Collins & Co. Room 204
Week 32 Update: April 25 - April 29
Welcome!
Hi Families,
The students were wonderful in all of their "Detective James Marshall and the Ashberg Diamond" performances this week. They performed for the school on Tuesday and for the families on Wednesday. They are a talented group and their show was enjoyed by everyone. Thanks to Mr. Blair and Mr. Bartunek for writing this witty piece and sharing it with our students.
On Wednesday of this week, we celebrated "Administrative Assistant Day" by thanking Mrs. Mazur and Mrs. Warnygora for everything they do for us. We presented them with flowers to add to their bouquet. Those two ladies are the heart of our school and we appreciate all their hard work and time they devote to Greenbriar.
Our Civil War field trip is next Friday. If you did not turn in the Civil War Museum permission slip, please do so as soon as possible. We are going next Friday. Thank you!
Next Wednesday, your student will be participating in their last Art Adventure at Greenbriar. They will learn about the history of Cinco de Mayo, try some authentic Mexican food, and have a chance to hit the pinata. It's a great time for the students, with tremendous planning and preparing done by many volunteers.
"Let the countdown begin!" The Greenbriar ABC Countdown will start next Wednesday, May 4th. Here is the schedule!
Due to the busy schedule next week, we will not be learning new Spelling or Vocabulary words.
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Have a great weekend!!
Ms. Collins
Math: Chapter 13B
The students did a great job of learning about quadrilaterals and their different rules.
Trapezoids were a bit more confusing with their different rules about angles, but they persevered and did a great job on their tests. Look for them on Monday in your child's take home folders.
Students also incorporated technology into their learning by making a Google Doc Drawing about their favorite type of quadrilateral.
Up next, 3-D shapes and figures!
Reader's Workshop
This week in Reader's Workshop, students performed a few plays to learn about soldier life, women in the Civil War, and the Battle of Gettysburg. They used their acting skills that they've learned from the musical rehearsals to play out the different roles. Everyone has been eager to participate and take part in the action!
Students also read several pieces about the Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address. We read them closely to determine the importance and meaning behind what President Lincoln was trying to convey.
We also read a book called, "Thank you, Sarah." It is about how Sarah Hale saved Thanksgiving. She actually wrote thousands of letters to multiple presidents over the span of 30 years to help create this national holiday. Thank you, Sarah!
Social Studies/Civil War Simulation
We discussed what may have happened had the Confederacy won in the north at Gettysburg and had Meade decided to chase Lee back to Richmond when they were retreating. Maybe the war may have ended quickly after this battle.
There was so much to discuss this week that we decided to play 1863 Jeopardy and take our 1863 quiz on Monday. Your students should have come home with their binders to study over the weekend!
*Have you seen our Civil War Visual Vocabulary pictures? President Lincoln and the goldfish symbolize Emancipation. Check out the rest on our classroom website where they are featured each week for the kids to study. (They are also at the bottom of this page!)
Writer's Workshop
We compared these books to a nonfiction piece that was from a text book and the students all agreed that the picture books were more fun, interesting, and exciting to look at. They found text features like captions, pictures, diagrams, bold words, and other interesting visuals that made the reading fun.
They began a list of topics that they may be interested in writing about. We then identified the types of subtopics in the book about frogs to see how they managed subtopics. Students then went back to their lists and tried to brainstorm the subtopics they could research and discuss in their own pieces.
We will pick our topics next week and begin the research in school. Some topic ideas so far are: Tornadoes, Cheetahs, Bald Eagles, and Pokemon, just to name a few. Ask your student about theirs! If they are having trouble coming up with ideas, you may want to remind them to pick something they are interested in and have schema for. Also, it should be a topic that they can find a book about in the library!
Science Lab
They also learned about atoms, which are smallest units of matter. Chemists use abbreviations to describe the atoms that make up substances. For example H20, Cle, NO, etc.
On Friday, they experimented with nuts and bolts to create compounds and molecules. They learned how they fit together and are always recreating themselves in our bodies. They saw a video of a DNA Double Helix that helps show them the representation of how small they really are!
Ask your Student about:
- The Musical Performances
- Letters from their buddies about their musical performances
- The Gettysburg Address (poetry, 3-D Lincoln, and putting it in our own words
- ... and the famous people we saw recite it on, learntheaddress.org
- The Emancipation Proclamation
- How Sarah Hale saved Thanksgiving
- Science Lab
Things to come:
- Wednesday, May 4th
- Art Adventure: Cinco de Mayo (Morning)
- ABC Countdown Begins with
- Friday, May 6th
- Civil War Museum Field Trip (8:40-3:00)
- Monday, May 9th
- Wind Ensemble Performance @ GB 11-11:45
- Tuesday, May 10th
- Archives Projects Due!
- Tuesday, May 17th
- PARCC Science Test (5th Grade Only!) 10:45-11:50
- Wednesday and Thursday, May 18-19th
- Book Fair
- Thursday, May 19th
- Open House 6:30-7:30
Collins & Co.
Greenbriar Elementary School
Email: ecollins@northbrook28.net
Website: http://fs.greenbriar28.net/~elisabethcollins/Ms._Collins_Class_Webpage/Welcome_to_Collins_%26_Co..html
Location: 1225 Greenbriar Lane, Northbrook, IL, United States
Phone: 847-504-3711