Week of February 22

 

                                             

 

Language Arts

Students will start a new unit in Language Arts.  In this unit students will be reading nonfiction texts. As they read students will determine the main idea and recount key details which support the main idea. In addition, students will identify their own point of view of a text and distinguish it from the author's point of view.  Students will compare and contrast the most important points and details in a story. Students will write an opinion piece identifying a place they wish to explore and provide three reasons to support their opinion.

 

This unit will be integrated with the social studies unit on explorers. Students will be reading books about Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, and Jacques Cartier.

 

            

 

Below are examples of students writing pieces from the last unit.  Students had to write stories about lessons they learned.

 

Listen to Directions

By Nick

 

 

                                                    

 

I was so happy that I could finally ride a dirt bike. I asked, “Dad, could you teach me how to ride a dirt bike?” “Now,” he said, “We could do it after lunch.” When it was time my dad got the dirt bike out of his truck and rode it into the backyard.  I opened the fence for him. When he stopped the bike he showed me where the throttle and the brake were. I pretended I knew how to ride one but I didn’t. When he stopped with the directions, he said, “Take it slow at first.” I didn’t listen and accidently went full throttle. I drove it really fast. I leaned back by accident and did a wheelie.  I didn’t know if I was going to fall off or not. I was pretty much frozen. I was so scared. When I finally crashed into the fence I opened the gate from the impact of the crash and left a tire mark on the fence. It really damaged the bike. I hit the side of my hip. It felt like I broke a bone at first, but I didn’t. I went inside and got an ice pack. When my dad went outside to see if the dirt bike would still work, it didn’t run. He worked on it for a while. I could tall that he was really working hard. I was a little bit angry at myself for not paying attention. When my dad got the dirt bike running again I apologized for not listening to directions. I told my dad that I wanted to try riding a dirt bike again. Next time, I won’t crash and I will listen to directions so I don’t crash. My lesson learned was to listen to directions on how to do something when given them because if you don’t it can sometimes hurt if you don’t.

 

 

Listen to Your Parents

By Max

                                                 

“When are we going to D.C?” I said. “April 17,” my dad said. I wanted to go so I checked my calendar.  It was one more day. My dad woke me at 5 a.m.  We put our suitcases in the car and drove to the airport. I couldn’t wait to go on the airplane. After we got to Washington, D.C. my family and I went to a hockey game, The Capitals and the Rangers.  When we got to the arena, it was noisy.  All the people were talking about the game. I smelled popcorn. I asked my dad, “Can we get popcorn”? He said, “Ok.”  It was my first national hockey game.  As we walked around I could feel the cold air. Our seats were in row 207. It was close to the ice. Our seats were in the corner of the arena at an angle. As we sat down the game began. At the end of the first intermission it was 0-0. My dad and I got pretzels and soda at the stand. “I’m going to the bathroom,” I told my dad. My dad said, “Wait for me.” But I went by myself. When I came out of the bathroom, my dad wasn’t at the place where we bought the food. I was scared.  I wanted to cry.  I was fighting back tears. I decided to go find an adult. There was a man standing outside of the bathroom. I told him I was lost.  After that he took me to get the manager. I said, “I am lost.” The manager said, “What row are you in?” “207,” I said.  The manager wore a blue shirt that said staff in white letters. He asked me my name and my mom’s phone number. He called my mom’s cell phone and told her I was lost. He said he would bring me to her. I was excited and sad because I couldn’t wait to see my family. I was worried that I might not find my family right away. Then I got to the seats with the manager. I saw my mom and dad.  My dad looked mad because he had told me to stay with him. My mom was happy that I was safe. The manager said, “I am sorry it took a while to find you.” My dad said, “It’s okay. We got him back.” Then we watched the game. “I will never disobey you again,” I said. The Capitals scored. Everyone was cheering. I think I was cheering the loudest.  I was happy to be safe with my family. 

 

Math

 

                                  

Students are learning that division is the inverse of multiplication.  Students have examined the difference between multiplication and division situations.

                      

The class will be solving multiplication and division number stories. Students are developing an understanding that if one of the factors in a multiplication equation are missing they can use their knowledge of multiplication facts to find the missing factor.

 

Students should be practicing multiplication facts from 0 through 10 in order to become adept at multiplication and help them with division as well.  

 

                                      

 

Social Studies

Students will start the new unit on explorers with a KWL Chart.  Then students will learn about the Vikings and the previously mentioned North American Explorers. Students will connect their learning in social studies to reading informational text.

                           

 

Students have done a fantastic job with the READING AT HOME program this year.  Let's continue that momentum!!!

 

                                              

 

Will the Ground Hog See His Shadow?

 

February 2, 2015

 

Language Arts

 

Students are engaged in reading international folktales. They learned the difference between folktales and tall tales.                 

 

 

                    

 

                                          

 

 

Students are reading folktales and comparing and contrasting them.  Students had the opportunity to read The Seven Chinese Brothers and wrote a summary of the story. Next students read The Five Chinese Brothers.  Following this, they discussed the similarities and differences in these two books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the ASCD (the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) 

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/110126/chapters/Section-1@-Why-Compare-$-Contrast%C2%A2.aspx

Comparative thinking is one of our first and most natural forms of thought. When we are infants, one of the first differences we must identify is that between mother and other. Without the ability to make comparisons—to set one object or idea against another and take note of similarities and differences—much of what we call learning would quite literally be impossible.

You may be wondering why we want to look so closely at comparative thinking. What makes it so special? The answer lies in the research of renowned educators Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jane Pollock (2001). By compiling the available research on effective instruction, Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock found that strategies that engage students in comparative thinking had the greatest effect on student achievement, leading to an average percentile gain of 45 points (p. 7f). More recently, Marzano's research in The Art and Science of Teaching (2007) reconfirmed that asking students to identify similarities and differences through comparative analysis leads to eye-opening gains in student achievement.

Although comparative thinking is a natural operation of our minds and is essential to learning.

 Writing

In writing, students are in the process of writing a personal narrative about a lesson learned. First the class discussed stories they read over the course of the year.  Then students decided the lesssons the characters learned in these stories.  After this, students brainstormed ideas that they could use for their writing piece. Finally, students wrote seed ideas in their writer's notebook to use when they start writing their stories. Stay tuned for the finished products.

 

 

Math

Students will start a new unit on multiplication. In this unit students will use the concept of arrays as a way to see the factors and find the product in a multiplication problem.

                                     

Students will find different ways to form arrays for particular numbers.  As a result, students visually determine that a given number has multiple factors. Students will then use arrays to find factors of numbers up to 50 and will identify the features of numbers. 

 

Students can more readily develop an understanding of multiplication concepts if they see visual representations of the computation process. For example, they can picture students in a marching band arranged in equal rows or chairs set up in rows in an auditorium. These arrangements all have something in common; they are all in rows and columns. An arrangement of objects, pictures, or numbers in columns and rows is called an array. Arrays are useful representations of multiplication concepts.

This array has 4 rows and 3 columns. It can also be described as a 4 by 3 array.

This array has 5 rows and 4 columns. It is a 5 by 4 array.

Notice that the rows in each array are equal. Think of the rows as equal groups. Look at this example.

When equal groups are arranged in equal rows, an array is formed.

When you show students the connection between equal groups and arrays, students can easily understand how to use arrays to multiply. They will use arrays again later to divide.

Look at the multiplication sentence that describes the array below. The numbers in multiplication sentences have special names.

The numbers that are multiplied are called factors. The answer is called the product.

Now look at what happens to the factors and product in the multiplication sentence when the array is turned on its side.

The order of the factors changed, but the product stayed the same. http://www.eduplace.com/math/mw/background/3/05/te_3_05_overview.html