Update for 1/17

       Dear Parents,


       Can you believe that we are halfway done with the school year?   In Writing, the students have been working on opinion pieces as well as adding to and revising their historical figure monologues.  Ms. Jessica Espinoza from the Alliance Theater has been helping us understand what a monologue looks and sounds like - she played Mary Musgrove while I played Johnny Appleseed - and took us further into character study by reading "Henry's Freedom Box", then sitting in the "hot seat" and answering questions from the students in the role of Henry Box Brown. 


         In Math,  our 3.1 group is exploring Geometry and the attributes of different polygons and our 3.2 group is extending their knowledge of place value and the forms used to express numbers.  The students loved the challenge of using OSMO tangram blocks in STEAM lab to build the different shapes in each level.  In Science, we are continuing to explore Fossils and this week will be examining some fossils from my family's travels and next week will create cast and mold fossil models in STEAM lab. 


Math 3.1


MGSE3.G.1 Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a Georgia
larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories.
MGSE3.G.2 Partition shapes into parts with equal areas. Express the area of each part as a
unit fraction of the whole. For example, partition a shape into 4 parts with equal area, and describe the area of each part as 1/4 of the area of the shape.

MGSE3.MD.3 Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.
MGSE3.MD.4. Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units— whole numbers, halves, or quarters.
Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate area to multiplication and to addition.
MGSE3.MD.7 Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition.
a. Find the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths by tiling it, and show that the area is the same as would be found by multiplying the side lengths.
b. Multiply side lengths to find areas of rectangles with whole number side lengths in the context of solving real world and mathematical problems, and represent whole-number products as rectangular areas in mathematical reasoning.
c. Use tiling to show in a concrete case that the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths a and b + c is the sum of a × b and a × c. Use area models to represent the distributive property in mathematical reasoning.
　
Geometric measurement: recognize perimeter as an attribute of plane figures and distinguish between linear and area measures.
                     MGSE3.MD.8 Solve real world and mathematical problems involving perimeters of
                     polygons, including finding the perimeter given the side lengths, finding an unknown
                      side length, and exhibiting rectangles


Math 3.2


Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems.
MGSE4.OA.3 Solve multistep word problems with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a symbol or letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.





Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.
MGSE4.NBT.1 Recognize that in a multi-digit whole number, a digit in any one place represents ten times what it represents in the place to its right. For example, recognize that 700 ÷ 70 = 10 by applying concepts of place value and division.


MGSE4.NBT.2 Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Compare two multi-digit numbers based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.


MGSE4.NBT.3 Use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place.





Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.
MGSE4.NBT.4 Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.


         Jenny M-G

Update for 12/19

Dear Parents,



     We have made it to the last week before break!  In Writing, we will be working on our scaffolded Manatee essays citing facts and evidence from the original text.  In Reading,  we will continue "The One and Only Ivan" as well as continue to research our historical figures.  In Math, we are continuing our work on two-step and multiple-step word problems.  Finally, in Science, we are now exploring Fossils.

     We are looking forward to our holiday party on Thursday from 12:30 to 1:30!  Thanks in advance to our wonderful room parents for organizing!!  I hope everyone has a safe and restful break!  😊



Jenny M-G

Alliance practice monologue pics

Update for 12/5

       Dear Parents,


       This week in STEAM lab our students will be making igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks our of Starburst and writing up their findings.  We will continue to explore rocks and minerals, then get into studying the different types of soils (humus, sand, silt, clay, and loam) as well as discussing the processes of weathering and erosion.


       In Writing, we are continuing our focus on informational writing and will be using the Write Score power points and mini-lessons to cement your child's knowledge of how to write a strong beginning for their informational pieces.


        In Math, we are finishing up Unit 3 for 3.1 and Unit 6 for 3.2.  Study Guides will come home this week which will be due this Friday so we can go over them in class.  The tests are scheduled for next Thursday and Friday, 12/15 and 12/16 next week. 


        Also, ITBS scores and signed papers go home this week so please review those with your child.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!


         Jenny M-G

Update for 11/27

        Dear Parents,

       I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! This week we will have two visits from our Alliance Theater artist, Jessica, as she helps our students work on getting into the role of their chosen American hero (Paul Revere, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, Thurgood Marshall, or Cesar Chavez). We will continue researching our heroes in books and on Pebble Go in the Biographies section.  In Social Studies, we will get a little more into the Economy by reading "One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference" which is the true story of a young entrepreneur whose business transformed his whole country.  Your student will also be exploring economic concepts in Pebble Go in the All About Money section (from What is Money? to Earning Money).

     In Science, we are beginning our unit on Rocks, Soils, and Minerals which we will start with our vocabulary terms and continue with hands on investigations in class and STEM lab, as well as delving further through Brain Pop, Pebble Go in the Earth and Space Sciences section, and other websites. In Math 3.1, we will continue our Unit 3 Patterns of Multiplication and Division mainly through focusing on word problems this week. In Math 3.2, we will continue our Unit 6 investigation of Time and Measurement by getting into exploring milligrams and grams and milliliters and liters.

        Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  Thanks for all of your support!

       :)  Jenny M-G

Update for 11/14

       Dear Parents,

      What an exciting week this has been!  How interesting that our mock election on Monday predicted the actual presidential election results.  We had 6 votes for Clinton, 6 votes for Trump, and 2 for Johnson (we neglected to put the Green party candidate on our ballot).  I've been impressed by the way the students were civil in our previous class discussions and have respected each others' views this week by leaving the election results at the door and not discussing them in class.

      This week we also have done some interesting investigations.  We tested whether a flat, rolled, or rolled and waxy leaf would hold water the best and help a plant survive a drought.  We determined which seeds were most likely to be eaten by a bird flying over depending on the color of the soil.  We explored the best human adaptations - our brains and thumbs.  Finally, we explored which adaptations help animals survive in the arctic and will do a related investigation next Tuesday morning.

      On Wednesday, all the students got to try out our new Surface Pros!  We will get 5 of them for our class in addition to the computers and iPads we already have which will put us at one device for each student which is wonderful.  On Thursday and Friday, the students did a nice job on Write Score - reading the passages carefully, then typing their essays thoughtfully and referring back to the texts.

     Along with our figurative language exploration in reading, we have been reading some of Aesop's fables and other folktales.  Some of our students have become rock stars at recognizing figurative language and using context clues from the text to figure out a character's motives and point of view in the fables and folktales!  Please continue to read nightly with your child for at least 20 minutes.  Having them read a few pages, then you reading a few pages is a wonderful bedtime routine that gives you the chance to talk about your child's book and increase their fluency.

      Thanks for all of your support!!

       Jenny M-G 

Adaptations Review for test on Tuesday, 11/15

Chapter 6 Review answers

                (pages 258-259)

 

1.  Migrate

2.  Adaptation

3.  Trait

4.  Hibernation

5. Survive

6.  Reproduce

7.  D.  Webbed feet

8.  B.  Its heart beats slower.

9.  B.  A fly with stripes like a bee’s

10.  C.  Migrating

11.  A.  It blends in with its environment

12.  A.  to attract insects

13.  D.  To keep water inside

14.  C.  They spin like helicopter blades

15.  B  In a forest.

16.  B.  Venus flytrap

17.  You should repeat the experiment to make sure your results are accurate.  By redoing (re=again) the experiment, you can find out if your interesting data was caused by mistakes you made, the way you did the experiment, or small differences in the things you were investigating.

18.  Marco’s model is like a seal because seals have a layer of fat that insulates them, or keeps them warm, called blubber.  Seals swim in very cold water like Marco used in his experiment.  His model is different because seal’s blubber is much thicker than the layer of shortening (Crisco) that Marco used in his model.

19.  The plant will most likely not grow well near Gina’s house because the environment in the mountains is too different from the environment near the beach.  For example, the soil and temperatures in the mountain region are different than the environment near the beach.  The mountain plant does not have the adaptations for growing near the beach.

20.  Possible answer example:  Skunks spray a smelly liquid when they are scared.  This adaptation helps keep predators, or animals that want to eat the skunk, away since the predators do not want to get sprayed.