Newsletter

Social Studies
Reminder! If your child is interested in participating in the extra credit presentation at this Friday's fiesta, we need to receive a note in the planner or via email by tomorrow (Tuesday, March 8th) so we can add them to the schedule. This week will conclude our study of the Maya people. We will discuss the contributions these people made in the arts, as well as in science and mathematics. Ask your child about their writing and number system. If you would like to donate food items for the fiesta, please contact us immediately. We will still have a quiz this week, with extra credit presentations and themed snacks to follow.

Science
Our energy unit is underway. We will spend much of the week investigating the following questions: What is energy? (something that can cause motion or change) What are the basic forms of energy? (heat, light, electrical, sound, and mechanical). We will begin an in class group poster activity. See the blog midweek for more details.

Math Workshop
We are continuing our unit about fractions called Finding Fair Shares. In this unit, students investigate the meaning of fractions and the ways fractions can be represented. Our benchmark goals are as follows: for the students to divide a single whole or a quanity into equal parts and name those parts as fractions or mixed numbers, identify equivalent fractions, and to find combinations of fractions that are equal to one. Take advantage of any natural opportunities to use fractions as they arise. You and your child can share and compare strategies for solving problems such as these: If a recipe calls for one half cap of an ingredient, pretend that the measuring cup that holds that amount is broken. Ask your child how else you can measure that amount. For example, 1/2 can also be represented as 1/4+1/4. You might check the answer by pouring those amounts into the one half cup measure to see whether they will equal the one half cup exactly. They will have a short fractions quiz on Tuesday. Look over Unit 7, pages 1-10 and their fraction pieces to review. The students will have Homework Sheet # 24 assigned for the week.