Good afternoon!
We hope you are enjoying this lovely weekend! We are already seeing flowers peek through the grass at PJS.
During our first week back, we launched our newest IB Unit: Water is an essential, but limited, resource. With this unit, students will inquire into our personal needs for water, as well as the use of water in industrial and agricultural processes. This includes the study of current droughts, including the drought in California, and issues of clean water access. A component of this unit is for students to understand their own water "footprint." This past week, we took the following water usage quiz:
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/change-the-course/water-footprint-calculator/
We encourage everyone to try this quiz. The results can be quite surprising.
After taking this quiz as a class, students determined that they will try to be more "water aware" with their actions. They are committed to not excessively running sink water at school and in making responsible water choices at home as well.
In reading and writing this week, students began their study of characters. As students dive into character analysis, they will further their understanding of characters as developing and multifaceted. Looking at character actions, thoughts, and dialogue, students are able to determine traits befitting their character. This past week, students were able to recognize character traits in their reading, as well as create their own complex characters through writing. This has been excellent practice for students as they are able to connect methods for character development they are observing in their reading (actions and dialogue) with their own writing strategies. We look forward to sharing some of their fiction writing with you in the coming weeks.
We hope you are enjoying this lovely weekend! We are already seeing flowers peek through the grass at PJS.
During our first week back, we launched our newest IB Unit: Water is an essential, but limited, resource. With this unit, students will inquire into our personal needs for water, as well as the use of water in industrial and agricultural processes. This includes the study of current droughts, including the drought in California, and issues of clean water access. A component of this unit is for students to understand their own water "footprint." This past week, we took the following water usage quiz:
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/change-the-course/water-footprint-calculator/
We encourage everyone to try this quiz. The results can be quite surprising.
After taking this quiz as a class, students determined that they will try to be more "water aware" with their actions. They are committed to not excessively running sink water at school and in making responsible water choices at home as well.
In reading and writing this week, students began their study of characters. As students dive into character analysis, they will further their understanding of characters as developing and multifaceted. Looking at character actions, thoughts, and dialogue, students are able to determine traits befitting their character. This past week, students were able to recognize character traits in their reading, as well as create their own complex characters through writing. This has been excellent practice for students as they are able to connect methods for character development they are observing in their reading (actions and dialogue) with their own writing strategies. We look forward to sharing some of their fiction writing with you in the coming weeks.
In math, students are studying time! This includes telling time with analog clocks, using calendars, and calculating elapsed time. Please reinforce this practice at home if possible. It is so helpful for students to begin to calculate time, especially if it is elapsed. For example, "Soccer is in 1 hour, if it is 5 p.m., what time will soccer start?" Or, "We will go to the zoo in three weeks. What day are we going on our trip?" This will help students build their understanding of time.
In the coming weeks, we will be studying measurement, including length, mass, and temperature.
In the coming weeks, we will be studying measurement, including length, mass, and temperature.
We hope you all have a wonderful week! Please contact us with any questions!
Kindly,
Britt and Anne
Kindly,
Britt and Anne