Post 2 Sept 21st

Blog Post September 20th
 
The students have been extremely busy this week, as they get further into their studies. In math the students have been learning multiple warm up activities, which are focused on mental math skills, place value and organizing numbers. This work led to an independent activity, which they needed to apply all their learning. These will be coming home next week so the students can teach you the activities and you can continue to practice at home.
 
If you want more work with number lines and mental math games visit these links:
 
http://aws2.funbrain.com/cgi-bin/nl.cgi?A1=s&A2=1
 
http://www.roomrecess.com/pages/BlockBuster.html
 
In science the students have begun their first project connected to Waste in Our World the first of our science topics. The students listened to the story “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss. They then were given each a problem connected to the story and science curriculum to solve. They are working in groups to present their ideas to their peers. Examples of the questions are:
 
Was the Once-ler driven by the need to provide Thneeds to everyone? Or was he motivated by something else. Should we be able to create and spill toxic chemicals if it will benefit us?
 
The Once-ler had many great plans of making things that everyone needs. This came at the environment’s expense. What examples of waste and destruction did he create?
 
These are to help the students create connections from literature they hear and problems our world faces. Through understanding the science of saving our planet, adding their creativity with Dr. Seuss’ and working with peers we have a great start for how the Once-ler could have been more environmentally friendly.
 
Want to dive deeper into our topic? You can talk to your family about:
How do companies both make a profit and keep the environment safe?
When is it ok to use our natural resources and when should we not?
How do we know when our environment is being impacted negatively?