Essential question: How does technology lead to discoveries?
Buscador de planetas
This week we continued with our informational texts studies. We had such an insightful time discussing and analyzing the concepts presented in the texts: Detectives de luz and Buscador de planetas. Students had a chance to worked on their expository writing pieces, conference with peers and submit final drafts. We have schedules presentations for next Tuesday 14th (Jack, Tamra, Rafa, Evan) and Thursday 16th at 2:30 (Lily, Maddie, Sophia, Juliette, Sophie, Christian). Families are welcome to attend presentations!
Our class has been working on a very special project!
Objectives:
Cite evidence from the text
Determine the structure of the text: establish the sequence of the text to better comprehend the information presented.
Using evidence from the text, explain main ideas and supporting details to better comprehend the text (paraphrase)
Provide meaningful examples and explain how ideas are connected to the topic at hand.
Ciencias
This week students took home a rubric with the requirements for our independent science end of the year project. Please help your child narrow down the area of studies they would like to do their research on. A suggestion was to pick an area of interest seen at our Omsi camp.
Mathematics
This week we began our new chapter Surface Area and Volume. We learned about:
Identify the nets of a prism and a pyramid
Identify the solid formed by a given net
Find the surface area of a prism and a pyramid
History & Geography
This week we learned about the Industrial Revolution.
We read our last chapter of The Industrial Revolution called In our Time
We learned how the time we live in now is called the Information Age, and all the new things we have that they did not back then
On Tuesday and Thursday we did Jeopardy to study for our test, then we took the test.
On Friday we started Independence of Latin America: Revolutions in America.
(Written by: Maddie)
English Writing & Spelling
We finished CUPS (Capitalization, Usage, Punctuation, and Spelling).
We worked on our informative writing and we checked it with multiple partners
We added some transition words, and a variety of sentences
This week in our unit on the Civil War the class read the book Just a Few Word, Mr. Lincoln, the story of the Gettysburg Address. On Tuesday the class performed the Harriet Tubman poem for the 3/4 class. We began work on a Civil War timeline and illustrated an event from Lincoln’s life.
Our weekly objectives were to:
• understand the importance of the Gettysburg Address and what led up to the president’s speech
• compare and contrast General Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant
• explain the roles of Lee and Grant in the Civil War
• describe the end of the Civil War
• describe the assassination of President Lincoln
Science
This week in our Simple Machine domain we continued to learn about levers. We explored using different types of levers; which included how many dictionaries does it take to lift a student. We had fun creating catapults and flinging marshmallows. We also worked in our Simple Machine journals and watched a short video about levers.
Catapults and marshmallows!
Our weekly objectives were to:
• label the parts of a lever
• explain how a lever operates
• explain how moving the fulcrum of a lever can change the effort needed to lift a load
• record results of the movement on a lever and fulcrum
English Spelling and Writing
In our journals we used the idiom of the week ” He is green with envy” . The class got their new sorts and took their practice spelling test on Friday . Our Word Wall words were: what, who, where, why
Green sort words for next week
Blue sort words for next week
La lectura
This week we read Molly la valiente y yo. Our objectives were:
read the first half of the story focusing on the comprehension strategy making connections and predictions
read the second half of the story and review the comprehension skill point of view
practice reading words with the letter b
review synonyms
review capital in proper nouns with the French Fry Game!
Las matemáticas
This week we finished our chapter on Shapes and Patterns. Our objectives were:
identifying three types of patterns (color, type, and turns) with 2D and 3D shapes
This week we started our new language arts unit: En la mar / In the Sea. We have a new calendar pattern to help us learn some vocabulary.
Our first book was about a fish who on his first day of school and how he did´t feel like he fit in. He finally got to the right class and was very content! Each student in class then created their own fish, what they would look like as a fish. We´ve started a new mural and added these fish to it.
Our high-frequency words this week were:
como – I eat or like/such as
por – for/through
The students are doing a GREAT job forming complex sentences and went to the treasure box twice this week! They will easily get to their 2,000 tallies next week and earn their next pinata.
Las matemáticas
We continued working on our addition and subtraction stories. Students are using number lines, fingers, and counting on as strategies.
Students did a great estimation activity this week where they estimate the number of gears on a page and then cross them off while counting them They then compared their two answers.
We also play a fun addition game on Friday where students worked with a partner and added two dice to cross off numbers on their page. They are really getting quick with their number facts!
History & Geography
This week in our Kings and Queens unit we read a two part story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The class finished their work on their vocabulary books and wrote in their journals about what they thought was the most important part of Snow White.
Our weekly objectives were to:
• describe and identify the characters, settings, and plots in the stories
• discuss the lesson in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that shows that goodness prevails and is rewarded
• compare and contrast stories that we have read, including themes and characters
Science
This week we began to learn about bees and their important roles in the life cycle of plants. The class had fun seeing some of the tools that bee keepers use, touching a honey comb, and tasting some honey. We also did a planting experiment investigating what plants need.
Our weekly objectives were to:
• describe what plants need to live and grow: food, water, air, and sunlight
• identify the petals on a flower
• describe how bees collect nectar and pollen
• understand how bees make and use honey
• describe the important role bees play in plant pollination
This week we continued with our focused question: How do people benefit from innovations? We started reading an expository piece titled Antes de Colon: Las Americas en 1491 by Charles C.Mann. We will finish this piece next week. Students also had a chance to continue to work on their expository writing pieces. Most of them completed step 5 and had an opportunity to conference with peers to receive constructive feedback. We will be ready to continue to work on steps 5 and 6 next week. The grammar focus this week was adjectives.
Ciencias
OMSI Science Camp!
History
This week we learned about the Industrial Revolution.
We learned about the luddites that were against factories
We learned about Robert Owen and socialism
We read about a new economic order.
We read about a man named Karl Marx and communism
(Written by: Christian)
Math
This week we learned about:
We learned how to find the area of composite figures
We also are preparing for our chapter 10 unit test
(Written by: Juliette)
English Language Arts
We finished D.A.R.E. to revise.
We added “Rockin’ Beginnings” and “Jammin’ conclusions”.
We added transition words, variety of sentences, and titles too.
Define the terms federal system, and checks and balances.
Explain the Great Compromise, the Three-Fifths Compromise, and the compromise on the slave trade.
Understand other important provisions of the Constitution: how it could be amended, how it was to be ratified, and whether it would supersede the states’ constitutions.
Describe the concluding sessions of the Constitutional Convention.
Recognise and appreciate the Preamble to the Constitution.
Explain the Anti-Federalist position.
Summarize the ratification process.
Explain the basic rights included in the Bill of Rights.
Understand that the Constitution has lasted because it set up a limited, flexible framework for government.
State the four guiding principles of the Constitution: government power comes from the consent of the governed; limited government; separation of powers; federalism.
Puzzles available for extra credit and Friday (Math) Bingo
Remember: MATH …. It’s everywhere!
La lectura
This week we read a realistic fiction piece from our Mystery of Medicine unit. We read ¨La doctora nueva¨. This story takes place in a small village in New Mexico, where the opening of a modern medial clinic threatens to replace the local curandera/healer. When a villager demands the curandera´s help during an emergency, a confrontation between the two medical women follows.
Students did a great job asking and answering questions throughout the story and then summarizing.
Ciencias
Hopscotch (cement!) completion!
Students monitored growth of their plants at five, nine, and 13 days after planting. They determined the salt tolerance of their four plants.
When not making plant growth observations students selected a topic from their study of environments to investigate in greater depth. The results of their project will be shared with the rest of the class in a formal presentation.
We had our Westward Expansion celebration on Monday. The class enjoyed a special treat of Johnny cakes and beans with pork. Each student shared what they were bringing on the Oregon Trail and we made a class Wagon Train to go on the journey. We began our next unit on the Civil War. The class is working on reading the book Journey North about Harriet Tubman’s experiences, they also learned a poem about Harriet Tubman.
Our weekly objectives were to:
• understand that discriminates between Northern and Southern states over slavery.
• recognize two enemies of slavery: colo Harriet Beecher Stowe and Harriet Tubman
• identify Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Underground Railroad.
• understand what Southerners wanted
• recognize Abraham Lincoln, his background, and his feelings about slavery.
• identify the beginning of early battles of the Civil War
Science
This week in our Simple Machine domain we finished up our lessons on screws and began to learn about levers. We continued to explore using screws and screw drivers on wood and did a lever exercise on Friday. We worked in our Simple Machine journals and watched a short video about levers and screws.
Our weekly objectives were to:
• the student will identify that a screw is an inclined plane that curves around a shaft or pole
• label the parts of a lever
• explain how a lever operates
English Spelling and Writing
In our journals we used the idiom of the week “I’m feeling under the weather” . The class worked on one spelling assignments and took their final spelling test on Friday . Our Word Wall words were: wanted, when, with, won
La lectura
This week we read Huellas de Monstruos
Our weekly objectives were to:
Review comprehension skills especially making connections
Create a list of rhyming words
Begin a writing piece using at least 4 pairs of rhyming words
Next week we will begin our new unit!
Las matemáticas
This week we began works with shapes. Our weekly objectives were to:
review the 4 basic shapes (circles, rectangles, squares, triangles)
Introduce two new shapes, trapezoid and hexagon
Practice copying figures onto dot paper and grid paper
We completed our Teamwork unit with a final poem, the completion of our class mural, and several activities where students needed to come to an agreement.
Las matemáticas
This week we jumped into word problems with our addition problems. Our kindergarten objectives are to:
Count on
Add using number trains
Count on using fingers
Composing numbers to 20 with five frames and ten-frames
Decomposing number to 20 with five frames and ten-frames
Count on using a number line
Count on to find the difference
Combine two sets to find how many more for sums through 15
History & Geography
This week in our Kings and Queens unit we read a two part story of Cinderella and the book King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub. The class worked on their vocabulary books and wrote in their journals about the stories.
Our weekly objectives were to:
• describe the characters, settings, and plots in the stories
• discuss the lesson in Cinderella that goodness prevails and is rewarded
Science
This week we read the story of the gigantic turnip. The students had fun acting out the story and sequencing important parts of the story. We examined our see through planters and took them home.
Our weekly objectives were to:
• understand that turnip seeds are the beginning of nutrient plants
• explain that turnips grow when they have water and light, and can grow to be different sizes
• identify the root of a turnip, and understand the turnip’s roots and leaves are eaten by people
Thank you so much to this amazing crew for working so hard at Dia del Nino!
Weekly Concept/Genre: Informational Text
Essential question: How do people benefit from innovation?
It seems like our Literacy time flew by this week! We did have a chance to discuss our focus question and do spelling work, which was focused on Latin roots. We also had some time to continue to make progress on our Unit 5 Expository Writing Assignment. Students started working on their rough drafts. We will continue to to work on this and do our class reading work next week after we come back from OMSI camp!
Ciencias
We were very fortunate to have Ms. Ellen Ives from Waste Connections come to our school on Earth Day (Monday).
We were very fortunate to have Ms. Ellen Ives from Waste Connections come to our school on Earth Day (Monday). We learned so much about the different ways we can contribute to make our world a better place. Minimizing our impact on the environment has been a central topic during science this year. Some of the topics covered during her presentation/discussion included: recycling and reusing, using waste to generate clean, renewable energy, reducing our carbon footprint, generate awareness within our communities
Also during science, students were introduced to the concept of “Natural Selection”. We read piece and took a video journey to the Galápagos Islands to revisit the location where Charles Darwin gathered data for his theory of natural selection. It is pretty fascinating to see these biologists work with endemic species in one of the world’s finest laboratories for studying natural selection. After learning the history of progressive change of the plants and animals living on the islands, students will think about the island ecosystems and the effects of natural selection over time. We are thrilled to apply all the knowledge and concepts learned during our own field studies next week!
Mathematics
This week we learned about the area of parallelograms and polygons.
We learned how to find the area of parallelograms and trapezoids
We learned how to find the area of regular polygons using triangles
We played a fun math escape room game.
(Written by Lily)
History & Geography
This week we learned about the Industrial Revolution.
We continued watching the musical Oliver!, which takes place during the Industrial Revolution.
Oliver! was based on Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, who was an author during the Industrial Revolution.
Many of Dickens’ novels were inspired by his own experiences during the time.
(Written by Sophie)
English Writing & Spelling
This week we worked on our rough draft
We wrote our rough drafts
We used DARE to Delete, Add, Rearrange, and Exchange
We also worked with the roots fals, fall, cred, cert, phob.
We also had our greek and latin roots quiz
(Written by Rafa)
Specialists
Art with Ms. Kelly
Congratulations to Juliette Murrow for winning a prize for her Watershed Reflections art at the Earth Day Fair sponsored by the StreamTeam of Clark Public Utilities! All of the students’ Watershed Reflection artwork is currently on the bulletin board at school and was on display at the Earth Day Fair last Saturday. The students did a great job making these wonderful landscape pictures with an emphasis on the rivers and streams that are part of our water supply.
This month all the students have been working on artwork for Mother’s Day. Our inspiration has come from these books:
“Waiting for Wings” by Lois Ehlert and various books by Eric Carle
Both of these author/illustrators use painted paper and collage to create their amazing books.
We also looked at some famous artwork by Picasso. The students had fun creating their own painted papers using tempera paint and then adding texture. I know you’ll enjoy the artwork that your students will bring home in May!
Music with Ms. Erin
In April we learned about Baroque period music. We read about composers Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel, and listened to their music. We learned about instruments used at the time compared to current instruments.
We also continued the construction of songs that the class began creating in March.
In May we will be learning more about Classical and Romantic period composers, and their music. We will learn about instrument development and invention during that time.
We will also continue working on the class compositions, using them to hone vocal and instrumental skills.
Puzzles available for extra credit and Friday (Math) Bingo
Remember: MATH …. It’s everywhere
Ciencias
Working together to make more concrete steps for our school hopscotch.
Students set up a controlled experiment to test the effect of the salinity on four kinds of plants. They planted four containers with identical arrays of seeds; barley, corn, peas, and radishes. They watered each container with a different concentration of salt water, although with the same quantity of water.
Each student wrote about their conclusions from the last investigation and then wrote all the steps they took to start their investigation.
We also had a great visit from the Wegners. The kiddos got to show off their plant-growth knowledge and they worked to create a plan for our school garden. On Friday we planted the seeds for the entire school garden! Yum!!
Specialists
Music with Ms. Erin
In April we learned all about orchestral instruments, as well as orchestra pits used in opera, ballet, and musical theater. We studied vocal ranges from bass to soprano, and saw how those ranges apply to both opera and pop music. We practiced our singing, and learned some new songs by electronic music composer Alan Walker.
In May we will take a musical trip through time by learning about Gregorian Chant music from the Medieval Period, composer Handel’s The Messiah from the Baroque Period, Haydn’s Surprise Symphony from the Classical Period, Chopin’s Nocturnes from the Romantic Period, and listen to contemporary piano music by Yann Tiersen, David Lanz, and Yiruma.
Art with Ms. Kelly
This month all the students have been working on artwork for Mother’s Day. Our inspiration has come from these books:
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert, and various books by Eric Carle
Both of these author/illustrators use painted paper and collage to create their amazing books.
We also looked at some famous artwork by Picasso. The students had fun creating their own painted papers using tempera paint and adding texture. I know you’ll enjoy the artwork that your students will bring home in May!
The students’ Watershed Reflection artwork which is currently on the bulletin board at school, was on display at the Earth Day Fair sponsored by StreamTeam of Clark Public Utilities. The students did a great job making these wonderful landscape pictures with an emphasis on the rivers and streams that are part of our water supply.
This week we started our new language arts unit: En la mar / In the Sea. We have a new calendar pattern to help us learn some vocabulary.
This week we began works with shapes. Our weekly objectives were to:
