Classroom News: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  Everyone returned after the break with great energy and positive attitudes about learning!  We were also very excited to welcome our new student and her family to the EMES community!

In math this week, we played card and dice games that helped us practice adding two or three addends and comparing sums.  Students did a great job sharing their “thinking strategies” that could be used instead of counting up to find the answers.  For example:, to figure out 16 + 6, you could think:

“6 + 6 = 12 and then 12 + 10 = 22.”

or

“I took 4 from the 6 and added it to 16 to get 20.  

Then, I added the remaining 2.”

We have also been learning strategies for adding multi-digit numbers.  These strategies include drawing a representation of the addition using base ten blocks, creating an open number line, and using expanded form.  Students are developing flexibility by thinking about addition in different ways, such as adding tens and ones or keeping one number whole and then adding the other number.  

During literacy times, we have been focusing on reading and writing non-fiction (informational) texts.  We have started by reading some unusual texts, such as a guitar chord chart, a calendar, house floor plans, and a trail map.  We discussed how readers can look for details and put different parts of the text together to help them learn.  We also talked about the importance of asking questions as we read to help us “lift the level” of our understanding.

In writing workshop, students have been creating their own information, “expert” books.  Partners carefully examined informational texts from our classroom library to see what writers can do to write an interesting introduction.  Some ideas that they discovered were to ask a question, include interesting facts, use strong vocabulary words, and include a joke or riddle.  After that, students crafted their own introductions using these ideas.  Then, they were ready to start writing their chapters and stretching out each part.

We also started our first Lego Robotics project of the year… Dancing Birds!  Look for more information and photos over the next few weeks.