In Reading this week, the students dove into the study of Biographies. The students asked pertinent questions such as "What is a biography", "What is the difference between an autobiography and a biography." "Why are biographies important to read?' "What are the characteristics of a biography?" Students also studied biographical text in partnerships. Persons of interest were Alexander the Great, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Abigail Adams, Dr. Seuss and Rosetta Parks. The children's curiosities were peaked as they began their inquiry by asking who, what, when, why and how. | Dear Families, Welcome to January! The snow and bitter cold certainly didn't keep the OK Corral down! This week we enjoyed outdoor play by making angels in the snow and sliding down the hill. Just a friendly reminder: Kindly remember to send your child in with snow boots, snow pants, hats, scarves, and mittens so he/she may enjoy the outdoors. You may want to send in a fresh pair of socks just in case their feet get wet. Also, don't forget the indoor shoes as we like to keep the carpets clean and neat. |
In Writing this week, we integrated our current central idea, "Individuals learn about themselves and the world through their relationship with others." with our study on biographies. Each student will choose a living family member of their family, write thought-provoking questions of the chosen family member that he/she finds interesting, intriguing and/or inspiring, and will write a biography about that person. (A rubric on the project will be forthcoming in the coming week.) Each child will also create a family tree, tracing their family roots back to their great-grandparents. Due date for the project is Friday, February 6, 2015 with presentations the following week. We are warming up our writing skills by interviewing our classmates. Some of the questions include, "When is your birthday?", "What is your earliest memory?', "Tell me about your best vacation?" These insightful questions spark further conversation, leading to asking more questions about each others lives. We look forward to writing the biographies on one another in the coming week.
In Math this week, second grade began working on subtraction without regrouping. We were able to use our knowledge of addition, fact families, mental math, and the 100's chart to help us in our problem solving. We were also introduced to TINS word problem solving. ( Thought, Information, Number Sentence and Solution) TINS help us to break down a word problem by looking for key words, circling the key word, and using the information given to solve the problem. Studies have shown that by breaking down the word problem, children are able to visualize the problem easier, and are less anxious when presented with the problem. We will continue to work on TINS next week as well as introduce subtraction with regrouping. Third grade continued to work on their house projects by focusing on the multiplication process, as well as using the addition method of finding the area.
On Friday, The OK Corral earned "Game Day" by demonstrating kindness, thoughtfulness, as well as following our Essential Agreement. Great fun was had as we cooperatively played games with one another. Looking forward to another Reward Day!
We look forward to another wonderful learning week! As always, kindly email us if you have any questions or concerns.
Stay warm!
Anne & Britt
Stay warm!
Anne & Britt