As the New Year begins, we will be wrapping up our study of Pebbles, Sand and Silt with an exploration of soil and water. Remember to check out the class page to share in your child's learning. The username and password are both Stratton7. As we finish this we will begin an engineering unit about building bridges. Check out this curriculum here. This unit compliments our work in non-fiction writing. Students will use what they have practiced to write lab reports about the experiments we do building stable bridges.
In reading, we have been reading a lot of non-fiction. Non-fiction reading grows knowledge and exposes us to expert language we might not hear everyday. We, in turn, have conversations with each other and teach what we have learned using these keywords! Students have been working in small groups to share knowledge and find information in the texts they have been reading. Ask your child what the have read and what they were surprised to learn.
We finished up our geometry unit and are back to a focus on place value. Students are using representations of tens and ones to solve and explain their thinking about addition and subtraction problems that include two digit numbers. We will be transferring this knowledge to three digit numbers in January. The most exciting part is that students are able to do this mentally! We use many tools to deepen our understanding and think flexibly. The number line, 100s chart, notation of tens and ones and equations that are broken into multiples of ten are explored and shared. It is important to internalize the ten partners and double math facts. Please continue to practice these at home. Finally, share your own mathematical thinking and encourage your child too as well!