Newsletter for November 14th

 We listened to The Garden of Happiness.  The main character, Marisol, pants a sunflower seed in a new neighborhood garden. When autumn comes and her flower dies, Marisol gets discouraged. Her happiness returns, however, when she discovers that a group of teenagers has painted a mural of sunflowers on a brick wall nearby.

                This week’s topics:

·         Writing – Review friendly letter – Send in a stamped envelope!!!!

·         Fluency – discuss the rates of fluency that are applied to different stories for different reasons

·         Vocabulary –inhaled, lavender, mural, skidded, haze

·         Spelling – /ur/ as in turtle and learn

This week we’ll continue practicing the 6 steps of multiplication.  The sequence has been glued onto our math journals.  We’ll also review factors and multiples.

                This week’s topics:

·         Estimate products of two-digit numbers

·         Multiply two-digit numbers

·         Review factors vs. multiples

·         Review and test (Friday)

We have begun our Tribal Sign Project!  Each student was randomly placed in one on the five Iroquois nations.  The teams have assigned roles within their groups.  They’ll be researching for information on clans, alternate names, food, map, and gustoweh (arrangement of eagle feathers on hat).   Each group will create a poster that highlights the new information learned in each area (independently) and group poster that showcases their tribe.  They are very excited!

Pumpkin Jack Decay Project

Last week we read a story called Pumpkin Jack.  The main character has a jack-o-lantern named Jack which begins to rot.  His mother makes him put Jack in the compost heap. The pumpkin begins to decay but not without leaving behind some seeds.  These seeds are replanted and the life cycle continues!  We were so inspired we began our own experiment. Today we created a control to watch the process of decay in once living things.  We created a lab report, documented the experiment with photos and took notes in our science journal.  This should be so fun!



November 7 - November 10

We’ll listen to Nights of the Pufflings.  This text  will let us dive deeper into how to read non-fiction.  On Heimaey Island, near Iceland, a community works together to help young birds called pufflings return safely to sea.

                This week’s topics:

·         Writing – Write a satisfying paragraph about the most serious problem our town is facing (character education – citizenship)

·         Comprehension – re-tell the story using a re-tell rope

·         Vocabulary –uninhabited, burrows, stranded, venture, instinctively, nestles

·         Spelling – /ar/ as in cared, airplane, everywhere

 I was very impressed with the math scores for chapter 4.  Our students are doing much better on word problems and it’s clear many have been practicing their facts!  Chapter 6 will focus on how to apply those new strategies and concepts about multiplying.  We’ll apply each concept to word problems to make the math relevant to us.  

                This week’s topics:

·         Rounding to estimate products  using mental math

·         Multiply two digit numbers

This week we’ll relate upcoming Election Day (Nov. 8^th) with democracy in the Native American culture.  Our nation’s confederacy was based loosely on those cultural traditions of the Native Americans. We will also begin a Tribal Sign Project which will be completed in small groups at school.  Each group will focus closely on one particular tribe and share out the interesting information learned.

Thank you!

Thank you parents for your help and support with our first project!  ALL students handed in their book project and are extremely proud of their effort.  We'll be presenting our work in the library Monday morning.  Look for pictures!

Fin Friday

Where green tomorrow for Fin Friday - Support Shen!!

Halloween Week Newsletter

Oct 31 - Nov 4

Reminders:

11/ 8 – Picture retake day

11/11 – No School Veterans Day

11/24 & 11/25 – No School Thanksgiving

ELA - This week we’ll focus on a folk-tale called The Emperor and the Kite. Djeow Seow is so tiny that her father, the Emperor, hardly knows she exists. His attitude changes when she saves his life!

                This week’s topics:

·         Writing – Finishing a personal narrative and creating satisfying paragraphs.

·         Comprehension – monitor reading and fix up when needed

·         Vocabulary – insignificant, steely, unyielding, twined, neglected, loyal, plotting, encircling

·         Spelling – /or/ as in pour and orbit

Math -  This week we’ll finish up chapter 4 and skip ahead to chapter 6 multiply by one-digit numbers.  It has become clear to most students they must memorize their facts.  Using strategies like arrays and fingers can help but students should know their multiplication facts to 9 within 3 seconds.  Here is a link to print out flashcards http://www.mathfactcafe.com/view/view.aspx?t=F&g=4 . There are many great ways to study facts online such as http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/web/2000/heal/mathsites.htm .

                This week’s topics:

·         Review multiplication and division properties, factors, multiples and three digit multiplication

·         Chapter 4 test (Wednesday)

·         Begin chapter 6 multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000

·         Problem solving:  Is that a reasonable answer

Social Studies - This week we’ll have our first quiz on Native Americans, specifically the Iroquois (Friday).  Watch out for homework and review sheets aimed at helping studying become easier.  I’ve encouraged students to re-read for understanding as well as search for alternate sources for material.  This is a great way to use the database on Shatekon’s library website.  

Collaborative Poem

Our students worked with Ms. Sweeney this week and created the MOST BEAUTIFUL POEM! I had to share it with you!

Our Quiet Poem

The lonely tiger sits

under a peaceful

rainforest tree breathing

slowly,

The silent Redwood

softly soothes the ocean

of sparkling water,

The mysterious playground

protects its ghost children.

All we can see are

faintly

fading

footprints...