This week 1/14 - 1/18

Hello Families,

My apologies for not getting out a blog to you sooner.  It's always hard to get back into routines after a break.  Here's what we're working on...

Math

The students took their mass assessments yesterday and we will be scoring them today after school.  A lot of factors beyond the test are being considered to determine the best placement for each child.  Ideally, each student will thrive in their group.  Of course, nothing is permanent.  

In the meantime, we are working on Geometry.  Specifically, area of triangles and irregular polygons (shapes).  

Social Studies

We are taking an in depth look at the first colony, Jamestown, VA.  There are many factors that played a role in the success of Jamestown.  However, it was a failing colony in the beginning.  We will be analyzing the various factors and determining their importance while also learning how to structure a paragraph with a thesis statement.  

Science

We have started our new unit that focuses on Watersheds.  So far, we have looked at how much water we use and how much water is actually available to us in the entire planet.  We have discussed water conservation and we will continue to look at this finite resource and discuss what factor effect watersheds and what we can do to protect them.

English

We have started our new read aloud book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor.  The story is about racial tensions that existed post Civil War in the early 1900s.  We will be using this book in conjunction with our writing unit.  The next piece is a suspense story under the broader heading, Realistic Fiction.  We are studying characters and how writers create characters that are multi-faceted and complex.  The story also correlates with our Social Studies work as we learn how slaves were first brought to the New World.

Have a wonderful week!