Math this week

This week we are looking at different ways to use place value in multi-digit multiplication. Here are some videos explaining different strategies.

Place Value Sections Method


Expanded Notation Method

Lincoln Peirce Visit!

BIG NATE came to our school today!  What a great presentation from Lincoln Peirce today.  He told us about how he began his career as a cartoonist.  He started by reading regular books and also comic books like Avengers, Donald Duck, and Peanuts.  Sometimes he would draw inside his comic books and try to copy the artist.  He seemed to like super heros a lot!  One time he made a cartoon hero he called Super Jimmy.  As he got older, he became a better artist and he finally hit it big with Big Nate. However, even that took two years to get printed.  One thing I did not think about when I read the Big Nate books is that the pictures can take sometimes up to 10 hours to draw for just one half of a page. 

Mindfulness

Are you interested in investigating mindfulness in our classroom this year.  Watch the video and let me know what you think about it!

UW-Madison helps students learn through well-being exercises
Mindfulness in an elementary classroom, brought to you by the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds and...hip-hop?
Posted by University of Wisconsin-Madison on Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Check out these sites for vocabulary

http://graphwords.com/

https://www.wordnik.com/words/access

http://www.wordsmyth.net/

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/

http://www.bigiqkids.com/spellingwords/onlinedictionary.shtml

Studying Flight

Before our virtual field trip with Virgin Galactic, we need to discuss some ideas about flight.  Here is an article about how to make the BEST paper airplanes!  10 of the Best Paper Airplanes

Author Skype

Today we had a great time interviewing Kristin Levine in Virginia.  She wrote the book we are currently reading aloud (and hoping to finish before we leave for vacation!).  It was a very interesting interview and one of the most shocking things we learned is that it took her 4 years to write 'Lions of Little Rock.'  I was also surprised to learn that she didn't like writing at all when she was in school.  In fact, she said she wasn't a very good writer but she was really good at rewriting and making her writing better. Hmmmm maybe this is something all of us need to think about!!  What really made an impression on you during the interview??

Announcing New Quad Blog!

We are connecting with some new classes around the world this spring.  We have just connected with a new class in New Zealand.  Want to know a little bit more about New Zealand?  Check out these sites.... http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/new-zealand/

http://www.timeforkids.com/destination/new-zealand