Friday, November 2, 2012

Curriculum Updates

Next week is a short week - please remember we have a professional learning day on Tuesday, November 6

Math:  we began the traditional algorithm for multiplication aka "grown-up math."  Pink group also began long division (no longer a third grade standard in CCGPS) as a way to check multiplication problems.  Feel free to practice at home!  As you can see, it is really important to know your facts to be successful!!  :)  We will also be writing and solving word problems with larger numbers!

-green group must be able to solve 3x1 digit multiplication problems
-pink group must be able to solve 4x1 digit and 2x2 digit multiplication problems

We will test on Wednesday, November 14. We will continue to have math timings every Friday until May 17.  ;)

Reading/Language Arts:
As a class, we editted and created a joint spelling list focusing on challenging words again with suffixes as well as some of our curriculum words.  I LOVED having input from the students.  As we progress, students will increase their ownership over their learning.  This is an integral part of developing critical thinking and metacognition skills!  Boom-look how smart our class is!!! 

We will continue our study on abstract nouns, review collective nouns, and continue with verbs (action and be verbs, all tenses, and helping verbs!).

We will memorize the song this week:  (Most kids memorized it last year!)
The Helping Verb Song
(sing to the tune of “Jingle Bells”)

Helping Verbs!  Helping Verbs!  There are 23....
Am, is, are!  Was and were!  Being, been, and be!
Have, has, had!  Do, does, did!  Shall, should, will, and would!
There are 5 more helping verbs:  may, might, must, can, and could! 


We will continue with non-fiction text features.  Please point these out to your children as you are reading at home! It makes them understand how meaningful the curriculum is!!

  1. Bold, italic, or colored print
  2. bullet points
  3. captions
  4. diagrams
  5. fact boxes
  6. glossary
  7. graphs
  8. headings
  9. illustrations
  10. index
  11. maps
  12. table of contents
  13. photographs
  14. timelines
We will have separate vocabulary quizzes this week on Wednesday-this is new!  Our focus of both stories are nonfiction with animals!

Green:  Wild Shots 

Wild Shots, They’re My Life (Adv)


Spelling Words
admirable
softly
suitable
quietly
thankfully
exactly
readable
harmful
dangerously
suddenly
favorable
resourceful
adventurer
promptly
advisable
informational
interrogative
exclamatory
imperative
declarative
Vocabulary Words
curious- full of questions
collapsed- fell
marine- found in the sea
delicate- easily broken
creature- animal
survived- lived

Pink:  How to Babysit an Oranguatan

How to Babysit an Orangutan

Spelling Words                 

admirable
softly
suitable
quietly
thankfully
exactly
readable
harmful
dangerously
suddenly
favorable
resourceful
adventurer
promptly
advisable
informational
interrogative
exclamatory
imperative
declarative

Vocabulary Words

displeasure – the feeling of being displeased; dissatisfaction

jealous – full of envy

endangered – in danger of dying out

smuggled – taken out of a place illegally

facial – having to do with the face

coordination – the ability to make the parts of the body work together smoothly



Science

Science Test is Wednesday, November 14.  This might be the easiest test we've had (5 day unit!).  However, the rocks test was relatively easy, but we had a lot of silly mistakes.  So we just need to be careful test-takers!  :)

We have Science Force on Monday, Nov. 12

On Thursday, 11/15 at 9:30am we will listen to a representative from the EPA!!!! 

Name: __________________________________       Test is on Wednesday, Nov. 14th
Fossils Test Study Guide
Be able to explain and define:
fossil: _________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
extinct: _______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Answer the following questions:  * Be able to discuss and define! 
What is the difference between a cast and a mold? Be able to discuss and define! 
_____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What are the steps to a fossil forming? ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What is petrified wood? ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What is the most common type of fossil? ______________________________________________________________________________
What does the following tell us about animals from the past?
footprint: ______________________________________________________________________
teeth: _________________________________________________________________________
Here is some background information:

fossil                           is something that has lasted from a living thing that died long ago

mold                           is the shape of a plant or animal left in sediments when the rock formed

imprints                      are molds of leaves or other thin objects (an imprint is a lot like a stamp)


 cast                             forms when mud or minerals                                      or fill a mold and hardens

 decay                          to rot or decompose

extinct                        when a plant or animal is no                                 longer living on earth

  
sedimentary rocks             layers of materials that   
                                         are squeezed together  
                                         and turn into rock

petrified                           when wood turns to  
                                         stone

paleontologists                  a person who studies fossils
 

Science: Fossils  Study Guide
·         Sharp teeth, like shark and alligator teeth belong to animals who eat meat. (carnivores)
·         Rounded teeth, like hippos and horses, belong to plant eating animals. (herbivores)
·         Animals that have rounded and sharp teeth, like humans, eat plants AND animals. (omnivores)
·         Trace fossils are things left behind that are imbedded in the ground, like foot prints.
·         Scientist use fossils to learn about animals that used to live on Earth.
·         Fossils that are found help tell us what USED to be somewhere. Animals that have fins probably once lived where there was a lake, river or ocean.
·         Trace fossils, like footprints, help tell us the size an animal used to be.
·         Scientist know animals change over time because there are animals today that are similar to the ones that used to be around. They compare these two things.
·         Animal fossils are the most common.
·         Dinosaurs are an example of an animal that is now extinct. Extinct means they don’t live any more.
·         Casts are made when something fills up a mold. (i.e. the glue in our fossil making activity)
·         When a fossil forms, this means the living thing it once was, must die.
·         A triceratops dinosaur is very similar to a Rhino today. Scientists compare these two animals to each other to see how times have changed.
Name: __________________________________       Test is on: Wednesday, 11/15
Fossils Test Study Guide
Know the definitions for:
fossil: trace or remains of a living thing that died long ago
extinct: describes a living thing that is no longer found on Earth
Answer the following questions:
What is the difference between a cast and a mold? a mold is the shape of a once-living thing left in sediment when the rock formed.  A cast forms when mud or minerals later fill a mold.
What are the steps to a fossil forming? 1) the animal or plant dies and the soft parts decompose or rot away. 2) Hard parts of the animal, such as bones or shells, are buried under layers of sediment.  3) Over a long time, the bones turn to rock.  4) Movement of Earth’s crust brings the rock closer to the surface.  Wind and rain wear away the rock.  Then, people can see the fossils.
What is petrified wood? Minerals turned to stone
What is the most common type of fossil? animal
What does the following tell us about animals from the past?
·         footprint: the size of the animal
·         teeth: what kind of food they ate.  Sharp teeth ate meat; flat teeth ate plants and vegetables.

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Ms. Serafin in Kenya

Ms. Serafin in Kenya