January 29, 2016
- donjohnson
- Jan 29, 2016
- 2 min read
Greetings!
Next week is our midline Measure of Academic Progress or MAP test. The kids will be checked for reading, math, and grammar skills. I expect them all to do well. Our assignments and daily routines will have helped.
For example, our morning “Do Now” session heightens awareness to grade-level sentence types, paragraph structure, and punctuation. I’m actually surprised by how much the kids enjoy examining and improving an action-packed paragraph.
Last week, I mentioned Mauri Kunnas’ The Seven Dog Brothers. The madcap book, along with other reading activities, has helped us to practice comparing and contrasting, sequencing, identifying main ideas, and various other comprehension skills. Good stuff!
We started our physical science unit. Yay! To kick the topic off, we touched on simple machines. We used toy propellers with stick axles to demonstrate an inclined plane or screw’s role in aerodynamic lift. We also threw a boomerang and discussed how it too was a simple machine (i.e. wedge, lever and sort of screw).
Inexpensive toys can provide priceless fun. That is your lesson and mine. The kids loved playing with the $3 propellers. Playing with science is cool, and there’s more fun to come.
Our LS art teacher Ms. Le has invited you to view the children’s work at https://sites.google.com/a/icsabidjan.org/mrs-le-s-art/. Enjoy!
IN SITES! Here are a couple websites you might find interesting:
http://bit.ly/1NF90Qi - This is a Prezi I made that breaks down the AERO standards we are currently using in our writing workshop. The brief presentation is not as boring as it may sound. You could gain basic insights for academic standards in general. Yeah, that still sounds boring, but it takes just 2 minutes to view.
http://bit.ly/RKw4rp - Funbrain.com is anything but boring. There are heaps of educational activities. The kids have seen the lay of the cyberscape. Now, I suggest you open the link and let your child go play in this wonderful online space.
Have fun and feel good,
Mr. Johnson
p.s. If your child brings a lunch without eating utensils, you may have noticed ICSA forks and such at home. Please send them back, and know that borrowed utensils will not be available as of next week.
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