Happy Friday, Happy Chinese New Year, and Happy almost-Valentine's Day!  Despite all of those exciting things to celebrate, we have had a terrific week here in the classroom. Here's the rundown:

Math

We started off the week reviewing what a fraction is, how to recognize a few basic fractions, and how to put them on a number line. Then we moved into more complicated work, looking at fractional parts of a rectangle, and finding equivalent fractions. This is hard work, and I plan to move slowly so no one feels left behind. Here is the family letter explaining what I hope we will all learn during this unit.

Reading

The class has been reading books in their "Social Issues Book Clubs." They have learned how to identify the social issues based on when the character is struggling, when they, as readers, feel uncomfortable, and when the character feels powerless. They are reading, taking notes, and having conversations with each other on chat, in person, and on a shared slide presentation. Talking about books is so powerful, and I can tell how much they are enjoying this!

Writing

We have spent the week planning our opinion writing pieces. The planning involved coming up with an opinion and 3 ways to defend it (or 3 pieces of evidence.) Today the students started drafting. This is basically a 5 paragraph essay (or will be, once it is done.) It will have an introduction which ends with their thesis statement, 3 body paragraphs (1 for each of their 3 reasons), and then a conclusion. I love this writing unit because it helps so much with organizational skills and teaching young writers to use paragraphs. I can't wait to see the finished products! I will be sure to share them with you so you can enjoy them too.

Social Studies

We are finishing up our Civics and Government unit, and so many of the students want it to continue! I don't think I've ever had a class beg me to keep discussing government before! They are just so very committed to justice and they LOVE discussing controversial issues. Today we started our final project, which is all about finding a way to be an activist. Most students are making posters to hang around the school. Some are thinking about other ways, such as creating a public service announcement, starting a petition, etc.  I love seeing their passion. I hope they stay passionately involved in their communities forever!

Thank you to those of you who have sent in some items for our auction. There is still time if you would like to donate a few things. We will have our auction next Friday, right before vacation. This week, we learned about charitable giving and how it can give people a tax break, and a few generous students who have extra "money" in their accounts decided to donate so that I could level the playing field a little. I love our little classroom economy and will be sad to see it end.

Finally, our new vocabulary words this week are commotion, mediocre, eradicate, and competent. Enjoy using these words over the weekend!