Friday 2/27/09
- Math 3: We completed part two of yesterday's two-day fraction lesson and then were able to begin our math test around 9:20 a.m. Those who finished the math test early were able to get a head start on tonight's homework. We have some extra work to do this weekend in order to make up for missing next Friday, when we will be going on a school field trip. Homework: 94 A and B. A homework pass may be used on one PAGE, not the whole packet.
- Language Arts 3: Third graders took spelling tests and also took a quiz on yesterday's piece on City Lots. Then they worked independently to read "Linnea's Almanac," a short piece about January. Homework: Read, or finish reading, "Linnea's Almanac", pages 120-123.
- Language Arts 4: Fourth graders worked more with cause and effect as well as character development (thoughts and feelings). They also took a spelling test and a comprehension quiz on the story "You Never Can Tell."
- Religion 3/4: Many students got caught up on their memory work today and we had a good time increasing our speed with Bible races.
- Art 3/4: We used white crayons and watercolor paints to make resist paintings in spring scenes. Anywhere we colored with the white crayon would stay white even after painting over it because the wax in the crayon repels the water-based paint.
- We also spent some time this afternoon "spring cleaning" the classroom and getting it ready for potential visitors in preparation for Lutheran Schools Week next week.
- Math 3: Today we used strips of paper to represent fractions with denominators of 2, 3, 4, and 8. We compared and ordered them from least to greatest, and we also learned how to add and subtract fractions with the same denominator. This is a two part lesson which we will conclude tomorrow before we take our math test. Everyone finished their homework in class today so there is no homework!
- Language Arts 3: We read "City Lots" about the various types of lots in the city and what you can find there. It was an interesting read, and we worked on cursive handwriting afterwards. Today we did capital W and X. Homework: Spelling sentences.
- Language Arts 4: Miss Bertschi attempted to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches using the directions they had written out, but sadly the sandwiches didn't turn out. After realizing that there needed to be many more details in describing the process, students wrote new directions that (for the most part) resulted in edible sandwiches. It was a fun (and funny) visual lesson on the importance of details and describing words in writing! Homework: Spelling sentences.
- Social Studies 3/4: We conducted a simulation today and assumed the roles of Miami Indians and French Fur Traders. Without talking, and then only using one word, we attempted to barter otter and beaver pelts for supplies like guns, knives, blankets, and other European luxuries. It was interesting how we worked around the communication barrier.
- PE: Badminton with Mr. Bretscher!
- Math 3: We worked more today on subtracting two- and three-digit numbers. Some of us are still struggling with remembering when we need to regroup and when we don't, but that will come with more practice! Students had a hard time staying on task today so most of us have some homework tonight. Homework: Finish lesson 92 A/B.
- Language Arts 3: We are doing a writing assignment for Lutheran Schools Week about what we like about our school, and we spent some time in class today working on that. We also reviewed prepositions and searched for sentences containing them in yesterday's story. Homework: Spelling words 3x AND finish your writing assignment about PLS.
- Language Arts 4: We are doing a writing assignment for Lutheran Schools week about what we like about our school, and we spent some time in class today working on that. We also read another story in our Technology unit called "You Never Can Tell." Homework: Spelling words 3x AND finish your writing assignment about PLS.
- Social Studies 3/4: We began a new study on Frontier Indiana by watching a short video and trying to assemble a timeline of what happened in the early 1700s here in Indiana. We talked a lot about the French fur traders as well as the French and Indian War.
- Scholastic News: Today's paper was about a new group of wild animals discovered along the Mekong River in Asia. There were some fascinating creatures discovered and the WWF is trying to protect them from becoming extinct. We also read about Daylight Savings Time as well as the Grand Canyon celebrating its 90th birthday.
- Science 3/4: With everyone getting sick lately we did an experiment today to show how effective or ineffective various methods are for killing germs on our hands. We used glitter to represent germs and tried many ways to get rid of them: wiping with a paper towel, using hand sanitizer, running them under cold water, and scrubbing them with soap and hot water. We found the hot soapy water method to be most effective and it was a fun visual reminder of the importance of hand washing and being wise about what we let into our bodies.
- Math 3: We learned how to subtract two- and three-digit numbers today. We already know how to subtract with regrouping so it was a bit of a review, but we can always use the extra practice! Almost everyone finished all their work in class today! Homework: Finish lesson 91.
- Language Arts 3: We read the first story in our new literature unit, which is on City Wildlife. It will be interesting to learn how city wildlife contrasts with the wildlife we read about in our Country Life unit. Today's story was called "The Boy Who Didn't Believe in Spring." Homework: Spelling words in ABC order.
- Language Arts 4: After reading two pieces on ancient technology we completed a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the technnology used to build both the Great Pyramids and the Great Wall of China. We also worked some more on our process writing skills and will be putting our instructions to the test this week as we use our own written instructions to attempt to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Homework: Spelling words in ABC order AND write instructions for how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
- Religion 3/4: We talked more about the story of Daniel and continued to work on our memory work. See your child's planner for his or her specific pages to work on.
- Science 3/4: After reviewing yesterday's lesson on the nervous system we watched a School House Rock video that compared the nervous system to a telegraph line! It was a good visual and helped us better understand the concept. We also did a fun experiment in which we put each of our five senses to a test and found that they did very well!
- PE 3/4: Volleyball with Mr. Bretscher!
- Math 3: We used the terms certain, likely, 50-50 chance, unlikely, and impossible to describe the likelihood of an event and conducted probability trials using various spinners. We also reviewed the three ways to write a division problem and learned the fact families for dividing by 2, 5, and 7. Homework: Finish lesson 90.
- Language Arts 3: We took a spelling pre-test then worked some more on our Venn diagrams comparing the country mouse to the city mouse. We also read "How Does Your Garden Grow?" about the roles gardens played in the lives of early settlers. Homework: Use a dictionary to find the definition of each spelling word - this week we have homophones so we need to know how to use these words correctly.
- Language Arts 4: We took a spelling pre-test and then worked with interesting verbs. We spiced up a paragraph that used the word "moved" in every sentence by replacing it with more interesting verbs such as "leapt" or "slithered." We also read a story about the technology involved in the building of the Great Wall of China. Homework: Use a dictionary to find the definitions of each spelling word - this week we have homophones to we need to know how to use these words correctly. Also, finish the interesting verbs skill sheet.
- Music 3/4: We worked on our recorders songs and also began learning the words to the two new verses of "Life is a Journey" that the 5th and 6th graders wrote. Please make plans to attend the School Family Worship THIS SUNDAY, when we will be singing the new verses!
- Science 3/4: We began a new unit today on the nervous system. We learned that the nervous system is composed of the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves. More to come as we learn more about the awesome bodies our Creator God gave us!
- Religion 3/4:
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