E.C.O. Field Trip to the Frog Pond

On Tuesday, April 25th, we took a walking field trip to the Liebermann's frog pond.  We were given a mission to move the frog eggs further into the pond, since they were too close to the edge and may not survive if some of the water evaporated.  I just heard today that the tadpoles successfully emerged from their eggs.  We also had the opportunity to visit the goats, including one pregnant goat who gave birth later that night.  Students did a great job making observations about the frog eggs, as well as the salamanders and stonefly larvae we found.  Thank you to Tracy, Jill, Sian, Angie, and Eve for helping out with this field trip!  Also a big thank you to the Liebermann family for allowing us to continue this wonderful tradition of visiting their pond!

Our next E.C.O. lesson is scheduled for Tuesday, May 9th.  Please help your child come prepared to spend the morning outdoors.

Classroom News: Measurement and Geometry

During our geometry unit, we have been building and naming two-dimensional shapes. Students have learned important vocabulary words (side, angle, and vertex) that help them describe various 2-D shapes, such as triangles, squares, rectangles, trapezoids, pentagons, and hexagons.  As part of this learning, we have been using geoboards, geoboard paper, pattern blocks, and square tiles, which are lots of fun!

Last week, we learned how to build rectangles with a specific area.  Then, students created their own Rectangle Riddles in which they built, traced, and then described their rectangle based on the area, number of rows, number of columns, or number of tiles in each row or column.  This week, students had a chance to solve each other's riddles.

After that, students worked in pairs, small groups, or independently to create all of the possible rectangles with a specific area, such as 18, 24, or 36 square inches.  The posters that they created will be on display in our classroom.

At the end of April, we measured the plaster casts that we made from rubber models of different animal tracks.  In some cases, such as with the cottontail rabbit, students were able to compare the difference in length between the front and hind paws.

K-3 Spring Concert Info

EMES K-3 Spring Concert

May 18th, 2017

1:45 pm, in the EMES gym

Performances by K-3 students and the EMES Chorus   

                    

Friends and family welcome!

         

Photos from our Week!

This week we have been busy learning about geometry by creating shapes on geoboards and sorting shapes by the number of sides.  We learned how to describe the features of two-dimensional polygons using new vocabulary words, such as sides, vertices, and angles.  Check out some of our fun geoboards designs from choice time.

We have been finishing up our Lego Robotics Dancing Birds project.  Ms. Arlyn and I asked each team to create a program that incorporated at least two motor directions, a loop, and the motion sensor.  They were also encouraged to add any other fun and interesting aspects to their programs, such as using sounds, background designs, and math problems.  On Tuesday and Thursday, partners shared their final programs with the class.

On Monday, we had a celebration for a student who is leaving our class.  A big thank you to his family for the delicious treats!  We will miss you!

Classroom Information

E.C.O.

Our E.C.O. lesson on snowshoe hares has been rescheduled to Tuesday, April 11th.  Please help your child wear appropriate clothing and footwear for spending the morning outdoors.  It may be cooler in the morning, so layers would be great!  Please help your child remember to have indoor shoes to change into afterwards.

Our next E.C.O. lesson after vacation will be a walking field trip to a local frog pond on Tuesday, April 25th from 9:05 to about 11:40 am.  Please sign and return the field trip permission form by Friday, April 14th.

Book Order

I sent home several Scholastic Book Order catalogs.  As always, there are two ways to order books from Scholastic:

Catalogs:

You can fill out the order forms on the back of the catalogs and send in one check for your total order amount.  Please make checks out to Scholastic Reading Club.  Also, please remember to write your child’s name on each order form.

On-Line Ordering:

You can also shop on the online Book Clubs website. There are more books available on the website.  When you shop online, you can send your orders directly to me online and use your credit card to pay.  Our class order code is J3G6C.

Please return your book order and payment or complete your book order online by Friday, April 14th.   If you need help with either type of order, please let me know.