Hello, 206 families and friends!

Another busy week in Room 206! 

In reading, we are thoroughly enjoying our class novel, The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman. It looks like Judson Moon is really going to run for president as an independent, with his elderly neighbor and former babysitter, June Syers, as his running mate. Judson and Lane came up with the catchy slogan “Moon + June.” This gave us the perfect opportunity to talk about what makes a good slogan—both catchy and meaningful. Along with our novel, we’re also referring back to the nonfiction texts I mentioned in the last blog. We’ve discussed the different aspects of campaigning, including how expensive it can be—a challenge Judson Moon will soon face. We’re continuing to practice visualizing scenes and capturing them in our sketchbooks.

In math, we focused on creating mathematical models to represent word problems involving multiplication and division, then wrote equations to solve them. We also studied bar graphs, and student pairs had the opportunity to survey their classmates and create their own bar graphs based on the data they collected. Topics included favorite drinks and sports activities.

In mindset math, we explored tiling and learned about tessellation. We identified tessellations in the classroom, then student groups experimented with different geometric shapes to see which ones tessellated, first individually and then in combination. Students created unique tiling designs that we shared as a class, and some even brought in tessellations they found at home. We briefly discussed why certain shapes can or cannot tessellate, touching on angle measurements—a concept we’ll revisit later this year.

In Art and History, we studied Hilma af Klint, one of the early abstract artists from Sweden. We read an illustrated book about her, watched a short video, and examined several of her artworks projected on the board. Our discussion focused on how abstract art can hold deep meaning for both the artist and the viewer. Students then had the chance to practice some of her techniques, creating their own masterpieces, which we’ll be using for our Art to Remember fundraiser. The results were beautiful!

We also read the illustrated book Invisible Things by Andy J. Pizza and Sophie Miller, which creatively explores feelings, ideas, and other intangible concepts—perfectly pairing with our exploration of abstract art.

In writing, we’ve embarked on poetry and discussed what makes a poem unique. We began by writing poems on a topic we all know well—ourselves! I gave students a series of questions to help them reflect deeply on who they are, including their favorite family traditions, memorable moments, favorite homemade foods, and simple activities they love. Using these prompts, students drafted “I Am From” poems, and they’re turning out beautifully. The focus is on crafting each stanza with descriptive words that engage the five senses, so the reader can see, hear, feel, taste and even smell their ideas!

We’ll also be typing these poems in Google Docs, posting them in Google Classroom, and illustrating specific lines. I’m excited to see the final results! It’s great to see students becoming more comfortable using Chromebooks, too!

Below are some additional photos from free choice time.

Enjoy the weekend and the beautiful weather!

Ms. Beth

Our class is really settling in as a strong learning community. It’s a joy to teach such inquisitive and enthusiastic students, and I love how everyone collaborates and participates throughout the day.

In Social Studies, we’ve begun exploring the election process and what it means to be a democracy. The students brainstormed an impressive list of 16 characteristics a president should have, including qualities like calm, patient, respectful of people and the environment, open-minded, creative, brave, organized, and confident in taking risks. We also discussed the three branches of government and the system of checks and balances that helps protect our democracy. We read excerpts from What Is a Presidential Election?: 2024 Edition by Douglas Yacka, to deepen our understanding. 

In reading, we launched our class novel, The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman. It tells the story of 12-year-old Judson Moon, whose friend Lane Brainard convinces him that he would make the perfect president. We’re already enjoying the two main characters, and during the read-aloud, we practiced sketch notes and visualizing the scenes. It was great to see everyone share their drawings on the document camera—it brought their interpretations of the story to life!

This week, we read our beautifully illustrated school book, Nothing but Miracles by Walt Whitman. The poet finds miracles everywhere—in nature, on city streets, and at home. After discussing what a miracle is, we came up with our class definition: something special and amazing that you see, notice, or that just happens. We then took on the challenge of looking around and noticing the everyday miracles in the world. Students shared their observations, from Niagara Falls during a summer trip to sea glass on a beach in Greece, heart shaped leaves and double rainbows. This led to plans for a mural showcasing the miracles around us, which we will create for the hallway outside our classroom.

On Wednesday, we commemorated 9/11 by watching a read-aloud of Branches of Hope: The 9/11 Survivor Tree by Ann Magee, which tells the story of the lone tree that survived the attack, was nursed back to health, and now stands at Ground Zero as a symbol of hope and renewal. We also viewed a short documentary by the 9/11 Memorial and Museum about the tree’s survival, learning that a dove nested in the tree a year after 9/11—a symbol of hope and peace. Students agreed that the tree and the dove are miracles, and they sketched their own versions of the tree.

In Science we enjoyed Perfect by Max Amato, a story about an eraser and a pencil. The eraser tries to keep the pages clean, while the pencil makes scribbles, and together they discover the fun in collaboration. This tied in nicely with our SuperSTEM experiment that we began last week where we tested different types of erasers to see which was most effective. After learning the science behind what makes a good eraser (sticky, soft, and scratchy properties), each team predicted which eraser would perform best. The Hi-Polymer eraser won the competition, and we’re now all more mindful of the erasers we use!

In math, we focused on rounding numbers to the tens and hundreds place, identifying patterns in the number grid, and working on place value. Student pairs played Addition Top-It with multi-digit numbers, and we successfully got everyone logged into Khan Academy, which students can also access at home for extra practice.

In art, we completed our visible and invisible characteristics portraits and hung them in the hallway. Students used creative ways to illustrate the traits that define them and what matters most to them.

In writing, we began How to Be an Explorer of the World, a creative writing and noticing exercise book that encourages students to explore their surroundings in a way that mirrors how artists and scientists observe, collect, and analyze the world around them. This fits perfectly with our ongoing challenge to notice the miracles around us. For our first exploration, students had 3 minutes to write down ten things they hadn’t noticed about where they were sitting, using all their senses. Be sure to ask your student what they discovered!

Students also had a great time during free choice, coming up with creative ways to play—from creating graphic novels to playing games and building forts.

Lastly, we decorated our word work notebooks, where students will record new words they come across in our studies and in their own reading. After reading The Word Collector by Peter Reynolds, we discussed how words aren’t just for spelling but for collecting, using, and understanding how word parts (like roots and affixes) come together to form new meanings. Students brainstormed all the places we use words—thinking, talking, singing, math, ideas, and more. Ask your student what words they’ve been noticing!

Enjoy the photos below and have a wonderful weekend!