Friday, March 22, 2013

Peek At The Week


A snowy week and the first day of spring! Only in New England! J

In Math, we continued learning about data by discussing how many teeth we lost in our class.  Then we asked other classrooms how many teeth they had lost. The students collected the data with a partner and then created line plots and picture graphs to display the data. They did a great job. We finished our Unit 4 by taking an assessment and started Unit 6, which will review story problems and place value. We learned a new game called Roll-A-Square to help with adding and subtracting within one hundred.

In Science, we learned about temperature. We discussed the definition and what tool we use to measure temperature. We watched a short Brainpop Jr. video and learned about how to count by 2s for the small lines on a thermometer. We practiced filling in thermometers together and what temperatures display hot and cold. We also presented our weather reports. They did a nice job!

***The weather test will be on Wednesday, March 27th.
Please help your child study!

In Writing, we finished our persuasive piece about the best season. They came up with a topic sentence, four reasons why it was the best using leader/follower, and a closing sentence. They came out very well!

This week we had some high school students from LCA visit our classroom to see if they would be interested in a future teaching career. The students enjoyed getting to know them and were very sad to see them go!
*See fun photos

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

-Mrs. Farrand J

Friday, March 15, 2013

Peek At The Week


Where does the time go? Each week seems to go by so quickly!

In Math, we continued learning about data and graphs. We shared our results with our classmates based on our favorite things.  We also took an assessment where the students had to sort foods into categories and create a graph. They did very well! We also reviewed telling time. We watched a Brain Pop Jr. video and practiced writing in time to the half as well as quarter of and quarter past. We also collected pocket data and learned how to make line plots. We discussed the mode (the most popular) and what an outlier is.

In Science, we learned about the 4 types of precipitation which are rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We made a little booklet and watched a brief film about the types. We also learned about 4 severe storms. They were blizzard, thunderstorm, hurricane, and tornado. We mixed the storm ingredients in a big pot and made a weather wizard cookbook. It was fun! We also read more about weather and answered questions together. We also did a cool cloud watch each morning.

****A reminder that the students weather reports and posters are due this Wednesday, March 20th.

In Writing, we began planning a persuasive piece about the best season. We brainstormed things we like to do in the different seasons. We started planning our writing for which season we thought was the best. The students began their planning and we’ll continue to work on it next week.

Thank you so much for all of your snack contributions. We will have a very nice basket and whoever wins it will be very happy!

I hope you all have a great weekend!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
-Mrs. Farrand J

Friday, March 8, 2013

Peek At The Week


No school today, but we had another great week of learning together!

In Math, we continued learning about data and graphs. We sorted favorite pet data and made a tally chart and bar graph. We also sorted our own survey data into categories with a partner. After that, we created our own bar graphs and picture graphs.  They came out very well and they had a lot of fun!  On Monday we’ll share our results with our classmates.

In Science, we began we reviewed the water cycle and began learning about the 3 main types of clouds which are cirrus, cumulus, and stratus. We made a cloud book with information and learned a fun cloud song sung to BINGO.
We also watched a short film about wind and clouds.

On Monday, I will send home a special weather project for each student.  The project will be due on Wednesday, March 20th.

*The Memorial Wine Tasting Fundraiser is coming up and we have a “Snack Attack” basket for our class. We are still in need of snacks! If one student sends in one snack, we will have a full basket. So far we have some goldfish crackers and chocolate covered pretzels.
Thank you for all of your contributions.

I hope you all have a great weekend!
-Mrs. Farrand J


Friday, March 1, 2013

Peek At The Week


What a great winter break! It was relaxing, but we got right back to working hard this week!

In Math, we started Unit 4 about data collecting and graphing. We played Guess My Rule in our class using features and attributes of our classmates such as striped shirts vs. no stripes or boots vs. no boots. Then they learned about strange creatures called “Yekkis.” They look like aliens from another planet. The students used a Venn Diagram to play Guess My Rule with a partner. They really liked it!
         We also took some quick math fact tests. The students did well with addition, but many need more practice with subtraction facts, so please help them practice these at home and have them continue to use XTRA math.
         We also learned about tally charts and bar graphs. We compared who writes with their left and right hands in our class. We also made a tally chart and bar graph showing our favorite season. We’ll do more fun data collecting and graphing next week.

In Science, we began our unit on wonderful weather. We discussed what we knew about weather and read some great books. We learned about the 3 parts of the water cycle which are evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.  We made a water cycle wheel, learned a great song about the water cycle sung to the tune of “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain”, and we watched a video called All About the Water Cycle.   

In Writing, we started writing persuasive pieces about a pet we really want. I read a story called I Wanna Iguana to start.  The boy in the story writes letters to his mom to try and convince her to get him a pet iguana. Next, we chose a pet we want to have and brainstormed ideas. The students have begun writing friendly letters to their parents to try and convince them to give them the pet they want. Be on the lookout for these letters soon! J

Our field trip to The Discovery Museum was awesome! We had so much fun and there was so much to see! Check out the Fun Photos!

Also, the Memorial Wine Tasting Fundraiser is coming up and we have a “Snack Attack” basket for our class. If you could send in a snack item that would be great! I have four snacks so far, so we’re on our way!

I hope you all have a great weekend!
-Mrs. Farrand J