Mr. Mell's |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Math: Students have just finished a short unit on division. They have been taught a couple of different strategies on how to divide. The two most popular techniques are partial quotient and the DMSCB (Does McDonalds Sell Cheese Burgers) methods. The DMSCB method is probably the method most parents are familiar with and the preferred method to use by the end of the year. Please ask your child to explain. We are now starting a unit on fractions, decimals and percents. A family letter outlining the unit has been sent home. It is easy to make connections to this math unit as you are out shopping this time of the year. Try to have your child start figuring out percentage off sales and make change when in stores. Who knows, they could be balancing your checkbooks by the end of the month! Science: We continue to monitor the Oden and its progress in Antarctica through our PolarTrec expedition. We are also concluding our unit on Microscopes and lenses and starting to learn more about the human body. Students are learning about cells, tissues and organs. Social Studies: I am proud of each and every student and the work they did during our constitution unit. I am also so impressed with how well they did interpreting historical documents and writing a document based question essay. Each student was able to write a thesis and support it with at least five to six paragraphs of evidence. Currently in social studies we will be focusing on current events and geography. Reader’s Workshop: Students are currently finishing partnership books. Students read independently each day and then scheduled a "talk day" at least twice a week to discuss their stories with a partner. Students came prepared to book discussions with thick questions, observations and notes to support their thinking. Our New York State ELA test is scheduled for January. So, we will soon be reading independent books, short stories and poems while discussing strategies that help a reader in testing situations. Some of the strategies that we will be talking about include The Two W's, Finding Key Phrases, Finding Evidence Markers, Chunking and Envisioning and Digging for Details. Be sure to ask your son or daughter about how they use some of these strategies when they read. Technology: We just finished our timeline projects. They turned out great! Students should have taken them home to share with family and friends. We are learning how to use a flash drive to transfer information. Students are also learning new word processing skills as we write together in our technology center. Ralf Update: Ralf has gone international. That's right, he made it to Canada! Check out Ralf's link to learn more. Check back soon for more updates. Thanks for visiting! -------------------------------------
|
June 12 - Field trip to Boston. Click HERE for more information. LINKS: Our Special Areas Days & Times
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
