It seems like things are settling down. The last month has been really challenging with all of the days off for holidays and snow. Though we have used all of our allotted snow days (we will have to make them up from here on out) winter is not even half over! Hopefully Mother Nature will be kind to us for the rest of the winter so we won't be in school until July!
We have been working with decimals in math. This has been a nice break from fractions which are very challenging for many students. By the end of the unit, students should be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals. Most students are doing very well with these concepts. We have been using estimation to figure out where the decimal should be in our answers. Most students who are struggling are actually struggling with the basic operations which should have been mastered at this point. We will continue to review concepts, and please feel free to work with your children at home. I am also trying to be more consistent with math homework. It seems the more inconsistently students get homework, the fewer that actually do it. I hope this consistency helps at home as well. It also frees up some time for us to use I-Ready in class to practice math.
Students are also working on non-fiction reports. Our theme is the Olympics. Each student has chosen a sport and is researching the history, rules, equipment, famous athletes, etc. about their sport. Most of the work is being done in class. Students will write a report and create a Google Presentation about their sport. I am hoping to wrap up this unit before February vacation.
Second trimester book report assignments will go home in the next couple of weeks. Students will have about a month to read the book and complete the report. The genre for this report will be historical fiction if you want to start helping your child chose a book.
We have been working with decimals in math. This has been a nice break from fractions which are very challenging for many students. By the end of the unit, students should be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals. Most students are doing very well with these concepts. We have been using estimation to figure out where the decimal should be in our answers. Most students who are struggling are actually struggling with the basic operations which should have been mastered at this point. We will continue to review concepts, and please feel free to work with your children at home. I am also trying to be more consistent with math homework. It seems the more inconsistently students get homework, the fewer that actually do it. I hope this consistency helps at home as well. It also frees up some time for us to use I-Ready in class to practice math.
Students are also working on non-fiction reports. Our theme is the Olympics. Each student has chosen a sport and is researching the history, rules, equipment, famous athletes, etc. about their sport. Most of the work is being done in class. Students will write a report and create a Google Presentation about their sport. I am hoping to wrap up this unit before February vacation.
Second trimester book report assignments will go home in the next couple of weeks. Students will have about a month to read the book and complete the report. The genre for this report will be historical fiction if you want to start helping your child chose a book.