November Newsletter

Dear Parents,







Fall is in the air! I think that everyone in our class is enjoying the nice weather.







This month we can look forward to our field trip to the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. Our trip is scheduled for Friday, November 21st. Thanks to Tracy Barkley and Stacey Lincecum for volunteering to be our chaperones!







As we look ahead to the Thanksgiving Holidays, I am thankful that I am able to spend my days with your wonderful children. It is a joy to teach them every day. I am also thankful that we have a great substitute, Mrs. Hedy Gilmore, who is willing to step in for me so that I will be able to spend time with my own little bundle of joy. Mrs. Gilmore has already spent one day with us and plans to spend a few more before I leave. I know that the class will be in good hands.







Thank you for all you do to support your child's education.







Sincerely,



Naletta Galbraith

Science

We have begun our unit on Ecosystems and Earth Science. First, we are looking at the difference between inherited and learned behaviors and how these are related to adaptations. Then, we will delve further into the idea of habitats and ecosystems. We will be looking at the necessary parts of a healthy habitat; what all living things need for survival. We will also discuss food chains and webs and how energy travels through a food web. We will conclude our unit of study with a look at oceans and how they affect both land and weather patterns.

Math

Today we began learning how to multiply 2-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers. We will be learning 4 different algorithms (stretch which uses expanded notation, partial area, lattice, and the standard algorithm) to solve these problems. I know that most of us learned the standard algorithm, but the others work well too. We will practice each algorithm and then the students will choose which one works best for them. For some students the standard algorithm gets very confusing when they have to regroup and remember to put a zero for a place holder. No matter which algorithm they choose, they will get the same answer, so don't worry if your child shows you a new way to do multiplication.

We will also begin fractions and probablity this month. Our math stations will be independent review stations based on the topics we have covered and targeted stations with me. We will be taking the math benchmark on Wednesday which will give me more information about what needs to be covered in the targeted stations. Our groups change so that students get all they need.

Writing

Our writing continues to focus on personal narratives. Currently, the class is working on a piece of their choice. Students take the piece from prewrite, to drafting, to editing and revising, and finally to publication. They are learning to edit their own work as well as the work of others. Each time we complete a draft, we meet with a writing partner to discuss how a reader sees our piece. Partners help each other make editing changes and also ask questions and give feedback so that the author might make appropriate revisions.

Reading

This week we are completing our final project for our first book club. Students are creating a photo album of important events from their stories.

We will then begin a new book club which focuses on the mystery genre. Activities will revolve around the characteristics that make their book a mystery. In book club we will discuss characterization, setting, and plot. We will look specifically at what the mystery is; what clues help the detective solve the mystery; if there are any red herrings to throw us off; and who the suspects are.

Social Studies

We are concluding our unit of study on the regions of Texas by creating a salt dough map of Texas. These will be coming home some time next week.

We will then be starting a unit of study on the Native American groups who lived in Texas. We will focus on the Karankawa, Comanche, Jumano, and Caddo. Our focus will be where these groups lived and how they lived. Using Venn diagrams we will compare and contrast their different ways of life.

Our unit on the explorers to Texas will follow the unit on Native Americans. The explorers that we study are Hernando Cortes, Cabeza de Vaca, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, Rene-Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle, Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda. We will look at all these explorers and then students will choose one to study further.