We have had a great week this week! As you know report cards are coming home soon. The end of the trimester is Wednesday, November 26. We have been working hard to finish up units and assessments.
Math ~ We have finished up our unit on Multiplying with Larger Numbers and have moved on to Division with Larger Numbers and Remainders. Please ask your child to explain to you how to divide a 4 digit number by a 1 digit number. It is important that your child know their basic multiplication and division facts automatically so that they don’t get bogged down in fact recall as they are learning new concepts.
Reading ~ We have been learning how to grow theories about the characters in the books we read. We have also learned that it is necessary to revise our theories as we read on. We can revise our theories based on how other characters treat the protagonist (main character), how the protagonists acts and by noticing the objects that the protagonist holds dear and thinking about why that object is important. We have also started talking about how characters change from the beginning of a story to the end of a story. We have looked at characters motivations, the thing that they really want deep inside and have inferred what strengths they have within themselves to help them overcome the obstacles that get in their way.
Writing ~ We have begun our essay writing unit. We started with a mini-essay bootcamp and learned the structure of an essay. We then used a few days to free write on big ideas we have. Next week we will be mining our free writing to find a big idea to write an essay about. Some great thesis ideas so far have been, “Being a Good Friend is Hard Sometimes”, “It Isn’t Always Easy To be a Twin” and “My Dad Has Taught Me a lt in Life”.
Science ~ We have just completed our unit on The States of Matter. Look for your child’s science test to come home on Friday! Each student did test corrections on their own when they got their test back. We talked about the importance of taking your time on a test and using time to check ALL of your answers when you finish the test. There were a number of students who rushed through the test (some finished in 8 minutes!) They need to slow down and take their time to read carefully!
We have one more week of swimming next Friday!
Important Dates:
Friday, November 21 – Swimming
Tuesday, November 25 Half Day
Wednesday, November 26 Half Day
Thursday, November 27 – Friday, November 28 Thanksgiving Break