Dear Parents,

Hope you are enjoying spring!  I know the students are participating in lots of outdoor activities right now.  We are having fun with our new planners and still reflecting somewhat on our past planners.  Below is a description of what we are working on at each grade level. 

1^st grade

In math, 1^st graders have been delving into fractions.  We have used several Renzulli Learning activities and fraction rods to increase awareness of how fractions work.  Ask your child about the 13 ways to make a half using a square!  We continue to work on “monster” math problems which include solidifying our knowledge of place value to ten million, addition facts and ‘trading’.

We are completing the Simple Machines planner.  We have learned about simple machines and how they help people do work easier and faster.  Levers, inclined planes, wheels and axles, pulleys and gears are some of the machines we have made.  It’s been fun making each of the simple machines!  A fun activity is to ask your child to locate as many simple machines as possible in your car.  The blinker handle is a lever, the steering wheel is a wheel and axle…you get the idea!  During the next week or two we will be dissecting the machines you send with your child (if you did not receive the flyer about dissecting machines, please let me know).  Students are recording each simple machine they find in the machine they bring and are having fun using screwdrivers to take things apart!  To end the year we will explore the world of Rube Goldberg machines and learn how some machines make doing things harder instead of easier!! 

The 2^nd graders are great inventors!  I am so glad they were able to participate in the school invention fair.  The judges were very impressed with the level of creativity Twain’s second graders had when thinking of their inventions.  One of the most important things we learned about being an inventor is that we have to be persistent!

Our new planner is based on the PYP theme “How We Organize Ourselves”.  The focus is on the Medieval Ages.  The Central Idea is:  Structures within a society can affect people’s roles and responsibilities.  It is an inquiry into Feudalism, the process of becoming a knight, the system of heraldry and castle structure.  Ask your child to describe feudalism and how it compares to our country’s government structure.  Next students will explore the system of heraldry and choose colors and symbols they think represent themselves to use in making their own coat of arms. 

MATH

Throughout the year 2^nd graders have learned about shape transformations, pentominoes and nets.  From here we go move on to CIRCLES!  Circles have special properties which make them interesting for students to investigate.  We have already learned basic measurements of circles – radius, diameter and circumference.  We recorded the three measurements using flower pots, cups, plates, cans and more!  You can reinforce your child’s understanding of these three measurements by letting them measure circular objects at home.  Now we will expand our basic knowledge and learn about inscribing polygons in circles using a compass and a ruler.  Ask your child about ‘Sir Cumference’ and ‘Lady Di’! 

The Discovery Corps of the Lewis and Clark Expedition have chosen who to take and what to take on the journey.  Students did a great job of ‘introducing’ themselves as expedition members.  Now we will set off on our “keelboat” to find a route to the Pacific Ocean!  Thanks for sending artifacts related to this planner, they have enhanced our learning about the expedition.  On our “journey” we will learn about codes and ciphers.  President Jefferson often communicated with Lewis and Clark through the use of ciphers.  When the weather permits we will also be going outside to take “tree samples”.  Jefferson was very interested in learning about ‘new’ animals and plants that were discovered on the expedition so Lewis and Clark had to record detailed information about what they saw.

MATH

We are close to finishing our unit on measurement which included measuring distances, weight, area, volume, perimeter and capacity.  Some of the activities we did included making a ¼ sized version of ourselves, designing a garden and determining perimeter and area, calculating our weight on different planets, using spring scales and balance scales, using salt to measure the capacity of different containers, and doing lots of estimating, and converting between units of measurement! 

As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns.  Thanks!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Norris