Wow! It's hard to believe that we're at the tail end of October already! It's amazing what we've accomplished in just two months of school.
We are finalizing our first personal narratives in class. During the last month, students have learned to add pizazz to their writing by including similes, vivid verbs, examples of "show, don't tell," and combining smaller, related ideas into more complex and sophisticated sentences. I think you'll agree when you see your child's writing that the students have done an amazing job!
Today, we concluded our first social studies unit on Map Skills. Next week, we will be exploring our textbook and learning all about the table of contents, the glossary, and index. Essential questions will be: Where are these features located, and how can they be used to find information? We will be looking at other features of the text such as titles, headings, key ideas, vocabulary, pictures/captions, maps, and biographies. Because students have not used a text for social studies in the past, we will be spending several days getting to know the book and how to navigate it.
Students used two-pan balances and a variety of solid items to explore the concept of mass in science this week. We had some interesting conversations about why not all students came up with the same data despite the fact that we all measured the same items. Class discussions focused on what amounts were within an acceptable range and which ones were not.
On Friday, October 28th, we will be working with pumpkins of different sizes to investigate all sorts of math and science concepts. With the help of parent volunteers, students will find the weight and circumference of their pumpkin, speculate about the number of seeds inside, check out whether their pumpkin will float or sink, and then count their seeds to confirm their predictions. This is a wonderful time for the children to share their thinking in a fun and collaborative way. Look for pictures next week!
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