Our week was shortened by the air quality, but it was still full of learning, laughter, and coming together as a community.

Our week started with a Rocket Write, and the Temescalians enjoyed sharing and hearing each others’ pieces.

Writing the Thankfulness Expository has really taken off. We have moved from brainstorming to taking the seed ideas and expanding on them. Temescalians are in the drafting stage where they are writing their ideas out and in the editing stage where they first see if they have correct spelling, punctuation, and adjectives before they ask a peer to edit their work as well. We hope to have polished pieces for our publishing party right before the Winter Break!

Our word study continues with groups targeting specific spelling patterns. We learn the spelling pattern through word sorts to notice similarities and Temescalians try to come up with a rule that helps them remember the pattern. Other ways that we practice are to use the words within the pattern are by playing Hangman. For words that we don’t spell correctly in the spell checks on Fridays, we write them in our “peach spellers” so they can have them for future reference.

We have shown Temescalians different ways to look at multiplication: repeated addition on a number line, draw things that come in groups like in our Loops & Groups game, skip counting, looking at an array, and ratio tables.
Looking at an array can sometimes be daunting. So instead of trying to figure out 8×7, we talked about how you can break it down into smaller arrays.  8×7 = (5×7) + (3×7) = 35 + 21 = 56. A strategy to make a larger array easier to look at is to use a post-it to cover it up so that it’s less visually to take in, but you have to remember to check and see that you have accounted for all the parts of the array.

Another way to think about multiplication is to use a ratio table. If you have a ratio table of number of cats on one side and number of legs on the other side, you can start thinking about multiplication in terms of groups and connect it to repeated addition. So if you have 1 cat, you’ll have 4 legs. If you have 2 cats, you’ll have 8 legs. We then tried to push the Temescalians to think about doubling too: 1 cat has 4 legs, 2 cats have 8 legs, 4 cats have 16 legs… Our Temescalians have solid understanding of numbers and adding them together. They’re building their understanding of multiplication on this foundation.

We also set aside time during our math period to let Temescalians practice at their level on the Dreambox app. Temescalians also have access to their account at home! We’ve noticed that students who are using Dreambox at home are showing growth. Encourage your Temescalian to practice their math skills at home too!

With a week cooped up inside because of the unhealthy air quality, we found other ways to entertain ourselves! We played “SKUNK”, leveled up in GoNoodle, Craig led us in indoor coordination activities like juggling, and we made structures galore with kapla blocks.

Temescalians finished a culminating project with Julianne at the helm: “Text in Art – site specific art installation”. They hoped to mount the installation out front for GrandFriends Day on this past Friday as a work in progress. Then we’ll bring it in to finish and decide how it might be able to reside out front for a period of time.
Guiding Questions:
– How does where we live effect how we live?
– What does the front of TBS tell others about who we are?
– What messages do we want to offer the greater Berkeley community?

Our original date for GrandFriends Day may have been postponed but not to worry, there will be an assembly for parents and invited GrandFriends on December 21 from 9:15 – 10:15am!

We wanted to thank you and recognize that our class was the 2nd class to read 100% for the TBS Fund! Thank you for supporting us and the programs that we have to enrich and support your TBS-er’s experience!

As we wrap up our Fall Break away, we hope that you have had a restful week spent with loved ones. If you are wondering about what to do on the day after Thanksgiving, you may see Corrina Gould, a Native American educator we met at the Oakland Museum of California, at Bay Street, educating shoppers of one of the largest of the 425 shellmounds that used to exist in the area. Please click here for more information about what she and the Indian People Organizing for Change (IPOC) are doing in the area in this interview from the Oakland Museum of California.

Upcoming Events:
November
30 – Progress Report Writing Day (No school, childcare is available)

December
21 – Winter Assembly (9:15 – 10:15am)
24 to Jan 4 – Winter Break

January
7 – Professional Development (No school, no childcare)
8 – School resumes
18 – Family Reading (8:30 – 9:00am)
21 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (no school, no childcare available)
22 – Field trip: Exploratorium (9:30am – 2:30pm. Chaperones needed!)