Gearing Up for the Holidays

   It is that time of year again when the rush of everyday life turns into the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.  I know that time is precious this time of year. While the students will continue to have their regular math and reading homework, there will not be any surprise large projects due before our break. Our last day of school before the holiday vacation is Friday, December 17th. 

  

Math
  The kids are doing really well with finding the area and perimeter of polygons!  We will begin exploring surface area and volume (and those concepts tie in quite nicely to presents--how much a box can hold, and how much paper it will take to wrap a particular gift). 

    *On the 17th of December your child needs to bring a house (made out of cardboard is fine!) on a sturdy surface.  I am also asking that your child bring frosting (canned or made of egg whites and powdered sugar mixed to the consistency of toothpaste) and something to decorate with (candy, cereal, etc).  We will be decorating our houses and then finding the area and perimeter of each.  Feel free to send in whatever you have, I don't want this to create a hardship on anyone.  Likewise, if you happen to see a 1/2 finished bag of Fruit Loops that you are about to throw out, please send it in for us to use instead. 

Spelling
     This week our list involves words that end with the "l" sound.  I have told the kids that if they do well, we will skip a new list next week, however, if they need to repeat this week's list, then we will do it again next week.

Social Studies
     We are wrapping up our American Revolution unit.  The kids know many interesting facts about the birth of our country.  Ask your child to tell you about a couple of their favorite historical figures from that era!

Science
     Now that your child has learned all about Matter and Changes to the Earth's Surface it is time to move on to Magnetism!  It is a short, fun unit that we should have finished before we go on our Christmas break.

Thank You
     A huge thank you for helping your child with the Legacy Fair project.  I know that it was a large project, but I truly believe it is a very worthwhile one.   I believe it strengthens our society as the kids learn to celebrate, not fear, the differences between us, see the commonalities that we all share, and strengthen the pride and respect for their individual families.  These students truly are the leaders of tomorrow, and they will be better leaders if they learn from their heritage.

Thank You Part II
     I just want to let you know that as I count the things I am grateful for this season, your children are high on my list.  They are amazing people, each with his or her own unique personality that brings a richness to our classroom.  When I wake up each morning, I look forward to coming to school and working with them.  Thank you for your support in the classroom, and thank you for raising such wonderful kids.  As I watch them in assemblies and on the playground I am filled with pride.  They are kind, caring, and respectful.  People in the community notice, too!  I had three separate Veterans come up to me while we were at the Veteran's Memorial Park who mentioned what well behaved students we had.  One expressed surprise that we were there--nobody who was at the dedication of the WWI memorial had heard our class as we toured the rest of the park.  Congratulations, Moms and Dads, and thank you again!

What We're Up To Nov. 16

Math - We have finished up Topic 7 with decimals and are now starting Topic 8.  This week we're learning about geometry.  Specifically, we are working with lines, rays, angles, and basic shapes.

Social Studies - We are continuing to learn about the Revolutionary War.  This week students will be doing reports on important people and events during that time.

Science - We just finished our matter unit today and the kids did well.  We will be starting our magnetism unit after the break.

Language Arts - The kids are working hard on their Thanksgiving stories.  These stories will double as chapter 3 in their Time Travel Journal and will be due on Tuesday Nov. 19.

REMINDER - The Legacy Fair Project is due on Monday Nov. 29th.

What We're Doing

   Math--  We have just finished our introduction to algebra unit, and are beginning Topic #7.  Topic 7 involves multiplying and dividing with decimals.  This topic should go fairly quickly and smoothly.  Please make sure you are checking over your student's homework, and drop me a line if there are difficulties with it!  If your child is still struggling with his or her multiplication facts, please continue to  work on memorizing them at home.  Math will be so much easier for them once those facts are mastered.

Science-- We are continuing our study of Matter.  The kids know what matter is, the phases it comes in, and can determine if a change is a chemical change or a physical change.  They have also done some really fun hands-on science involving those changes.

Language Arts-In addition to our reading groups, we are working on writing quite a bit.  We are writing thank you letters to our veterans and their families for Veteran's Day.  Chapter 2 in their time travel journals is due this Friday, November 5th.

Social Studies--The events leading up to the American Revolution are really interesting to learn about!  Your student should be able to tell you many different facts about why the revolution occurred.  We are going to continue our studies about the American Revolution through November, and in December we will be learning about the Constitution and our government.  History is AWESEOME!