 May 1, 2008
Dear Parents,
I hope that you had a wonderful vacation week with your children, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. (Here or somewhere further south)
Fourth graders are continuing their work with fractions, using area, set and linear models. Area models would include arrays similar to those used in multiplication, set models look at finding a fraction of a group of objects, and number lines are the linear models. Students are finding equivalent fractions using different manipulative materials. They will start to add and subtract fractions, and relate fractions to decimals.
Third graders are finishing their work with fractions and will start to explore a unit about geometry and measurement called Solids and Boxes. During this unit, students work with geometric solids (such as cubes, cylinders, and pyramids) and describe the features of these 3-dimensional shapes. Students also make boxes out of paper and fill the boxes with cubes; this activity gives them the chance to develop their ideas about finding the volume of a box. We will continue to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills and apply them to various types of problems.
We are completing our unit on space this week, reading, visiting web sites, and finishing up projects. These will include making constellation t-shirts and playing Space Jeopardy. We are going to have an “Open Book” test at the end of the week. Students will be allowed to use their journals to complete the test. If they were taking notes all along, they should have the answers to all of the questions written down. We would also like the students to bring back their moon charts that they have been using for the past month. We are not expecting that they be filled out completely, but hopefully there were many mornings or evenings when they were able to see the moon, and document their observations.
Vermont is the focus of our next thematic unit. This is a huge topic, so we will concentrate on geography and a “quick” look at periods of the state’s history. As part of the unit we will be touring the Shelburne Museum. The field trip is on Tuesday, May 20, and we will be traveling by BUS. The cost is $4.5. Students will need a snack and a bag lunch. If you would like to join us, please let us know.
Carla and Erin
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