Monday, December 8, 2014

Weekly Update 12/8


My goodness, I can’t believe it’s December already!  Let me give you an overview of this week as we start our countdown to break.

Math
We’ve finished fractions and decimals and had a lot of fun!  Make sure to help your child recognize these concepts, just because we’re no longer studying them in school doesn’t mean they disappear until 5th grade.

We are now changing our focus to addition, subtraction and measurement concepts.  This week we are looking at place value to 1,000,000 and multi-digit addition strategies.  We are bringing back our Great Wall of Base Ten to develop understanding of place value to 10,000 and then build a model showing 1,000,000 units.  These activities help students see patterns and relationships in the base ten counting system.  They will use what they learn about place value to investigate and review addition strategies for larger numbers.  We round out the week by learning the standard algorithm for addition and compare it to other strategies they have learned. 

Social Studies
Now that we’ve studied a little about the Native peoples that first lived here, we’re now moving onto American and European explorers who came to the area.  We will look at explorers who came by sea and by land, most notably Lewis and Clark.  We will also discuss about the fur trade.  The Chapter 4 quiz will be on Friday.

Reading
This week you child is reading “The Garden of Happiness” by Erika Tamar.  In this story, a girl learns about different cultures, community pride, and helping others when she takes part in a neighborhood garden.

The vocabulary words for this week are:
inhaled
mural
skidded
lavender
haze

Please check the website for a fun activity to help your child with this week’s vocabulary.

On Friday, there will be a short quiz on vocabulary and reading comprehension.


Other Notes
Here are some events going on this week:

Coin Drive for Doctors Without Borders!  Mr. Samson’s class is doing a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders.  Please bring any spare change this week to help this amazing cause!  The last day to bring change in is Friday, December 12th!

Thursday, December 11: Orchestra Concert!  7:30 pm at Marshall Middle School.  Tuning begins at 7 pm.

Friday, December 12: Family Movie Night!!  6:30 pm in the Cafeteria.  See The Hansen Herald for more information.

Just a head’s up, Spirit week is coming!  December 15 – 19, please see The Hansen Herald for details.

Have a great week!


Excelsior!
~Ms. B

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