Structures - Joints

Joints are places where two parts of a structure are held together by nails, fasteners, cement, or other material. Today, we built structures with a variety of materials. We used our prior knowledge of using triangular shapes to strengthen the structure and using different materials for joinery.

Mathematics - Building Arrays

We are starting our look at multiplication. An arrangement of objects, pictures, or numbers in columns and rows is called an array. Arrays are useful representations of multiplication concepts. We used a variety of manipulatives to represent our arrays - cereal, stickers, dabbers, beads, and even ponytail holders!

Structures - Carrying A Load

We are studying structures in Science. We have learned that structures are something that is built or constructed. We looked at a variety of famous structures and structures which occur naturally in nature.

Today, we looked at stability and load. The students were challenged to suspend a cup of marbles using provided materials.

Retro Day

A look back in time with these cuties.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

January will be an exciting month! We will be starting multiplication and cursive writing!

We will be embarking on a study of books authored by Mary Pope Osborne. The Magic Tree House series takes readers on magical journeys to the past. Jack and Annie, a pair of siblings, display courage, confidence, and strength as they tackle one  problem after another. 

What makes Jack and Annie so likable are their ordinary qualities. They are fond of  rainbows, cute animals, and enjoy joking around. And, like their young readers, they have normal fears, doubts, and questions about the world around them.

Teaching with a series enriches learning in many ways. Familiar characters allow readers to make more accurate predictions: they can anticipate what characters will do based on other books.

Familiar plot devices assist readers in summarizing information, drawing conclusions, and making inferences. An author’s recognizable style brings a level of comfort to the reading experiences, and it allows readers to more fully focus on the story. While different elements, such as character, setting, and goal may vary, the basic plot structure remains the same in a series. Young writers can apply familiar patterns to their own writing as they experiment with story structure.