Week 5

What a crazy week we had last week!!!  But, everything worked out well, and hopefully, your children were not on the bus for long periods of time.  I know I appreciated getting home before the road closures. Lincoln School has visitors for the next few weeks. Students from Rato Bangala School will be shadowing Lincoln teachers as the work on their training to become certified teachers. Welcome!!!

This week in mathematics your kids finish Unit 1 and begin to prepare for their first 4th-grade test. Your children end the unit exploring properties of points, line segments, lines, and rays, as well as angles, triangles, and quadrilaterals. They will also develop a formula for finding the perimeter of a rectangle.  Towards the end of the week, they will begin to review important concepts as they prepare for the Unit 1 test on Monday of next week.

In Reading & Writing Workshop your children begin to write fictional stories and continue establishing their reading lives.  In writing, your children will begin plotting their fictional stories. They have already selected an idea as well as developed some of their characters.  Using a story arc, they will now begin to plan their stories from beginning to end and begin drafting!! In reading, they begin to track important story elements with their reading partners using sticky notes.  They concentrate on the characters’ actions and motivations to develop deeper theories about them. They will also focus on the author’s story arc and craft to notice important details in the story.

Students move away from science for the week as they concentrate on building their Google Site to keep social studies explorations.  They will choose a democratic country to create an understanding of what it means to be a productive citizen. It’s a year-long project and they will develop an understanding of different types of leaders and economic conditions,  as well as study a variety of maps and local traditions.

That about covers the week.  As an attempt to keep you informed, take note of the following:

   Sept. 5:    Early dismissal (11:50)

Sept.  22: Swim meet/Volleyball tournament (Now combined!!!)

Sept. 29:    Welcome Back BBQ    

Oct. 5:         ParentTeacher Conferences

Oct. 15-19:    Dashain Holiday

Margaret Mead once wrote, “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” So, as I plan this month’s educational experiences, I strive to provide ample opportunities in which your kids are allowed to think and build meaning for themselves, rather than me telling them what they must learn.

Have a great week,

Mr. J