Coming Up:
November 24: Grandparents and Special Friend's Day
Reading
Last week, students worked as partners to read an OBOB book. These partners practiced their skills as intense readers to follow characters into action. Partners helped each other dig deeper into the book, make connections, judge characters intents, and share perspectives of the events throughout the book. Then students began to create an Amazon review page that included multiple different aspects of he book. These projects are mostly finished in class and will be shared after Thanksgiving Break.
Last week, students worked as partners to read an OBOB book. These partners practiced their skills as intense readers to follow characters into action. Partners helped each other dig deeper into the book, make connections, judge characters intents, and share perspectives of the events throughout the book. Then students began to create an Amazon review page that included multiple different aspects of he book. These projects are mostly finished in class and will be shared after Thanksgiving Break.
Writing
Our Realistic Fiction Stories are published on our portfolio blog with a short paragraph of reflection over the process of writing.
Students also wrote a short poem/song about the concept of peace. This poem was published over the week.
Next, we will start our opinion/persuasive essay taking a stance about dams and river usage. This week, we will just begin the planning period and then start writing after Thanksgiving. We will be focusing on the 5 point essay structure and supporting our ideas with facts. We have practiced this with our literary essays and letters to Ms. Chris.
Math
Last week, we explored the concept of multiples and factors in multiplication and then made fact families to show to connection between multiplication and division. We continue to give a 3 min test every week and record our data on a graph to monitor our practice. While our focus is not on speed but rather the different ways and methods of solving multiplication and division problems, we also recognize that fact fluency will help with confidence and problem solving more complex problems.
Social Studies
Students are starting to look outside Oregon and into Western USA, specifically at droughts, bottled water and water rights. We are gaining a broader understanding of the multiple water issues that surround us these days as well as the multiple perspectives on the problems and benefits of each. Students are finishing up a model of a hydroelectric dam that supports their case for or against daming rivers.
After Thanksgiving, students will be using this experience to help build a persuasive essay about taking down or building more dams.
Passion Projects
This week, we are having some hard conversations about Passion Projects. An eagerness for partners and larger broad topics have lead us away from our brainstorming pages and into uncharted territory of disjointed project ideas. I believe we have some more clarity and students have started working on their more focused project the last two weeks. Students will be presenting their passion project work the week before Winter Break.
After Thanksgiving, students will be using this experience to help build a persuasive essay about taking down or building more dams.
Passion Projects
This week, we are having some hard conversations about Passion Projects. An eagerness for partners and larger broad topics have lead us away from our brainstorming pages and into uncharted territory of disjointed project ideas. I believe we have some more clarity and students have started working on their more focused project the last two weeks. Students will be presenting their passion project work the week before Winter Break.
