Newsletter Info

Social Studies
We will take a closer look at one of the world's early civilizations: Mesopotamia. We will learn about the farming practices of these people who lived in the land of two rivers. We will discuss how irrigation changed the landscape and helped the Sumerian people of southern Mesopotamia. Later in the week, we will look at how people were able to specialize and learn other skills because of the food surplus in the region. There will be a quiz Friday.

Science
Please see the blog for a detailed explanation of our "Create-a-Lab" activities. Our student led experiments are scheduled to finish Thursday. If all goes according to plan, we will play Jeopardy in class on Friday. We will then take the unit test on the properties of solids and liquids on Monday the 31st. If this changes, students will be asked to write a note in their planner on Thursday. Please look there for updates. Thank you for your patience as we take this opportunity to let them tinker with the scientific process.

Math Workshop
We are beginning Unit 4, which is called Perimeter, Angles, and Area. In this unit, we will develop ideas about the attributes of 2-dimensional (2-D) and 3-dimensional (3-D) shapes and help the students understand how these attributes determine their classification. They will also develop ideas about linear measurement (which includes perimeter), square measurement (area), the measurement of angles, and volume. This week the students will develop their ability to use measurement tools to accurately measure objects. They will learn that perimeter is the distance around the outside edges of a 2-dimensional figure and that it can be measured. The homework sheet for this week is Sheet #18 and will be checked in class on Wednesday and Friday. The students will have their January Calendar Math quiz on Tuesday.