This WeekIn Spalding this week we will begin our Spalding word notebook in earnest. We will complete the important rule pages in the beginning of the week and do our first 10 words on Thursday. There will be a spelling test on Friday (the 25th) on words drawn from rule page 2 and the 10 words we do on Thursday. Thursday night students will complete Spalding practice homework, and will require your help to do it correctly. Instructions will be sent home with the students. In Literature we will continue reading Prince Caspian and bring our story almost to an end. In the chapters ahead this week we will meet some terrifying creatures, and watch as Peter the High King fights the Usurper Miraz in a duel to determine the fate of Narnia. Be sure to ask your students what lessons we have learned from Caspian and the Pevensies. In Math we will continue to build our familiarity with numbers. One skill we will focus on is depicting and manipulating numbers using pictures. The symbols that we use to represent numbers are useful, but they can be restrictive if we cannot imagine numerical amounts outside of them. We will be looking at bar models and pictorial representations of problems in order to see that the world of numbers stretches beyond what we may imagine. For instance, in what ways can we show the difference between two numbers without using a subtraction symbol? Pictures and models are the foundations upon which our ancestors built mathematics, and by understanding these more ancient techniques your students will become more comfortable with mathematics in general. We will have a quiz on Wednesday (the 23rd) to assess how well students know their multiplication facts, specifically the facts for 2-5. In Science we will of course be talking about the astronomy behind a solar eclipse. What causes them, and why are such phenomena so rare? We will also be exploring the fundamentals of the scientific method, focusing specifically on the skill of careful observation. Our ability to observe and learn from our environment is the key to human progress and ingenuity. This has been true from Archimedes "Eureka" moment in his bathtub to the most cutting edge labs of modern day. In English Language Arts we will be reviewing the function of nouns, the "Naming Part" of the English language. Our ability to name things is key to our ability to understand them and create identity and sense out of the world around us. We will see that names can be common or very specific, and that we have the flexibility to use pronouns to take the place of nouns and make our speech more fluid. I hope to help your students gain a deeper understanding of our ability to name things in language, which is far more exciting than commonly understood. Upcoming Assessments1. Math assessment of multiplication facts. (Wednesday the 23rd) 2. Spelling test (Friday the 25th). Words will be drawn from rule page 2 in the Spalding notebook and from the 10 words we practice on Thursday. 3. On Wednesday students will do an ELA MAP assessment to help us determine what skills they will need reinforced for AZMERIT testing. They will each need a pair of headphones for this, so please make sure a pair makes it into their backpack by Tuesday. Other AnnouncementsCurriculum night is this Thursday(the 24th). Please arrive at 6:00 pm for an overview of what and how your student will learn this year. The event should be over by 7:00 pm.
As always, feel free to email me if you have any questions! Comments are closed.
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AuthorBurk Ohbayashi is a husband, a father, and an educator. Archives
March 2018
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