We recently completed our study of the Earth and its place in the Universe. Students completed digital notebooks in which they recorded videos, took pictures and made reflections. They also took an assessment that asked them to edit a short book on the earth, moon, sun, and stars. This has been an exciting unit that has made use of models and motion to demonstrate basic earth science principles. On the playground, we created a model of the solar system to help us understand the relative distances of the planets from each other and the sun. On a different day, students, representing the Earth, rotated and revolved around a light source in the center of our classroom. These are just two examples of the many interactive science lessons in which the children participated.
In Language Arts, we completed our research on planets and learned how to craft our own sentences from research notes. We drafted paragraphs that will be published as book creator projects. We also began our preparation for MCAS by comparing and contrasting poetry through essay writing. Additionally, we are studying point of view in non-fiction and fiction writing. We wrote brief research reports on the flu, writing about the causes of the flu and how to prevent it. This is a timely topic!
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| Students doing research on the planets using the two column note method. |
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| A student uses a whiteboard to turn research notes into running text. |
In math, we completed the addition and subtraction of fractions and are now learning how to multiply fractions. An important component to understanding fractions is being able to demonstrate your math thinking through pictures. We are actively engaged in this effort on a daily basis through the use of class presentations. During the Solve and Share each table group solves a real-world math problem and sketches their work on the whiteboard. Group members then explain their thinking to the class.
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| Students prepare math thinking to share during the Solve and Share. |
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