag as a settled tribe
Recording sounds that are loud and sounds that are soft.
• describe the food, clothing, and shelter of the Wampanoag
Science
This week in science we learned about the sense of sight and hearing. Students had fun trying out experiments involving their sense of sight. We read several trade books about these senses as well.
Our objectives were to:
• identify the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch
• describe how the five senses help humans stay safe
• describe the sense of sight and sense of hearing
• identify the parts of the eye and their functions
• identify the parts of the ear and their functions
• draw the different parts of an eye
• provide simple explanations about how the eye and ear works.
As our literacy unit, Cambios, is coming to an end, we spend the week going back and reviewing/assessing the main objectives seen this unit (please refer back to previous newsletter for specific objectives). We also spent our week reflecting on our growth, discussing our favorite moments and topics covered, and developing our individual end of the unit projects. Students were asked to select an area of interest and work on a mini-research project to contribute to our class. Presentations will be held on Monday ,October 29th at 12:45. Families are welcome to attend!
Ciencias
This week, students constructed terrestrial ecosystems in the classroom. They made predictions of how the organisms will interact. They will observe them over time to understand their behavior in this controlled environment, and see if their prediction were accurate. They are using a group scientific log to observe, describe, and monitor changes in biotic and abiotic factors.
Mathematics
This week we continued working on Chapter 3 Multiplying and Dividing Fractions and Decimals. Our objectives were:
Solve real-world problems involving fractions and decimals
Divide a whole number or a decimal by a decimal
History & Geography
This week we continued learning about Ancient Greece and Rome. Our objectives were:
Recognize mythology and early Greek philosophy as ways of explaining natural phenomena
Explain the beliefs of Socrates and his role in Athenian society, his use of dialogue (the Socratic method), and his trial
Recognize the painting The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David
English Writing & Spelling
Our objectives for writing were:
Begin revising our writing using DARE
Understand how and when to Delete part of our writing
Understand how and when to Add parts to our writing
Understand how and when to Rearrange parts of our writing
Understand how and when to Exchange parts of our writing (rocking beginnings)
Our Greek and Latin roots this week were:
Dict- to say or speak
doc – to teach
Cycle- circle
Dem, pop- people
Specialists
Art with Ms. Kelly
The fifth and sixth graders have been working all month on a paper mâché vase made with balloons, paper cups, newsprint, etc. The vases are looking very creative and sculptural, and the students still need to finish up the painting part. Hopefully we can finish this project on Halloween!
In the meantime, the students have made some beautiful still life drawings, and also black glue paintings of pumpkins. Tamra’s mom Barbara has brought in several pumpkins from her garden, and she has been so helpful every Wednesday with the 5th/6th grade class. I’ll put some of the pumpkin paintings on the bulletin board soon.
In a couple weeks I’ll be sending home some of the students’ artwork that they’ve made so far. Instead of using portfolios this year, I decided it would be nice for the families to enjoy the artwork throughout the year. I really enjoy working with this creative class, most of whom I’ve known since they were K/1 students at SWS!
Music with Ms. Erin
In October we learned about half steps, whole steps, and how to use those steps to construct major and minor triads. We learned about the marimba, xylophone, and played the glockenspiel. We also worked on composing melodies, and adding harmonies to those melodies.
In November we will learn about accompaniment, and how it is used to complement melody. We will see how accompaniment is used in various styles, and with different instruments – classical music (piano accompanist, orchestra with soloist); rock/pop (guitar, piano, or full band); and jazz (band supporting soloists). We will watch famous classical musicians such as Itzhak Perlman, Hilary Hahn, and Olga Kern perform as soloists with orchestra, playing music by Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Rachmaninov.
We will build our own accompaniment to the melodies and harmonies we composed in October.
Locate serfs in the social structure of the Middle Ages.
Describe the life of a serf.
Describe conditions in a life of European city during the Middle Ages.
Describe guilds and understand the ways guilds advanced the interests of merchants.
Explain the relationship between cities and feudalism.
Newsletter by: Emilie
In math we are learning about graphs. In one activity, all of us had to survey 20 people. We each made up a question with 4 possible answers. We went around the school and even surveyed the teachers. Lots of people had interesting surveys.
Mathematics w/Laura
Rainy day recess = more time for Prodigy!
Tables and Line Graphs
Making and Interpreting a Table
Using a Table
Line Graphs
PROJECT ALERT: Students will design, conduct, prepare and present results of a survey!
Puzzles available for extra credit and Friday (Math) Bingo
Remember: MATH …. It’s everywhere!
La lectura
This week we continued and finished reading Mae Jamison while working on our reading comprehension strategies. We practiced retelling the story after each page or a larger section. We practiced stating the man idea of paragraphs and entire sections of the reading. We talked about how these are some strategies they should use when reading at home.
Our weekly objectives were to:
Identify and use descriptive words when reading and writing.
Identify the subject and predicate of sentences (simple and compound).
Use a dictionary to find synonyms for common words.
Use these our new objectives to edit our own auto biographies.
Ciencias
This week we began Investigation 2: Landforms Students used stream tables to observe that water moves earth materials from one location to another. After running a volume of water through the stream tables, students shook a vial containing a sample of earth material mixed with water to observe the rate at which different particle sizes of earth material settle out.
Illustrating vocabulary during science reading.
Hands-on practice of physical erosion. (Play dough represents rock falling from a mountain top. Hands represent water and other rocks that rub agains the tumbling rock.)
Our weekly objectives were to:
observe that weathered rock material can be reshaped into new landforms by the slow processes of erosion and deposition.
observe that erosion is the transport (movement) of weathered rock material (sediments) by moving water or wind.
observe that deposition is the settling of sediments when the speed of moving water or wind declines.
Specialists:
Music with Ms. Erin
In October we studied minor tonality, began learning minor Solfege, and sung harmonies. We learned about the xylophone, and played the glockenspiel. We learned about the vocal ranges Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, and Bass. We also learned some Halloween songs for piano and voice.
In November we will learn about accompaniment, and how it is used to complement melody. We will see how accompaniment is used in various styles, and with different instruments, like classical music (piano accompanist, orchestra with soloist); rock/pop (guitar, piano, or full band); and jazz (band supporting soloists). We will watch famous classical musicians such as Itzhak Perlman, Hilary Hahn, and Olga Kern perform as soloists with orchestra, playing music by Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Rachmaninov.
Art with Ms. Kelly
The third and fourth graders have been learning about Illuminated Manuscripts, and they made their own illuminated letters using their first initial. We looked at photos of the Book of Kells, which is a medieval Gospel book created by monks in Ireland. The students designed their own letter, and illustrated it with patterns and drawings, using paint and colored pencils. These very creative letter designs are on the bulletin board in their classroom.
The students also made some gorgeous “illuminated” pumpkin paintings! (Thank you Kate for making this bright connection!) The students used black glue to draw their pumpkins, and then added texture and color with fluorescent oil pastels and watercolors. They are all unique and beautiful! Look for these to be displayed soon on the bulletin board. They will be a lovely reminder of Thanksgiving as we move into November.
Tables and Line Graphs
Focus Question: How does slope affect erosion and deposition?
The fifth and sixth graders have been working all month on a paper mâché vase made with balloons, paper cups, newsprint, etc. The vases are looking very creative and sculptural, and the students still need to finish up the painting part. Hopefully we can finish this project on Halloween!
Music with Ms. Erin
Tables and Line Graphs
Ciencias
In October we studied minor tonality, began learning minor Solfege, and sung harmonies. We learned about the xylophone, and played the glockenspiel. We learned about the vocal ranges Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, and Bass. We also learned some Halloween songs for piano and voice.
Art with Ms. Kelly