The weather report says we will finally be getting some of that white stuff this weekend! I don't know about you, but it hasn't felt much like winter yet...so I'm looking forward to a little snow! I hope you get to take advantage of it!!
Thank you to the parents who volunteered to send in items for our last-minute Sediment Surprise project...and for the parents who are baking "supplies" for next week's Cookie Excavation project! You have all been so helpful and I appreciate your ongoing support!!
Heads-up!
Keep your eyes open for information about a long-term science project coming up soon!! Also, book orders will be sent home next week. I would like to place the order soon so that the books will be in before vacation!
Our Week in Review:
READING
This week, students read a Time For Kids article titled, Super Croc. As you can imagine, this article sparked a great deal of interest and discussion among students and it went right along with our new science unit on fossils/dinosaurs!
SPELLING
This week, we have been working on four “h-brother” digraphs. A digraph is a 2-letter combination in which neither letter “says” its name! Instead, they make a whole new sound! The four H-brothers are:
| sh | ch | th | wh |
| brush | lunchbox | moth | while |
| shocked | chop | think | what |
Cousin "ph" is a digraph as well - as in telephone, phonics, and photograph.
Hunt for words with these “brothers!”
GRAMMAR
We have been working on verbs for the past two weeks. Last week we focused on present-tense verbs (action that is happening right now) and this week, we have been working on past-tense verbs (action that has already happened).
As students know, we usually change verbs to past-tense by adding ed. Some verbs are "irregular" however and don't follow this rule. Some irregular verbs include:
do --> did
go --> went
see --> saw
drive --> drove
*catch --> caught
*bring --> brought
*my favorites!
Ask: What were some of the other irregular verbs your child came up with?
We also spent some time learning about prefixes and suffixes this week. Prefixes and Suffixes are word PARTS that attach to the beginning and/or ending of a root word to change/add to its meaning. They are not words by themselves!
Prefixes are added to the beginning of root words.
Examples: pre = before preschool, pretest, preview
mis = wrong misspell, mistreat, mislead
un = not unfair, untie, undo
re = again reread, review, revise
Suffixes are added to the end of root words.
Example: ful = full of careful, wonderful, joyful
less = without hopeless, careless, fearless
ed = past tense jumped, waited, stopped
ology = study of biology, paleontology, astrology
Understanding how prefixes and suffixes "work" not only help students determine the meaning of unknown words, but it also helps them decode words in that they know that they can "take off" the prefix/suffix to get at the root word. Then, long words don't seem as intimidating.
WRITING
Students are working on the final drafts of their How-To Articles. Some topics include
How To:
* Make Pizza
* Swing
* Make Hot Chocolate
* Make a Snowman
* Brush Your Teeth
What is your child writing about?
MATH
We finished up our Geometry Unit this week with a few lessons about symmetry and then the Unit 5 Assessment. On Friday, we celebrated with a Geometry Fun Day!! Mr. Smith, Mrs. Walsh, and Mrs. Kasper came in with digital cameras and helped students "hunt" for geometry around Elmwood School. (Keep an eye out for the culminating project that will result from these pictures!) Students also played Geometry Bingo with Mrs. Glazier and created Symmetrical People using different polygons! Fun!
Fun Geometry Websites to Try at Home
Fling the Teacher: http://www.firstschoolyears.com/numeracy/shape/interactive/shapes.htm
SCIENCE
I think Science takes the cake for the most "fun" and hands-on this week!!
Earlier in the week, we reviewed the definition for fossils. Students should understand that fossils are the remains or evidence (proof) of any creature or plant that once lived on Earth.
- Remains include things like bones, teeth, and nails.
- Evidence includes things like footprints, tail marks/drags, and droppings. (eww!)
They also learned to differentiate between two different kinds of fossils:
a) molds – imprints or hollowed out spaces left by creatures/plants
b) casts – 3D replicas creatures/plants created when molds are filled in (by minerals, etc.)
They then created their own mold and cast fossils! Take a look!
On Friday, students learned about Sedimentary (layered) rock and learned that it is in this kind of rock that fossils are typically found. To solidify this idea, students created their own "Sediment Surprise." Whipped cream, syrup, honey, oil, and pudding acted as the layers of sediment and gummy bears, chocolate chips, raisins, and almonds acted as fossils found within the layers! It was a messy project but I think it helped make the concept more concrete!
MYSTERY READER
Our Mystery Reader this week was Marissa's mom, Mrs. Walsh. Mrs. Walsh read the story A String of Hearts by Laura Malone Elliott, in anticipation of Valentine's Day! After reading the story, she then passed out pencils with heart erasers for each student! Awww!! Thank you so much, Mrs. Walsh!
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