Here's a look into another great week in Room 31!
In math, we are continuing to help Mrs. Kalich plan for The Big {Thanksgiving} Dinner. We have figured out the cost of a 24-pound turkey, as well as different amounts of carrots, apples, and potatoes. Students are doing an excellent job of showing their thinking, even when our first try/strategy does not work or takes too long.
We are also working on Multiplication Strings, where we use facts we know (9x2=18) to figure out new facts (9x4=36). Today, we learned about Magic 9's! First, we picked numbers between 1-9 (for example, 5). We added 9 to that number (5+9=14). The "magic" trick is when you add the digits of the sum (14=1+4) you get your start number (1+4=5!) We also wrote the 9 Times Table. Students had different strategies for filling 9x1, 9x2, and up to 9x12. Then, we looked for patterns in the table, and found a lot of interesting patterns (adding the digits = 9, tens and ones place follows a pattern, and more). Try investigating "Magic 9's" at home!
Check out photos of 2 group presentations and our excellent posters below!
Our guided reading rotations are running smoothly, and we are enjoying being reading detectives. Groups continue to add notes to their Super Sleuth files, and are responding to their reading in journals. We are working on remembering important details/clues and making predictions as we read.
We listened to Miss Nelson is Missing! when Mrs. Kalich had a professional development day. Then, we compared the class in the story to our own class. Luckily, our class is not very similar to the students in the story - and our teachers are not similar to Ms. Viola Swamp.
Our first writing pieces are finally published! Students worked hard to rewrite and edit their adapted folktales. We continued sharing in the Author's Chair {see photos below} and giving thoughtful compliments to recognize our amazing authors. For word work, we continued to practice with suffixes and their meanings. We focused on the endings -er, -est, -ful, and -less, which make the base word into a comparison.
We also worked on new cursive letters, wrote our own friendly letters, and made lists of What We are Thankful For. Our lists were then organized onto Thankful Turkeys which will come home in time to share with family next week.
In science, we discussed the parts of a tree and investigated tree rings. We reviewed expectations for using a hand lens, and then made a careful observational sketch of our different tree rings. We learned that different parts and imperfections on tree rings can tell us about the tree. For example, every ring is a year of growth, and wider rings show when a tree had plenty of rain, sunlight, and air. Narrow rings can mean there was a drought, insect infestation, and a scar can tell us there was a forest fire.
Looking Ahead: Next Wednesday is a 12:00 dismissal before Thanksgiving break. Please let me know if your child will be absent next week, or leaving early.
Enjoy the weekend!
-Mrs. Kalich
In math, we are continuing to help Mrs. Kalich plan for The Big {Thanksgiving} Dinner. We have figured out the cost of a 24-pound turkey, as well as different amounts of carrots, apples, and potatoes. Students are doing an excellent job of showing their thinking, even when our first try/strategy does not work or takes too long.
We are also working on Multiplication Strings, where we use facts we know (9x2=18) to figure out new facts (9x4=36). Today, we learned about Magic 9's! First, we picked numbers between 1-9 (for example, 5). We added 9 to that number (5+9=14). The "magic" trick is when you add the digits of the sum (14=1+4) you get your start number (1+4=5!) We also wrote the 9 Times Table. Students had different strategies for filling 9x1, 9x2, and up to 9x12. Then, we looked for patterns in the table, and found a lot of interesting patterns (adding the digits = 9, tens and ones place follows a pattern, and more). Try investigating "Magic 9's" at home!
Check out photos of 2 group presentations and our excellent posters below!
Our guided reading rotations are running smoothly, and we are enjoying being reading detectives. Groups continue to add notes to their Super Sleuth files, and are responding to their reading in journals. We are working on remembering important details/clues and making predictions as we read.
We listened to Miss Nelson is Missing! when Mrs. Kalich had a professional development day. Then, we compared the class in the story to our own class. Luckily, our class is not very similar to the students in the story - and our teachers are not similar to Ms. Viola Swamp.
Our first writing pieces are finally published! Students worked hard to rewrite and edit their adapted folktales. We continued sharing in the Author's Chair {see photos below} and giving thoughtful compliments to recognize our amazing authors. For word work, we continued to practice with suffixes and their meanings. We focused on the endings -er, -est, -ful, and -less, which make the base word into a comparison.
We also worked on new cursive letters, wrote our own friendly letters, and made lists of What We are Thankful For. Our lists were then organized onto Thankful Turkeys which will come home in time to share with family next week.
In science, we discussed the parts of a tree and investigated tree rings. We reviewed expectations for using a hand lens, and then made a careful observational sketch of our different tree rings. We learned that different parts and imperfections on tree rings can tell us about the tree. For example, every ring is a year of growth, and wider rings show when a tree had plenty of rain, sunlight, and air. Narrow rings can mean there was a drought, insect infestation, and a scar can tell us there was a forest fire.
Looking Ahead: Next Wednesday is a 12:00 dismissal before Thanksgiving break. Please let me know if your child will be absent next week, or leaving early.
Enjoy the weekend!
-Mrs. Kalich