Language Arts
This week the class had a very fun time with our spelling. Yes, it was really fun! They have been working on their dictionary skills by quickly looking up their weekly spelling words. The fastest students received tickets for their efforts. They were very motivated and their dictionary skills really improved!
Students also used their weekly spelling words to write white-board sentences. They have really been focusing on their grammar concepts and this method allows them to peer-edit each other’s sentences. They only received tickets for perfect sentences. They are getting much better at spotting/preventing errors!
We also worked on our persuasive writing to meet these state standards:
- W.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- W.4.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 4.
- W.4.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
Ciencias
This week in science, we dedicated our time to work on our Science Biographies. Maestra Paola had a chance to sit down and conference with most students, provide feedback, edit pieces and work on final details. Students had a chance to work on their slides, posters and practice their presentations. Everybody did a fantastic job coming prepared to class, staying on track with our schedule and using their class time productively. All students seem to be ready for our presentations next week (Thursday 8th and Friday 9th).
Mathematics
Finding the perimeter of composite figures!
Finding the area of composite figures!
This week finished our chapter on Area and Perimeter. We worked with composite figures and using formulas for area and perimeter. Our objectives were:
- find the perimeter and area of a composite figure
- solve word problems involving estimating area of figures
- solve word problems involving area and perimeter of composite figures
We will have our Area and Perimeter test on Tuesday June 6th. Remind your kiddo that they can practice for the test on Khan!
History & Geography
Who knew debates could be so much fun?!
We broke up into groups and debated the way conservatives, moderates, and radicals did in the First Continental Congress!
Great job supporting your argument with events and facts!
This week continued learning about the American Revolution. With our extra Wednesday time we were able to finish quite a bit this week! We learned about the Boston Tea Party, the First Continental Congress, and the Second Continental Congress. Our objectives were:
- describe the colonists’ reactions to the Intolerable Acts
- identify the First Continental Congress and explain why it met
- understand the outcome of the First Continental Congress
- understand the events that occurred at Lexington and Concord
- identify Paul Revere and explain his role in the events
- define the term Minutemen and explain who they were
- understand the main events of the Second Continental Congress
- understand the course and outcome of the Battle of Bunker Hill
- understand the main arguments and effects of Common Sense
- understand and summarize the Declaration of Independence
We also began watching the musical !776 in class. This musical is the story is based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It dramatizes the efforts of John Adams to persuade his colleagues to vote for American independence and to sign the document.
Art
In early May the students finished their Mother’s Day art projects, and I know you’re enjoying these wonderful Folk Art Flowers. The students worked very hard on this multi-step, mixed media project: painting the wood panel, making their own painted papers to use for the vase and flower circles, cutting out flower shapes, decorating popsicle sticks with markers for the “table,” and adding hole-punch dots. Thank you to Ms. Marci for providing the wood panels from one of her artist friends!
The students also worked on a tissue paper still life this month. They cut out symmetrical bottle and vase shapes from colored tissue paper, and used these positive shapes, along with the negative shapes (shapes that were left around the bottle or vase) to create an interesting design. The students also used overlapping to create new colors from the transparent tissue paper. We enjoyed looking at all the different compositions and colors that evolved.
We also worked on a weaving project this month using a paper cup as the loom. These “Fuzzy Cups” were challenging but fun! The students created two or three different cup weavings using both thin and thick yarns, and they came up with a variety of patterns and designs for these pencil holders. Once they learned the technique, this weaving activity became a very relaxing activity to do before their end-of-year testing!
Tesselations: The students learned that a tessellation is a pattern of repeated shapes that fit together without any gaps or overlapping (such as tile floors, brick walls, certain quilt patterns, etc.) We looked at Regular Tessellation’s (squares, equilateral triangles, and hexagons) and also the amazing artistic tessellation’s of the artist M.C. Escher. Then the students created their own tessellation pattern using a 3×3 index card: they cut out shapes and taped them back on the opposite side to create a fish shape. The students traced the pattern repeatedly to fill their paper. Then they added fun features and colors to their fish. Designing different tesselations would be a fun, economical, and creative summer activity for these students!