Rockhopper Reminders 9/30/13

Rockhopper Reminders
September 30- October 4


Mark Your Calendars:
September 30th-October 4th: Great Schools Week!
October 7th-18th: Fall Break
Monday, October 21st: School resumes
October 23rd: Kitchen Science due!
October 21st-25th: Red Ribbon Week
Tuesday, October 29th: Halloween Parade 1:00-2:00 (kids change into costumes after school & need to be supervised by a parent)

Curriculum Flash!
Language Arts
Students are still enjoying the Reading Zone and we are reading daily in class to foster the love of reading. The Rocks have started Stone Fox by John Gardiner and are currently midway through the book. The encouraging story is about a boy who is determined to help save his grandfather’s farm. The characters were analyzed and we identified relationships that are significant to the story. In preparation for the book and to build background knowledge, students did a research essay on Wyoming. The writing process was introduced and students were offered mini lessons on topic sentences, explanation sentences, transition words, punctuation and grammar rules along the way. In the end, essays were typed and illustrated for the end-of-the-year anthology.

To build vocabulary, we are teaching root words and prefixes. We are focusing on the root word cir-, circum (meaning around) this week (9/30). Understanding root words are essential to creating a wider selection of choice words when writing. At home, help brainstorm word forms using cir- and circum-!

Continue to support your child by reading their work especially in their Home School Journal and Free Write entries.

Math:
4th grade:
The 4th graders are currently strengthening their number sense. We’ve reviewed addition and subtraction of large numbers and will now be working with decimals. Students will practice the addition and subtraction of decimals. We will also work with decimals in real world contexts. When we return from break, students will have the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the project based “Shopping Spree” activity. Problem solving and using the eight mathematical practices are embedded in our lessons. Currently students are creating their own word problems and determining if too much, too little, or just enough information has been provided to solve the problem. Along the way, they are applying the mathematical practice of “Constructing viable arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others.”

5th grade:
We hope that your child was able to articulate the mathematical practices listed on the first quiz. The format of upcoming quizzes will be different, but we will continue to attach the practices and standards to the quiz, so students know which standards they have met. At the end of each quiz, they will reflect in writing what they have mastered, what they need to learn, and the ways they plan to meet the gap. As we continue in the Algebra unit, students are learning and mastering concepts in Order of Operations, and Properties of all the operations, stressing more on the distributive property. The learning target here is not just to be able to identify a property, but to connect the quantitative expressions with the abstract. They will be quizzed on these concepts and will be assessed on the mathematical practices addressed in these areas. The October break is a good time for students to practice areas where the need is, such as memorize the multiplication facts to improve math fluency as they tackle harder problems.

Social Studies
We are so excited this week to have our Google accounts up and running! Not only are we learning to use Google Drive to create documents for our work, Social Studies students are now learning to create their own websites on the “Sites” component of our accounts. These websites are being designed as a medium to showcase what we are learning about tribes native to the four regions of the United States: The Eastern Woodlands, The Great Plains, The Desert Southwest and the Pacific Northwest. We’re not sure which is more enjoyable- learning about the cultures, customs, and traditions of the tribes, or finding and arranging images and captions to technologically present the information. As we continue the on-going project of designing our websites, we begin this week to study the early European Explorers of North America.

Science
We are intrigued and immersed in learning as the current topic centers around ourselves- the various body systems. By the end of the unit, we will have covered the circulatory, digestive, respiratory, and excretory systems. In addition to our textbook reading, we have been learning visually through videos and interactive National Geographic websites. Here are some links you might want to check out:

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/heart-article/

http://learni.st/learnings/83339-digestive-system-national-geographic-interactive

Another important skill that students are learning and applying is note-taking. Taking notes requires students to identify main ideas, consolidate large amounts of information into phrases, and they need to refer back to their notes to study for tests/quizzes. As a reminder, kitchen science is due on October 23rd!

After the fall break, we will continue learning about our body. Our focus will also center on ways to make safe and healthy choices not just during Red Ribbon Week, but for the rest of our lives.

Mystery State Clues:
In the late 1700’s, settlers here formed a "state" known as Franklin.
The stars on this state's flag represent the major landforms found there.
This state has five state songs, including "Rocky Top."
The Grand Ole Opry in this state is the longest continuously running live radio program in the world.
This state is the site of Graceland, singer Elvis Presley's home.

Which state is it?