Weekly Newsletter 11.15.13

This week, we continued our unit on Earth and Space Sciences. The students will demonstrate an understanding about how Earth systems and processes interact in the geosphere resulting in the habitability of Earth. This includes demonstrating an understanding of the composition of the Universe, the Solar System and Earth. In addition, it includes understanding the properties and the interconnected nature of Earth's systems, processes that shape Earth and Earth's history. Students also demonstrate an understanding of how the concepts and principles of energy, matter, motion and forces explain Earth systems, the Solar System, and the Universe. We are beginning with the Solar System and this week we studied the planet Earth. We watched the Nova episode on Earth, read an adapted book on Earth and completed a KWL chart. On Friday, the students made the planet Earth with playdough. To prepare for Friday's project, the students incorporated reading and math to make their own playdough to get ready.

Our goal was to apply what they learned from class by layering each Earth layers.

What the earth layers are:

RED – inner core

ORANGE – outer core

YELLOW – mantle

BLACK – crust

BLUE AND GREEN – land and water

This is how the project was supposed to look :)

This is what one of the finished products looked like.

We sure did have a lot of fun making it!

We studied Veteran's Day on Monday. We tied in our Social Studies standard of timelines. We read about the history of Veteran's Day, how it got it's name and completed a KWL chart. They learned that it was originally called Armistice Day. We cut and glued a timeline and wrote in our journal why we are thankful for military folks. One of our teacher's made an amazing "Veteran's Wall" with pictures, newspaper articles, and personal mementos from their family members. As a daughter of a Vietnam Veteran I am so blessed that we are teaching student to recognize contributions they have made to our nation, and for our students to see people who live here because they have done things. They have been a part of armed services. They have served our country.

This week we reviewed:

Word Wall: will, up, other, about, out

November Word Wall: Earth, Native Americans, Feast, Pilgrim,

Reading: "I Can Count Money"

Phonics: initial sounds

Language Arts: Noun Sorts and will be introducing verbs.

Social Studies: Veteran's Day

Writing: Thankful to our Veteran's

Math: Arrays, Counting by 5's, Money, Place Value

Science: Solar System

Dates to Remember:

11/18 - United Way Week

11/20 - Field Trip with KIS 5th Grade to Playhouse Square for behind scenes of Wicked! (Rescheduled- Please wear comfy clothes, tennis shoes for dancing and a bagged lunch)

11/21 - Geauga ACHIEVE Movie Day

11/22 - APE Field Trip Swimming

11/27 - No School - Conference Break

11/28 - No School -Thanksgiving Day

11/29 - No School –Thanksgiving Break