Weekly Update- 4/21

In science we are working on our Structures of Life unit.  This week we discussed how many animals grow to look like their parents.  We played a game with baby pictures in which the students had to guess whose baby pictures were whose.  It was fun to see how many of the children looked very similar to when they were babies!  We also talked about the difference between oviparous (born from eggs) and viviparous (born alive) animals.  Today we started to talk about the life cycles of different insects and arachnids.

In math we have been working with decimals.  The students have done a great job with this concept so far.  We played the game Decimal Detectives as a way to reinforce some of the concepts that were taught in class.  We also played a math game with adding and subtracting decimals.

In reading we reread the story, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs.  This week we focused on identifying the theme of the story.  In guided reading we practiced the skills of identifying facts and opinions and identifying elements of the plot.

In writing we are continuing with our unit on persuasive writing.  This week students created persuasive posters highlighting their favorite books from this year.  The students each chose a book that they liked and they designed posters that would persuade others to read that book.  The students used bright colors, descriptive phrases, and quotes in their posters.  They had a great time working on these!  When they are completed, we will hang them up in the hallway for other students to see.

Yesterday, April 20th was the one year anniversary of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  We read parts from the book, Oil Spill: Disaster in the Gulf to learn about the devastating effects of this spill and about other spills that have happened throughout history.  In Fundations we have continued to work on contractions.  In grammar we learned about adjectives, and in Spanish we talked more about the seasons.

Have a wonderful spring break! For those of you who are traveling, have a safe trip and have fun!