Math
Students have been working hard on their math goals. Many of them are nearing the end of their first selected goal and we will be reflecting on our work, deciding if we need to change the goal or keep working. This will happen as we get closer to the winter break. You can support your child at home by asking them what their goal is and practicing this with them. If you need ideas for this please let me know. I have a lot of resources I can send home with your child.
During math time we generally have 2-3 groups going at a time. The groups we have right now are:
Addition Strategies and Money
This group has been working on recognizing money values, adding collections of coins and playing games with money. The students have a strong understanding of money. We are working on addition strategies to move beyond counting on our fingers and drawing pictures to solve problems. While these are very good strategies, when the problems get harder they aren't always efficient and often lead to errors in their computation.
Strategies we have been/will be working on:
- Counting On - put the larger number in your head and count on. (example: 26+2 is 26... 27 ... 28).
- Use Doubles - use doubles you know to solve problems that are near doubles. (example: 3+4 is the same as double 3 + 1).
- Add the Parts - Add on numbers you know, similar to using the 100s chart. (example: 26+13 is the same as 26+10+3).
- Make a ten - use combinations of ten to help you add. (example: 9+6 is the same as 10+5).
Measurement and Multiplication
This group has finished up with their work on measurement. They were working on standard and non standard measurements, comparing measurements, talking about estimation in measurement and looking at time and ages.
They have moved onto strategies for multiplication. They have been working hard on mastering the basic facts and then learning strategies for harder problems. The verbiage that we use in class to explain multiplication is "groups of". For example, if you have 3x4 that would be said as three groups of four. This helps them visualize the problem instead of memorizing the fact. When students can master this understanding of multiplication they will have a far easier time with more challenging multiplication problems and division facts.
Literacy
In reading we have been working on story elements. Currently we are picking out the characters and situations happening in our group read aloud, Holes by Louis Sachar. This has been a fun read aloud and I hope to host a movie night after the winter break for us to compare and contrast the book with the movie. Watch for more information on this.
Students started with their book clubs a few weeks ago. This has been a really fun way for them to think about literature and have group discussions. Thank you to Sarah and Heather for helping me facilitate these. The students are making great progress in these groups. The two club books this first session are:
We will finish these books up before the winter break and offer new clubs in January.
The kids have been HARD at work on their research projects. They are doing so well. It is amazing to see them pick a topic, research facts and then decide on a way to present their information to the group. I hope to have students present these on Monday, December 17th. We will be wrapping up our work this week.
Stone Soup
Before the Thanksgiving Break we enjoyed preparing soup and noodles for the event. Thank you to all of you who participated. It was so much fun to watch their work come together.
Burners without Borders Grant
A HUGE HUGE thank you to Anne York and Bob Embrey to worked hard to pull together a grant for our sandbox in less than 24 hours. They took the work that our kids created and presented it as part of the proposal. We were awarded $800 for our project and will begin work on building it soon. Watch for information on how you can help.
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