Fractions, facts, and dystopia...

We have starting reading a dystopian novel entitled The City of Ember, this book can be a wonderful introduction to the genre of dystopia without being too heavy.  Throughout our reading of this book we will focus on some of the "moves" that the author uses to really make us feel that Ember is a not-good place.  Dystopian novels are great for this because students really need to reflect to find out what the author is doing to project the feeling of foreboding that accompanies reading a book like this.

We have also been working on researching people for biographic writing.  This short foray into reading and research is always interesting for students as they work on the art of identifying what facts are relevant to the stories that they want to tell about people.  We also use this opportunity to practice writing in a factual way that is more engaging than simply a list of facts.  To do this we are using mentor biographies to see how other author's craft this sort of writing. 

We also have been working with fractions.  We are cultivating the notion that fractions are a piece of a whole, and and equal piece at that.  We have been exploring these through discussion, with strips of paper, and drawings.  We are using all of these tools to understand the aforementioned idea, as well as to build the notion of equivalent fractions.

We are also looking forward to Winter Wellness which starts next week!  Students will bring home information about which group they are in with them today, and if there are any questions please let me know.  Please also keep in mind that Wednesday February 21 is our P.E. lab at Morse farm, and Thursday February 22 is our celebration of learning. 

I hope you all have a restful and rejuvenating weekend!

Dave

Quick update about P.E. Lab

Hey gang, I just wanted to let you know that we have had a date change for our latest round of P.E. Lab.  Last week I indicated one date, however, our lab is being switched to Wednesday February 21.  We will be cross country skiing either at U-32 or at Morse Farm.  Hopefully some of you can join us.  If you would like to join us, and/or could transport students please let me know!

Thanks,

Dave

A few small updates and documents coming home.

Hey there everyone, I just wanted to check in with a few quick updates and electronic copies of documents that are coming home! 

Today we not only finalized the research we have been doing on Native Vermont fish, but we also took delivery of some brook trout eggs.  We have a shared tank in Mrs. Gannon's room, and we will be investigating, rearing, and learning about brook trout along with the other class.

I will also be sending home some copies of the books students have created about these fish so you can check out our first foray into research and writing.  We also are currently working on biographies and will send home some copies of these when they are complete!

As for documents, two will be coming home today.  One from our school counselor Mrs. Langevin outlining some of the curriculum she will be teaching in the coming weeks.  The other is our sign-up for Winter Wellness this year!  We will be looking for these Winter Wellness sign-up sheets to be returned by next Friday (1-19-2018), please fill them out as soon as you can and send them back with your student.

-Dave

Updates and another round of P.E. Lab!

Let's start with some updates.  we have been working furiously since we returned from the December break!  In math we have created our own dynamic (and fun to play) math games.  Students were challenged to create a math game that hinged on a math concept that they feel they have mastered and the concepts they picked have been wonderful!  we have games that use cards as factors and players need to add the products to try and get a sum of 301, we have games that a player must use knowledge of factors of different numbers in order to move, games that focus on using the difference between two values rolled on dice to move, and so much more.  This not only allowed students to show their math knowledge, but also allowed them to craft something they could be proud of and have fun playing!

We also have finished up some of our fish-work.  We did some mini-research into different native fish species in Vermont.  Through this work students explored some of the structures and functions of different parts of fish, as well as the different habitats and characteristics that each fish has. Our next move in writing is to research someone to create our own small biographies, we have people looking into such a range of persons!  We have Misty Copeland to Johnny Cash!

We also are looking forward to another round of P.E. Lab, below is some copy that I got from Mr. Blanchard talking about what we are planning to do, and go.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US, AND CAN VOLUNTEER TO DRIVE PLEASE LET ME KNOW! 

From Mr. Blanchard:
 I'm hoping to bring the kids over to the East Montpelier Forest behind the old fire station and do some cross country skiing, winter picnic and bonfire and possibly a structure building competition. I'm going to double check if there are bathroom facilities, I thought there was a port-a-potty but I'm not sure. If there isn't, then I'll check in with the folks up at U32 to see if we can use their trails and wilderness space.

I hope all is well!

Dave