We are working on sentence diagramming, and sequencing a news article. We will be breaking into two groups next week to meet the needs of each student.
In math we continue to focus on prime factorization. We looked at the rules for divisibility this week. Your student should know how to decide if a number can be divided by 2,3,5,6,and 9.
The Western region continues to be our focus this week. We are up to knowing the states, their natural resources and we are working on their capitals, landforms and climate. This unit will culminate with each student creating a brochure for each state.
Today will be a fun science experiment! We continue to look at elements and their properties, today we will make ice-cream! Ask your student how salt changes the freezing temperature of ice!

The students continue to work on basic sentence structure. This reinforces the concept of correct grammar, I expect this to transfer over to their writing, this week will be our first experience.

In math, we are practicing prime factorization. The students are up to page 5 in Keys to Algebra and anxious to do more!

Social studies focused on the western region of the United States. Ask your student if they can name the six states which comprise the Western region.

In science we began the study of atoms. So far we have looked at atomic number, protons, and electrons. This unit will extend for a few weeks. Ask your student what the atomic number of carbon is!

Today the students began to work in earnest! We started diagramming sentences, and our first official writing assignment of a descriptive essay. This will be a week long project, so look for a completed essay by Friday.
Math rotations began today. Students who stay with me, covered the beginning of Keys to Algebra and completed the scavenger hunt of their math book.
Social studies is becoming more real as the students begin to look at different ways of identifying an area. We looked at geographical location, physical environment (plants, animals, etc.), cultural regions and finally economic regions of the United States.
Please make sure your student is reading nightly!

Thank you to the parents that attended Back to School Night! This week flew by!
The groundwork has been laid for the students to analyze literature from a deeper symbolic point of view. Today we discussed colors and the emotional connection.
In science the students were able to conduct their own experiment. The concept of the density of water altering its freezing point and boiling point was touched upon. This is a key concept which will be reviewed often this year.
Math rotations and homework will begin on Monday. The students are to be reading independently for at least 20 minutes daily. The spelling sentences will also be coming home with them.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Today we began to view literature in a very simple format. The students were engaqed in finding the components of a child's story, as we looked at symbols representing the common experience of childhood. Tomorrow we will review historical fiction utilizing Johnny Appleseed. I will refer to these simple stories as we move to more complex literature.

This was a very busy day and unfortunately we were not able to get out to photograph the other classes. Tomorrow promises to be just as full, so Thursday will have to be our photography day.

I look forward to meeting everyone at Back to School Night!