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Homework
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September 10, 2009
News
Briefs
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Math. We are having our first unit test in math on Friday. We
reviewed all we have already learned by watching some BrainPop videos,
SmartBoard interactions, and doing lots of practice on our dry erase
boards. I sent home a study guide and a practice test of 13 problems to
help students prepare. I will give a re-test next Wednesday for those
students who make 85% or lower, or who just want to take it over.
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Math Facts. Students have their math facts calendars now, and
they know their target operation. Each day we have been practicing in
the computer lab to increase our speed. Some great information and suggestions for
how this is important can be found at
Math Forum: Ask Dr. Math.
More...
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LEGO Robotics. Students have been
expressing their interest in learning about LEGO Robotics. There will be
more information soon, but in the meantime, here are some reasons I
think this activity is worthwhile.
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Field Trip!
We are going on a field trip to Sunwatch on October 1st. I will be
sending home permission slips next week, along with more information.
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Fundraiser. The Intermediate School
PTO is sponsoring the current fundraiser -- Entertainment Books. Please
be sure to turn in your orders and your fundraising envelope.
Students can reduce the number of facts they have to memorize by
using the commutative property of multiplication.
If 3 x 6 = 18, then 6 x 3 = 18. Keeping this in mind, there aren't
nearly as many "facts" to memorize. The commutative property is
awesome!
Math
Class.
 Last
week we played the game "Factor Captor" and pulled out the magic cape
and hat and did some math magic! We found we could make some answers
just magically appear once we knew some tricks. We have also added some
music to our math work, with such hits as "Math Magic", "Stop in the
Name of Time", and the "Commutative Rap".
This week we
continued to study factors and learned about prime numbers, exponents,
and square numbers. We have been doing prime factorizations using
factor trees! We will be taking our
first unit test in math on Friday, September 10th. I will send home a
practice test the night before to help students work out any questions
they might have.
Reading, Writing, and Science
Connections.
We have been reading Top Secret, a funny book about a boy who
sets out to discover human photosynthesis for his school's science fair.
Wouldn't you think that everyone would be interested in successfully
finding a way to stop starvation all around the world? Allen Brewster is
determined, even when he doesn't find the support he thought he would
have! While enjoying the book we have also learned a lot about the tools
that scientists use, research, photosynthesis, and some of the character
traits used for describing the characters in the story.
The story also has served
as a launch pad for our focus on life science as we have reviewed what
we know about plants and learned more about photosynthesis. Because plants can
make -- produce -- their own food, they are called producers and are the
beginning of the food chain.
Traits of Competent Kids
Mrs. Griffin came to our class every day
last week to talk with us about the traits of competent kids. Each day
we did an activity and thought about the traits in new ways as we
considered how we use them. The five traits are high ability, task
commitment, caring, creativity, and courage. In the end we did a
self-evaluation and wrote our personal goals.
D.A.R.E.
Deputy Dunaway visited us last week for our
first D.A.R.E. class. He will come once a week for ten weeks and teach
us about drugs, tobacco, and alcohol, and to do activities and have
discussions so we can learn to make good choices. You can see links and
past D.A.R.E. classes at
http://www.leslienettling.com/NettlingDARE.htm.
Computer Lab
Each day after lunch and recess we have been
going to the computer lab. This has been a fun way to practice our
target math facts, learn keyboarding, and to learn the states and locate
all of them on the map. It only took one day for us to get back in the
groove for how to use the equipment correctly.
Extra Recess Points
Because we have had such a great start to
the year, we have already earned an extra recess (which we took last
week), and almost have another one! Thanks to all for your super start
to the year! Also, thanks, parents, for getting all those
beginning-of-the-year papers filled out and turned in. That's a lot of
work!
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