4/13/2018 0 Comments Mayer Memo 4-13-18Math After Spring break, the students started Unit 6 in the Investigations Math program. This unit focuses on linear measurement using the United States customary measurement system of inches, feet, and yards as well as the metric system of centimeters, and meters. The first investigation, provided students with experiences measuring using nonstandard objects such as paper clips, shoes, popsicle sticks, and connecting cubes. Through this experience, the children discovered common units are necessary for comparing lengths. They created their own "Inch-Brick" measuring tool, and focused on measuring correctly. Students also discovered that individuals can come up with different measurements for the same object by measuring with different size units, measuring different dimensions of the object, or by making measurement errors, such as miscounting, having overlaps, or having gaps in their measurements. In the second investigation, students were introduced to 12-inch rulers, yardsticks, and measuring tapes. They found body parts to represent benchmarks for one inch, six inches, and 12 inches. Ask your child to tell you his/her benchmarks. The students use their benchmarks to estimate the length of various objects, then they measure the object with the appropriate tool. Students also completed many story problems comparing the lengths of various objects. The children have also started using centimeters and meters to measure. Reading The children wrapped up their realistic fiction series study the first week back from Spring break. After much wonderful discussion, each group created a "quilt" to explain the important parts of the series to their classmates. Their quilts are on display in the hall. We also started reading January's Sparrow by Patricia Polacco, which is historical fiction about slaves who escape slavery and travel north to Michigan then Canada. The comprehension strategy we're working on with this book is "Ask and Answer Questions." The children are noticing when a question pops in their head as we read. They jot down their question and look for the answer as we continue reading. We reviewed question words such as who, what, where, when, why, and how, and the students discovered that by starting their questions with these words, they will have "thick" questions which generate more detailed answers. "Thin" questions can be answered with a yes or no. We are practicing turning "thin" questions into "thick" questions. Ask your child to tell you a question s/he has from the story. This week, we started our unit on poetry! The children read and discussed a variety of poems and discovered that good poetry includes seven tips. The students have learned the first three tips: It sometimes rhymes, has rhythm, and it says things in new ways (with metaphor, simile, alliteration, adjectives, adverbs). We have been finding these things in the poems we are reading. Next week we’ll continue to “marinade” in poetry, so we begin to take on the flavor of a poet and learn the five other tips of good poetry! If your child has a book of poetry at home, please have him/her bring it in to share! Writing The children are hard at work writing realistic fiction. They are truly pushing themselves to incorporate the things they notice mentor authors doing to make their stories gripping and interesting. The children are striving to write good beginnings, tell the inside and outside of their characters, drop a hint about what a character might be thinking or feeling that ties to the problem, and make the problem worse and worse for the character rather than wrap the story up to quickly. The children used the narrative checklist to evaluate their work and took a gallery walk through one another's favorite pieces. We will continue more realistic fiction writing over the next two weeks. Science We planned and conducted several fair tests about light, and we wrote lab reports for each test. The children learned that when light travels best through transparent materials such as clear plastic, it travels somewhat well through translucent objects such as wax paper, and does not travel well through opaque materials such as solid paper. They also worked to find out how light can travel in another direction. The children shone a light on mirrors and paper and realized light bounces off the mirror's shiny surface back in the direction it came while the paper absorbs light. They also discovered that light can be refracted, or appear to bend, when light travels through air compared to water. Ask your child to tell you about this! Word Work Last week the children reviewed rules for adding -ing suffixes onto words. They discovered short vowel words must end with two consonants before adding -ing. Sometimes, these words already end with two consonants and you do nothing to add -ing, such as picking, passing, thanking. Something short vowel words end with only one consonant so you need to double the consonant before adding -ing, such as swimming, batting, running. Long vowel words that have vowel teams need nothing before adding -ing, such as meeting, mailing, floating. Long vowel words that end with e need the e dropped before adding -ing, such as taking, smiling, mining. This week, the children worked with sorts at their level. Some looked at words that end with the soft g sound. If the word has a short vowel, the soft g is spelled -dge, such as judge, badge, ledge. If the word has a long vowel, it is spelled with the CVCe pattern, such as page, huge, cage. If you hear an l, n, or r before the ge, those letters should be written, such as bulge, large, range. You should expect the rules for the word sorts we are working on now and through the end of the year to be challenging for most students. Please ask your child to tell you about his/her word study each week! News from the Library The deadline for ordering Michelle Schaub's poetry book (4/24 visit) has been extended. Families have until April 20th to submit their form for a personalized and autographed copy. Please contact Mrs. Brauweiler directly if you have any questions. Join the 2018/2019 PTO team There is a lot you can do for the PTO and for Lincoln School whether you are a working parent or a stay at home parent. Volunteer opportunities are available for events taking place at school during the week or on weekends. And opportunities are available for you to work from the comfort of your own home while younger children nap. Please click here to view the list of positions available for the 2018-19 school year.
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Mystery State!Mystery state for June 1 Did You Know...New evidence links handwriting and educational success.
Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they also remain better able to generate ideas and retain information. "When we write, a unique neural circuit is automatically activated,” said Stanislas Dehaene, a psychologist at the Collège de France in Paris. “There is a core recognition of the gesture in the written word, a sort of recognition by mental simulation in your brain. And it seems that this circuit is contributing in unique ways we didn’t realize,” he continued. “Learning is made easier.” Parent's attitudes about mathematics affect their kids!
"A 2015 study showed math-anxious parents who frequently helped their elementary schoolers with homework saw their kids learn significantly less math by the end of the year than kids whose parents didn't express an aversion to math." (Heidi Stevens, Balancing Act and Chicago Tribune) According to Jennifer McCray, Principal investigator at the Erikson Institute's Early Math Collaborative, "Statements from parents are extremely powerful in terms of helping a child decide, 'Who am I going to be relative to math" How should I feel about math?'" If you're a math-averse parent, the article linked above has great tips for addressing this! Archives
June 2018
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