Week of December 3rd

Math 
As we completed our unit on addition and subtraction, students were introduced to the partial sums algorithm.  This algorithm is an addition strategy for adding two and three digit numbers by adding the tens, then the ones, and finally, finding the sum.  Click here to watch an instructional video that teaches partial sums. 

Reading Workshop
Students have been noticing the organization in non-fiction books and how the author writes to teach new information.  We are using what we are learning in this unit to help us write our own non-fiction book about rocks.

Library Field Trip
We will be visiting the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Library this Tuesday, December 4th.  Students with a library card will be able to check out two books.  If your child already has a library card please send it to school with them on Tuesday.  If you filled out a library card application for your child to get a new library card they will receive their card at the library on the day of the trip.
If you would like to join us on this trip please contact me at (734)-997-1216 or padgensa@aaps.k12.mi.us.

Volcano Investigation

The children have been asking lots of questions about volcanoes lately, so last Friday we took an up close look at the layers of the Earth and volcanoes.  Hopefully your child's Earth model made it home safely and they were able to tell you about the core, mantle, and crust.  We used this volcano website to build a virtual volcano and learn about how viscosity and pressure determine volcano type.  Check it out with your family!

This Week

Report Cards
Report cards will be sent home Tuesday afternoon.  Please check your child's folder or backpack. 

Library Field Trip
We will be traveling to the Downtown Branch of the Ann Arbor District Library on Tuesday December 4th.  We will be leaving school at 12:30 p.m and returning at 2:30 p.m.  Please sign and return your child's permission slip so they can join us on this trip.  

Week of 11/12-16

Week of 11/5

It's Getting Colder!
We will go outside for recess everyday.  Please make sure your child has a coat, hat, and gloves. 

Monarchs and Migration

We have been following the annual Monarch migration to Mexico since school began.  This week the Monarchs finally arrived in Mexico to spend the winter before returning north in the Spring to lay their eggs.  If you'd like to explore and learn more about monarchs, migration, and Mexico check out the Journey North website.

Pumpkins!

As scientists we were wondering, "Does the size of a pumpkin determine the number of seeds inside?"  So we investigated.  After measuring and weighing our pumpkins we determined which pumpkins were largest and which pumpkins were the smallest. 

Then we carefully counted the seeds by making groups of 10 and 100.

After we finished collecting the data we found out that the biggest pumpkin had 170 seeds, the smallest pumpkin had 483 seeds, and the pumpkin with the most lines had 430 seeds.  According to our investigation bigger pumpkins have fewer seeds than smaller pumpkins so size does determine the number of seeds in a pumpkin.  Of course, to be scientifically accurate we'd have to try this many times so we'll never be quite sure!