December 3-7 Computer Science Education Week (Hour of Code)
December 7 All School Meeting (Plovers will present) and spirit day (Retro theme)
December 17 Library Visit
Homework Due by Friday, December 7th
1. Read for at least 20 minutes every night.
2. Complete 20 minutes of typing practice.
3. Complete at least 30 minutes of math practice (click here for DreamBox).
4. Optional - Compete Opinion Paragraph of the Week
Prompt: Should students work on assignments together or independently? Support your opinion.
Upcoming Out and Abouts
This Wednesday, we will use our Out & About time to continue our study of electricity with a Toy Take Apart Day! Students will work in small groups to safely dismantle and learn about the "guts" of their toys. We could still use donations of old/broken mechanical toys (toys with batteries or switches, dancing Santas, remote-control cars, etc) and tools. Toys will not be reassembled or returned.
Tools Needed: All sizes of standard and Phillips head screwdrivers, pliers and wire cutters. Please label tools with your student's name so they can be returned.
Weekly Review
Last week, the Plovers started learning about electricity through hands-on experiments and building their own scribbling machines out of snap circuits and recycled materials! You can watch a short video of their bots below! The students then worked in small groups to read one of the following informational books: Using Electricity, Making A Circuit, Conductors and Insulators or Using Batteries. Plovers also began using their science notebooks to record their questions, predictions, observations and conclusions. We have also been reading books about scientists and talking about perseverance!
We have started a new read aloud: The City of Ember. This is a science fiction novel about an underground city that is running out of supplies and electricity. The Plovers are keeping track of interesting vocabulary words and writing about what happens in each chapter. See if you and your student can use a few of this week's vocab words in your daily conversations: methodically, wistful, raucous! And here are a few questions you can discuss with your Plover:
- How do the students find out their jobs? Which job would you want to have?
- Why was Doon disappointed on his first day at his job?
- What do you think will happen if the generator stops working?
Communication
Please contact me with any questions or concerns. Parents and students can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also leave a voice message on the class phone or set up a time to meet with me before/after school.