It seems Winter is finally showing its face. Not that we don’t usually see it in January, it’s just that we should have been far better acquainted by now. Clarkia is finishing up with the weather unit with a very fast Weather Detectives activity and an assessment on Friday. Our water cycle stories and diagrams should be finished as well. Weather is very much on all our minds right now so it would be a great time for you at home to ask and discuss the question: How does the weather affect me? Why is it important to know what the weather is going to be? These are a couple of our essential questions for weather and if you discuss them at home then we can better discuss them at school.
Speaking of assessments, we will have an Inventory Assessment in spelling on Wednesday. This helps us assign students into their correct instructional level. I’ve mentioned before with many of you that spelling prowess is genetic. There is even more evidence to support that there is a neurological basis for spelling skills, those skills must be taught explicitly, and not everyone learns those skills at the same rate or in the same way. After the Inventory Assessment we will make any changes and have new packets ready for everyone on Friday. Some students will obviously be moving up in levels and the packets will reflect any changes.
In math we are deep into fractions and have been working a lot with egg cartons. Fractions are an amazing combination of multiplication and division skills working in harmony to do amazing things! That is right up until they don’t and then it just twists your brain! We are working on not twisting our brains by making lots of models. We are also hitting equivalent fractions this week and there is certainly going to be some homework – I will let you know when I send any home.
We will see just how many days we get this week. The “WeatherTainment” is in full swing! Have a great week!
