Brrrrr!

Hi Everyone,


I hope you are all finding ways to keep warm during this recent streak of chilly weather. At school, we are working hard and beginning new units of study. We have many things to accomplish before we break for the New Year. Please encourage your child to stay focused during this hectic holiday season.


Here's the update from Room 5:


Science: Mrs. Brush has begun her fabulous unit on Matter. On Monday, we all traveled to the cafeteria where stations were set up for us to "explore" matter. Our objective was to discover the "Big Ideas about Matter." We used gloop, oobleck, playdough, scales/balances, tubs with water to test for sink/float, and much more. Thank you to Mrs. Leonard, Mrs. Ransden, and Mrs. Stott for coming in to help us run the stations and especially for the help with clean up! See if your child can tell you anything about the big ideas.

Making Oobleck with water and cornstarch

What are the Big Ideas here?

Mrs. Stott assists with the equitable dispensing of cornstarch!

Sink or float? Let's test and find out!

Some types of matter will dissolve into other types of matter. Some will not.

Mathematics: We have finished with multiplication and are now moving into division. Please keep practicing your facts! We are still taking our Mad Minutes quizzes and will begin to switch it up with division. Congrats to Brenna & Meg for completing 60 facts in 2 minutes. Many others are also close to 60!




Social Studies: We are in the Northeast Region and have completed some fabulous sensory poems. Mrs. Guitard (our FSC field study student) also came in and shared a lesson on the Iroquois. We are learning about their families, shelter, clothing, food, and festivals/religious beliefs and making flip-books to organize our information.


OnWednesday, Mrs. Ransden came in to talk about her French Canadian heritage and the holiday traditions that they celebrate. She also shared some French songs with us and taught us to say a few holiday phrases in French. Thank you for offering your time and sharing your traditions with us.

Writing: We continue to work on our 5 paragraph essays at school. Are you working on your "At Home Writing" assignment? It is due on December 20th. Be sure to use your calendar to help you plan your time and see me with questions.


Reading: We will begin our unit on Poetry next week. I am so excited to share this unit with the students as we have many great activities planned. We will write, read, and perform poetry. Please check out the websites for poetry that I have posted on the blog and get inspired!


Indoor Recess: We are having a great time with our new board games! Thanks again to the P.T.O. for approving our grant for new games! Apples to Apples is a Room 5 favorite!

Unifix Cubes: a classic!

Boggle, anyone?

BrainQuest for Kids

Reminders:

• 12/14- Book Order is due today.
• 12/14- Field Trip the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Chaperones need to arrive at 8:20. We are leaving at 8:30. Remember to pack a lunch. No candy, soda, or glass bottles. Dress in layers as the museum is either roasting or freezing!
• 12/20- At Home Writing Project is due at school. Please send all draft work in with the final copy.
• 12/20- Holiday Party in the afternoon. Contact Michelle Ransden if you are interested in helping to organize this event.
• 12/21- All-School Meeting: Winter Songfest
• 12/21- 11:30 Dismissal for Students