February 11th-15th

This week is going to jam-packed with Valentines Day and a field trip! Please see your child's agenda for reminders on when all of these things are happening. 

Writing:

We are going to work on our fables this week. Students have picked characters, a setting, and a moral and have come up with a problem and solution that would allow their character to learn the moral. I am so excited to see their creative brains in action! Students will work on their rough draft and then edit with partner and create their final copy. 

Reading:

We are learning about a few more types of folk tales, including legends and tall tales. We have been enjoying reading so many different folk tales from around the world and look forward to this week's books! 

Math: 

Fractions are the focus this week as students continue to practice naming, identifying, and creating different fractions. Students will learn that the more pieces a whole is cut in to, the smaller the pieces will be. So it would behoove to pick a cookie that has been cut in half rather than in fourths. 

Science:

We have been learning about rocks, water, landforms, and maps and this week it is all coming together as students create their own pirate island and treasure map. They will design an island, put landforms and some sources of water on it, bury their treasure, and then create directions using cardinal and intermediate directions to lead them to it. Ahoy matey! Thar be treasure buried here! 

Reminders:

Valentines box: due February 13th

Valentines Party: February 14th from 10:00-10:45

Field Trip: February 15th- kids need a sack lunch and close-toed shoes

No school: February 18th and 19th

Mrs. Alden will be out on February 22nd- moving into our new house :-) 

February 4th-8th

Writing:
We are going to finish our travel brochures this week. Students have done a great job of picking a location that they love and writing about the four best things to do while they are there. We are working on our final copies and they will be up on the bulletin board later in the week so be sure to check out our favorite places!

Reading:
We are continuing on with our study of folk tales. Last week we covered fairy tales and had fun comparing different versions of Cinderella. Who knew that the well known fairy tale had stretched to Cinderelephant and Cinderella Skeleton? This week we will be studying fables, myths, and tall tales. We will read plenty of examples of each and learn about the characteristics that make it unique!

Math:
We are moving onto fractions this week. We will start slow with equal and unequal shares and learn about what it means to split an item into halves, fourths, eighths, and thirds. We will be making candy pizzas to help us learn about fourths. Students will be responsible for displaying their knowledge of fractions using fraction words rather than the normal fraction notation. This way, students learn more about what the words mean rather than memorizing a formula.

Science:
We are continuing with our study of maps. This week we will be labeling important places in Texas. Students will also be making a map of their bedroom. All of this is leading up to our final project, where students will be making a map of their own pirate map!

Reminders:
Picture Day: February 4th
Valentine's Party- February 14th, 10:00-10:45am
Field Trip: February 15th
No School: February 18th and 19th