Learning To Go Mr. Avery's Class on the Web 

Floral Goes Green was a blast! Students all over the school displayed projects that reflected their learning about plastic’s impact on the planet, and spent the day learning from each other. Students in our class were on-hand near the games they created to explain and share with kids from all grades. Kudos to them on the great job they did!

Our opinion writing has taken off! Students are thinking more deeply than ever about their opinions and how to convey them with reasons and explanations. Here are a few from: 1) Matthew, on ‘Why animals should be kept in zoos’; 2) Berlin, on ‘Why Christmas is the best holiday is to celebrate’; and 3) Seth, on ‘Why kids and teachers should have homework’: 1) First, a hurt animal in the wild will not get the attention it needs. For example, a moose attacked by a pack of wolves and left to die will not get helped by anyone. But if it is in a zoo it will be helped. 2) Finally, you get to decorate a Christmas tree with all the magnificent lights. Also there’s always a gorgeous star at the very top of the Tree. It brings your family together with sweet love. 3) Finally, homework helps us remember. If kids didn’t have homework they wouldn’t remember most things they learned yesterday. If teachers didn’t have homework, they wouldn’t remember most of the things they learned. Then they wouldn’t be able to teach them. Awesome work!

This week in math students will be learning to identify 2D and 3D shapes by their properties; to recognize them in figures and models; and to create designs and structures with the shapes of properties in mind. PBS Kids has game apps that let students take advantage of mobile technology to apply math and literacy concepts. In general, the skills taught in grades 2 and 3 match the shows for these grades, such as Cyberchase, Arthur, and Word Girl. If you’re looking for fun ways to keep the learning going this summer, give them a try!

Here’s pics of us at Floral Goes Green:

With just 5 weeks to go, it’s time to think about the end of the year! Please read this message from our Media Center:

“Dear Floral Families:

It’s hard to believe that the end of the school year is just 5 weeks away!

It is a big undertaking trying to get the Media Center back in order by the end of the school year, so we wanted to let you know that the last day students will be able to check books out will be Friday, May 25th. All books will be due the following Friday, June 1st.

If there are any books you are unable to find, please let me know and I will send you a bill for the replacement cost.  Your child can bring in a check made out to the Shrewsbury Public Schools.  Please do not buy another book. Paying the replacement cost allows us to purchase a library bound hard cover book that will withstand years use.  If your child has lost a paperback book, then it can be replaced with a gently used paperback chapter book from home.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Shelley Crowell, Floral Media Center  scrowell@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

Field Day is coming! The kids absolutely LOVE this day, when grade level peers play solo and group games outside. We need your help to run games that day! All that’s needed is to give your time–everything else is provided for you. Our Field Day is Thursday, June 14, 12:30-2:45. Please sign up using this link, and thank you: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/8050F44AEAA2AA13-floral

Our next two math chapters for study involve geometry. This week, students will learn that figures are made up of lines and curves. They will identify the same, and create figures of their own. In addition, they will learn about surfaces of solid objects and identify them as curved or flat. Finally, they will learn properties of solid objects, in particular which objects can stack, slide, and roll. All of this is a precursor to the geometry of plane shapes and solids which we will take on in the 2 weeks following. If you’re accessing the student e-book at home, this is Book B, chapter 18 & 19. It’s a great resource, especially if your child has questions on homework!

If looking for websites/apps/games to play, the internet abounds with  a geometry/shapes theme, from basic to advanced. Here’s a challenging one that develops rotational understanding while requiring students to use knowledge of basic shapes and figures:

Students have been working hard on their projects for Floral Goes Green! After learning about the value of repurposing plastic, they worked with teams of students from our class and Mrs. Richard’s second grade to design, build, test, troubleshoot, and customize games using all plastic parts. My favorite part of this process? The projects are 100% student work. I merely asked guiding questions and stood ready with a hot glue gun! These games will be set up in the gym on Friday for all the school to try, with our students on hand to lead them. Cant’ wait!

Happy Mother’s Day! I hope your weekend was full of all the good things you deserve! Your care is evident in the way your kids come to school each day: well-loved, confident, and valued. Thanks for all you do.

Students will be taking their blogging to the next level by engaging in discourse around the environmental impact of plastics. They are learning to agree and disagree respectfully, and to pose questions to each other to stimulate discussion. Wow! Here are some opinions on plastic problems from 1) Rudra 2) Miya and 3) Seth: 1) Plastics can kill animals just by eating it. Plus, sea animals might get stuck in it. 2) When plastic doesn’t get reused or recycled it’s taken to a dump and just sits there. It takes up landfills and destroys the planet. 3) Plastic is very useful but it can be bad for the planet. We are ripping oil out of the ground and that’s bad for the planet.

Our CAFE focus this week is on Compare and Contrast. When students think critically about similarities and differences in one text and between 2 or more texts, it deepens their understanding. When reading at home with your child, begin pointing out what’s the same or different between characters or settings. You can model this by thinking aloud: “I notice _____ is like/different from _____ because…” After reading texts, try asking, “How were these stories similar/different? Compare the characters/plot. What else does this make you think of?”

This week we wrap up our learning on data and graphing by examining line plots and bar graphs. What’s important for kids to know at the end is that information can be shown visually in a variety of ways; that a “key” holds important information for interpreting graphs; and that there is a difference between reading a graph (just saying what you literally see) and interpreting them (telling what the tallies, bars, numbers, and words mean);  and that graphs can be used to solve real world problems. This page from the student book illustrates these points well:

With the recent stretch of warm weather, it was a perfect time to start educating kids about mosquitos! A representative from the Central Mass. Mosquito Control Project visited last week and provided us with some background info and tips on keeping safe and keeping the mosquito population in check. We even got some larvae that we watched metamorphose into adults in just a few days!

Our project work for Floral Goes Green is off and running! Each group of kids has identified a game they plan to re-create out of plastic, planned the initial design, and made a list of plastic supplies they think will be needed. I’m sending these lists home today in case you can help with them. The supplies do not need to be recyclables or throw-aways. For example, students needing hooks for a limbo apparatus might use plastic coat hangers in good condition. Repurposing is the name of the game. If you have ideas for plastic materials in your house (or neighbors/cousins in their houses), please help your child acquire them this week and send them in. The only restriction is that I don’t want students to go out and buy more plastics just to make their game!

Our CAFE focus this week is on comprehending fiction by analyzing how characters react to big challenges. Think about Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax: The Onceler was determined to grow his business, and the Lorax’s pleas drove him to expand faster. Then when he realized what he’d done, he searched for years for someone to help him make things better. This is the kind of deep thinking we want students to be doing when they read fiction texts at their level.This month, we’ll return to Opinion Writing. Students will be learning  all about plastics:  what they are; how they’re used; and what pros and cons come with them. They’ll then create opinion pieces on a question of their choosing, and post them on their blogs for online class debate. Cool!

Our next area of study in math is graphing. As outlined in the Common Core, students should understand how to collect and organize data. They should be able to  analyze, interpret, and create a variety of graphs including picture graphs, line plots, and bar graphs. As usual, MIF challenges students to go beyond the literal. New for kids is the concept of “key” in graphing. Take a look at this picture from the student book.

Notice how the key provides necessary understanding to interpret the graph correctly. Please check your child’s homework to be sure they are reading the key when answering questions. You can find lots of great information with very helpful picture support at the Think Central site! (Link to it via the Parent Resources section of this blog.) This unit is Chapter 17, found in eBook B of the student book.

In science, students investigated the insulating property of solid objects by using a variety of materials as mittens and testing how well each protected their hands from heat and cold. They made predictions, collected data, analyzed results, and drew conclusions. Here’s us in action: