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Samuel Staples Elementary School
515 Morehouse Road
Easton, CT 06612
203-261-3607


Happy Spring! 

Math: 
Over the last few weeks, our math focus has been on learning long division. Students have been practicing the steps of the traditional algorithm for solving long division problems. I’m so proud of how hard they have been working to master the steps! The greatest joy for me has been to see the smile appear on each student’s face when it “clicked”, and they were able to independently use the algorithm to solve a problem! In order to make sure they had a conceptual understanding of division we also solved division problems using pictures and base ten manipulatives. As a class we came up with various strategies for solving division problems, but decided that the long division algorithm was much easier to do!

This week we also began learning the algorithm for solving 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication problems. During this learning process the students have realized the importance of knowing their math facts! In order to gain fluency with their facts, we practice facts for morning work. In addition, I encourage students to review facts as homework each night for 10 minutes. Students can use flashcards as well as the websites that are listed on my classroom website.

 

Writing:

We have shifted from narrative to expository writing. Students are learning about the “expository pillar” in order to understand how informational essays are structured. The main focus has been on creating supporting detail that is relevant to the main idea paragraph. Students are currently practicing the concepts in their very first expository essay about the season of spring.

Since April is Poetry Month, we are also writing poems about spring that showcase our knowledge of descriptive writing, similes, metaphors, and personification. 

Reading:

Our current read aloud Holes has sparked some rich discussion in our classroom!  As I read a chapter, students jot down their reading thoughts for discussion. Students then share their thoughts and ideas in a whole class discussion. This format has allowed all students to participate in the discussion, as well as to listen to the different perspectives that their peers have about events that unfold within each chapter. Individually, students continue to share their reading thoughts through written response and in our book club discussions.

Social Studies:  

 We recently completed an interactive tour of the Southeast region of the United States. Through our boat and train tour, the students traveled through various states of the south including the Everglades, New Orleans and Jamestown Virginia. Students learned about music from the Southeast, the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama, and what it was like to settle in Jamestown, VA during 1888. We will have a social studies test on the Southeast next Friday, May 4th. I will send home a study guide next Monday to help students prepare for the test.  

 

E-Pals:

We continue to correspond with our friends from Aspen Elementary School in Vernon Hills, Illinois. The fourth grade students of Mrs. Wysong’s class at Aspen Elementary are currently preparing a PowerPoint on Illinois and will present it to us through a Skype session. This will be a nice compliment to our study of the Midwest Region, which we will begin next week.

Warm Regards,

Diana Remmell

  

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4/22/2012 4:05:46 PM
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