We had another successful STEM day on Wednesday. As teachers from other schools observed our class wowed them with their abilities to work together in groups. It is very obvious they have been collaborating and communicating in groups since K. They can even tell you what those words mean. Their challenge was to create a unique animal designed to survive in one of the regions of GA, using the available materials (toilet paper rolls, felt, cardboard, cotton balls, brads, etc.) The animal had to be 3D, no longer than 1 ft., and be able to stand on its own. First, each group decided what region of GA they wanted. Then each child drew a diagram or described their animal and what adaptation it had that helped it survive in that region. Next the groups planned, negotiated, and finalized their animal. Finally, the fun part - when they built the animal. Many visiting teachers were amazed by their creativity and abilities to make sure each student had a job and stayed engaged. Only one teacher asked me if I thought STEM was successful. All the others could see the results for themselves! Ask your child about his/her group's animal - its region, what it eats, how it protects itself, how it protects itself, and its unique adaptations. You could also discuss any problems the group had and how they solved them. I consider this part one of the most important parts of STEM. Another day of fun learning with high engagement at Tritt!
REMINDERS: -Thursday, March 1 is Read Across America Day - everyone should wear PJs (if they want ), bring a pillow (only), and we'll have some extra reading time that day. THE WEEK WE RETURN: Reading and Writing: Students will be writing, revising, editing, and publishing their animal reports. We will also continue to use the Common Core Coach book to apply the reading strategies we've been learning all year. On Monday students will bring home a practice story and have 2 nights to complete the questions for homework. You will begin to get a feel for what the Milestones questions will look like. Math: We need a few more days to practice elapsed time and then we'll move to measuring mass and volume. Science: We have 2 more regions to visit. Then students will be able to use all of the resources we've made to create a flipbook and show me what they know. This will be their final assessment for our region study. Social Studies: After we finish our region study we will study our next American hero, FDR. Have a wonderful week off!!
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We are excited about Kindness Week next week. Please make sure to read the emails from Tritt and note what the students are doing each day to promote kindness awareness.
Today we had the special guidance speaker who brought her puppet and discussed good touch, bad touch with the students. Be sure to follow up with your child about what they learned. Shannon Bond always presents this subject in an age appropriate way that keeps the students engaged and informed. Thanks to Mrs. Edwards for arranging this program each year. In reading we began working in our Common Core Performance Coach book. This book contains articles/stories and coaches the students step-by-step on how to analyze the article and recognize the important features. We began with the lesson about how to organize research notes and stay on topic. There are two stories in each lesson. The first one we will do in small groups so we can teach and support the students as they learn. They will bring the 2nd article home for homework, but will have several nights to finish it. The best way to support your child is to let them try independently and then review it with them. Thanks for your help with this! REMINDERS: - Bring in Valentine box/bag and Valentines for our Tuesday exchange. Target will come back to our class at 1:30 for this. - Next Friday we will have the stuffed animal day the students earned when they filled up their compliment bucket in December. I almost forgot about it, but they didn't! They may bring in 1 stuffed animal that fits in the book bag. NEXT WEEK: Math: Now that the students are making progress telling time to the minute we will start working on elapsed time. Also, we will continue with the 8's tables. They are slowing down about 1/2 the class, so keep practicing. Reading and Writing: Each child picked an animal of GA to research. We will work on taking notes, organizing them, and writing a 5 paragraph report for the next couple of weeks. Science: We have traveled south from the mountain region to the Piedmont region. Now we will continue traveling to the coastal plains, swamps and marshes, and the coast of GA. As we explore each region students are studying the animals/plants that live in that region. On Wednesday we will have a special STEM lesson from 8:30-10:30. Everyone will stay with our class as they try to create an animal that will survive in a particular GA region. What a great opportunity for them to apply the science they've learned to an engineering design challenge! Hope your family is staying well and have a super weekend. We have had so many fun things going on! Here are some of working with our book buddies(sorry we didn't get a picture of everyone), our door (totally student made - be impressed!), the yummy food you sent in for our Super Bowl celebration and the creative penguins! Scroll down to see what's happening next week. Math - We will finish measurement and plotting our data on line plots and begin time to the minute. Start practicing with your child every time you pass a clock (not digital).
Reading and Writing - We finished Mr. Popper's Penguins! Ask your child about the ending. We will begin a research project. Students will begin by learning how to read notes, take notes, organize notes and turn them into an interesting report. Science/Social Studies This week we have a special visit from Mary McCleod Bethune and we will travel from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Piedmont. Have a great weekend- Go Falcons! |
AuthorMrs. Amy Benson Archives
December 2018
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