Dear Families of Room 14,

 

Reading:  We are continuing to review and practice identifying opinion vs. fact, finding author’s purpose and supporting the main idea with three details.  Students also worked on choosing an appropriate title for a non-fiction article and making inferences about the text.

 

Science: The homemade instruments will be due the week of March 28th.  Each student will be expected to present their instrument and explain how they are able to produce different pitches.

 

Research Project:  We have been reading a book called “An Elephant Never Forgets Its Snorkel.”  This book compares animal adaptations to human technology.  For example, elephants use their trunks as snorkels when swimming, chipmunks use their cheeks to carry food (whereas humans use shopping bags) and ducks have oil on their feathers that causes rain to run off them just like a human wearing a raincoat.

 

I will hand out the assignment tomorrow and it will be due next Thursday (March 17th).  Students will need to pick three animals to write about and compare how an adaptation they have is similar to a use of human technology.  They cannot choose an adaptation/technology that is used in the book (I will provide a list of these on the back of the assignment…)

 

Writing: All students have finished the first drafts of their All About essays and have moved on to their second draft that is focused on layout and organization.  These books are designed like typical non-fiction books, with sidebars, pictures/captions, facts, and are organized around ideas/topics.

 

Social Studies: We are continuing to look at communities and how they are formed.  Students have learned about how natural resources can influence where people start communities and about how sometimes communities are built over previous communities throughout time as groups of people are attracted to the same resources or terrain features.

 

What did you do in school this week?

What is the topic of your All About Essay?

Are there any facts or pictures you can add to your essay?

What has been your favorite animal adaptation so far in “An Elephant Never Forgets Its Snorkel?”

What is a natural resource?

What are some natural resources in Seattle?

How do your vocal cords work?

What can cause your vocal cords to not work very well?

Why do you think Seattle became a large city?  Why did people settle here and form a community?

What cursive letters have you studied lately?

Why is St. Louis called the “Gateway to the West?”  What was built there to celebrate that?

 

Thank you,

Mr. Paul

capaul@seattleschools.org

206 252-1532