What a pleasant surprise to have the day off!

This week we have been learning a lot about the American Revolution. In Reading Workshop we are learning how to read for research and how to read history. We began by reading some articles to help us find suptopics for the causes of the American Revolution. We then re-read the articles looking for the text structure it was written in (problem/solution, chronological, compare/contrast or cause and effect). Knowing the text structure helps the reader find the main idea and supporting details. Students also took notes on their articles according to the text structure. We also listened to historic speeches by Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams and identified the text structure used in the speeches.

In Writing Workshop we are working to ‘front load’ some background knowledge about the American Revolution in order to start our research writing unit. To do this we have been watching The Liberty Kids video series which has great videos on the American Revolution that are geared toward 3rd-5th graders. We will begin our writing unit next week. As always, students blogged about their week on Friday. Make sure you read you child’s blog. We have connected with a class in England and they commented on the students blogs this week.

We have finished Topic 6 in our Math book. This Topic was all about solving problems and having perserverance when tackling lengthy or difficult problems. Students took the ionline test on Wednesday (it was challenging) and will be taking the final test on Monday. They are bringing home a study sheet tonight. Our next topic is Factors and Multiples. Have your child keep practicing their multiplication and division facts to be prepared for this topic.

In Science we have been studying the properties of matter. We first learned how to describe items using physical properties (color, size, shape, texture, hardness etc.). We began with solids. Students then learned how to find mass (the amount of matter in an object) using a balance scale, how to find weight (the force of gravity on an object) using a spring scale and measuring in Newtons and how to find volume (the amount of space an object takes up) using a graduated cylinder. Then we explored liquids and students wrote paragraphs comparing liquids and solids.

Have a great weekend!

Important Dates:

Thursday and Friday, January 19 and 20 – 1/2 days

Friday, January 27 – Chicago chaperone request due (note came home on Monday, January 9)

Monday and Tuesday, February 6 and 7 – no school – Mid-Winter Break