Platte River Update: 1/16/18
Hello Platte River Families!
We are all getting back into the swing of things after our winter break, and students are showing a renewed enthusiasm for work and learning. I find this time to be the most focused and productive time of the school year, and students are working hard on many projects and assignments.
In science we are continuing our study of animal classification. After learning about the nine phylums of the animal kingdom, we are focusing on the chordates (or vertebrates). We have identified seven of the vital functions of these living organisms, and are learning the purpose of these systems. Next, we will explore how each class has a unique way of performing these functions. For example, mammals breath with lungs and give birth to live young, whereas fish breath with gills and lay eggs.
In language we've been working on logical analysis, and students have been introduced to the predicate, subject, direct object, and indirect object. They have worked with the materials, and are creating sentences to fit the model. We are also using a story to demonstrate parts of Frietag's Pyramid, which shows the rising action, the climax, and the falling action and resolution of the plot. Students will soon be using this model in their narrative writing.
In cultural studies we have used the Timeline of Humans to introduce the story of the appearance of humans on earth. This is an in-depth study of how they progressed through their 2.8 million year existence. We are learning the science of archaeology, and how observation and inference are used to connect the dots of this prehistoric period of human development, and,subsequently, how theories were formed.
In math our lessons are varied, and are often delivered individually or in small groups. Some skills recently covered include long division, factors, prime numbers, and fractions operations of addition and subtraction. In geometry we've had fun with symmetry, and using the metal insets to prove equivalence.
Students have been doing a great job staying current with assignments, and I'm very impressed with their ability to plan and organize their work! I have also observed how well they are caring for and helping each other, and some are even giving lessons to classmates!
We are ending this semester on a positive note, and looking forward to an even better 2nd half of the year!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns, or visit the classroom! I have "office hours" every Wednesday from 3:15-4 pm. If this time isn't convenient for you, just let me know and I will do my best to accommodate your schedule.
Thanks for your support, and your patience in waiting for my connection to the blog to be complete!
Mary
Wish list:
paper towels
wipes for sanitizing tables
kleenex
bird seed
Thank you;
..to Ayden and family for caring for our birds over winter break!
..to Sam O'Brian for cutting and drilling our "tree cookies" for a winter craft!
..to everyone who contributed food for our solstice celebration!
..to Nico and family for donating 2 goldfish!
*Please visit our blog at http://platteriverclass.blogspot.com/ and check out some pictures of our students in action! Some are a couple of months old, but still enjoyable. Now that I'm a blogger, I will keep them current!
Dominoes creations during indoor recess.
