Happy Friday! And happy vacation! We are all certainly ready for a little break. This class has worked hard all week, and they are ready to rest and play. Here's the rundown for the week:

Math: This week we continued practicing a variety of strategies for solving double digit multiplication problems. We added a new strategy, which the class named "landmarking." This means changing one number to an easier number before multiplying, then compensating by adding or subtracting. Here is an example:  22 X 18 can be changed to 20 X 1 8 (because we all know how to multiply by 10, and therefore by 20!) 20 X 18 = 360. Then we need to compensate by adding in the final two groups of 18, so 22 X 18= 396. This is tricky for some, but fortunately math is flexible and we all find the strategies that work best for us!  We also learned to solve 4-digit by 1-digit multiplication problems. For this, we simply use expanded notation and multiply each part separately. Ask your children to show you an example!

Reading: We finished up the week by reading our choice books and jotting ideas about our reading. This class really enjoys reading, and I can always count on them to be totally focused during reading time. I hope they will read over vacation!

Writing: We are still working on our literary essays. I was hoping to finish up this week, but I think we need one more week after vacation to get completely finished. This week, the class learned how to select the best quotes from their books to prove the points they are trying to make in their essays. Providing evidence for your thinking is a critical writing skill, and really a critical life skill as well!

Social Studies: We finished our very quick unit about Vermont's geography, and I am impressed with how much this class learned! They all know where the major mountains and rivers are located, and they can label many important landmarks on the Vermont map! 

Our new vocabulary words this week were ornate, jovial, jubilant, and versatile. Unfortunately, they didn't all make it into the visual dictionary, but that is okay! You can use them at home, and that will make a huge difference. I caught a few students using jovial in their essays, and I was jubilant!

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful week with your children. I will miss them!