The Kersey Chronicles
Rockstars Choosing to Matter in Room 25
STEM Challenges
Once a problem as been identified, students are empowered to solve their problem on their own rather than merely look at other people's solutions. They ask questions, imagine possibilities, plan and model a solution, evaluate and analyze how well it is working, and finally explain their thinking and launching it to an authentic audience. This process is also used in writing, Genius Hour, science experiments, and researching. It is a way of thinking and opportunity to solve problems.
One of my goals this year is to provide your child with more frequent opportunities to practice this process through small-scale STEM challenges. I would love to get to the point where they are working on these on a weekly basis. If you are able to donate supplies for students, we would be greatly appreciative. This can include almost anything from paper clips and pipe cleaners to fishing line and legos. The really neat thing is that any item can be powerful to STEM thinkers!
If you want to learn more, this is a great link to visit! Of course, I'm always open to questions and comments!
This Week's Set List (November 14 -18)
Week at a Glance/Skills for the Week:
LITERACY – We are working on becoming STRONG non-fiction readers. We reviewed the strategies that good non-fiction readers use, and will now embark in learning effective researching strategies. This unit will wrap up shortly after Thanksgiving break.
WRITING – We are working on some "big kid" writing this unit as we learn how to write essays; we begin with personal essays and move toward opinion/persuasive essays. This is important work because students will use essays in a lot of different ways the rest of this school year and going forward.
MATH – We have started Unit 5, which focuses on fractions and increasing students' understanding of the relationship between fractions, percents, and decimals. Students will also make connections to division and gain exposure to data analysis in this unit.
SPELLING – We will have the week 10 test this week on Thursday. Students have their spelling lists in their take home folders.
SCIENCE – Students are learning about animal adaptations in Science. We learned how we inherit some traits and then adapt to our environment to survive. To transfer this knowledge, students are imagining they are zookeepers who have just opened a new bat exhibit and will be teaching 4th graders about the adaptations of a bat species of their choice. Bat Models will be due the week of November 14-18, and presentations will be November 21 and 22.
SOCIAL STUDIES – We are currently taking a break from Social Studies, and will resume later in the year.
TIPS - This week in TIPS, we will work on additional reading strategies and skills.
Upcoming Events
November 11th: Grandparents Day and Veterans Program
November 11th-17th: Book Fair
November 23rd-27th: Thanksgiving Break
November 30th: Early Release Day