JUNE 6/6 FIELD DAY GRADES 3-5 6/7 3RD GRADE FIELD TRIP TO WASHINGTON, D.C. 6/9 Mini-Society Posters & non-Perishable supplies due 6/12 Mini-Society Market Day 9:45-11:15
Language Arts We continue with the Benchmark Literacy program in Unit 7: Communities Then and Now. In this unit, students read and compare selections about different types of communities to understand what a community is. This unit pairs well with our social studies project, Communities and Economics. They will learn how to shape their own community and learn how individuals each bring a unique set of skills to the group.
Social Studies Mini-Society Update Just thought I would give you a Mini-Society update to let you know where we are and where we are heading. So far we have decided: Name of our country: Unicorn Village Our Leaders: President- Lanay Smith V.P.- Thomas McKean City Planner- Rowan Farrell Flag design: Done by Emily Flores-Rivas Currency design: Done by Aaron Elmer, Madison Gordy, and Madison Harpster
The next phase of Mini-Society is to learn about some key concepts such as scarcity, goods and services, & wants and needs. This will help the students make better choices when it is time to decide whether to have a business that provides goods or services. Keep a look out for the Market Day page that will tell you what business your child has selected, if they chose to work with a partner and who that partner is, and some of the supplies that your child will be responsible for bringing to school. You can then decide if their “idea” will work for you. Any student using electrical appliances MUST have a parent with them during the ENTIRE Market Day event. For Example: Your child wants to open a business that makes Slushies using an electric blender. You must be prepared to supervise your child during the entire market day event, which is about three hours in length. Remember that you are helping your child buy the items they will need. They must give you some sort of payment: paying with the country’s currency, working around the house to earn the money, or whatever works for you. You can bring in the money your child pays you to spend at our Market Day. Our first “payday” is on Monday. They are so excited to finally be earning some money! If you have any questions please feel free to email me at: [email protected] Hope to see you on Market Day June 12th. Please have all non-perishable supplies to school by Friday, June 9th. We will be set up & ready to go for Monday, June 12th!
Math At this point in the school year students should feel comfortable with the math concepts they have learned over the course of the year. To that end, students have begun a review of many of the skills and strategies they have learned this year. Multiplication facts, multi-digit subtraction and addition, graphs and data, and finding fair shares with fractions to name a few. Students have been given an opportunity to practice math skills using the i-pads on a free app that you can download at home. as well. Prodigy skills are assigned and monitored by me. (And they LOVE it!) Some students are working on particular skills for extra practice and each "game" is aligned to a specific state standard. In our math class, students spend time discussing problems in depth and they often will try to work through a problem with a classmate before coming to me for a solution. It is important that children solve math problems in a way that makes sense to them and I love the collaboration they are doing. At home, encourage your child to explain the math thinking that supports their solutions and encourage them to "think it out".
Science Our class is beginning a new science unit using the FOSS Water Module. The Water Module provides students with experiences to explore the properties of water, changes in water, interactions between water and other earth materials, and how humans use water as a natural resource. In this module, students will •Conduct surface-tension experiments. •Observe and explain the interaction between masses of water at different temperatures and masses of water in liquid and solid states. •Construct a thermometer to observe that water expands as it warms and contracts as it cools. •Investigate the effect of surface area and air temperature on evaporation, and the effect of temperature on condensation. •Investigate what happens when water is poured through two earth materials—soil and gravel. •Design and construct a waterwheel and use it to lift or pull objects. •Use field techniques to compare how well several soils drain. This is a great, hands-on unit and students really seem to enjoy the opportunity to conduct experiments outside. Remember to review vocabulary regularly with your student. This module ends with a unit assessment near the end of May.