MATH:- standard measurement units
- metric measurement units
- capacity
- temperature
- time
- perimeter and area
SCIENCE: FORCES & MOTION
- Currently we are at the beginning of our "INVENTIONS & ENGINEERING" science unit.
- Our literature studies and writing (starting next week) will also tie into this unit.
- Forces & motion (including gravity) are our current focus.
- Academic Science Vocabulary: force, motion, push, pull, friction, gravity, speed, position, relative position, magnetism, work
- Next week we will use this knowledge to learn about SIMPLE MACHINES.
- Building on our forces, motion, and simple machine studies, we will begin our own engineering adventures by researching, building, and advertising our OWN INVENTIONS! These inventions will be much-needed items for our future SPACE COLONY!
- More to come on the Mission 125 engineering explorations and invention fair!!! Stay tuned!
| LITERACY:- Comprehension: Our whole-class read-aloud is currently Magic Treehouse: Monday With a Mad Genius. It focuses on adventures with one of the greatest artists and inventors of all time--Leonardo DaVinci.
- Comprehension Carousel:
1) What is the author TELLING us (on the pages, directly)? 2) Find interesting or difficult words (vocabulary) in the text. 3) What does the author want us to UNDERSTAND (NOT directly in the text, we must find evidence in the text and INFER meaning)? 4) Does the author play with FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE and how does that enhance the text (adjectives, vivid verbs, similes, metaphors, repeated catch- phrases, etc.) - Accuracy: Does it look right, sound right, and make sense? Do I need to "flip" the vowel sound or "chunk" the word?
- Fluency: Matching our voices to the words describing feelings and voice in the text (whispered, shouted, angrily, excitedly, etc.)
- Expanding Vocabulary: using context clues and schema to infer meanings of unknown words; checking our inferred meanings in the dictionary
- INVENTION-Themed Differentiated Book Clubs: Starting next week, students will be in small group book clubs. Each book club will center around the topic of inventions and inventors (to tie in with our science unit), but will be different books based on goals and strategies appropriate for each group of students in the book clubs. We will be practicing our book club jobs and continually examining and answering the 4 "comprehension carousel" questions listed above.
GRAMMAR:- adjectives (juicy describing words)
- vivid verbs (using synonyms to turn boring action verbs into VIVID verbs)
WRITING:- 6 Traits-WORD CHOICE & VOICE: Using figurative language to enhance our writing like real authors ((adjectives, vivid verbs, similes, metaphors, repeated catch-phrases, onomatopoeia)
- Our current writing project is: "If I Lived in a Snow Globe"
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