In math, we have been working with computation for a while now. Our focus has shifted from strict computation to word problems. Many students still had difficulty with computation on the last test, and if your child was one of them, I ask that you please continue to give them a few problems to do nightly until they get the hang of it. We are reviewing this in class, and you will begin seeing check-ups coming home to practice the computation skills, but our focus is now on not only computing the problem correctly, but also being able to discern what is being asked.
A wonderful review site is tenmarks.com Here, they can practice with the jam sessions on the specific topic that is giving them trouble. You can also check out their progress on assignments that I may have given them in class. Every child knows their username and password, but if you need another access code sent to you please contact me and I will be happy to send it your way. There will be a word problem test for both classes on Friday, October 31.
We are also in the middle of our SOS Oceans Unit. We are currently nearing the end of Phase 1 and your child is busy learning about ocean currents and how jetsam and flotsam travel around the globe. On top of this, they are also exploring what the density of the water has to do with ocean currents. We did an experiment yesterday that proved that warm water is less dense than cool water. Tomorrow, we will be discovering how salinity affects density during our lab exploration. All of this information will be synthesized when the students begin to piece together clues to find out where their families are stranded during Phase 2 of the Unit.
In writing, we are still working with sentences and fragments as well as doing wordly wise. The wordly wise test will be on Friday. I am excited to finish grading your child's "The Trouble with Being..." essays. They are all very good! I can't wait to send them home to you so you can see how well they did on this creative writing exercise. Our next big focus as we move on in writing will be creating five paragraph essays with "BIG" openings and closings. We will also continue with wordly wise and move on to nouns in grammar.
Some upcoming events to keep in mind...
Field Trip 10/30 Math and Science Innovation Center-Please bring a lunch.
No School 11/4 Election Day conferences in the morning