For a short week it sure was a busy one!
Highlights from our week:
*Global Read Aloud: Entering Week 2 of the Global Read Aloud, we enjoyed hearing a few more chapters from Elena K. Arnold's A Boy Called Bat. We received a slideshow from our California friends teaching us about their school and boy did we learn a lot! After learning about the weather where they live (it's usually around 80 degrees and rarely rains), their school (a brand new school built just last year), their school day (yoga class and THREE recesses!), and their class (31 students!), it was very exciting to be able to Skype with them on Thursday to ask them even more questions about their school!
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| We encountered some technical difficulties, but our new friends showed great flexibility and we were still able to make the most of our Q&A! |
GRA is definitely opening our eyes to the many differences and similarities between ourselves and others. It's been great! Can't wait to see what Week 3 brings us!
*Science: We began our latest science unit this week: Processes that Shape the Earth! To launch this earth science unit, we began by creating mountain models. Using Mystery Science as our guide, students set out to discover, "If you floated down a river, where would you end up?" We studied maps to see where all major rivers start and end, looking for patterns, and our brainy scientists uncovered that all rivers start up in the mountains, and eventually, end in oceans. While building the mountains was fun, the real excitement came when we simulated rainfall and got to watch our rivers flow down the mountain!
*Fall Leaf Project: Information about a fall leaf project was sent home last week. Students are asked to gather 20-30 dried leaves to bring into school. While the leaves are not due for a couple of weeks, it's a good idea to start keeping an eye out for interesting, unique, bright, or bold leaves as they start to fall.
*Writing: After reading numerous Kevin Henkes stories this week, 2H began crafting their own Kevin Henkes inspired stories. We noticed that most of his stories have mice characters (with human-like qualities!), they take place at school or at home, and they have everyday problems that all kids can relate to. Students began creating their main characters and have decided upon a realistic problem and solution.
*Science Buddies: Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we've been meeting outside with our science buddies to explore our curiousities about nature. Exploring the garden and nearby woods, students went on a nature scavenger hunt searching for many interesting things! After sharing our collections, we generated a list of wonders that will help guide our future investigations.
*Scholastic Book Order: October book orders are due on Monday, Oct. 15th. Orders can be placed online using our class code HXF8D, or sent into school with a check made payable to Scholastic Reading Club.
Have a fabulous week!
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Questions to promote "School Talk":
-Tell me about your California friends. What is their school like?
-How can you draw the number 783 using base-10 blocks? How can you write that number in expanded form?
-Where do all major rivers start? Where do they end?
-What are some things you collected on our nature scavenger hunt?
-What is the name of your Kevin Henkes-inspired character?
-What are some Kevin Henkes stories we have read? Which has been your favorite?
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Important Dates:
-Thursday, Oct. 25th: Leaves Due
-Friday, Oct. 26th, 1pm: "Fall Family Celebration"
-Thursday, Nov. 1st: Early Release, 12:50pm dismissal (Parent Conferences)
