Math and Science Week of April 8-12th

Parents,

The next two weeks we will be getting ready for the STAAR test in a variety of ways.  We are working on making it as fun and as challenging as possible.

1. On Monday we have planned a "Round Robin" activity to prepare the kids for Objective 5 which entails probability, reading Picto graphs with different keys, and analyzing bar graphs.  The kids will work in groups to help one another solve.  Last week I motivated the kids by turning this into a competition of sorts.  If their group missed none, they all got a free HW pass!

2. On Tuesday we will take Objective 5 Quiz on Probability, reading Picto Graphs with different keys, and analyzing bar graphs and answering questions from those graphs.

3. On Wednesday, we are going to take a step back to November and early December when we studied Multiplication.  We will review and practice using all strategies taught in Multiplication to help solve the problems.  These strategies include Circles and Stars, Clothesline Method, Arrays, Making Paired Tables, etc....  The kids will work with a partner to complete some multiplication word problems.

4. On Thursday, we will review Division strategies learned a couple months ago such as the Octopus and Cookies Method.  The students will again work with a partner to determine how to solve some Division word problems.

5. On Friday we have something fun called a circuit planned.  The students will again work with one partner around the room to help each other solve Multiplication and Division word problems.  The fun thing about a circuit is if you do it correctly, you end up at the place where you started!  The kids get a kick out of it.

We are taking a break from Multiplication Fast Facts this week and going back to mixed Addition and Subtraction for about 2-3 weeks.  We have noticed some very simple mistakes in this area have been going on and want to try to help the kids get back into knowing these facts on demand, instead of counting them on their fingers!

In Science we have moved on to our study of Living and Non Living things which evolves eventually into Ecosystems.  We will be learning about how organisms get their food and how in an Ecosystem, there is a balance of sorts in which all things depend on one another.  We will discuss the vocabulary population, community and ecosystem and discover the differences between the three.

It should be an awesome week of new learning and discovery ;-).
Mrs. S