This week in Math the first grade worked on equations with unknowns in relation to story problems. They also had a guest  , Mrs. Tapley, who played a game with them. They were introduced to a few new games , like splat an addition and subtraction game and a math game with UNO cards. They also tried out a new online game called 99math, where they practiced their math facts . The kindergarten played a game called Less, More or equal. They have a target number and have to show how the next number given compares by using their body . Smaller your body gets small , more you make your body bigger by stretching or equal your arms make an equal sign.

4/5 ELA – We continued our study of poetry through the book Love That Dog.  Students continue to create their own poetry.  They have learned about poetry that follows a form. For instance the poem called “Apple” is in the shape of an apple and consists only of words that describe an apple.

6-8 ELA – We continued our study of Esperanza Rising, looking at how Esperanza is changing as an individual as she faces challenges that must be faced.

3rd grade math – This week we looked at numbers in various ways.  For example we looked at how 535 can be 500 + 30 +5, but it can also be 500 +20  + 15.  (This is something they can practice at home.  Give them a three digit number and ask them to come up with 3 or 4 ways to represent that number.  It is an easy skill they can practice in the car! We spent some time with word problems as well.  This is a skill that I focus on because how often in the real world are you asked a simple math equation like 398 – 254?  Never!  You may need to figure out if you have 398 dollars and you spend 254 dollars how much do you have left?  The students will be seeing more and more word problems so they can learn to reason mathematically, not just learn how to be a calculator.

4th grade math – We are getting very close to finishing up our work with fractions (well, we will never be “finished” with fractions but we will be moving into looking at decimals first.  Next time you are riding in the car, ask you 4th grader some fraction questions.  An example could be If I eat 3/8th of a pizza and your brother eats 2/6 of a pizza who has eaten more.  Notice I did not say which is bigger 3/8th or 2/6th.  I will be  focusing more on word problems because how often in the real world are you asked a simple math equation like 3/4 plus 2/5?  Almost never!  You may have to figure out if you need 3/4 and 2/5 of a yard of material how much do you need in total. The students will be seeing more and more word problems so they can learn to reason mathematically, not just learn how to be a calculator.

6th grade math – The students are working with proportions and we are nearing the end of that unit.  We will be moving into percentages and fractions soon.

7th grade math –  This week we took a short break from proportions and worked with finding the area and circumference of circles.  We will be picking up where we left off on proportions.

8th  grade math  – We continue our work with linear relationships.  This week they were introduced to non proportional linear relationships.  They learned how to tell if it was proportional or not by working through a problem about a stack of cups.  One of the things I love about this curriculum is that by starting with a problem, the students see the reason why they are learning a mathematical concept. It gives them a frame of reference.  This one was a bit challenging for them, but they did it in the end and I think learned a lot in the process.

We did the first half of Slime Week, where every day the class makes a new slime that demonstrates a chemistry concept! We’re spreading it out over two weeks to work around other projects, delayed school days, and absences. This week’s slimes included a non-Newtonian fluid and an edible slime that demonstrates a chemical reaction – instant pudding. The students have also been working on their video projects to demonstrate chemistry concepts.

4/5 Super Studies

The students presented what they learned about different space missions in our solar system, and we watched video and/or computer-animated video footage of the missions and what we have learned from them. The class also began learning about what stars are made of and how they form.

2/3 Super Studies

The class finished their unit about how water shapes the earth’s surface. They modeled how a canyon forms by pouring water over sand and making rivers that carry the sand away. They also studied maps and came up with explanations for how and where rivers begin and end.