Weekly Update- 2/11

It has taken since before winter break, but we finally had a full week! 

In Social Studies we are finishing up our unit on government.  This week the students learned about getting involved and helping out their communities.  They also learned about the capital of the United States, Washington D.C. and some of the monuments that are located there. After learning about the monuments, we took some time to sculpt the monuments out of play-doh.  Here are some of the creations:

 

Capitol Building


 

Arlington National Cemetary


 

Capitol Building




Washington Monument



The Wall



Lincoln Memorial

 To conclude the unit, we took a trip to the computer lab so that the students could complete an online scavenger hunt all about our country's government.  Our unit test will  be on Wednesday and we will be spending Monday and Tuesday reviewing for the test.

In math we have started our unit on geometry and measurement.  We learned about solid figures and started learning about lines and line segments.  The students also worked in partners to complete a problem solving lesson using the strategy of "acting it out".  There were 10 stations set up around the room, each with a different problem and with manipulatives to help the students solve the word problems.

Keep practicing those multiplication facts there will be more timed quizzes to come!


In shared reading we read the book, The Buzz About Honeybees.  We focused on using the table of contents to find information, showing how an interview can help a reader gain more information about a topic, and how an author organizes information in a nonfiction book.  In guided reading the students practiced the skill of identifying cause and effect.

In writing we have started our unit on Informational Writing.  The first few weeks of this unit focus on writing reports.  The students used this week to choose an insect or an animal to do a report on.  They have brainstormed 3 questions that they would like to answer and they have started researching their answers to get more information on their topics.  Their 3 questions will turn into their 3 paragraphs and the answers to their questions will be the supporting details of each paragraph.  We went to the computer lab so the students could begin designing the cover pages of their reports.

In Fundations we have completed week 1 of unit 8.  This unit focuses on a new syllable type, the -le syllable.  Some examples of these words are tumble, people, puzzle, and hobble.  For one of the lessons we played charades and each student was given an -le syllable word to act out.  Whoever guessed the correct word got to write it on the SmartBoard to practice the spelling of the words.

In Spanish we continued to learn the days of the week.  The students also practiced using the singular and plural possessive forms of nouns in grammar.  We finished learning all of our cursive letters and I am very impressed with how neatly the students are writing!  The students decorated their Valentine's Day
mailboxes.  Please remember to have students bring in their Valentines on Monday. 

Thank you to all the students who donated to the Strong Kids Campaign to benefit the YMCA.  Have a great weekend!