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Back to Work and a Little More Change!

Welcome Back! We have had an exciting week! Our focus has been active listening. We've been talking about investing in the person by being a listener, and in that, we find that often we learn so much about the PERSON talking, that we are taking an interest in them, not just their words! Mrs. Mangels shared a wonderful book about how listening also can change our perspective of a person. 

Our blocks have changed. We have two mixed Blocks of Second and Third Graders. It has been a week to adjust to our new groups, but we find that working shoulder to shoulder with a new friend is extremely productive and has given new energy to our learning. Fourth, because of some specific, discrete skills, will be mixing in just after STAAR.

In reading, Fourth has focused on polishing their expository texts, WE ARE WELL PREPARED! I am excited for them to show their work on Tuesday in STAAR writing. They have been working so hard! Block One and Two (mixed groups) have been working on new reading and writing integrated centers. Block One began a new Bluebonnet Nominee, The Magnificent Mya Tibbs, and Block Two began Dan Gemeinhart's new novel and Bluebonnet Nominee, Some Kind of Courage.

Fourth grade mathematicians worked with measurement this week.  We talked about units of capacity and compared the water we use in daily life with the amount allotted for each person each day on a space shuttle. We're finding that tables can help organize all kinds of real-world number relationships, including measurement conversions like the number of pints in a gallon.  We also used scales to measure with ounces and pounds, playing a team game to help improve our accuracy estimating these units. Second and third graders built, drew, classified, and discussed 2-dimensional shapes this week. They're learning to notice attributes like sides, vertices, parallel lines, and right angles so they can better sort and more precisely describe different polygons.

Third grade began their week with a visit to our state capitol. We added to our prior knowledge of state government and added lots of new information as well.


We visited the Senate Chamber and were even granted special access to go onto the floor in the House of Representatives. 

We spotted the Goddess of Liberty...
 

...and had the chance to play the role of early Texans claiming land.

We observed the different materials of capitol buildings past and present...

...and tested our Texas trivia!

We ended our visit with a scavenger hunt on the capitol grounds and even found the cornerstone!

Back at school, we transformed into geologists. As we began our study of rocks and minerals, we used nonfiction text, online resources, and our observation skills to learn about this exciting topic.

Next week we will be identifying some of the rocks we collected during our rock walk.




We ended our week with portfolio reflections and the store!  Please make sure to spend some time this weekend reviewing the work your child has done, and there are small sheets in each notebook for you to fill out. Make sure they are in their backpacks and returned by Monday, as we work with them every day!! Report card envelopes are also to be signed and returned. Thanks!

Enjoy your weekend!
your SBLC coaches

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