Second Nine Weeks, Week 7

I hope you and your family had a wonderful time together thinking about all the things we have to be thankful for.  I am thankful to be here at Shades Cahaba, spending my days with these wonderful children!

Reading - I loved seeing how many students came back today having completed the book they were reading!  We will finish Tiger Rising tomorrow with a test on the vocabulary and parts of the book on Wednesday.  We will then begin The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Language - Our focus this week will be on expository writing.  The students will be writing about the impact that the explorers made on the Native Americans, proving to me not only what great writers they are but what they learned in history as well.

Math - The students will be finishing up this multiplication menu with a test on Thursday before moving on to division.

Alabama History - We are talking about the Creek War this week.  We'll discuss the major battles and the reasons behind the war.

Science - Our focus continues to be on force and motion, specifically the potential, kinetic and transfer of energy involved in collisions of our Hot Wheels cars.

If your child has not yet told you about the new chairs in our classroom, make sure to ask! :)

Grandpal's Day

Grandpal's Day is one of my favorite days of the year. I absolutely love how excited the children get as they eagerly await the arrival of their grandparents, friends, and family members. They are so eager to share their school with their loved ones and spend time together. It's a joy to watch as they interact with one another and it is an honor to meet the people that these children hold in such high esteem!

Second Nine Weeks, Week 6

Reading: Students are continuing to read Tiger Rising in small groups, discussing signposts along the way and making inferences about the characters.  Students are also finishing up in depth discussions about a passage from Black Beauty.

Math: Multiplication continues to be our focus.  Students who are not yet fluent with their facts should still be working on these at home.  We will probably be ready for division soon after the Thanksgiving holidays.

Science: Students will be investigating potential and kinetic energy more this week as they investigate collisions with our Hot Wheels cars.

Alabama History: We will be discussing the Creek War this week.

Design Challenge

Friday afternoon the classroom was transformed into a giant race track as the students put their designs to the test.  The week before last, students built ramps using their history text books and the tracks to measure the distance the cars traveled.  Students were able to see a huge difference in this distance with each textbook that was added.  Last week, the students changed one variable in their design to test it.  Most students changed the height of the ramp, but some changed the fact that they pushed the car rather than setting it down and some added a loop to their design.  Through these design challenges, students were able to change the potential and kinetic energy of their Hot Wheels cars.

Thankful Turkeys

On Tuesday, the students used their gratitude journals that they have been writing in to help them create a "thankful turkey."  These students showed great gratitude in the things they are thankful for!