Curriculum Update

February 8, 2018

Writing

We continue with our informational writing unit and lab reports based on our balance and motion experiments.  Students are building knowledge on how counterweights and balance point affect each experiment, which is helping them make stronger hypotheses.  It’s great to see their excitement during this learning process.

Reading

Our readers are growing their knowledge across books through learning, questioning and reading closely. They will “Learn the Lingo” of nonfiction topics and build their understanding of key words to use when explaining about a topic to others.  Students will use text features and rereading to grow their knowledge of new vocabulary and topics to teach others.

Math

We are finishing up Unit 6 on Whole-Number Operations and Number Stories and moving into Unit 7: Patterns and Rules.  In this unit, students will learn to describe patterns that result from skip counting, build mental arithmetic skills for adding 1-digit and multidigit numbers, and analyze real-life data.

Science

Students continue to study and experiment with Balance and Motion.  Students have enjoyed creating and hypothesizing about balancing arches, triangles, crayfish and the magic pencil trick.  They have developed lab reports for experiments to show their learning and the scientific process.  Students will begin investigations about motion next.  Students will roll objects down slopes to compare the effects of different-sized wheels, spheres, cups, weight and height.  During the course of this investigation students will be introduced to and review key vocabulary such as: axle, disk, loop, motion, ramp, roll, runway, slope, sphere, spiral and wheel.  

Português

Nas próximas semanas finalizaremos o trabalho sobre "A Jornada do Herói" (Pedrinho), a partir do episódio "O Saci" do Sítio do Picapau Amarelo de Monteiro Lobato,. A seguir, iremos para a "Toca da Raposa" para vivenciar um pouco do universo do autor e seus personagens em um contexto especialmente criado para este fim.

PAL

In PAL this week, we will talk about Carnaval and learn more about one of the biggest festivals in Brasil. Students will learn songs and different rhythms. On the following week, we will talk about Monteiro Lobato, one of the most famous Brazilian authors, who wrote Sítio do Picapau Amarelo. This story has been read and watched by children in Brasil for many generations. Students will learn about the characters and some of its episodes.