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Homework
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October 11, 2009
"Rainmaker" midi music by Elan Michaels
News
Briefs
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Field Trip to Sunwatch.
We
learned about archaeology and had fun pretending we were archaeologists
in a class simulation. Then we went on our field trip to the Sunwatch
Archaeological and Indian Village in Dayton. Thanks, Mrs. Brown, for
going with us as a chaperone! We had to deal with a lot of bees at
lunch, but the rest of our time was great! You can view the slideshow of
our trip online. If you don't have the password, just let Mrs. Nettling
know. View
the slideshow...
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Take-home folder. Students
have been doing a great job taking home their folder of graded papers
and news items. Thanks, Parents, for your questions, comments, and
signatures!
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LEGO Robotics. We are
really enjoying LEGO robotics! We have been participating in a robotics
engineering tutorial in class. Putting together the TaskBot robot turned
into more of a challenge than we thought, and we learned that the small
details can make a BIG difference in the design structure and function
of a robot! Those students who are interested in the competition team
must turn in their application by Monday, October 12th.
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Daily News. We are
reaching the point where just about everyone has had a turn writing the
Daily News. We need to pay close attention to the rubric as we write, to
make sure we include the required items. Thanks, Parents, for helping
your children submit their articles! If you want to know what goes on in
class on a daily basis, you can read on-the-scene reporters' accounts on
the
Nettling Newsline Daily News.
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Photo Slideshows and Movies.
You can view class Math, Robotics, and Sunwatch movies and slideshows on
our Photo
Album page... Slideshows require
passwords. Contact Mrs. Nettling if you have not yet received your
password.
Social Studies. We will continue our journey through time,
pre-Columbus, by studying the many different Indian cultures from all
over North America. In particular, we will be focusing on how the environment
(resources, climate, land, region) shaped the way the different cultures
lived. As a culminating activity, students will be creating box-sized models of Indian dwellings,
summarizing the tribe's lifestyle, describing the environment in which
they lived,
and making presentations to the class.
Great website...
 
  Science,
Writing, and Reading.
We finished Call It Courage and took our final exam over it,
having learned a lot about character traits, plot, and figurative
language. Next week we will read some Indian legend
and creation stories as we learn about the First Americans. For novels,
we will choose novels and form literature circle groups. The novels will
all be set in different environments, a key theme to our experience with
the Indian cultures, and our focus in our current science subject:
ecosystems.
 Math
Class. We are finishing up Unit 3, and will be taking our test over
it this week. We have learned how to estimate angles, how to measure
angles, to know the sum of interior angles in a shape, and to describe
the properties of shapes. Students need to continue practicing their
math facts at home and in the computer lab. We are seeing great progress
as a result of these efforts. Keep up the great work!
The next
unit, Chapter 4, will have us fine-tuning our skills in division.
Everyday
Math Family Letters..
 Math Facts.
Still need to work on
those math facts? It's never too late (it only gets later!). Remember
that I open the computer lab each morning except Monday at 7:45 for
students who need or want to come in and get extra practice. Here are some great resources
for thinking about facts memorization and helping your child:
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Math Magician Game - Fun
Facts Coverage! Interactive, graphic, and friendly, this
site will provide painless opportunities for your child to
practice multiplication facts.
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More Games and Links for Students
- This is my complete list of fun links and interactive
games.
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Education World - Although
this site is developed for classroom teachers, parents are
teachers, too!
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Ask Dr. Math FAQs - Dr.
Math answers letters from parents and students about
memorizing multiplication facts, addressing some of the
challenges that go with it, and providing some tips, too.
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Hoagie's Gifted Education Page
- Aimee Yermish, Educational Consultant, writes about Gifted
students, their boredom with the tedious task of memorizing
facts, and why it is important that they stay on the task to
completion.
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About.com - This article,
"Math Tricks to Learn the Facts" has a paragraph connecting
parents with the importance of making home the place for
students to learn their facts, then goes on with tips and
tricks.
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Multiplication.com - Who
says memorizing multiplication facts has to be boring? See
these Interactive Video games that will make learning their
facts exciting for kids! Some have free versions, some you
must purchase.
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Homeschool Math - Every
student has their own special way to learn. This article
provides one or two of simple ways in which parents can
become the math facts teacher.
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