Highlights: Feb. 5 - 15th

Between the snow days and the break, this has been a short two weeks! We enjoyed having parents visit on Parent Involvement Day. The students taught visitors one of our favorite games, Salute! 

We continued our Social  Studies exploration of life in the past by making fresh butter ourselves by shaking heavy cream in a jar. There was some science involved as well, as we learned that with enough agitation, the fat molecules clump so much that butter forms. The liquid that separates is buttermilk.  Some groups saw butter forming after around 12 minutes of shaking. Others took closer to 20 minutes. The children worked hard for a well-deserved bread and butter snack!

We had a lovely time at our Valentine's celebration. Many thanks to Lynly Williams, Melissa Dorfman and Grace Carpenter for planning such a fun party, and for all the parents who donated items and came to help out.  We read a story called "Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch" that reminded us that it's not only important to show our loved ones we care about them, but to reach out to others who may be sad, lonely, and need a friend.

This week we were visited by Kelsey from the Ann Arbor District Library, as a follow-up to our library field trip. She shared some of the unique tools and toys children can check out from the library and the students had a chance to explore.

 

Jan. 29th - Feb. 2nd

This week we continued our Social Studies exploration of history, including schools and life long ago.  We worked with partners to read information books and take notes, as well as research the history of Ann Arbor online.

In Math we played a new game called "Beat the Calculator". Ask your child how to play!

We were visited by a few 5th graders this week to partake in a survey that will be included in the school newspaper. We also enjoyed meeting Rocco's dog, Lilly!

January 16 - 26th

Over the past two weeks in Social Studies we have been comparing the present and past. So far we have compared how jobs have changed over time, as well as looking a bit at the history of our own community of Ann Arbor.  We will be delving further into this topic over the coming weeks.

In Math we have been practicing measurement, both in inches and centimeters. Students have been working on estimating how long they think an object or distance is, and then measuring and recording their results.  Volume 1 Math journals will be coming home sometime next week. Any pages that are not completed can be worked on at home and the books do not need to be returned to school.

Author's Chair continues to be a highlight of the week. This is a time when students volunteer to read a story they have written to the class. It is a great way for the writer get feedback, for the audience to gain new ideas for writing, and to get to know one another even better.

Weekly Highlights: January 8 - 11th

This week we enjoyed reconnecting with friends, exploring our brand new furniture, and practicing some familiar math games.  We continued our exploration of life cycles by learning more about the growth cycles of trees.  We had a chance to examine a piece of petrified tree trunk that Naanibaa brought in to share with the class. On Thursday we enjoyed our field trip to the Ann Arbor District Library.  The books checked out on the trip will be due to any branch on Thurs. February 15th.  This week we also welcomed a returning student, Joshua, back to Angell!