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
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