It's Crunch Time!

Are you ready to sharpen up your math and problem solving skills? I HOPE SO! This is the FOCUS website. First, go to http://www.florida-achieves.com/, log in to the FOCUS side of the website (the right side). Your sign in name will be your last name and first initial (For example, if your name is Jane Smith, your sign in would be smithj) Once you have your sign in, enter your password which is the number 16, the first four letters of your last name and your birthday month, then year. (For example Jane Smith, born on January 1st would have the password of 16smit0101)
Once you have logged in, you can choose any link to work on. These assignments align with topics and skills we have gone over in class.

Let the Countdown Begin...2010!

The students and I are very excited about the upcoming new year. Did you know that the number 2010 is a landmark number? It's a landmark number because it ends in the number 0. For the month of December, one of the Every Day Counts activites is counting down the days until January 1st. In our classroom, we have 31 red and green links on a chain and every day in the month of December we are taking off one of the links. We also created number sentences to represent the year...2010. One student suggested: 2010 x 2 / 2 = 2010. She used a combination of multiplication and division to name the number of the upcoming year. Another student said: 1,000 x 2 + 10 - 10 + 5 + 5. He combined the multiplication, addition, and subtraction operations to name the number 2010. Ask your child about some of the other Every Day Counts activities as they appear in the slideshow. Happy Holidays!

1, 2, 3, 4...Tetrominoes Galore!

What is a tetromino? A tetromino is a shape formed of FOUR connected square regions. In the unit, "Flips, Turns, and Area", students will be exploring area using the tetrominoes. Do you remember playing the game, Tetris, as a child? If so, here is your chance to show off your Tetris skills. Click on the link below and choose one of the following Tetris games. As you and your child are playing the game, think about the following questions:
*Do certain shapes fit together well?
*How did you decide where to place the tetrominoes?
*Was one tetromino shape more difficult to place than the others? Why?
*What was the easiest tetromino shape to work with? Why?
*Are some of the shapes congruent? How do you know?
*Review the terms; translation (slide), reflection (flip), and rotation (turn).
Tetris Mania (<---click here)

What's the Matter???

Matter is EVERYWHERE! Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. In our upcoming science unit we will be exploring the three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases using our senses. Take a minute to observe the world around you...can you identify an example of a solid, liquid, or gas? How are they alike and different? To learn more about matter in a fun way, view the "Properties of Matter" song by clicking on the video clip. :)

Metric Snakes

Imagine that you had a pet snake that was exactly one meter (m) long. How many decimeters (dm) are in one meter? How many centimeters (cm) are in one meter? These are questions that we will be exploring this month in class and at home. Each day in the month of October, we will be adding 1 decimeter or 10 centimeters to our measurement piece in Every Day Counts. If we added 1 decimeter each day for 31 days, how many decimeters will there be all together? How many centimeters will there be in all? How many meters all together? Did you estimate or did you write your thinking down on paper? What items in our world around us measure about 1 meter? I know that the width of my front door is about 1 meter wide. Bring your ideas to share with your classmates! I have included several measurement links to help reinforce the metric system at home. I can't wait to see your pet snakes slither their way into our classroom this Friday!
Measure It!
Length Strength
Wacky Ruler

Reading Really Adds Up!

On Friday at Don Brewer, we celebrated the Million Word Campaign with a Literacy Kick-Off! Students and teachers were encouraged to dress up like one of their favorite book characters. We even had guest readers stop by our classrooms throughout the day to celebrate with us their love of reading. I dressed up as my favorite character, Stephanie, from the book titled "Stephanie's Ponytail" by Robert Munsch. It takes me back to my childhood when I use to wear my ponytail on the side of my head in the fourth grade. Now, take a look at this photo...can you guess who looks like a bunch of grapes from the story "Grapes of Math" by Gregory Tang? You are smarties...it's Mrs. Copeland, our math coach at Don Brewer. I was so excited to see another teacher who also loves this book as much as I do. Not only is the book great for problem solving and critical thinking, it is FUN, too! Here is an excerpt from the text: "I stroll along a vineyard path, and there I see the GRAPES OF MATH! Overhead the sun is blanzin', soon each grape will be a raisin. How many grapes are on the vine? Counting each takes too much time. Never fear, I have a hunch, there is a match for every bunch!" This story encourages students to find new ways to group numbers for quick counting. No worries...the solutions are located in the back of the book for those who need extra help. It may even teach adults a few tricks! Don't forget, as part of the 30 book goal this year, expose your child to different genres, including math related stories.
Author Website: Gregory Tang
Author Website: Robert Munsch

Plant Exploration

Do you know the four main parts of a plant? Did you say...roots, stem, leaves, and flower? If so, you're right! Each part of the plant plays an important role in the plant's survival. Like animals, plants need food, water, air, and space to grow successfully. In science lab, we have been observing the life cycle of a plant. We started with placing a bean into a baggie with a damp paper towel. Our class noticed that the first bean began to sprout on Day 3. On Day 5, Cayce's bean grew a stem and leaves. She must have a green thumb! To take on the role of a scientist, students must conduct research on their topic to learn as much as they can about that particular topic (example: plants). Researching information allows students the opportunity to go deeper with the science standards. I have included several weblinks which are plant related. Have your child explore each link to learn more about the plants in our world!

The Life Cycle of Plants
Parts of a Seed
Paper Towel Plants (video)
All About Leaves (video)
Plants In Motion (videos)
Adventures of the Agronauts
Botanists Dictionary for Kids