The Holiday Show was heartwarming and joyful! – everyone did such a wonderful job. I was so proud of our class:)
In Everyday Math, students used mathematical models to compare fractions with different numerators and denominators and to justify their reasoning. They worked in partnerships to solve real life mathematical problems involving fractions, and then shared solutions with the class. In Mindset Math, we began our exploration of decimals by using our understanding of money to support our thinking about decimal numbers. Students worked in partnerships to determine which was the better deal on friendship bracelets. They constructed a visual proof of their solutions using drawings and/or equations. We then had a gallery walk, and students had a chance to view and provide feedback on each other’s work.
In reading, we continued with our class novel, Chains, and made thoughtful predictions about what might happen next. I also let the students know that we are going to have a solo Battle of the Books after winter break. Students will have a chance to compete as an individual. I presented a quick overview of each book in the competition. There are 4 books and students can choose to read 1 or all 4. I will send one book home with each student to read over break. I will send more information about the Battle in a future email.
We assembled our Graffiti Art mural (see pictures below) and the students are enjoying checking out each other’s designs! We also had fun playing Dreidel, and next week students will take their own dreidel home to play.
What a packed week. We saw “A Christmas Carol” at the Arlington Theater. Everyone enjoyed the play and the students were a wonderful audience. We loved the stage set, costumes and all the cool effects. We stayed for the question and answer session after the performance and learned about all of the actors (including 2 kids who were great!). We visited the Plato holiday Candy Cane Lane store and got some holiday shopping done! We got to try out the fantastic new sport court, which the students love. We also have been busy rehearsing for our holiday performance!
This week in Everyday Math, students discovered the use of area and number line models to recognize and generate equivalent fractions. Through these exercises they were able to explain an equivalent fraction rule and why it makes sense. Reminder: Students can access MobyMax and Khan Academy, and we encourage them to spend at least 45 minutes per week on either or both platforms.
In Science, students read the article, The Shocking Truth about Glitter, and discovered that glitter is mostly made from plastic and can negatively impact our environment by polluting our lakes and oceans- as tiny specks of glitter can get washed down the drain and end up in our water. Plastic pollution is something we also studied last year during our Great Lakes unit.
We had our final Battle of the Books competition with the top 3 teams competing: Tortured Readers, Big Blue and The Chapter Chasers. The scores were neck to neck, and the final winner was the The Chapter Chasers! Everyone did an amazing job.
In reading, students are enjoying our class novel, Chains, which prompted us to learn more about the Patriots and Loyalists, and the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. Students also completed their personal timelines. (See photo below) Meanwhile, we’re almost done with our graffiti art mural and written descriptions, soon to be showcased in the hallway leading to our classroom. The students have created beautiful and meaningful graffiti symbols.
This week in Mindset Math, students explored the connections between visual and numerical models in multiplication. They explored a sample problem with four visual proofs and discussed their observations. In pairs, they created their own visual proofs for a chosen problem, followed by a gallery walk where they reviewed and provided feedback on each other’s work. Students then had a chance to make revisions to strengthen their proofs based on the feedback received.
In Everyday Math, we wrapped up Unit 2 and its review, and I was happy with how well everyone grasped the covered concepts. These included square numbers, area of rectangles, identifying multiples and factors of numbers, multiplicative comparisons, polygon properties, and symmetry in shapes. Now, in Unit 3, our focus is on equal sharing and equivalence. Students are deepening their understanding of equivalent fractions by solving problems involving shared quantities and using visual models to aid their solutions. Reminder: Students can access MobyMax and Khan Academy, and we encourage them to spend at least 45 minutes per week on either or both platforms.
In reading, the Battle of the Books is underway. This week students prepared for the battle by writing questions and answers based on the books they’ve read. We also practiced with a mock battle to get ready for the first round. On Friday, we had the initial round of the Battle of the Books. Every team performed amazingly, resulting in a close competition for the top three teams! These top teams will advance to the final round happening on Tuesday, December 5th. Everyone had fun participating with their team!
We also kicked off our class novel, “Chains” by Laurie Halse Anderson, diving into the story of Isabel, a young girl sold into slavery in 1776 just as the American Revolution is beginning. The book explores her fight for freedom and her resilience in the face of adversity. It sheds light on the harsh realities of slavery and the strength of the human spirit. It is the first book in the Seeds of America trilogy. Students were immediately hooked.
In Social Studies, we delved into background knowledge for our class novel by watching a video on the 13 original colonies and the slave trade in the new world. Additionally, we initiated our multiple timeline project. Students are crafting two timelines: a personal one highlighting events specific to their lives and another detailing global events during their lifetime. Alongside this, we’re creating a historical timeline to map out events from the class novel for historical context.
In our writing workshop and art sessions, we’re focusing on crafting powerful, detailed sentences and practicing how to combine them into compound sentences. Students are enjoying these activities and sharing what they notice about various sentence structures. Additionally, we’ve started working on our graffiti art project, where students will not only create their personal art but also write about the meaning and importance behind their artwork. Keep an eye out for these pieces—they’ll be on display soon!
In SuperStem, we read the article, “What’s Inside a Cell Phone?”, and we discussed how cell phones have changed significantly over the years. Students learned about the circuit board in a cell phone and then played an interactive game on the computer that challenged them to find all the different ways to create a closed circuit.
