Counting down the days to Xmas!

With just one more week to go, students are working hard and getting things done!  Their animal writing is coming along.  Please return library books before the due date.  

Here is a summary of what happened in our classroom:
In Language Arts...

• Students read two versions of The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Tortoise and the Hare.  Students practiced comparing and contrasting similarities and differences.  They found that it is important to compare characters, setting, and major events.   ​

• Students published their pollination writing and begun researching about their temperate forest animal.  Students learned that getting information from one source is not enough.  To become an expert, reading from multiple resources is necessary.  Students have finished their tree map.  Students decided that their tree maps should include the following information: basic information about the animal (body parts, special features, adaptations, life span, and/or life cycle), food chain (what animals are its predators and its prey?  Does it eat meat or plants or both? Any important information about eating behaviors, and habitat (where does it live?  Does it migrate?  Live in a cave?  Have hiding places?  etc.

In math...​

• ​Once students understood the concept of base-ten blocks, students learned to add using base-ten with regrouping.  First they used actual base-ten blocks to manipulate and model the problem, then students practiced drawing the process of their thinking out.  
• Students learned when adding two two-digit numbers together, you can estimate the numbers to its nearest ten before adding.  For example when adding 59 + 15, you can change 59 to 60 first then add 15.  The children learned this strategy is useful when you don't need the exact amount but just want a close calculation of the value.  
• Using the associative property, students learned that you can find friendly pairs when adding more than 2 addends together.  For example when adding 23 + 45 + 17, it would be best to add 23 and 17 together first.  These two numbers are a "friendly pair" because the 3 ones and the 7 ones make a new ten.  ​

• Now that students have learned how to regroup 10 one-blocks for 1 ten, this week they transferred that skill to the hundreds place.  Students learned how to regroup 10 ten-blocks for 1 hundred.  

In Science...

• As our lima bean seeds are growing, we are learning about the stages of a seed.  A seed's life cycle includes the following stages in this order: seed, germination/roots, seedling/first leaves, flower, seed pod, pollination, and finally seed dispersal.  They are also learning about the function of each plant part.  Seeds reproduce the plant and also hold the plant's first nourishment.  The seed has just enough nourishment for the plant until the first leaves are formed then photosynthesis takes place and the plant can start making its own food.   Roots help to hold plants in place as well as suck up water to distribute to other plant parts.  Leaves provide food for the plant through the process of photosynthesis.   
• After a review on form and function, seed dispersal, and pollination, students took a Science Unit Assessment.  

Announcements and Reminders

• Wednesday 12/19 school ends at 2:07.  Friday 12/21 school ends at 12:52
• Our Holiday Party is on Thursday 12/20.  Thank you to those who signed up to bring a snack to contribute