As we return to school in 2012, we will be learning about how to identify the theme of a story, using Ninth Ward as our backdrop. You can see what else we will be learning this week as you read below. Don't forget that there will be no school next Monday to celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Please feel free to join us this Friday at 1:00 pm for the Dr. King assembly.
For the week of 1-9-12: In Word Work, we will be working in our Word Wisdom book on Unit 3, “Thinking,” Part 1. Our words for the week are infer, principle, methodical, conscious, instinct, investigate, ingenious, outcome, insight, and propose.
In literature study, we will discuss Ninth Ward and learn how to find the theme of a selection. Theme is the perception about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader. Try reading one of your child’s favorite picture books at home and ask them if they can determine the theme or lesson of the story.
In writing workshop, students will be starting a unit in fiction writing. This week we will develop our seed ideas for our stories. In addition, students will begin developing their main character by identifying his or her internal and external features as well as other habits and characteristics.
This week in math, students will use patterns to find a rule for creating equivalent fractions. They will also use fraction strips to compare fractions with different denominators. In addition, students will use factor trees to find common factors and the greatest common factors.
In science this week, we will be starting a unit called “Levers and Pulleys.” This unit will be accompanied by our study of parts of Chapter 13 in the textbook called “Forces in Motion.” Students will do two experiments with levers. They will understand the terms lever, load, effort, and fulcrum.
