Posted by kavery508 | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on May 7, 2018
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:
