Week 19: January 21-25

Well, that was quite the storm this weekend! I hope the weather is not as cold next week! There will be lots of fresh snow to play in tomorrow in the school yard, as long as the windchill doesn't keep the children inside.

The next math unit, for both grades, is multiplication and division. We will be reviewing strategies for mental math (doubles, doubles plus one, halving and doubling, etc) before moving into larger numbers. Whether your child has their times tables memorized, or has strategies for multiplication of single digits to 10x10 (Gr. 4) and 12 x 12 (Gr. 5) for fast recall is an individual choice; both are effective.

In Language Arts, we are working on sequencing. Gr. 4 enjoyed explaining how to make a cheese sandwich by giving me specific instructions (with hilarious results!), and then followed directions to make Jello on Friday. Gr. 5 students followed the steps and directions in a play, The Sword in the Stone, which they read aloud.  They are now working on explaining how to do something in 5 or 6 steps in Google slides, which they will present to the class. Gr. 5 will be starting a novel study, Kensuke's Kingdom, which is a very interesting and enjoyable realistic fiction novel. 

Don't forget - Friday is a PD day!