Dear parents,
Last week was Literacy Week, with several events going on in the school: the spelling bee on Tuesday and our Literacy night on Thursday, ending up with a “readathon” on Friday afternoon, along with other literacy themes in the classroom. We’ve been reading the book “Wonder” in class and decorated our door with individual pictures and precepts from the book.
In math, the 6th graders have started working on algebraic equations and inequalities. The 5th graders are focusing more on fractions at the moment, specifically adding, subtracting and multiplying, and the 4th graders are recognizing mathematical patterns before moving on to fractions as well. A reminder of the IXL works that can be done now and in the near future:
6th grade: The following blocks should be continued to work on: I1 – I10 (fraction review); J1 – J9 (add and subtract fraction); K1 – K13 (fraction multiplication); L1 – L8 (fraction division); M1 – M6 (integers); N1 – N11 (operations with integers); 01 011 (mixed operations); R1 – R9 (ratios & rates); S1 – S8 (percent); U1 – U7 (money problems); X1 – X6 (coordinate plane); Y1 – Y6, Y9 – Y14 (algebraic expression).
5th grade: The following blocks should be continued to work on: E1 – E3 (exponents); F1 – F7 (factors & multiples); G1 – G17 (decimals); H1 – H8 (add & subtract decimals); I1 – 19 (multiply decimals); J1 – J5 (divide decimals); K1 – K12 (fractions); L1 – L23 (add/subtract fractions); M1 – M10 (multiplying fractions); O1 – O4 (mixed operations); T1 – T5 (number sequences); V1 – V11 (variable expressions).
4th grade: The following blocks should be continued to work on: D17 – D27 (multiplication); E1 – E19 (division); F1 – F11 (mixed operations); H1 – H4 (function tables); L1 – L9 (patterns and sequences); M1 – M9 (money).
In cultural studies, the 6th graders have finished off working on the European Reformation with Henry VIII and will be moving back the geopolitical history of the USA, from Lewis and Clark’s exploration, through to the Civil War. The 5th graders have completed their studies of Greece, before moving onto their final ancient civilization: Rome. The 4th graders have been studying early man and neanderthals, before moving back to their historical studies of Utah by looking at the post-statehood era with reference to the economy and culture. All grades have been working on the tropical and temperate Forest biome, with reference to its fauna and flora, its position and influence on the planet and problems that it faces.
The 5th graders were given their Engineering project last week. They have been given a log book and asked to think about constructing something that can be of some practical use. This project was started by the school last year and we have provided a log book to help guide the students. Also, when looking on the web, there is plenty of help there. Here are some of the more promising websites:
Websites that offer engineering ideas and projects
http://www.education.com/science-fair/engineering/
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/Intro-Mechanical-Engineering.shtml
https://thehomeschoolscientist.com/100-engineering-projects-kids/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Project-Based-Engineering-for-Kids/
Or simply Google:
- Engineering projects for kids; or
- Engineering project ideas for 5th grade
I hope this helps and please email me if you have any questions. The projects will be displayed in the school Kivas from March 28th – 30th. The students will also present to the class.
The 4th graders were also given their Utah History Detective Project this week. This can be sourced from seven potential areas: Utah culture, economics, geography, history, political science, sociology and local history. There are a variety of ways to present their project (71 listed!) and the standard way that students used last year was with a poster board. The project packet contains a list of websites for them to access, along with research possibilities at the local libraries. Presentation is for the days of April 12th – 13th and again will be displayed in the Kivas with an in-class presentation.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Many thanks – John