Hello, December!

We're back from Thanksgiving Break and ready to take on December!

Before we left, we enjoyed Math Day. We completed activities to strengthen our number sense, discussed definitive entities, and graphed information using surveys we created.

We also shared our November Homework, which is always inspiring. The level of pride and ownership our Shooting Stars display when sharing with their peers demonstrates true accountability. So proud of their hard work!

Speaking of hard work, we decided to express our gratitude to our custodial staff for everything they do for our school. Last Tuesday, we became "Recycling Fairies" and secretly emptied all the recycling bins on campus. This task, which normally takes a large chunk of our custodians' time, was accomplished quickly with 66 compassionate helpers. Great job putting empathy into action, SBLC!

This week has been full of hands-on exploration of mixtures and solutions in science. We've identified substances that are joined to make mixtures, which tools can be used to separate them, and which physical properties allow for separation.

In math we all had fun graphing how many letters we had in our names. We found the range and mode of our class data. We also enjoyed a math project the students created around kindness or a holiday theme that involved math.

In project this week, we took personal surveys, categorized our findings, and have created "Me" posters. We learned what makes a strong visual presentation, how to best organize information to catch the attention of the viewer, and placement strategies. 

After making our rough draft plan in our notebooks, we were ready to tackle the actual poster. Results will be posted next week! We know that these lessons prepare them for any future poster/presentations (Science Fair, book shares, etc.)!

In reading and writing, we changed our focus for part of the week on nonfiction and expository writing. We practiced writing several outlines and began drafts in writing, and in reading we even took on the circulatory system via high school textbook diagrams! We learned how nonfiction is organized to best help us understand that the information isn't simply a great mass of details, but is tied to a larger main idea. Knowing how the pieces fit together and how to use all the information on the page together makes for successful comprehension of the text!!

We also enjoyed more books by our upcoming visiting author, Phil Bildner.  Mrs. Smith reminded us at library that if we want him to autograph a personal copy, you can buy the books anywhere. She just needs them in her hands before the 16th so she can have a stack ready for him to sign when he arrives.

Monthly homework went out Monday, and all the kids are busy planning/executing their acts of kindness. We are loving their giving spirits!!

Have a safe and happy weekend!
The SBLC Team