News from the Moon Toons

Reminders
December 18th - Portfolio Share 9:00

Friday Workshops

December 4th
Kat - Beeswax Creations
Jack - Turtles

December 11th
Oliver - Making Pizza
Zachary - TBA

Math

We continue to practice measuring height, width, area and perimeter. We used geoboards to help us create shapes and determine the area. We also used cuisinare rods to experiment with different ways to cover the same area but with different perimeters. We found so many ways the area of 30 cm. sq could be shaped and which ways has the smallest perimeter or the largest.

We read "512 Ants on Sullivan Street" and practiced our doubling of numbers until we got to over 1,000! We then determining what numbers in our calculations were closest to 100 and 1,ooo. We had to prove it using addition or subtraction to show how far way our numbers were. Doubling numbers and algebra surfaced again as we solved a math mission with paper folds. How many sections would you have on a piece of paper if it was folded in half 6 times? We found it to be helpful to begin with one fold, then two folds, then three folds and then to create a T chart to record our information. Finding a pattern was helpful after that as it gets a little tricky to fold paper that tiny and to count all the little squares!

Language

In Writing Workshop this week, we continue to practice adding more description to our writing with adjectives. We practiced together turning simple sentences into one that really paints a picture for the reader. The sentence, "The cat ate food" was transformed by one group into "The fluffy fat cat ate smelly rotten tuna at Laguna Beach, California." Now that really paints a picture! Buddy shares has become a once a week routine after our quiet writing time. Everyone gets to read a story they are in the process of writing or have finished. They each share with another author followed by compliments from the listener. All the writers are eager to share and this allows everyone the opportunity and well as the chance to receive compliments and feedback from their peers.

One activity during literacy centers this week was responding to a journal prompt. We all thought of a moment from our past Thanksgiving weekend. It had to be a moment that was crystal clear in our minds so that when we closed our eyes we could see it happening like a movie. We then spent time writing our moments as clearly as we could so that other readers could really picture it and feel the moment. The writings were impressive! Journal entries allow us to experiment with different kinds of writing and provide entries that can be used and developed in future writing workshop stories if so desired.

In reading groups, some continue to explore a variety of folktales while others practice reading without the help of pictures. Some groups are in the process of choosing a chapter book they would like to read as a group or with a partner in a book club. We will begin book clubs in January!

Theme
Oh Saturn and your dusty, icy, rocky rings! We will get a little taste of you on Thursday so be sure to ask your child what they taste like! Also, check out the children's drawings of the Titan Kronos - amazing!!

We will have two guests this week! Ray from Tacoma Astronomical Society will visit us and share a presentation on the planets. And then on Friday Beth will make planet distance rulers with us! We are so lucky!