Dynamite Division!

Dear Parents and Students,

Congratulations to our mighty mathematicians! This past week, students "celebrated" their learning of division. It was neat to see their confidence grow over the past few weeks. When I first introduced long division, many of the students were terrified! Now I hear their whispers and see their smiles of confidence. I am proud of their hard work, courage, and determination. Dynamite!

Students were excited to get "down and dirty" this week in science. We began investigating soil - not dirt! In was exciting to make and even taste soil together. Together we made a cake to represent the parts of soil:

cake mix= parent material of rocks and minerals (45%)

water = water (25%)

air creating by stirring = air (25%)

eggs & oil = organic material (5%)

Additionally, we compared the 3 types of soils: sand, silt, and clay. By spring, your students will be expect gardeners to take care of the yard! :D

Our class reading groups finished our science investigation nonfiction books this week. Students exemplified awesome connections as we reviewed science topics. Coming up this week, our class will be reading and learning about how the pioneers celebrated Christmas many years ago. The spirit of the season is glowing in our classroom as we share stories together.

In writing, students are practicing using transition words in their writing in an "If you give/take . . ." story. Their imaginations are quite fun! I hope you will ask them to share with you soon!

This week our learning adventures include the following curriculum goals:
Reading: Pioneer Christmas
Spelling: Christmas Words
Writing: Organization Trait of Writing
Math: Multiplication & Division Problem Solving
Science: Soils
Social Studies: Native Americans

Thank you for sharing your children with me each day. I love teaching and learning with them. They are amazing!!!

Mrs. Yates

Dashing into December

Dear Parents and Students,

Dashing through the snow

In a one horse open sleigh

O'er the fields we go

Laughing all the way

Bells on bob tails ring

Making spirits bright

What fun it is to laugh and sing

A sleighing song tonight

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells

December's adventures ring with cheer in our classroom. Students imaginations and fantasies sparkle and glow with delight at this special time of year. The magic of learning is found in glimpses of growth.

This week we shared holiday stories together, including my story of my Grandpa's great capture of Santa's boot. Whenever my Grandpa shared this story with me, I remember the magic of this holiday season is found in giving and sharing gifts of love. One of my favorite gifts of love is the love my students share of learning and growing. Thank you for sharing your students with me!

Our class reading groups began new reading books this week, focusing on the nonfiction genre. The students are investigating different science topics including, rocks, minerals, ecosystems, and chemical changes. It is neat to see their twinkling smiles as they create science and reading connections. Way to go Bobcats!!

On Friday, students enjoyed our school "Story Telling Festival." Lauren did a fantastic job in sharing a story. Wow! What courage to present in front of the school! We were very proud of her.

Our weathering and erosion unit draws to a close at the beginning of this next week. We explored erosion with the forces of wind, water, ice and gravity. It is so fun to do experiments with them. They are truly super scientists!!

This week students will continue to explore long division. Although division is a scary word, it becomes friendly with the knowledge that it is "backwards multiplication." Please continue to support your student in practicing multiplication and division facts at home.

This week our learning adventures include the following curriculum goals:
Reading: Nonfiction Features & Fairy Tales
Spelling: Word Patterns, Accents, Prefixes
Writing: Organization Trait of Writing
Math: Division
Science: Soils
Social Studies: Native Americans

Thank you for sharing your children with me each day. I love teaching and learning with them. They are amazing!!!

Mrs. Yates