Welcome to Ms. Carandas' Class

Important Information:

• We are looking for parents to cover DEAR time on Mondays and Wednesdays. The teachers would like more opportunities to work with students in small groups. We need coverage from 11:35-11:55. If you are interested please email me.
  
• I will be out of town on November 9-10, 2009. I am going to a conference in San Antonio with Mrs. Stewart and the team leaders.
• Report Cards will be sent home on November 4, 2009. Please sign and return the copy you receive. I will send a copy home for you records after your child hands me the copy with your signature.
  
• Career Day was a hit. Thank you to the teachers, parents and students who made this event a success. This was our first time doing this and we now know what works and what needs fine tuning.
  

Math:

The notes below are the same as last week's notes for math. Last week was very chaotic. We will be covering the same objectives in order to ensure mastery. I will grade assignments this week. Last week I did not due to the fact I thought it was unfair to the students. The information was so new and I believe they need more time. I will not be sending many graded assignments home this Tuesday, but be prepared to see a lot next week.

The second nine weeks has officially begun. We will review skills taught in the first nine weeks, but must transition into a state of applying those skills to new concepts. We will review basic facts, place value, measurement and problem solving strategies taught in the first nine weeks during warm ups and work stations. Homework will also reinforce these skills.

During the second nine weeks we will begin regrouping with addition and subtraction. I will begin teaching addition with regrouping this week. We will learn how to solve two digit regrouping problems using base ten blocks, pictures, algorithms and expanded form. Please encourage your child to explain how the groups of ten and one hundred must shift place value locations. It is my expectation that students can model these types of problems using base ten blocks, pictures, words, algorithms and expanded form.

We will continue to work on problem solving. Every warm up this week will be a problem solving board. Your child will keep these boards in their yellow folders. Please help your child remember to keep them in their folders so they will be prepared each day. Next week, I will be sending home problems like these as homework.

Science:

We are studying the water cycle.

Important vocabulary: evaporation, condensation, condenses, precipitation, collection, heat, sun, cycle, natural resource, renewable resource, non-renewable resource

 We are learning a song about the water cycle this week. I encourage you to have your child sing it to you. We are viewing videos, writing in our science journals, making models of the water cycle and presenting group posters about the water cycle. I am looking for understanding of essential vocabulary, sequence of steps in the water cycle, scientific writing and reading, and the ability to present their knowledge orally.

We will visit the science laboratory Friday!

Contact Information:

Email: mcaranda@houstonisd.org

Conference Days/Time: M, W, TH 12:15-12:40 pm