Week 6 August 12-16

*reminder that Friday is early release! Students will begin dismissing at 1:15*

In math this week we continued learning about factors, multiples, products, prime numbers, and composites.  Thursday we took a quiz. Friday we began exploring different models of multiplication.  We will be moving into multiplying with larger numbers, so our exploratory lesson allowed the class to manipulate base ten pieces and break down problems into tens and ones. (Why we have spent so much time working on place value-we will be using this method to help understand multiplying with larger numbers.)

Here we looked at 15x4 and modeled it as 4 groups of 15

Which can then be broken into 4 tens and 4 groups of 5 ones

Here is how we write the different problems using "shorthand"

Here is another form showing the transition from the algorithm to base ten shorthand, then broken down into tens and ones.  The box in the upper right is what we will be working towards which is similar to making arrays.

In reading we spent the week learning about theme. We looked at Aesop's fables, some short stories, and reviewed some books we read earlier in the quarter. Students worked on identifying the theme on their own as they read independently.

In writing we continued working on drafting our pieces and worked on word study.  Through the next few weeks we will be learning different activities within word study and continue working with homophones. We will wrap up the quarter with an imaginative prompt.

In science we wrapped up our unit on earth materials and spent a few days learning about the rock cycle. This week we will begin SS, which will also be integrated into reading and writing.

Conferences! I will be holding conferences during track out.  Available openings will be September 11-12 from 9:30-3:30. If you need earlier or later conferences, let me know.