Fiction

The most exciting Writing Workshop unit has begun. The children have been waiting for it all year. It's FICTION!

The children have created their own characters and have reflected on the internal and external characteristics of those characters. We've learned the importance of making choices that make sense or are connected to the story they plan to write. For example, I chose to make my character brave. I made this decision because she gets lost in an amusement park, so bravery would be a good characteristic for her to have. Ask your child about the character that they have created.

Yesterday, we began planning the plot of our stories using story mountains. We have learned during Reading Workshop that most stories have an initiating event (when the problem is introduced) a climax, and a conclusion. The children are using their story mountain to help them build action until it reaches a climax and finally a conclusion. This advance planning should help them to write a cohesive, logical and exciting story. Ask your child to describe the plot of their story.

Happy writing! :o)Melanie

Math

You may have noticed that over the last several weeks we zipped through much of measurement and geometry. As you probably know, that's not my usual style of teaching. As the Math MCAS was approaching quickly, I wanted the children to at least have familiarity with the third grade concepts in each topic. Now that we have completed the MCAS for third grade, we will be revisiting the concepts we've breezed through and look at them more thoroughly. I'm looking forward to facilitating some fun, exploratory, hands-on learning experiences.

We began yesterday with a geometric scavenger hunt of the school and playground. You can use the hunt at home as well! Look for it in your child's folder this afternoon. Happy hunting! :o)

The Reason For Seasons

Yesterday, we learned about the affects of the Earth's movement around the sun. As we read, discussed and moved our bodies, we began to understand that the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere are tipped towards the sun during opposite parts of the year. This creates the seasons. The parts of the world closest to the equator aren't affected as much by the tilt of the earth so their climate stays more constant.

This knowledge will help us as we try to answer our essential question:


"How do the locations of continents on Earth affect the way people live?"

You can read further with your child in "The Reason for Seasons" by, Gail Gibbons.

Discovery Room

Many thanks to the Science Center! We had a wonderful time exploring the mini-museum they have created for us in the basement of the Newman School. Look for the worksheet children completed as they discovered throughout the room. Pay special attention to information about our two science units - dinosaurs and energy. :o)M