Thursday, November 9, 2017

Reminders and Announcements 

• No School Tomorrow (11/10)
• Don't forget to sign up for conferences:  click here.
• This was our first week of official homework.  Please praise your student if they were responsible in completing their assignments as well as getting the required signatures.

Math 

Focus Standards:

• Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents to its left.
• Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers of 10, and explain patterns in the placement of the decimal point when a decimal is multiplied or divided by a power of 10. Use whole-number exponents to denote powers of 10.
• Use parentheses, brackets, or braces in numerical expressions, and evaluate expressions with these symbols.
• Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers, and interpret numerical expressions without evaluating them. For example, express the calculation "add 8 and 7, then multiply by 2" as 2 x (8 + 7). Recognize that 3 x (18932 + 921) is three times as large as 18932 + 921, without having to calculate the indicated sum or product.
• Fluently multiply multi-digit whole number using the standard algorithm.

As you may have noticed, Unit 4 begins with a review of some concepts taught in Units 1-3. Students who need the review will have an opportunity to get some reteaching.  For those who have mastered these skills, there will be a chance to apply their understandings to real situations on a deeper level.

Writing 

Focus Standard:

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

We will begin our new writing unit on informational writing.  Students will learn how to fully develop a topic and organize the information they are sharing in a way that is clear and entertaining for the reader.

Reading 

Focus Standards:

• Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact.)

We will continue reading The Sign of the Beaver as a class. The students will also have an opportunity to choose from several shorter texts for literature circles which will begin on Monday.

Science/Social Studies

Focus Standard

Through observation, we will infer information about time, place, and culture in which a work of art was created and develop a model that describes how the hydrosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere interact.

We will continue to study the Native American culture as we focus on the Plains Tribes and how they interacted with the geosphere.  The students will have an opportunity to experiment with different mediums to create a work of art.