Next Wednesday, May 16th G1 students will have a field trip to the Sony ExploraScience Museum to explore sound and light.
Cost per child (admission/highway fees): ¥300
Please send in your child's field trip money by Tuesday, May 15th next week.
Our snack time will be earlier on this day. Students will eat snack at 9:00 AM and we'll leave school at 10:00 AM. Our estimated arrival to the location is 10:30 AM. We'll spend time at the park playing and students will eat an early lunch at 11:00 AM before going to the museum at 11:30 AM. We will spend approx. 2 hours at the museum before returning back to school around 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM, depending on traffic.
Is your child ready for the field trip?
- orange field trip shirt (P.E. uniform)
- paid ¥300
- water bottle
- hand towel
- lunch (no yogurts or messy foods please)
- snack
- backpack
- hat, sunscreen (park)
Thank you for helping prepare your child for this field trip!
Nonfiction Readers - Readers Can Read about Science Topics to Become Experts
This week students practiced working in Reading Clubs. Each group was given a topic, then the students worked together to brainstorm three questions they could ask about the topic. After their questions were recorded, students used nonfiction texts to research their topic and find the answers. While reading different nonfiction books, students also compared books and the information written about a topic.
After students practiced this skill, I introduced them to 4 new topics (bears, spiders, butterflies, and frogs) and showed them different nonfiction texts written about each topic. Student shared which topic they would be interested in learning more about, then joined that Reading Club.
After creating new Reading Club groups, we discussed that scientists learn everything they can about the animals they study and they begin by learning all the vocabulary and basic information (knowledge) they will need to understand what they are reading. While reading the nonfiction texts, students made a list of words that were new to them, then practiced using a glossary and dictionary to find the meaning of the new words.
Report Writing - Clay Models, Habitat Displays
This week each student created an animal clay model and a habitat display to present with their published report. Students shared their animal presentations on Friday. This work will be on display in our classroom during the Science/Art Fair.
Next week we will begin persuasive writing.
Subtraction
Our Math focus this week was subtraction strategies using numbers to 40. Students practiced how to subtract without and with regrouping and learned that you can subtract numbers in different ways. Please take a moment to look at the strategies below and continue to practice these skills at home. Thank you!
Sound and Vibrations / Changing Sound
This week we went outside to listen for outdoor sounds and asked the question, "What information does sound give us?" While outside, students closed their eyes and used their ears to listen to the sounds around them. After 5 minutes, students began recording their observations. Students shared their notes and answered these questions: What did you observe with your ears? What did you hear? What is the source of the sound? Was it a loud or soft sound? What was vibrating? What information did you get from the sounds you heard?
We also explored changing sound and focused on changing volume. During these lessons, students investigated a one-string guitar and a xylophone. We reviewed that sounds come from objects that are vibrating and that vibrating objects always make sound. Students learned that volume is how loud or soft a sound is and sounds can differ in volume.
Next week we will investigate changing pitch.
Traditions We Share - Pen Pal Letters
This week our class received letters from our pen pals in Ohio, United States of America! We sent our new letters and the students are very excited to receive another letter before the end of the school year! This has been a fun and exciting project that has helped our class learn about children from a different part of the world, thinking about their culture and comparing our lives in Japan to their lives in America.
Next week we will begin a Social Studies unit titled Past and Present. Our next field trip will connect to what we are learning during this chapter. More information about this field trip will be shared soon. It will be scheduled for the last month of the school.
Have a great weekend!
- Ms. Allison