Learning Updates 5.18.12

Dear Families,

First I wanted to say thank you for the thoughtful cards and gifts for Teacher Appreciation this week. I feel very appreciated and very fortunate to work with your children. It's a joy to work alongside them--to be a community that learns and grows together.

I can hardly believe that it's May 18th and we have only about one month left together. This year has absolutely flown by, but we have so many fun things and so much exciting learning still to come. This week also flew by. Here's what we've been up to...

Monday we toured the State Capitol buildings. Click to view all the pictures from our trip!

Using quartzite as "grinders" against other rocks. The chipped off fragments fell to black sheets of construction paper.

Students discovered that not all rocks have the same hardness. This pumice rock is being pulverized by the quartzite.

Field Trip

• We took a field trip Monday to the Olympia State Capitol. We toured the Legislative Building including Governor Gregoire's Office, the House and the Senate. We also toured the Temple of Justice (Supreme Court), and saw the Governor's Mansion from the outside. Our tour guide was amazing and had a great sense of humor. Students learned many new things that dovetail nicely with our State Government unit we just finished. Thank you to Christa Elin, Cari Kovats, Kim Mitzel, and Nancy Chabot for chaperoning.

Click to see lots of great pictures of our field trip. Thanks to Nancy Chabot for sharing many of these photos with us!

Math

• Studied weight, geometric solids (3D shapes), and explored volume of rectangular prisms

Writing

• Began a new writing unit on Literary Essays
• Students are reading from a packet of five short stories. These are high quality literature, packed with lots of meaning
• We're learning strategies right now for how to read carefully, deeply, and uncover/record our own thinking about these stories

Reading

• In our Challenges book study unit we learned a couple different vocabulary strategies including using context clues/word parts and creating word webs to remember new vocabulary
• We also began responding to our reading in our response journals
• Students are loving these books
• Started a new read aloud: Hound Dog True--ask your child what's happened so far

Science

• Students tweaked different variables (ie slope, amount of flow, landforms using clay, etc.) in their river table setups to try and change the shape of the river as much as possible
• Looked at examples of erosion and deposition, and we discussed what happens to rocks over time
• Students used quartzite rock to try and grind other rocks like pumice, limestone, sandstone, and slate. They made observations and discovered that the hardness of rocks differs.
• Discussed glaciers and modeled how glaciers shape land--ask your child about this!

Learning Updates 5.11.12

Happy Mother's Day! And a beautiful and well-deserved Mother's Day at that. To all the moms, I hope you're enjoying a relaxing, wonderful day filled with all your favorite things. Thank you for all the love, support and encouragement you provide your child.

Here's a quick update from our classroom this past week:

River Tables. Students simulated the effects of water on land by seeing what happens to a pile of sand when water flows through it. All of this is part of the new science unit we started this week--Earth's Changing Surface

In our second river table investigation, teams tried tweaking a number of different variables and conducting multiple trials, with the goal of seeing the most dramatic river shape. They elevated their table, increased water flow, put clay in place to simulate landforms, and much more.

We began a new literature study unit on Challenges. Thank you to everyone for your involvement earlier in the year with Donor's Choose. This is one of the sets of books funded with your help! This group presented their poem, the challenges it talked about (in this case, moving to a new place), questions they had as a group, and connections they made with the poem and their lives.

MSP

• We're done! Finished Writing #2 (Expository--Essay Writing) on Tuesday and Math on Thursday morning
• Thank you again to Elizabeth Dorrance for providing tasty and nutritious snacks to the whole class on both writing days. They loved them!

Reading

• Started our Challenges thematic literature unit
• Students will be choosing from a selection of books based on their interests and reading level

Math

• Took the Unit 10 math test on Monday
• Started Unit 11 on weight, volume, and capacity
• Mr. Ciraulo worked with us on Wednesday for the final time this year. The class has become much more proficient in the four step problem solving method thanks to his help

Social Studies

• We wrapped up our Washington Government unit this week
• Field trip to Olympia Capitol Building on Monday. Students need to arrive at school at 8:10am! We'll meet in our classroom. Students need a disposable sack lunch.

Learning Update 5.4.12

Dear Families,

With MSP testing and our Author's Chair, this week absolutely flew by. Here's our update:

Writing

• Wednesday we held an Author's Chair for students' fictional narrative stories!
• After an impassioned discussion, the class was adamant about sharing whole class so that they could hear each and every story.
• Students did a great job listening, engaging, and thinking about each piece
• Click to view a full color .pdf version of nearly all our stories. We published in a picture book format and the stories turned out great.
• Also, click to view pictures from our Author's Chair Celebration!

We did it! Our published authors proudly display their hard work.

Mrs. Otley joined in the celebration. She was surprised to find that she and even her husband made cameo appearances in some of the stories.

As students listened to each author's story, they had to provide feedback by writing at least one thing about the author's writing that was exceptional. We gathered this feedback together and made a book as a gift to each author. I would share a handful of insightful comments that were written each time as a new writer got set to share. This lifted the quality of our thinking and feedback about each piece. It also was good timing for students to point out the characteristics of great narrative writing the day before they took the Narrative Writing MSP! :)

Math

• Finished up Unit 10 on reflections and symmetry. The class has had a great time studying this material
• We'll take a Unit 10 assessment on Monday

Reading

• Students worked on a Washington State Government scavenger hunt, by reading and gathering information from their Social Studies books

Social Studies

• Learned about the three branches of government, checks and balances, our representatives, how a bill becomes a law and more
• We'll try to wrap up this unit early next week before we head to Olympia for our State Capitol field trip on Monday 5/14

MSP

• We're halfway there. Students took the Reading MSP on Tuesday morning and took the Writing #1 (narrative) MSP for most of the day Thursday.
• Big thanks to Elizabeth Dorrance for providing our students with their own nutritious snack bags during the Writing MSP. These were a big hit, and Elizabeth wrote an encouraging message in each one!
• Tuesday 5/8 we'll take the Writing #2 (Expository--essay) MSP for most the day, and Thursday 5/10 we'll finish MSP testing with Math. Snacks will be provided again on Tuesday only.
• Thanks for your encouragement at home and for making sure your student gets good rest the night before and has a good breakfast on our testing days