Language Arts

What are we learning?

• The focus for readers this week will be book group discussions.  Students will be summarizing the major events in a story.  They will discuss their books and stories in book groups with a focus on character.  They will discuss the characters’ actions, the results of those actions, and how their actions affected the conflict in the story.
• Students will also work on developing questions and new ideas to share during book talks to enliven their conversations. 
• To enhance their book talks, students will practice active listening skills.

• In writing, students will write stories keeping in mind the message they want to share with their readers.   
• Writers will work to add more details to their stories to engage their readers.  
• Writers will  review their stories to see where dialog could be used to give the character more personality.
• Writers will work to replace overused words with ones that are more specific and meaningful.

Home/School Connection

• What are you reading? 
• How would you describe the characters in your book?
• What has the character done in the story that would make you describe him/her as you did?
• What book are you discussing in your book groups?
• What are other students saying about the characters in your book?
• What story are you writing?
• What message do you want your readers to learn?

Math

What are we learning?

• We are comparing and ordering fractions from greatest to least and least to greatest.
• Students can identify equivalent fractions and benchmarks (½=3/6=4/8=5/10) using number lines and set groups
• We will start to learn about the importance of factors and multiples

Home/School Connection

• What is a benchmark fraction and why is it important?
• While cooking have your student help you measure ingredients and compare what you have the most/least of (⅓ a cup of oil is less then ½ cup of water)
• Next week is Thanksgiving, invite your student to help you plan meals and measure out servings (if the pie has 8 pieces and dad eats 5 pieces, did dad eat more or less than half the pie? Explain)

Science

What are we learning?

• We’re looking at how green plants produce their own food through the process of photosynthesis.  
• We see the role of green pigment, chlorophyll, along with carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to produce food (sugar) in plants.
• Leaves play a big part in making food the primary food-producing part of these plants.  We discovered Oxygen is released during photosynthesis. 
• We’re learning about roots that anchor the plants and take water and nutrients from the soil, stems provide support and allow movement of water and nutrients, and the flowers are the reproductive structures.

Home/School Connection

• Look at the leaves on the ground and discuss why they are no longer green.
• Cut a weed down and look inside its stem, what do you notice?
• Place a white flower in water with food coloring. What do you notice happens after a few hours?
• If you had a garden, look at the remaining plants, discuss the seeds that are there or where they may have gone.

Social Studies

What are we learning?

• We are continuing to explore our current unit of Jamestown! 
• We will compare Jamestown to the Powhatan tribes.
• We will begin to explore how the new world began to change - how more settlers came to the new world.
• We will understand the life of an indentured servant in the new world.
• We will explore the new world as it expands.

Home/School Connection

• Would you travel to Jamestown in 1607? Why or why not?
• What was the voyage to Jamestown like?
• Why was the location of Jamestown chosen?
• What was the New World like? What would you have done if you went to Jamestown? Would you be scared? Why or why not?
• Why was Captain John Smith important? What did he do for the colonists? 
• What was Captain John Smith’s famous quote? Did you agree or disagree with his view on work?
• What are the differences between Jamestown settlers and the Native People of Virginia?
• What is an indentured servant? What was life like in the New World as an indentured servant?
• How did the government begin to grow in Jamestown?

Positivity Project

• Students show thankfulness when they appreciate the people and positive aspects in their own lives. We discuss what we are thankful for in small groups and whole class instruction. 
  • Talk about it! Ask your student to share what they are thankful for each day this week and share something you are thankful for. This dialogue helps us to foster thankfulness in our homes and in our lives.

Online Learning Tip

Try to reduce distractions in your student’s learning environment. Because many of our families are working and learning from home, our spaces feel smaller than ever. To best support your student, try to find a learning space for your student with limited distractions. This means a space without tv screens, away from toys, and with as little extra noise as possible. This minimizes the chance of attentional challenges by providing less opportunities for distraction.

Click here to see what students are learning in Specials!