Hi All,

I hope you all had a peaceful, joy-filled Thanksgiving holiday.

Now, we push on for a strong finish to the calendar year! We are continuing our research about Native Americans, and are also reading the novel Island of the Blue Dolphins. In science, we’ve begun learning about energy, and got to build rubber band racers. We will also continue Information Writing on topics we know about.

One change beginning this week is our math program. We will be shifting from the Bridges curriculum to Engage New York. It is also a Common Core program. Under “Homework Help” on the blog, you will find links to YouTube videos that review a portion of each lesson, and another link to Homework to print. My expectations for Homework remain the same, but the printable math pages will align with our work better than the workbooks sent home at the beginning of the year.

Have a great week,

Carroll Mayer

HI All,

It was very nice meeting all of you and having a chat about your wonderful kids! Report cards will be sent home on Tuesday, November 20th.  There is no school on the 21st.

This Friday we will be having a test on the current math unit (multiplying bigger numbers, using a variety of strategies.)  The kids will bring home a practice test on Wednesday, so there will be a chance to review problem types before the assessment. We are also reviewing in class this week.

We are beginning lots of new content as well! In reading, we are starting an Island of the Blue Dolphins read aloud, and kids will be researching and reading about California Indians.  We will also begin a science unit on Energy. Finally, kids are working on their "Expert" informational writing. In this project, the kids write a book on a topic they are already knowledgeable about, and focus on organizing it using chapters written with various text structures (problem/solution, chronological, comparison, cause/effect, descriptive.)

Have a great week, and a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Carroll Mayer