Mathematics.
3 5
-1 3
First we separate the ones and the tens into separate columns (the ninja chop.)
3 | 5
-1 | 3
______
Then we solve the ones column first before moving onto the tens:
3 | 5
-1 | 3
_____
2 | 2
In this way, we can make light work of sum with large numbers in them!
Writing.
- They have a list of materials or equipment needed (in a list with commas.)
- They use imperative verbs (also known as bossy verbs.)
- They use sequencing words at the beginning of each instruction.
In the beginning of the week we looked at different types of expository texts and looked for each of these characteristics in them. We then started planning our writing and as a class decided we would write some expository texts on food! We've been keeping it simple and this helped some of us get to drafting super quickly!
Reading.
One area that the students found challenging was finding the 'big idea' of a no fiction book. The 'big idea' is the overarching theme that pervades throughout the book. We looked at different chapters in a book and thought, 'How are these connected?' For our book on coral reefs, we found that one section was about how the reefs have a lot of fish that live there (a city under water) while another section was about the different coral which may be found there. We used both of these ideas to make the connection that coral reefs support a wide variety of life in them. Then we read on to found out if our 'big idea' continued through the book!
Science.
On Thursday, we looked at using air pressure to move water. As we discovered last term, air and water do not mix so using the two syringe system with a water bottle attached we found that we could actually make the water fill another syringe without being touched. We also found that if you overload the system with too much compressed air, you can cause the tubing to pop off. This then leads to the air escaping along with any water it was pushing. Needless to say, some students got a little wet......