NOTE: I wasn't in school from Monday to Wednesday this week. So this message will be a little shorter than normal. ScienceStudent wrapped up their second artifacts this week. The last activity they had to complete was fill out a reflection form. When you get a chance ask them about what they learned from the process. This question can be answer both on an academic standpoint and from the viewpoint of how they learned. During the conversation ask them for specific examples. Next week we'll be on the spring trip and the week after students will be presenting their work. You're invited to come see their work on Thursday, June 6 from 12:15 PM to 1:15 PM. If you can't make it students will be practicing on Wednesday, June 5th at the same time. Check you email box for a message from Wendy with more information. MathStudents spent the entire week work in their books. We're at the point in the year where we need to start thinking about next year. Once we return from the spring trip I'll be assessing where students are at and assigning summer work if needed. Not every student will need a summer assignment and the ones who do I've spoke to already. Ideally, I would prefer for students to enjoy their summer with just a little amount of review work.
0 Comments
ScienceThis was a pretty quiet week in science class. We're getting close to the end of the project and most students are working on the second draft of their artifact. If possible, take some time to give you child some feedback on their second draft. Specifically focusing on the following:
MathMonday: Book Work Day Tuesday: We worked on Word Problem #26. This problem comes from the 5A book and is great for reinforcing how to draw a bar model. Wednesday: Weekly Book Goal Conference
Thursday: Game Day Friday: We did another group story problem that has multiple correct solutions. This one focused on number patterns. Here's the story problem. ScienceThis week in science most students were either working on their first draft of their artifact or receiving feedback on their first draft. At this point in the project they have enough work completed to show you at home. Please ask them about their work and offer feedback on what they've produced. If you want to fill out a feedback form you can print one up using this link. We also started a new beginning of the class activity. Before students can get their Chromebooks they must fill out the form below as a group. This activity allows the group to think about what they want to finish during the class period and who's working on the task. At the end of the class period I move between each group and ask them for evidence of their completed work. Students at this age are really good at thinking of big ideas, but not so good at breaking those big as down in to smaller achievable goals. This activity gives them time to practice small goal setting and distribution of tasks. Lastly, we took a trip on Thursday to the UofM Natural History Museum. We took some time to explore the exhibits, but the main focus was the planetarium show. During the show students learned about the Sun, Earth, and Moon system. They also got time to ask questions about their research topics. Here are a few pictures from the trip. MathHere's a rundown of what we worked on in math this week. Monday: Book Work Day Tuesday: We worked on Word Problem #25. This problem is from the 5A book and is a great problem to practice bar modeling. Here's the bar model solution as well as the algebraic solution. Wednesday: Weekly Book Goal Conference
Thursday: Game Day Friday: We started a new activity this Friday. The main focus of the activity is to practice out of the box thinking and problem solving as a group. The problems have multiple solutions and require each group to explain their rational for the solution. Here's the problem we worked on this week. ScienceStudents completed their first astronomy artifact. The last activity they were asked to do was complete a reflection form on their experience. I recommend taking some time to talk to them about what they learned while working on their artifact. They were asked to provide specific examples on their forms. With the completing of the first artifact students were asked to start working on their second artifact. At this point students should be either wrapping up their research or working on their first draft. In general, students have learned from their first experiences and are applying those new skills while working on their new artifact. I'm seeing students taking more time to plan out their work and communicating who's responsible for what while creating their artifact. MathOne of the main skills we've been working on in class is how to be more mindful about our work. We've done a few exercises throughout the year, but lately we've been spending more time thinking about our mind state during math class. I've asked students to take a moment to collect themselves before entering the room. We've started class with a breathing exercise. As well as, talking about how to identify distractions and ignore them. If you're child is working on math at home and they seem to be distracted ask them to practice some of the skills we've work on in class. Monday: We worked on our book goals. Students have been enjoying having a whole day to work on math. It's a good time to ask a bunch of questions and get help. Students have also been using this time to plan out their week. Tuesday: We worked on Word Problem #24. This problem was taken out of the 5A book. It's a great example to use for showing how to setup a bar model. It's also a great problem to demonstrate algebra. A concept some of the students are starting to learn. Along with the bar model solution I've also included the algebraic solution. Wednesday: Weekly Book Goal Conferences
Thursday: Game Day Friday: We played Tetris math again. The students have been having a really fun time playing this game. While they play they get to practice their multiplication tables, area and perimeter calculations, and spacial awareness. Here are a few examples of sheets completed by a student. |
Proudly powered by Weebly