We are exactly one week away from Winter Break! The students are getting very excited, but have been doing a nice job of focusing on school as well. In writing, we are at the stage of creating our final draft on our persuasive papers. The 3rd and 4th graders have worked really hard, and have created some very thoughtful work. If they happen to give you their paper as a holiday gift, I hope you will take the time to appreciate what they created! Some students may be mailing out their letters next week. In science, we continue to talk about light. Yesterday, everyone had an opportunity to talk about bioluminescence, and see photos of sea creatures that glow. We talked about the reasons the certain animals send off light, and even got to paint with glow-in-the-dark paint! In math, the 4th graders worked on strategies to solve more complex addition problems. We discussed ways called “give and take” and “split them up” strategies. With practice, these should become as easy as the standard algorithm that we use most often.
Next week, we will compare addition strategies, look at subtraction strategies, and learn new games in Work Places. In science, we will be getting towards the end of our unit, and will have our test on Thursday. After break, we will be moving back to social studies. In writing, we will finish our final drafts, and share our papers with one another on Tuesday. The rest of the week, we will be completing writing prompts in our Writer’s Notebooks. On Wednesday, we will have our Hawk’s ticket party in the afternoon. Some students have volunteered to bring in snacks. Please let me know ahead of time, if you plan to bring something in (no candy or nuts, please). This is separate from our winter party on Friday. The Winter Sing will also take place next Friday! Whew, busy week!
IMPORTANT DATES:
12/20 (Wednesday) : Hawk’s ticket party in afternoon
12/21 (Thursday): Winter Sing rehearsal at 9:00 for 3rd and 4th grade
12/22 (Friday): Winter Sing at 8:30-9:30
12/22 (Friday): Classroom winter parties at 11:45-12:45
12/22 (Friday): Early release
12/25-1/5: Winter Break
1/8 (Monday): School reconvenes