Update: December 4

Coming Up:

December 11: Giving Chapel at 8:10am

December 11: Art Field trip from 10:45-2pm

December 16: Spanish Field trip from 8-11

December 18: St Nick Assembly

December 19-January 3: Winter Break

Reading

This last week, we finished our OBOB book club projects, self assessed, and presented our posters. I was impressed by the excitement the class generated over the OBOB books and the creativity in the presentations. The class as a whole dug deeper into their texts when reading with a partner and worked together well over the last 3 weeks.

We also reviewed the reading log we had been using for the last month. On this reading log, we were supposed to collect data on the amount of time and number of pages we have read each day at school and at home. We used this data to compile a graph that showed the number of pages read so we could compare school and home reading habits and make plans/goals moving forward. However, we found that in the months time, from November 2-December 2, many students had less than a dozen entries. Reading logs are a data tool, used to provide evidence of reading, and a point of data to observe reading habits. The focus of these reading logs will shift as student's goals shift away from stamina and may focus on title of books competed or abandoned, or focus on note taking goals, or may focus on reading a wide variety of genres. Students voice will be more present as they learn the habit of recording their reading. Please ask your child about their reading log and remind them to always record the home reading!

Next week, we will begin to dive into nonfiction text reading strategies and skills. Out nonfiction reading will continue to focus on water usage, rivers, and water footprints. Our Non-fiction unit focused on these skills:

• I can explain what informational text teaches me by referring to details and examples from the text.
• I can draw inferences from informational texts by referring to details and examples from the text.
• I can figure out the main idea in informational texts.
• I can explain how the main idea in informational texts is supported by the details in the text.
• I can use my own words to summarize informational texts I have read.

Writing

We have started our 5 paragraph essay about dams. Students have worked hard this week to create thesis statements that go beyond "dams are good" or "dams are bad" and become powerful statements like "I believe dams provide a helpful service to America" and "I believe we need to remove some dams for the good of the environment." Then students found 3 strong reasons to support this statement. Currently, students are finding facts to support these reasons. We will merge all of these pieces into a strong 5 paragraph essay next week. We hope to finish the essay by Friday. Our essay is focusing on these skills:

• Write opinion pieces on topics, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
• Introduce a topic clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer's purpose.
• Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
• Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition).
• Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

Math

We took our Unit 3 Math Assessment Friday. They will be returned to students Monday with their homework. Please review the test with your child, sign the front page and then return it for my files. We will begin Unit 4 next week. Unit 4 focuses on Decimals and will address these skills:

• Compare two decimals to hundredths by reasoning about their size. 
• Use decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 or 100. For example, rewrite 0.62 as 62/100
• Express a fraction with denominator 10 as an equivalent fraction with denominator 100. For example, express 3/10 as 30/100.

Inquiry

We finished our dam projects this week and presented them on Friday. We had a wealth of creativity and invention, everything from a Minecraft replica of Bonneville Dam shared through a screen video, to a hand-built diorama of a flood zone, to a poster outlining the benefits of hydropower, to a stop motion video showing the relocation of local peoples. These projects were a lot of fun and helped us create our focused thesis statement by providing us some time to play around with different ideas about dams and the pros and cons of daming our rivers.

Next week, we will continue a discussion about the Colorado River and examine other water usage demands upon our waterways. Throughout this we will be reviewing our own water footprints.

Passion Project

Our first session of Passion Projects is wrapping up. We hope to share our projects the last week before Winter Break. Students should be prepared to present their work over the last couple months. This will also be part of our homework next week.