So, we have continued working hard and keeping our focus, while, at the same time, feeling the stoke for Boston! We have been working on decorating some team shirts, and have reviewed and sent home a letter with information about this trip. If you have yet to see this letter, please check with your student, and if you need another copy just let me know and I will send one home on Friday.
We have also continued working on deepening the understanding of the relationship between multiplication and division. That culminates today with an exploration with a balance and some cuisenaire rods. This investigation will help to solidify the notion that whole numbers and collections of component groups. For example, 3 tens will weigh nearly the same a 6 fives (I say nearly the same because the production standards of these rods is different than it used to be and they are very close to having correct proportional weights, but these weights are not exact).
In other news, I will be leaving for a paternity leave in the next few weeks. As of now, it looks as if I will be out starting the 23rd of May, but that might change. The long-term sub we have lined up has been in our room observing this week, and is getting ready to take over the action. Her name is Anna Paterson, and her mother is one of the teachers who already works with our class! If you have any questions about this please let me know and I will get the answers for you.
Have a relaxing and restful weekend.
-Dave
Friday, May 13, 2016
Friday, May 6, 2016
Gerry Cheevers and Art-man
An interesting title for this post I know, but we were on a small tangent this morning, and we ended up talking about Gerry Cheevers! Anyway we has a wonderful week. We worked on adding leads and conclusions to literary essays, investigated fractions with common and similar denominators, and continued our work with Lego Mindstorms Robots.
In writing we have been working on crafting essays that hinge on a thesis, and aim to prove this thesis to the reader. This week we worked on crafting leads and conclusions for these. In leads we worked to introduce the large theme that connects to our thesis, and "funnel" our readers toward the thesis statement. In conclusions we worked on reminding our readers of our thesis statement, humanizing our evidence, and giving our readers a follow up action.
We are also diving into adding and subtracting fractions with common denominators. Many students are grasping the idea that in order to add fractions denominators need to be the same. We are modelling this concept with fraction strips (these are just pieces of paper) that we can fold to illustrate different fractions.
Here are some authentic reflections from the week:
This week, we were working more with Mindstorms’ robots. We were trying to get them to find and follow a dark line. I was sick on Wednesday, and I have not done Robots since Monday.
Today has been a awesome morning! I loved waking up knowing that I would have time to get ready for school! I also loved that I had fun on the bus ride, that doesn’t always happen! I can not wait to Green Up today! I love Greening UP!
This week the ukers are staining their ukuleles (I’m one of them) and we’re still programing robots. Arlyn won’t be in library when we're doing library, but we’re doing digital passport with a sub.
This week we have been studying the human body and what parts of the body intrest us to study, senses, muscles, bones...etc… I am going to focus on the brain and the eyes, and how they connect. The first step would be what parts of the eye the light passes through, and about those parts. Next there would be how the light passes into the brain and sends the message to the body and the image appears.
As always have a restful and relaxing weekend.
-Dave
In writing we have been working on crafting essays that hinge on a thesis, and aim to prove this thesis to the reader. This week we worked on crafting leads and conclusions for these. In leads we worked to introduce the large theme that connects to our thesis, and "funnel" our readers toward the thesis statement. In conclusions we worked on reminding our readers of our thesis statement, humanizing our evidence, and giving our readers a follow up action.
We are also diving into adding and subtracting fractions with common denominators. Many students are grasping the idea that in order to add fractions denominators need to be the same. We are modelling this concept with fraction strips (these are just pieces of paper) that we can fold to illustrate different fractions.
Here are some authentic reflections from the week:
This week, we were working more with Mindstorms’ robots. We were trying to get them to find and follow a dark line. I was sick on Wednesday, and I have not done Robots since Monday.
Today has been a awesome morning! I loved waking up knowing that I would have time to get ready for school! I also loved that I had fun on the bus ride, that doesn’t always happen! I can not wait to Green Up today! I love Greening UP!
This week the ukers are staining their ukuleles (I’m one of them) and we’re still programing robots. Arlyn won’t be in library when we're doing library, but we’re doing digital passport with a sub.
This week we have been studying the human body and what parts of the body intrest us to study, senses, muscles, bones...etc… I am going to focus on the brain and the eyes, and how they connect. The first step would be what parts of the eye the light passes through, and about those parts. Next there would be how the light passes into the brain and sends the message to the body and the image appears.
As always have a restful and relaxing weekend.
-Dave
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