by Jill & Sarah | Nov 4, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we read El niño que no creía en la primavera. Our objectives were:
- Have students practice comprehension by playing Halloween “Guess Who?”
- understand adverbs that describe time/order, dialog dashes, and adjectives
- to use comprehension strategies such as Asking Questions, Clarifying, Visualizing, and Predicting to construct meaning from the story
- to understand the definition of our new vocabulary in order to better prepare for the spelling test next week
We also worked together on our reader homework this week in class. Monday they will be receiving their new reader homework as normal.
Matemáticas
This week we began learning about the Multiplication Tables of 6,7,8 and 9. Our objectives were:
- Students will practice 4-digit addition and subtraction by playing a Halloween math game
- Use multiplication properties by modeling multiplication on number lines and dot paper, and understanding the commutative property, multiplying by 1, and multiplying by 0
Next week we will begin practicing our multiplication facts at the beginning of each class by taking fast facts quizzes. Students will try to complete each quiz within 4 minutes and with 100% accuracy. Once they have passed a quiz they will move on to the next set of multiplication facts working up to x12. If the student does not pass they will retake that quiz until they are able to pass.
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci.
This week we learned about the Punic Wars and some information about the daily Roman life in the city. We also had fun working on our Roman wax writing tablets.
Our objectives were to:
• identify and locate on a map the following : Mediterranean Sea, Italy, Sicily, North Africa, Carthage, Spain, and the Alps.
• explain the significance of the Punic Wars between ancient Rome and Carthage
• describe the role of Hannibal in the Punic Wars
• describe the everyday life the ancient Romans
• describe the many structures the ancient Romans built, including roads, bridges, aqueduct, and amphitheaters
• Identify some of the contributions from the ancient Roman civilization, and describe how they have influenced the present
Social Studies with Ms. Laura:
We explored the importance of ancestors in Chinese beliefs and tried to understand ways that ancestor worship has been practiced. We wrote letters to a special someone! We talk about the Great Wall of China and read the book The Seven Chinese Brothers. We talked about the Chinese Language and writing. We talked about the importance of written language to a civilization, comparing Ancient China to Ancient India. We practiced some Chinese calligraphy.
Science 
This week we finished our classification of animals domain and read about vertebrate animals around the world. We continue to work on our informational paragraph about an animal of our choosing. Students will be creating their animal, in some form of their choosing, at home next week.
Our objectives this week were to:
• identify cold-blooded or warm-blooded and vertebrate / invertebrate as important characteristics used to classify animals
• identify fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals as groups of vertebrates
• identify basic characteristics of fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals
• close-by particular animals as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, or mammals
• compare and contrast two groups of vertebrates
• identify insect as in invertebrates
• identify insect has the most numerous group of animals that have currently been identified
English Word Work 
We took our spelling test on Friday. For grammar we reviewed proper ways to punctuate quotes in sentences. For giggles, we used Halloween costumes to identify possible character traits and then shared them with the class.
In our journals we used this week’s vocabulary word, “attire” to describe our Halloween outfits.
by Sarah Segall | Nov 4, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we had our hands full with sugar running through the veins of these wonderful K/1 students! They certainly kept us on our toes but we were able to harness their extra energy and get a lot accomplished. Some of our language arts objectives this week were to:
- write in complete sentences using correct capitalization, spacing, and punctuation.
- differentiate between sounds.
- do letter sound sorts in Spanish (just like English!)
- retell a read-aloud, with details, in the correct sequence
- use the word of the day in more detailed sentences
- identify initial and final sounds in spoken words
Matemáticas
This week we had a TON of fun with our subtraction, especially on Halloween!
Tens frames addition.
Candy corn addition and subtraction match up.
Candy corn estimation.
Addition to fill the pumpkins.
History & Geography
We continued our unit on ancient Egyptian civilization. We had fun learning a song about King Tutankhamun, being archaeologists and digging into chocolate chip cookies to find the chips, and making an Egyptian headdress.
Archaeologist digging for valuable chocolate chip artifacts
Our objectives this week were to
• locate Egypt on a world map or globe and identify it as part of Africa
• identify Hatshepsut as a pharaoh of ancient Egypt
• explain the significance of Hatshepsut as a pharaoh
• identify Tutankhamun as a pharaoh of ancient Egypt
• describe key components of a civilization
• understand that much of what we know about ancient Egypt is because the work of archaeologists
Science
How long is a rainforest boa constrictor?
This week in our Animals and Their Habitats domain we finished learning about the rainforest and began reading about fresh water habitats.
Our objectives this week were to:
• identify three characteristics of the tropical rainforest habitat
• explain how tropical rainforest animals have adapted to the tropical rainforest habitat
• classify animals on the basis of the types of food that they eat ( herbivore, carnivore, omnivore)
• classify water habitats as either freshwater or saltwater habitats
• identify the characteristics of the freshwater habitat
English Word Work
This week in spelling the Red group worked on r and s sounds, the Blue group had the diagraphs ch and sh, and the Green group reviewed short vowel sounds. In our journals this week we wrote about Pharaoh Hatshepsut and Halloween. Our word wall words this week were: girl, good, but, boy, look, like, into, have.
Our vocabulary words this week were: tradition, colonies, patterns, tomb.
by Ivary & Paola | Oct 28, 2017 | In The Loop
Empanadas deliciosas. Un símbolo de cocina de Sudamérica.
Lenguaje
We are so proud of our talented 4th/5th graders as they turned in their books reports and shared the beautiful art pieces!
Students sharing their marvelous “Con carino, Amalia” art pieces.
There is no better way to culminate a literature circle than eating the most delicious “flan de coco”
Sophie sharing her sewing project showing our book theme.
This week we were so fortunate to have some stellar guest speakers come into our 4th/5th grade class to talk about their cultural heritage. We were able to listen to their wonderful stories, learn so much about their culture and the way they continue to celebrate their traditions, here in the United States. AS we start wrapping up our unit, Cultural Heritage, we thank these community member for allowing us to have a meaningful and authentic connection to the theme.
Jorge sharing family’s traditions and stories from Colombia.
Analia and Carla telling us the significance of drinking “mate ” in Argentina. We all want to travel to Argentina some day!
Denice sharing the wonderful traditions of her beloved country of origin, Dominican Republic. We learned a “chin” of the interesting dialect they speak in the island! Muy bacano!
Ciencias
The Solar System
This week students were introduced with the following guiding question: How do the parts of the solar system interact? Students worked with a set of solar system cards. Based on previous knowledge, information on the cards, and information provided by the teacher, students organized the objects into different categories according to their characteristics. We introduced vocabulary and were able to compare and contrast the different pictures and classify them according to the characteristics we observed. We will continue with this investigation next week. 
We continue to study the phases of the moon. Please have your child look for the moon this weekend and see the changes.
History & Geography
Creating our own versions of the Vitruvian Man
Painting like Michelangelo!
This week we continued studying the Renaissance. Our objectives were:
- identify Leonardo da Vinci, recognize the major achievements of his career and his importance to the European Renaissance
- Identify Michelangelo Buonarroti, describe the greatest achievements of his career, and his importance to the European Renaissance
- Identify Baldassare Castiglione and recognize the importance of The Courtier
- Identify Niccolo Machiavelli and understand the importance of The Prince
- Understand the impact of the Italian Renaissance on the rest of Western Europe, how ideas of the Italian Renaissance reached other European countries
- Identify important figures of the Renaissance in France, England, Germany, and Spain and identify their works
Next week we will have Renaissance day on Friday! Students can dress up and we will do some fun activities!
Mathematics
Discovering how fractions are related to division problems.
This week we worked with fractions. Our objectives were:
- Add and subtract two unlike fractions where one denominator is not a multiple of the other
- estimate sums and differences of fractions
- understand and apply the relationships between fractions, mixed numbers, and division expressions
English Word Work
This week we began a new spelling rotation. Our rotation days were:
- Word Search: Students received a word search with their new spelling words. They were tasked with finding and sorting their new words.
- Teacher Meeting: I met with each student to discuss and clarify their new sort.
- Vocabulary: Students dug through an excerpt from The Courtier to find words to add to our word wall. The words we found were tunable ness and comeliness
- Spelling City: Students had a chance to work on computer skills as well as spelling on spellingcity.com
We will have our next spelling test on Tuesday, Halloween!
Specialists
ART:
The 4th and 5th graders finished their felt fabric Molas earlier this month, and I am keeping these and all their artwork at school for now. We will decorate a portfolio to hold all their beautiful artwork soon!
We also did several autumn leaf projects: Leaf rubbings with a single large leaf, leaf rubbings with overlapped shape designs, and leaf printing with white tempera and sponge painting.
Owen brought in a book about Aboriginal dot painting which we used as inspiration for leaf dot paintings similar to the ones made by 2nd and 3rd grade. The students used warm and cool colors to create some beautiful leaf designs.
We also looked at several examples of Renaissance Art – Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo – to go along with Maestra Ivary’s lessons on the Renaissance. We discussed the difference between a Medieval and a Renaissance painting of Madonna and Child, where the students could see the obvious differences in the 2 styles.
The students reviewed Value (light and dark, or shading) as an Art Element, and they used different values of orange to create some very beautiful oil pastel drawings of pumpkins that are on the bulletin board at school.
used oil pastel to create “sfumato” (smokey) effect in a pumpkin drawing.
Next month – Picasso art projects!
Music with Ms. Erin
What we did in October:
– Practiced singing melody and harmony
– Sang Beauty and the Beast in unison, and sang melody and harmony with Edelweiss from ‘The Sound of Music’
– Learned Eighth, Sixteenth, and Dotted Eighth with Sixteenth note rhythms
– Sang Canons (rounds) with ‘I Love the Mountains’ and ‘ Dona Nobis Pacem’
– Learned the time signature 6/8, and how to clap rhythms in 6/8 time
– Learned and sang the song Greensleeves, The Addams Family, Git Along Little Dogies, and Monster Mash
– Watched violin and piano duet performances of pieces by famous composers Saint-Saens and John Williams
– Drummed rhythm pattern “1 – 2 & – 3 – 4”
Plans for November include:
– Sing along well-known songs with acoustic guitar accompaniment
– Learn more about Ludwig Van Beethoven, and listen to his Symphony No. 5, Moonlight Sonata, and other impactful works
– Learn about Sharps and Flats, and how they alter notes and key signatures
– Improve harmonization skills in singing
– Learn rhythmic syncopation, and how to emphasize syncopated beats (using song Jericho for example and practice)
Character Education with Ms. Jennie
In November, our theme for character ed will be Compassion and Generosity and we’ll be setting up our 3rd Annual Giving Tree for Share. Believe it or not, it’s that time of year again! Look for the tree and the gift tags in the hallway but the second week of November. Information about the specifics of the Giving Tree will also be posted in the hallway, and we’ll send out more details in an upcoming newsletter as well. Our quote of the month is: “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.” – Booker T. Washington and our featured poem is another seasonal one called “The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven” by Jack Prelutsky. Now that we’ve learned all the literature circle “jobs”, we will also be breaking into groups to discuss our book The Next Seat, with each student have a different job every week.
by Jill & Sarah | Oct 28, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we took our first unit assessment and began our new unit. Our unit assessments consist of a comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and writing piece. We spread our assessments out over two days to make it more manageable. These assessments are used to keep track of the progress our class is making throughout the year. Our objectives this week were:
- Students will demonstrate their comprehension and writing ability and understanding of grammar and vocabulary on the Unit Test
- Introduce new story and new unit WIld Life in the City
- Define new spelling words
- Create visual spelling list
- Take spelling test
Matemáticas
Working on Real-World math problems!
This week we worked with real-world addition and subtraction problems. Our objective was:
- use bar models to solve 2-step real-world problems involving addition and subtraction
Real world problems involve a lot of steps. They must not only understand the story problem and what it is asking for but they must also know what steps to take to get the final answer. Students worked really hard this week and the biggest thing we noticed is that we need to slow down and take each problem step-by-step. We will continue working on real-world problems next week and take our assessment.
History & Geography
Wrath of the Roman Goddesses/Gods
Social studies with Ms. Marci.
This week we had a great time dressing up like Roman gods and goddesses. Each person introduced their goddess/ god and describe them. We also learned about the Roman Republic and played the “Who Am I Game”, identifying patricians, plebeians, slaves, senators, and consuls.
Our objectives were to:
• identify and locate on a map the following: the Mediterranean Sea, Italy, Rome
• Identify and describe ancient Roman gods and goddesses
• explain why ancient Rome was considered a civilization
• compare and contrast the three categories of people in ancient Rome: patricians, plebeians, and slaves
• describe the evolution of government in ancient Rome from monarchy to republic
• describe the importance of forums in Roman society and government
Social Studies with Ms. Laura: We completed our study of Ancient India with a review, an assessment, dressing up and having a special snack, including ghee, the sacred offering to the Hindu god of fire, Agni. We read Ms. Frizzle’s Adventure Imperial China to preview our next unit on Ancient China. We heard about important rivers, farming rice, drinking tea, honoring relatives and ancestors, important Chinese inventions, The Silk Road, The Great Wall of China, The Emperor and Chinese New Years. We began our study of Ancient China by locating two rivers, Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze. We talked about why rivers are both helpful and destructive, comparing the importance of these rivers to those of Ancient India. We talked about the basic principles of Confucianism and tried to see its influence on Chinese government and culture.
Science 
This week in our Animal Classification domain we continued to learn about mammals. The class is preparing to write an informational paragraph/ paragraphs on an animal. They have begun to plan and gather information this week.
Our objectives this week were to:
• observe and describe basic characteristics of an animal
• identify basic characteristics of mammals
• classify particular animals as mammals
• compare and contrast two groups of warm-blooded animals
English Word Work
We took our spelling test on Friday. This week we worked on sorting in different waves in order to help us remember spelling patterns. For grammar, we reviewed predicates in sentences.
In our journals we used this week’s vocabulary word, “eerie” and we also wrote about our field trip.
Thanks to everyone who drove on our field trip. It was not only a beautiful day but a great success.
Specialists
ART:
This month the 2nd and 3rd graders learned about Australian aboriginal dot painting. The students created turtles, fish, and lizards, using q-tips dipped in tempera paint. Then they used this same technique with fall leaves using warm colors in the leaves and cool colors in the background. The students really enjoyed this project and created some beautiful patterns and designs.
The 2nd and 3rd graders also worked on leaf rubbings with crayon and watercolor. They learned how to overlap shapes, and use warm and cool colors to create some beautiful leaf designs.
We also discussed Value, or light and dark, in the artwork. We looked at a Vermeer painting with strong lights and darks, and then the students used chalk pastels to create light and dark sides of a moonlit pumpkin.
Next month – Picasso art projects!
Character Education with Ms. Jennie In November, our theme for character ed will be Compassion and Generosity and we’ll be setting up our 3rd Annual Giving Tree for Share. Believe it or not, it’s that time of year again! Look for the tree and the gift tags in the hallway but the second week of November. Information about the specifics of the Giving Tree will also be posted in the hallway, and we’ll send out more details in an upcoming newsletter as well. Our quote of the month is: “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.” – Booker T. Washington and our featured poem is another seasonal one called “The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven” by Jack Prelutsky. Check out the bulletin board to see what books we’ll be reading as well!
Music with Ms. Erin
What we did in October:
– Learned how to read notation for the Treble and Bass clefs
– Learned about string, brass, and woodwind orchestral instruments
– Featured the cello (student share) and clarinet (teacher share) in the class
– Listened to pieces by famous composers Bach, Saint-Saens, Mozart, Debussy, Rossini, Gershwin, Grieg,
– Learned and practiced rhythm patterns in 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4 time
– Learned musical terms Accelerando, Ritardando, and Rallentando (gradually speeding up and slowing down)
– Learned about the life of composer Antonin Dvorak, and listened to an except of the New World Symphony, and his piece The Noon Witch
Plans for November include:
– Build familiarity with the acoustic guitar
– Sing along well-known songs with guitar accompaniment
– Learn about the life of Tchaikovsky, and listen to his suite from Swan Lake
– Practice note reading in the key of C major
– Learn and practice rhythms using Eighth Notes
by Sarah Segall | Oct 28, 2017 | In The Loop
Celebrating the first 1000 tallies of the year!
Literatura
This week we read a very funny poem about a character by the name of Crispín, who does everything in funny and extravagant ways. The poet used rhythm, repetition, and rhyme to create sound effects that are linked to the humorous illustrations. Our language arts objectives this week were to:
- discuss reality and fantasy
- identify title and author
- identify rhyme and repetition
- write using correct spacing, capitals, and punctuation
- write about ourselves
- use our daily site word for complete sentences (This particular daily activity has helped the students reach 1000 tallies in their Spanish usage!! They then earned a very fun piñata!)
Birthday popsicles for Maria!
Matemáticas
Subtraction on the number line.
This week we continued our exploration of numbers through number bonds, addition, and subtraction. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and participated in some whole body subtraction. We used number lines to count backwards for subtraction. This week we also started a countdown for Halloween. Each day the calendar helper cuts a link and we count backwards. This correlates well with our subtraction by counting backwards. Students also used big paperclips on long number lines at their desks to help them with seat work subtraction.
History & Geography
We continued our unit on ancient Egyptian civilization. We had a great time making marshmallow pyramids.
Our objectives this week were to
• locate Egypt on a world map or globe and identify it as part of Africa
Visiting architect, Andy
• identify pyramids and their shapes
• explain the significance of pyramids in ancient Egypt
• describe how the pyramids were built
• explain that much of Egypt is in the Sahara Desert
• recognize the Sphinx and explain its significance in ancient Egypt
Science
This week in our Animals and Their Habitats domain we continued to learn about the rainforest. We watched a video showing animals and the sounds that they make from the rainforest. On Friday we got to taste things that come from the rainforest. Thank you to all the parents who drove on our field trip. Not only was it a beautiful day, but a great success as well!
Our objectives this week were to:
• understand that living things live in habitats to which they are particularly suited
rainforest food taste good!
• identify the habitat of the salmon we talked about on our school trip
• identify the characteristics of the tropical rainforest habitat
• describe foods that come from the rainforest
• explain how tropical rainforest animals have adapted to the tropical rainforest habitat
• classify animals on the basis of the types of foods that they eat
English Word Work
This week in spelling the Red group worked on n and p sounds, the Blue group had the ill, ig, and ip family words, and the Green group had the word families ish, ash, and ush. In our journals this week we wrote about seeing the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx and our field trip. Our word wall words this week were: call, come, eat, each, fun, find, give, get.
Our vocabulary words this week were: pyramid, treasure, Dam, Sphinx.
Specialists
ART with Ms. Kelly 
This month the K/1 students worked on observing the shapes, sizes and edges of leaves. We made leaf rubbings with oil pastels and crayons, which was challenging for their little hands but The 2nd week was easier! We talked about warm and cool colors and then the students used watercolors to paint over the crayon rubbings. Some of these beautiful little leaves are on the bulletin board at school.
We also worked on observing, drawing, and painting pumpkins. The students made a drawing with black crayon and then mixed yellow and red tempera paint to make beautiful orange pumpkin paintings. The following week the students made a second pumpkin picture using construction paper shapes with a jack-o-lantern face. I hope you enjoy their great pumpkin art this fall season!
Next month – Picasso art projects!
Music with Ms. Erin
What we did in October:
– Learned the musical terms Staccato and Legato (“bouncy” and “smooth” sounds)
– Learned all about the ukulele, had a sing along, and learned how to play the C chord on the instrument
– Learned the story of Peer Gynt, and listened to Edvard Grieg’s compositions ‘Morning Mood’ and ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’
– Listened to the Sorcerer’s Apprentice by composer Paul Dukas
Plans for November include:
– Introduce the acoustic guitar, and sing along with guitar accompaniment
– How to recognize Like and Unlike musical phrases
– Learn about the orchestra, and the orchestra’s instrument families
– Listen to Sergei Prokofiev’s ‘Peter and the Wolf’
– Listen to Mozart’s ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’
Character Education with Ms. Jennie
In November, our theme for character ed will be Compassion and Generosity and we’ll be setting up our 3rd Annual Giving Tree for Share. Believe it or not, it’s that time of year again! Look for the tree and the gift tags in the hallway but the second week of November. Information about the specifics of the Giving Tree will also be posted in the hallway, and we’ll send out more details in an upcoming newsletter as well. Our quote of the month is: “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.” – Booker T. Washington and our featured poem is another seasonal one called “The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven” by Jack Prelutsky. Check out the bulletin board to see what books we’ll be reading as well!
by Ivary & Paola | Oct 21, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
The highlight of this week was our 5th annual Pumpkin Run! Students went through he writing process to produce an expository piece, to inform our SWS audience about this much anticipated fundraising event. Be sure to read our published pieces next week on our Spanish bulletin board. In literacy this week, we also continued working on our book club, Con carino, Amalia. Students have done a great job during literature circle in class, as well as keeping up with their home assignments. We look forward to completing our first book club successfully next week. Other literacy objective this week were to:
- Apply listening comprehension strategies when listening to a narrative piece (En dos mundos: una familia esquimal Yup’ik)
- Understand the purpose and characteristics of an informative piece.
- Write a magazine article.
- Enunciation and intonation in Spanish. Read with fluency applying rhythm patterns.
- Grammar, usage and mechanics: Suffixes.
Ciencias
Students grappled with the size and distance relationships among Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. They worked together to build a model of the Earth/Moon/Sun system. To work on this project, students had to integrate mathematical concepts such a multiplication, division, proportions , measurement and vocabulary such as circumference, radius and diameter. Students concluded: The Moon is much smaller than the Earth and orbits at a distance equal to about 30 earth diameters. The sun is 12,000 Earth diameters away from the Earth and is more than 100 times larger than Earth.
Next week we will start working on the next part of our investigation 2: The Solar System!
History & Geography
This week we continued to learn about the Renaissance. Our objectives were:
- Explore and gain better understanding of Brunelleschi’s dome of the Florence Cathedral
- Explore and gain better understanding of Michelangelo’s Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica
- Understand the early history of Venice
- Describe Venetian society in 1500
- Recognize Venice’s contributions to the art and ideas of the Renaissance
Next week we will be doing a messy art project on Monday, please have your student come to class wearing clothes that can get dirty!
Mathematics
Solving some Halloween word problems!
We created our own word problems then used them to prepare for the test!
This week we finished our unit on Whole Number Division and Multiplication. Our objectives were:
- use effective strategies to solve multi-step problems involving multiplication and division
- express and interpret the product or quotient appropriately
- Review real-world multiplication and division problems
- Review using patterns to help multiply and divide numbers
- Review simplifying numerical expressions using the order of operations
- Review using multiplication and division to solve real-world problems
Students did a great job on the unit test! This test was very tricky and most of the questions involved multiple steps. Next week we will begin Fractions and Mixed Numbers
English Word Work
This week we completed our rotation. Our rotations days were:
- Vocabulary Day: We dug through our math text books for words to add to our word wall. The words we found were variable and reciprocal.
- Spelling City: Students had a chance to get on the computers and practice their computer skills and spelling
- Writer’s Workshop: Students were able to edit/revise a writing piece they had already been working on and begin a new Halloween writing piece
- Blind Sort Test: Students tested each other on their spelling using the Blind Sort method.
Our next spelling test will be on Oct. 31, Halloween!
by Jill & Sarah | Oct 21, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we read two stories! The first story we read was Compañeros de equipo, the second was La leyenda de Damón y Pitias. Our objectives were:
- use comprehension strategies such as clarifying predicting and summarizing to construct meaning from the text while reading Compañeros de equipo
- use the comprehension skill main idea and details to create Main Idea and Details Spiders as they read the story the second time
- use comprehension strategies such as self-questioning, clarifying, and summarizing to construct meaning from the text while reading La leyenda de Damón y Pitias
- define our new spelling words
Because of the field trip next Thursday we will be having our spelling test on Friday!
Matemáticas
Playing some subtraction games!
Working together on subtraction!
This week we finished our unit on subtracting numbers up to 10,000. Our objectives were:
- Use base-ten blocks to subtract with and without regrouping
- Use base-ten blocks to subtract across zeros
- Write subtraction number sentences
- Solve subtraction word problems
Students did a great job on their test! Next week we will begin Using Bar Models in Addition and Subtraction.
History & Geography
Social studies with Ms. Marci
This week we dive deeper into our Ancient Roman Civilization unit. In our journals we wrote a legend after hearing the legend of Romulus and Remus. We have also begun thinking about what we want to include in our lap book for this unit.
Our objectives were to:
• identify and locate on a map the following: the Mediterranean Sea, Italy, Rome, and the Tiber River
• locate the approximate area where the ancient Roman civilization began
• Identify some of the contributions of the ancient Roman civilization, and describe how they have influenced the present
• explain that most ancient Romans worshipped many gods and goddesses
• describe the religion and mythology of ancient Rome as similar to that of ancient Greece
• retail the legend of Romulus and Remus, and explain that this Legend is believed to tell the story of the foundation of Rome
• explain the importance of the Tiber River to the ancient Romans
Social Studies with Ms. Laura
We heard a Buddhist Jataka tale (a fable) and talked about its lesson. We then compared it to the familiar story, ‘Chicken Little’. After we acted out the Buddhist tale for the K/1 class, with our handmade stick puppets, and we listened to a second Buddhist Jatake tale and discussed its lesson. We learned about King Asoka, whose life was changed when he met a Buddhist monk.
On Tuesday, October 24th, we will complete the Ancient India unit with a review of all lessons and topics covered, a unit assessment and a costume party (dress like a person from Ancient India)! Students may bring outfits to school and change during the first part of class or they may dress up in the clothes and jewelry we have in the classroom.
Science
This week in our Animal Classification domain we learned about bird’s beaks and how the shape of their beaks helps scientist identify bird’s feeding habits. We had fun doing an experiment about habits beaks. On Friday we began reading about mammals.
Our objectives this week were to:
• observe and describe basic characteristics of an animal
• explain that scientists classify animals by common or shared characteristics.
• identify fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals as groups of vertebrates
• identify basic characteristics of mammals
• classify particular animals as mammals
• compare and contrast two groups of warm-blooded animals
English Word Work
We took our spelling test on Friday. We did a lot of practice with a partner on Thursday to get ready for our test. In grammar this week we worked on sentence structure, focusing on the predicate.
Just a reminder that we will have our field trip to the Bonneville Dam Visitor Center on Thursday at 9:45. Students should bring a brown bag lunch.
Apparently a little bird told that my birthday was this week. I felt very showered by love from everyone! Thank you so much!! ~Ms.Marcie
by Sarah Segall | Oct 21, 2017 | In The Loop
Literatura
This week we read and listened to the classic De colores. This poem is all about country and city sevens in which animals, people, and objects from nature are seen through a color prism. Even though colors are not mentioned by name, the pictures are tied into the rhythm, repetition and rhyme to create beautiful sound and visual effects. Our objectives this week were:
- to identify rhyme.
- to create and identify rhyming words.
- to identify initial and final phonemes in spoken words.
- to become familiar with the sight words: mira, son, todos.
- to correctly form the letters: Rr, Ss, and Tt (we spent an extra day on S).
- to read with a partner and within a small teacher led group for fluency.
Resta de la risa (on R day!) Subtracting from 10 using teeth and dice.
Matemáticas
This week we continued using different methods for addition and subtraction. Students used tens frames, tallies, counters, stamps, blocks, etc. to show number families on number bonds. Students objectives this week were to:
- take away to subtract.
- count on to subtract. (counting on from the lesser number)
- count back to subtract. (counting back from the greater number)
- use number bonds to subtract. (using the part-whole concept to see the connection between the parts and the whole)
History & Geography
We begin our unit on ancient Egyptian civilization this week. We worked on a map of Egypt, had fun with hieroglyphics, and got to examine live papyrus, papyrus paper, and an Egyptian painting with hieroglyphs on papyrus paper. Thank you Maria, Bryce, and Ms. Kelly for sharing your artifacts.
Our objectives this week were to:
live papyrus
• locate Egypt on a world map, and identify it as part of Africa
• explain the importance of the Nile River and how its floods were important for farming
• identify hieroglyphs as the way of writing in ancient Egypt
• explain why writing is important to the development of a civilization
• explain the significance of gods/ goddesses in ancient Egypt
Science
This week in our Animals and Their Habitats domain we finished our temperate deciduous forest animals chapter and began reading about the tropical rainforest. We talked about the location, climate, and levels of the rainforest.
Our objectives this week were to:
• understand that living things live in habitats to which they are particularly suited
• identify the characteristics of the temperate deciduous forest habitat
• identify the characteristics of the tropical rainforest habitat
English Word Work
This week in spelling the Red group worked on l and m sounds, the Blue group had the ug, un, and up family words, and the Green group had the word families ick, ack, ock, and uck. In our journals this week we wrote about how Egyptians used hieroglyphics. Our word wall words this week were: what, with, up, use, saw, said, so, some.
Our vocabulary words this week were: Egyptians, canopy, hieroglyph, depicted
Just a reminder that we will have our field trip to the Bonneville Dam Visitor Center on Thursday at 9:45. Students should bring a brown bag lunch. Parents are driving so please check the sign up sheet outside the classroom if your child needs a ride.
Apparently a little bird told that my birthday was this week. I felt very showered by love from everyone! Thank you so much!! ~Ms. Marcie
The K/1 class was a great audience for a 2nd grade presentation.
by Ivary & Paola | Oct 14, 2017 | In The Loop
Lenguaje
This week we continued with literary circle and book study, Con carino Amalia. Student have done a great job staying on track with their reading and reading log as well as digging deep in the analysis during our daily debriefs. This activity has provided us with great opportunities for discussions around the topic Cultural Heritage. It has also been a great context to put into practice our reading comprehension and thinking skills. Some included: making inferences, making connections, asking questions to clarify understanding. According to our calendar, we should have read until chapter 12,(Cuando no es possible deshacer lo hecho). Please make sure that your child comes to school prepared for our discussion on Monday.
Ciencias
This week went by so quickly. We spent most of our class time working on literacy projects. We did have a chance to start our investigation 2 part 2, and will continue working on this next week. The focus questions were: How would you describe the size of and distance between Earth, the Moon, and the Sun? How Big and How Far? Students grappled with the size and distance relationships among Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. Next week, they will work together to build a model of the Earth/Moon/Sun system. To work on this project, students will have to integrate mathematical concepts such a multiplication, division, proportions , measurement and vocabulary such as circumference, radius and diameter.
History & Geography
This week we continued studying the renaissance. Our objectives were:
- Review the definitions for vocabulary from the last 3 chapters
- Recognize the role various popes played as patrons of the arts during the Renaissance.
- Describe the building of St. Peter’s Basilica.
- Understand Florentine society of the 1400s.
- Identify the contributions to the Renaissance of Florentine artists.
- Understand the roles of members of the Medici family in Florence’s history.
- Explore and gain better understanding of Brunelleschi’s dome of the Florence Cathedral and of Michelangelo’s Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica
Mathematics
This week we continued working with dividing by 2-digit numbers, as well as order of operations and real world problems. Our objectives were:
- use efficient strategies to solve multi-step problems involving multiplication and division
- express and interpret the product or quotient appropriately
- Use order of operations to simplify a numeric expression
- divide a 2-, 3-, or 4-digit number by a 2-digit number
English Word Work
This week finished our rotation and began a new one. Our rotation days were:
- Writer’s Workshop: Students were able to begin a new writing piece or continue one they had already been working on
- Blind Sort Test:Students tested each other on their spelling using the Blind Sort method.
- Word Search/Teacher Meeting: Students worked on their word searches and met with me to discuss and understand their new sort
Our spelling test will be on Friday!
This week we read El niño que no creía en la primavera. Our objectives were:
This week we began learning about the Multiplication Tables of 6,7,8 and 9. Our objectives were:
Social Studies with Ms. Laura:
