Hi,
We had a fun week and worked hard while having fun with some Halloween activities.
We completed our Class Book and will be sending it off to the publisher today. We brainstormed ideas about fall with our pen pals and many of us wrote some fall poetry with them. We then took our notes back to class, read lots of poems, discussed poetry vocabulary (stanza, line breaks, rhythm, rhyme, free verse, lyrical, metaphor, simile, imagery, word choice, etc...) and wrote more poems. We revised and edited and typed our poems for a page in our class book. Then decorated a page with photographs of our pen pals and us together during our visits. All together the book turned out very well. If you still want to make a purchase, get the money to me by the end of the day. You can still order books after they are published but it costs a little more. Our published book will be here before the December break. Also our Pen Pals coming on November 13 at 10:00. Come join us for the visit.
Sage, our python until Thursday, is doing well. She is less active now that she is warmer. (We put a heating pad under her cage and that has made her very happy.
Read about our week:
Reading-This week we have been learning about poetry and reading tons of poems. We compared and contrasted a lyrical and free verse poem. We also used technology to watch two filmmakers interpretations of the same poem. The poem, Enter this Deserted House, was made into videos by two different filmmakers. One had images of nature but a creepy kind of voice and then one part of the poem talked about goblins and showed a shark grabbing a seal. It ended with a message about taking care of our planet. We talked about how the pictures at first were pretty but the voice was scary which increased suspense to the shark part but we liked the message. The other filmmaker used clips from Psycho and had video of the Bates motel. The images, the voice, and the background sounds were all creepy and dark right from the beginning, and there was a surprise at the end which made them scream. It was so fun to see the ways that different people can use media and interpret poetry very differently. It was also fun to be a little scared. We will be learning more about poetry next week.
Writing-Charlie Brown helped us practice writing essays this week. We watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown while taking notes about two central ideas. One central idea was that Charlie Brown should not trust Lucy. Another was Linus truly believed in the Great Pumpkin. We watched and took notes on examples and reasons to support our central ideas. We talked about Charlie Brown and Lucy and I modeled an essay using that central idea and our supporting details and elaborating on each to make complete paragraphs. Then wrote a conclusion. The children used the other central idea and wrote about essays with supporting details and elaboration giving examples that show Linus believing in the Great Pumpkin. We revised and edited today and will be writing our final copies today. We will continue writing essays next week and writing some more poetry as well as letters to our pen pals.
Math-We have been working on elapsed time, temperature, interpreting bar graphs, math vocabulary, combinations, and problem solving. We did a logic problem and used a grid and clues to figure out which boy wore which costume and had which favorite candy. We made all possible combinations if we had three types of pumpkin stickers, two hat stickers, and two accessories stickers. We shared lots of strategies to figure out all possibilities including a tree diagram and multiplication. We did some challenging math puzzles as well and talked about how it is ok to be frustrated with a problem but to keep working on it and sticking with it trying new things, talking to others, and many times we can figure it out. We reminded each other of the quote by Einstein saying, "I am not smarter. I just stick with problems longer." I am impressed with how many interesting strategies the kids come up with for problems and how receptive the others are to trying out new strategies.
Social Studies-Explorers in Texas have been our focus this year. We are discussing the lives of Cabeza de Vaca, Coronado, and La Salle. We have discussed that the Europeans were conquering new lands with the goals of God, Glory, and Gold in mind. The Spanish did a lot of exploring in Texas then stopped for about 100 years when they didn't find gold, however, their interest in the land in Texas increased again after the French and La Salle started to claim some land. That is when the missions and the converting of the natives began.
Science-We will be continuing with our study of energy next week.
Dates to remember:
Saturday, November 3-Volunteering at the Round Rock Serving Center from 9-10
Tuesday, November 6-Election Day-Be sure to vote!
Thursday, November 8-Service Club Meeting from 2:45-3:45
Friday, November 2-Fundraising orders coming home today
Friday, November 9-Groovy-o-Rama 4th grade performance at 10 am
Tuesday, November 13-Pen Pal Visit at 10 am in library
Thursday, November 15-Thanksgiving Meal at school
Have a great weekend and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for sharing your children with me.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
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