September 18, 2015

Dear Families,

The All-School Hike is scheduled for next Friday September 25^th.  Information will be given to students today about the hike they will be on.  Please note the departure time,  as some hikes leave earlier than the start of school.

This morning we went out into the woods for our first nature journal excursion.  The weather was great.  Students found a tree and sketched it and the surrounding area.  One of the great things about nature journaling is that it allows us to “still” ourselves.  We are often going at a fast pace, surrounded by technology and we simply don’t take the time to still ourselves and observe nature around us. 

Literacy:  We are continuing to read Number the Stars as a class read.  Students were assigned chapters 11 and 12 and questions.  These are due Tuesday September 22.  We are also continuing our class read aloud, Harris and Me. 

Math:  In math, we are continuing our work with prime numbers.  It is very important that students know their multiplication tables.  Having these facts literally at your fingertips is key to understanding the new concepts that will be introduced in 6^th grade.  Students were assigned a new word problem, “Sleepy Time”.  This is due Wednesday September 23^rd.

Science:  We started our Bubbleology Unit today with a bubble quiz.  We also went outside to blow gigantic bubbles and to determine which soap solution worked the best.  A good time was had by all.

Map Skills:  Students were assigned a Create Your Own Island Map Project.  Students must create an island and include 29 landform terms on their map.  They must also include definitions, written in their own words, of the 29 terms.  Your child should have a rubric that has a complete description of the assignment and the expectations for the project.  This is due Monday September 28^th.

It is important that all students try to be in school on Tuesday September 22^nd as we will be taking an online math assessment called the EasyCBM.  Thanks for your help with this.  We will be testing in the afternoon right after lunch, around 12:40. 

Have a great weekend.  Ellen