Hello Everyone,
This school year seems to be flying by so fast. I can hardly believe that there is only a week left in September. It has been an amazing year so far. Your children have been working very hard and everyone should be very proud of what they have accomplished so far. They have progressed extremely far in such a short amount of time.
On to the nitty gritty, at orientation we mentioned that we would try to give you a rough outline of what we would be doing in the next month ahead, so here is a catch up of what we have done so far in the year and a preview of what will be coming in October.
Let’s start with August and September. Below is a breakdown of subjects that we have been working on.
In language we have been working on a review of the parts of speech using the grammar boxes and sentence diagramming. Also, each week the students have to write individual sentences using a list of homophones that we have put up on the board. We have also asked them to diagram 6 of these sentences using the different parts of speech. We feel that this has been helping a lot with the familiarity of the parts of speech as well as improving their sentence construction.
In reading, we have asked the kids to read a historical fiction book and type out the book report form. In class we are having the children read their historical fiction books and Ms. Patti has been reading Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
In geography (culture) we started off the year by reviewing the basic land and water forms and working on the student’s geographic vocabulary and nomenclature. After working on that, we went into the formation and creation of maps, the location of oceans and continents and the different parts of maps (including Equator, Prime Meridian, GMT, and International Date Line). Also we have touched on the climate zones (found by lines of latitude) and time zones (found by meridian of longitude).
In history (culture) we began the year by looking at our universe and the earth’s position in relation to the rest of the solar system (the dynamic earth and the solar system). After that we moved on how the earth heats and cools itself by the movement of gases based on their temperature. During this time we also talked about the formation of our atmosphere and the different levels that make it up. At the beginning of September we gave a lesson call Clock of Eons which talked about the different Eons of the earth (Hadean, Archeoan, Proterozoic, Phanerozoic) and the eras that make up the Phanerozoic (Paleozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, Cenozoic Era and Neozoic Era).
In science we have been looking at the external parts of animals. We began with the fish this month. Also, we have begun our look into the five kingdoms and the students will be creating and researching one of the five kingdoms in depth with a group and present it to the rest of the classroom. This is the very beginning of our look into the kingdoms, especially the animal kingdom.
In geometry (math) we have been working on the properties of straight and curved lines. Also, we tied the idea of circles into the study of the earth and globe. We also have started with the study of triangles. During this study we have been talking about their parts, altitude, medians and orthocenter’s. We also have looked into the family of quadrilaterals and the relationship of the families that make this up. We have compared properties of different shapes (rectangle to parallelogram, square to rhombus, right trapezoid to regular trapezoid).
In computation (math) we have been working on one digit and two digit multiplication, using the checkerboard. Some of the students have begun division of numbers by one and two digits using the test tube materials. Finally we have constantly worked on the math facts and vocabulary used in the different problems.
In technology we have gone over the use of USB ports. We showed them how to properly eject the drive, insert it, save pictures off the web, and how to create a PowerPoint presentation. The students worked on a PowerPoint about themselves and will be presenting that using limited note cards and without looking at the screen. We are trying to teach them how to give effective presentations.
As for the month of October, we are planning on having a full month as well.
In language we are going to continue to work on our homophones and the building of their vocabulary through these sentences. Also, we are going to focus on the parts of speech to get the students more familiar with what each one is and where they fall into the sentence. We will be focusing on the pronoun, preposition and conjunction. With the focus being on the specific parts of speech, we will be visiting the grammar boxes again and begin the diagramming of sentences.
The book report for this month will be of a biography of an important person to history. In class we are going to begin reading The History of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon since this will correspond with the introduction of mankind in culture.
In geography (culture) the students will continue to improve their map and globe reading while they are tracking the Earthquakes and the earth’s movement. Also we will begin our examination of the horizontal landforms of the earth (Fjords, atolls, tributaries). We are then going to look into the physical land and water forms of the student’s country of origin.
In history (culture) we will be looking at the Neozoic Era and the appearance and significance of Man. This will begin our look into the beginning of man and the evolution into modern humans.
In science we will be looking at the external parts of amphibians, reptiles and birds. Also we begin to look into the classification of different living organisms, mainly the protozoa and prokaryote. We will be looking at the subkingdoms of Archaebacteria and Eubateria. Also, we will touch on the kingdom of Protoctista and the ten Phyla.
In geometry (math) we will be looking into the classification of quadrilaterals. We are going to start with the equivalence of the shapes, as well as the construction of them. Also, we are going to look into polygons, both regular and irregular. Also, we will be studying the characteristics and classification of triangles.
In computation (math) we will continue to look at the multiplication and division of whole numbers. Some of the students are working on division and multiplication of single digits and double digits. We also will work on the beginning of decimals, including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. As every month, we will work on math facts and vocabulary.
With technology, we will begin to have the students work on the Type 2 Learn program. This program helps the students to understand the home row keys and how to effectively type. We will also use PowerPoint to put together various presentations based on what the students are studying and assigned.
Finally, some important dates that are coming up in this month:
· Students must submit a country name of origin by Oct. 1
· International Day is on October 27th (more information will be coming)
· Parent Teacher Conference on October 28 – 30th .
Thank you for giving us the chance to teach your children.
Ms. Patti, Ms. Marilyn, and Mr. Chris