This week saw a few changes in our classroom:
Extensions : We got new reading buddies! We also wrapped up our study of South America in Humanities and began discussing the concept of allowance in Financial Management with the help of a new allowance game. In Science extension, we finished our study of macro/micro and moved into a unit on sound.
Math : In math, we practiced different strategies for solving complex multi-step word problems involving multiplication and division. Next week we'll start learning how to multiply single-digit numbers by two- and three-digit numbers, so keep practicing those times tables at home! The Blue Group graduated from their workbooks this week after wrapping up their study of money. Next week, this group will begin studying metric measurement.
ELA : In Writer's Workshop, we've continued working on our information books, and students have started considering how to incorporate outside research into their writing to fill in gaps in their knowledge of their topics. In Reader's Workshop we went deeper into our study of narrative nonfiction. Students learned how these kinds of narrative texts can be read through different "lenses"--you can read them with a focus on the main character's life story, or you can read them through the lens of learning about an informational topic like the Underground Railroad or the language of Braille.