Posted by kavery508 | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on May 18, 2015
As part of our study on water conservation, students went on a hunt throughout Floral looking for the ways in which water is used in our building every day. Custodian Mr. Poe led us on a guided tour of the hallways, kitchen, and basement, where both kids and teachers were surprised by the amount of potable water needed to keep just one building in operation every day. The intent is to make kids aware of the precious and limited resource that water is in our community and our world. To that end, I’m asking students to go on a similar hunt at home to collect data. Coming home today is a tally sheet titled, “List #2–Ways I Use Water At Home.” After they complete it, please check it for accuracy before returning it anytime this week but no later than Friday. Also this week, students will create their own models of an aquifer and learn how easily contaminates and pollution get into our water supply.
Field Day is coming! This annual event is a BIG favorite among kids, teachers, and parents. It’s an afternoon of outdoor games, sports, and activities where students apply what they’ve learned about personal bests, team goals, and sportsmanship. Our class will take part on Thursday, June 4, 12-3 PM. Parent volunteers are essential to the day’s success. They lead games and keep scores; take charge of equipment and safety; and help students stay engaged and focused. Please see your Falcon Flyer for ways you can help that day!
Our focus on opinion writing wraps up this week in a big way! Students are asked to take a stand and propose an argument on a topic they feel strongly about, for example: Should animals be kept in zoos? Do we do enough to stop bullying at school? What are the most important character traits a teacher/coach/parent should have? Kids will organize their argument; state reasons for their opinion; and craft an introduction and conclusion to their pieces. Smart!
We wrap up our math focus on telling time by developing an understanding of AM/PM and calculating elapsed time (e.g. 1/2 hour before or after a time on the clock). Students should now be able to tell time to any 5-minute interval, such as 6:05. They should also be able to write the time in numbers and in words, and know how many minutes in an hour and hours in a day. Here’s a great video we’ve been singing along to daily, from my favorite learning song company, Readeez. You can watch videos at their website or at their channel on Youtube.com.
Speaking of time…it’s short! After taking the chapter test this week we’ll move right into lessons on 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.
How is the hunt for water tanks going? Once you have pictures of all 7 (or as many as you can get to), please print them out. A few students mentioned not having a working printer. If unable to print out pictures of your child standing near the tanks, just email them to me. Print them if you can though so I can display them! See last week’s blogs for further directions if needed.
You’re invited! Our End-of-Year Celebration will be held Friday, June 12, 9:30-10:15 in our Cafeteria. Similar to our Winter bash, we will be performing on the stage for family and friends, and we will remain after for photo opportunities and congratulations!
