October 9, 2015
Hello Room 16 Families,
Wow! I can hardly believe that we are well into October! The days seem to
fly by. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every day with this class. We
have formed an enthusiastic, kind and caring classroom community—not a
surprise with this group of youngsters.
We have covered a lot of content. We wrapped up our first math unit and
are diving into our second math unit. Please refer back to the math letter
from the end of September for details on our “Walk to Math” model for this
unit. This letter and much more information can be found on my Duniway
page: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/duniway/319.htm
In science we are still working our way through Space and the Solar System.
Back on Earth, we took a little detour and did an experiment to test the
reaction of six different types of liquids with Alka-Seltzer. We used the
results of this experiment to then hypothesize which combination would
make the best rocket fuel (our rockets were film canisters). In addition to
the fun we had with our rocket launchings, we used this experiment as a way
to look at the different steps involved in the scientific process. We will refer
back to this experiment during our next science unit, Variables, which we
will begin as soon as we finish our current unit. The Variables unit has
many hands-on activities through which we will learn more about controlled
experiments, dependent and independent variables, direct and indirect
relationships, establishing baselines, keeping data, and representing data
visually with graphs. We will also explore scientific properties and concepts
such as systems, momentum, gravity, mass, density and buoyancy.
While we’ve been examining the Solar System, we’ve also been learning
about the United States. During our study of map skills and geography,
students have been busy labeling their own map with the states, capitals,
rivers, lakes, mountains, and geographical regions of the United States.
When we finish with this, we will start to look at how geography and climate
have impacted the First Americans when they migrated across the Bering
Strait into North America. We will learn about the different pre-Columbian
Native American geographical regions and about specific tribes from each
region.
We are nearing the end of Island of the Blue Dolphins. We are using this
novel as a vehicle to look at both the craft of writing and to hone our reading
skills. When we finish this book, we will start book groups. Each book
group will read a novel that in some way focuses on contemporary American
Indian cultures and issues. I’ve selected these books, most of which are
authored by Native Americans, based on reviews from several respected
American Indian literature organizations. I wanted students to read a work
that looks at contemporary Indian issues while they are studying preColumbian Native American cultures.
Students are currently writing identity poems. I am hoping we will have
these finished in time for conferences. The drafts are amazing. We are
working on taking our writing and adding descriptive phrases, similes,
metaphors, and personification to paint a fairly precise picture for the reader.
We will then move into writing narratives. Students will take one specific
moment or time from their life that is of particular importance to them and
go through the multi-step writing process to the finished product. The
revising process is typically the step that is most challenging for students so
we will focus much of our effort on this step.
I am excited that the Duniway 5th graders will once again work with the
Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) for a two-week bike safety clinic.
We start this the week following conferences. This is an incredible program
and the BTA provides a bikes and helmet for each student. When the time
comes closer, I will send out a request for parent volunteers to accompany us
on our community ride at the conclusion of the clinic.
I am looking forward to meeting with you during conferences. I always
learn so much during these sessions. On Monday, I will send home a
reminder of the time we have scheduled to meet. Please contact me as soon
as possible if this original time no longer works for you. The conferences are
short—only 25 minutes. I tend to be very good about adhering to the time
schedule. Please know that if you feel like we were not able to cover as
much detail as you had hoped for, I am always open to setting up additional
meetings after conferences.
I was very proud of this class on both of our field trips. Their behavior was
wonderful. Our trip to the Cooley Art Gallery was fantastic. The kids
showed high interest in the exhibition and incredible insight. We will return
for the winter exhibition, but we don’t have a date set yet. Please take a look
at the field trip page on my Duniway page—there have been some additions
and changes in dates. Similarly, there are a few small changes in the
October Calendar.
Whew! You made it through! Thank you for reading this lengthy update. I
will try to write more frequently and hopefully won’t need to be so wordy.
Please stay in touch!
Fondly,
Nina