And Snow it Goes....

Our last two weeks have been a bit choppy, but we've done our best to continue moving forward with all of our units. I know that when we return next week (to a FULL day of school), the children will be ready!

Here's a quick snapshot of our last two weeks:

In Math, we have continued to progress in our unit on division. I realize that this is a bit difficult for some of the children, and that it is also tough for parents since this is a new way to do this. I also look at this as an opportunity for the children to stretch themselves. When they have to rely on their own tools, I notice many students advocating for themselves. They come to school with concrete questions about the homework. This is a great tool for the kids to have as they move on to higher grades. The directions for the "low-stress" division can be found in your child's Student Reference Book, as well as here (scroll to the bottom for division). We were scheduled to take our math test on Tuesday, however, it will be Wednesday next week.

In Science, we began our unit on Weather, with a discussion about weather instruments and how meteorologists forecast the weather. Though many of us groaned at the thought of more snow, the weather maps and radar available help the children make a real-life connection to what we're learning in school. This unit will be made up of several smaller chunks, with shorter tests for each. We will be having a test on "Air Masses and Fronts/Weather Forecasting" sometime next week. I will be giving out a study guide and assigning the date of that test on Monday when we return to school. Our class website has many weather sites with games and activities that your child might enjoy. You can check it out here.

In Social Studies, we began our unit on the Regions of the U.S. We began with a quick overview of our country, and will start learning about the first region, the Northeast, next week. Our study will include many aspects of learning, including some research and projects at home. For those families with former fourth graders, students will not be completing the full US Regions portfolio, rather some smaller projects. The children will have all of the information that they need each time they have something to complete at home.

In Reading, we began a new interactive read-aloud, The Cricket In Times Square, by George Selden. We will be focusing on looking at characters in this story, and discussing how they may change over time. So far, the kids are really enjoying this book.

Last week, we had an anti-bullying program come to our school. The program, called The Power of One, included skits showing real examples of bullying (both physical and cyber bullying). I hope that your child shared some of this program with you.

I hope that your child enjoys this snow day. Though I realize that we've had many snow days already this year, these days never get old for the kids. They will remember this winter! Enjoy the weekend!