Homework started this week! A packet went home in your child’s folder on Monday with an introductory letter. Please let us know if you have questions. Students should be reading for at least 20 minutes each school night and filling in their reading log. We modeled and practiced the reading log at school. The rest of the work in the packet should be an additional 20 minutes or less nightly. Let us know how it goes this week and if you need any support getting your child on their homework path! There is homework club available during Extended Day Monday-Thursday and a couple of students have already taken advantage of the opportunity to get their work done right away!
If your child is having big feelings about homework you can ask them about the SEL tools they have been learning in third grade. When dealing with negative thoughts and feelings, students can try the “But Twist,” the “Thought Chop,” and/or the “Balloon Belly.” Ask them how those work!
Fractions were introduced last week in math and we demonstrated the concept while preparing snack. We have also used Montessori materials to work with fractions. As a class we discussed how the bottom of the fraction is called the denominator and tells how many total equal parts there are in the whole. The numerator is the top of the fraction and shows the parts of the whole. This week we are exploring equivalent fractions and comparing fractions.
An expert on the Ohlone people came into Temescal Creek to present a program on how the local native people lived, how they dressed, gathered and hunted, and used tools. We had an up-close and hands-on experience using pump drills, playing games, and painting our faces. Then we went outside to watch fire being made and tried throwing a “spear” through a rolling hoop.
When our 7th grade buddies visited us on Friday we shared with them what we learned about the Ohlone people and taught them Staves, which is a game played by the native people with decorated sticks that involves probability.
In super science we learned how seeds are designed to be dispersed in a variety of ways: by wind, water, animals, humans, and even by exploding and drilling into the ground. Then we were presented with a mystery seed with a very unique shape and texture. Temescal scientists drew the seed in their STEAM journals and then hypothesized how it might be dispersed and the habitat of it’s parent plant. The next day we shared our thinking and learned that the seed comes from a Calendula flower, which can be dispersed by wind, water, animals, or humans.
What else happened last week in Temescal Creek . . .
Thank you for signing up in the new year for kitchen and laundry help on Fridays and flower delivery on Mondays. We appreciate having you come into the classroom and will always offer you a cup of tea for your trouble!
