Weekly Update 2.25.13

This week in literacy we will begin a new unit on non-fiction text.  To start off the unit, we will connect the strategy of asking questions to our non-fiction pieces. Our text connection this week will be Recess at 20 Below.  This book also ties in nicely with our science unit on weather.  In addition to applying the strategy of questioning to our non-fiction unit, we will also be looking at features of non-fiction text such as index, glossary, bold face words, and headings.

In writing, we will talk about an author's purpose of writing.  Authors write for one of three reasons, to entertain, to inform or to persuade.  We will take a look at examples of these different types of writing.  We will work on both persuasive writing and personal narrative writing, or writing to entertain, this week.  In persuasive writing, we will focus on writing with a topic sentence, two or three reasons or pieces of evidence that support the topic sentence, and a closing sentence.  We will also address persuasive writing throughout the year in our reading response journals.  Students will also be learning about abbreviations.

In math, we will start a new unit focusing on fractions.  This week, students will be learning the vocabulary numerator and denominator.  Students will be learning about equal parts of a whole, collections of things and how fractions relate to groups and equivalent fractions.  We continue to practice the secure skills of word problems and subtraction with regrouping as well.

In social studies we will address our Trimester Two mapping standards.  This week will begin to learn the different oceans of the world and their place on the world map.  We will also continue to work on our leadership project based learning experience.  Students have conducted their interviews in person or via email.  Those who conducted a face to face interview used the iPad to record their interview to make sure the information was remembered accurately!  This week we will take our notes or recordings of the interviews and summarize them into a one page written piece.