Happy Rainy Friday! This much needed rain has been a bit of a disappointment here at school since we had to stay indoors at recess and also postpone our Outdoor Classroom time today. We did our best to enjoy our day anyway!

Here is a brief summary of our academics this week:
Math
We are continuing to work on what it means conceptually to multiply. We have distinguised between equal groups problems (I have 4 bags with 8 candies in each bag) and comparison problems (I have 4 bags and my friend has 8 times more than I do.) We have practiced drawing or using a variety of models for each. These are baby steps, but critical before we can move on to harder multiplication problems later in the year.

Reading/Writing
We are just starting our first reading unit and we are focusing on characters, what their traits are, and what they really want. We are reading the book The Tiger Rising (a gorgeous book written by Kate DeCamillo) as our anchor book. This works really well for our writng unit which is a narrative unit. The kids are planning their stories, and they are so anxious to start drafing! For now, they are thinking about their characters, deciding on their internal and external traits, and planning their struggles. We have discussed words like antagonist, hero, villain, and protagonist. They love using these big words!

Science
We started our unit on Structure and Function today. This was what we were hoping to get outdoors for, but we brought some of the outdoors in!  Today we discussed various structures of plants and what the function of each is. Then we observed a variety of plants (that I gathered from around the building, a spider plant, some weeds from outside the classroom door, etc.) and practiced sketching them and labeling the parts.  A Bill Nye video rounded out the activity, and everyone seemed to enjoy and learn.

Social Studies
This week we began learning about the different landforms and physiographic regions that make up Vermont. The kids worked in groups to become experts on one region, make posters, and shared with others. You'll see these posters at Open House!

Here are some considerations for next week:
We are going to the Maritime on Wednesday. Thanks for getting all of your paperwork and money in! The students will need to wear footwear that can get wet, preferably with a closed toe. I plan to wear boots. They should also be prepared to get their clothes wet as we will be in canoes. Jackets/raincoats are also necessary. Students should bring a snack and lunch (although bag lunches will be available if needed) as well as a water bottle. Let me know if you have any questions.

Sharing for next week will be "something purple" but students can share whatever they want, even if it's not purple!

Finally, I have started a class Instagram account so you can easily access photos. You can follow me at ehteshamclass for photos and updates!

Have a wonderful weekend, and as always, feel free to be in touch!