Week of 9/4/12

Hello Families,

Although it is a shorter week, we will still be covering a lot of material in class.  Below is a summary of  what we're working on.

Math 
Today we started with place value to trillions using science facts to guide us.  We will also cover estimation, factors and multiples, and prime factorization this week.  Your children will have homework in their math workbooks.  However, they have been asked not to write directly in the books so we can continue to use them in future years.  Please help to remind them to use looseleaf paper.  This is also an easier way for me to check their homework.

Science
We started our unit on Astronomy today.  This week we will focus on the night sky, creating star charts (drawing of what they observe) and an astrolabe.  For tonight and tomorrow night their homework will include viewing the night sky and writing and drawing what they see.  Please allow them to stay up a little later than usual in order for them to have at least 15 minutes of viewing time.

Social Studies
We began our Map Skills unit on Friday and will continue to study maps as they relate to astronomy and exploration.  This week we will focus on latitude, longitude, the equator, the prime meridian, a compass rose, a map scale, a map key/legend.

Reading and Writing
We began our read aloud, "Sahara Special" last week and will continue to read this book along with our writing curriculum.  Students will learn methods to help them gain a deeper understanding of the text as well as story-telling methods.  By Thursday, we will begin using writing journals to capture small moments in our lives and describe them in detail.

Have a wonderful week!
Debby