Week in Review: September 17-21

This week in language arts, we worked on writing leads to grab our reader's attention, as well as endings to wrap up a story well. I hope for students to publish their final copies this upcoming week after a few more revising and editing lessons. We focused on character traits in reading all week, and will continue our study of character development next week.

In science, we learned about changes to matter. We observed ice (a solid) as heat was added and were able to observe it changing to a liquid, and then a gas. Students have been working hard on matter mind maps to show me all they know about matter and physical properties.

 In math, we learned some new strategies for solving subtraction problems, including using a number line to count up and to count back. We also did some basic place value work using base 10 blocks to build numbers and practice adding 10s or 100s. Students also worked with a partner on a counting collection, where they were given an unknown number (but at least 200) of objects, such as cotton balls, color tiles, or straws, and asked to figure out an efficient way to count them. It was interesting to observe their mathematical thinking process as they decided how to group objects!

In social studies, we continued our study of government by learning abut the legislative and judicial branches. Students learned how laws are made by serving in the Senate, House of Representatives, or on the President's Cabinet as we did a lawmaking role-playing activity.