We had another fast week that wrapped up another fantastic month! The end of April brought the opportunity to share monthly homework and our students have become PowerPoint pros! They did an excellent job presenting both their slideshows and their journals.
Reading and Writing
This week we worked hard yet again! In second grade, our character, Mike, struggles with feeling confident and sticking with things that are tough. We saw, however, how he solved a riddle...and tried it ourselves! By listening and following directions, "I learned how to make a hole big enough in a piece of paper to walk through!" Nate explained. We even wrote our own "How To..." story about it so others could do it themselves!
Third Grade has passed through an emotional change in Billie Jo's life. She now has challenges from her burned hands that have brought a new meaning to facing an already tough life in the Dust Bowl. We were astonished to see how Karen Hesse used facts that we learned about in nonfiction about the Dust Bowl in her poetry. The figurative language used helped us visualize in new ways! Seeing it through a character's eyes also makes it come alive. The earth was thirsty, the rain stroked the roof. We also read Miss Alaineus, to prepare for our Vocabulary Parade on May 8th. We discovered the idiom, "Pride goeth before a fall..." and "egg on your face." Fun!
Fourth Grade followed Alfie on a journey to look for his father, who he has discovered to be at a military hospital for soldiers suffering from shell shock (PTSD). We have just reached the climax, where Evangeline noted, "It's as though the author wants you to realize that Alfie has experienced something and changed from a naive boy to one with an immense new awareness." (US TOO!) We also had an experience where we examined some statements...we evaluated whether we agreed or disagreed based on our lives, and then looked at it in light of the characters in our book. Finally, we got together in groups and discussed it, respecting each other for our differing thoughts. Jillian mentioned, "I disagreed with someone but someone else helped clarify things and then we saw how we agreed with him, so then we all agreed." It was amazing to hear the discussion and read the depth of thought!
Math
This week 4th graders continued to learn about variable and fixed expenses. We also read a book titled One Hen: How One Small Loan Made A Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway. Wow, did that book sparked an interest in our students to start a business. Our students have been working hard at planning a service or a business plan. A few students even went home made art work, sold it, then donated the money to Kiker. What a way to connect and apply math to the real world.
Second graders learned to tell time to the minute, five minutes, and 15 minutes. We used little clocks in class to help us learn the hour and minutes hands.
Volunteer readers that enjoyed reading to Kinder and 1st grade classes.
Science
Second graders continued their study of insect life cycles both in and out of the classroom this week. Our caterpillars are in the third stage of their metamorphosis. Ava W. shared, "Caterpillars first form a J-shape and then a chrysalis." In addition to looking for some of the clues we expect during these stages, we've also been learning about how our caterpillar's body changes in the chrysalis. We should have butterflies emerging next week!
We also enjoyed a day at the Austin Nature and Science Center where we learned even more about arthropods and their life cycles. We collected ladybugs, spiders, butterflies, and centipedes...
...and then examined them!
We got a close look at some interesting arthropods, which we learned are all relatives of our caterpillars and other insects. Our arthropod friends included a centipede, crayfish, tarantula...
...and a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, who happens to share another special feature with our caterpillars (ask your second grade entomologist for details)!
We played a game to identify insects by their features...
...and enjoyed some fun at the Zilker Park Playground after all that hard work.
Third and fourth graders played games and used technology to deepen their understanding of biomes and food webs.
We've explored different ecosystems and their locations. Cooper C. learned that "the tundra is in the North Pole." We've also identified ways in which animals adapt to their environment. "A stonefish can camouflage like a rock," Noah said. We learned that while some animals thrive by blending in, others intentionally stand out. Will St. shared his discovery that "brightly colored caterpillars are generally poisonous."
Stay tuned for more learning next week...
Happy May Day!
SBLC Team
Reading and Writing
This week we worked hard yet again! In second grade, our character, Mike, struggles with feeling confident and sticking with things that are tough. We saw, however, how he solved a riddle...and tried it ourselves! By listening and following directions, "I learned how to make a hole big enough in a piece of paper to walk through!" Nate explained. We even wrote our own "How To..." story about it so others could do it themselves!
Third Grade has passed through an emotional change in Billie Jo's life. She now has challenges from her burned hands that have brought a new meaning to facing an already tough life in the Dust Bowl. We were astonished to see how Karen Hesse used facts that we learned about in nonfiction about the Dust Bowl in her poetry. The figurative language used helped us visualize in new ways! Seeing it through a character's eyes also makes it come alive. The earth was thirsty, the rain stroked the roof. We also read Miss Alaineus, to prepare for our Vocabulary Parade on May 8th. We discovered the idiom, "Pride goeth before a fall..." and "egg on your face." Fun!
Fourth Grade followed Alfie on a journey to look for his father, who he has discovered to be at a military hospital for soldiers suffering from shell shock (PTSD). We have just reached the climax, where Evangeline noted, "It's as though the author wants you to realize that Alfie has experienced something and changed from a naive boy to one with an immense new awareness." (US TOO!) We also had an experience where we examined some statements...we evaluated whether we agreed or disagreed based on our lives, and then looked at it in light of the characters in our book. Finally, we got together in groups and discussed it, respecting each other for our differing thoughts. Jillian mentioned, "I disagreed with someone but someone else helped clarify things and then we saw how we agreed with him, so then we all agreed." It was amazing to hear the discussion and read the depth of thought!
Math
This week 4th graders continued to learn about variable and fixed expenses. We also read a book titled One Hen: How One Small Loan Made A Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway. Wow, did that book sparked an interest in our students to start a business. Our students have been working hard at planning a service or a business plan. A few students even went home made art work, sold it, then donated the money to Kiker. What a way to connect and apply math to the real world.
Second graders learned to tell time to the minute, five minutes, and 15 minutes. We used little clocks in class to help us learn the hour and minutes hands.
Science
Second graders continued their study of insect life cycles both in and out of the classroom this week. Our caterpillars are in the third stage of their metamorphosis. Ava W. shared, "Caterpillars first form a J-shape and then a chrysalis." In addition to looking for some of the clues we expect during these stages, we've also been learning about how our caterpillar's body changes in the chrysalis. We should have butterflies emerging next week!
We also enjoyed a day at the Austin Nature and Science Center where we learned even more about arthropods and their life cycles. We collected ladybugs, spiders, butterflies, and centipedes...
...and then examined them!
We got a close look at some interesting arthropods, which we learned are all relatives of our caterpillars and other insects. Our arthropod friends included a centipede, crayfish, tarantula...
...and a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, who happens to share another special feature with our caterpillars (ask your second grade entomologist for details)!
We played a game to identify insects by their features...
...and enjoyed some fun at the Zilker Park Playground after all that hard work.
Third and fourth graders played games and used technology to deepen their understanding of biomes and food webs.
We've explored different ecosystems and their locations. Cooper C. learned that "the tundra is in the North Pole." We've also identified ways in which animals adapt to their environment. "A stonefish can camouflage like a rock," Noah said. We learned that while some animals thrive by blending in, others intentionally stand out. Will St. shared his discovery that "brightly colored caterpillars are generally poisonous."
Stay tuned for more learning next week...
Happy May Day!
SBLC Team
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