It's Really Real

This week students became immersed in Realistic Fiction. We began by reading Frindle by Andrew Clements. We have really enjoyed learning about the main character Nick. Students have immersed themselves entirely in writing realistic fiction and have created some very interesting characters. Duncan is in the process of creating a story about a boy named Bris who gets lost one sunny day at Taipei 101. I can't wait to see what other stories they develop. Please read on to get a glimpse at all we've done this week and all we hope to do next week. 

This Week
Reading: Students used Post-its to learn more about realistic fiction. Students used post-its when they noticed character traits, and details about the setting, problem, and solution.

Writing: Students developed their characters by using a T-chart to create internal and external character traits. Students also created maybe books and chose the best one to draft. Afterwards students plotted their stories along a story mountain by putting the climax at the very peak.

Math: Students learned how to subtract 3-digit numbers by estimating and then regrouping. Students also learned how to subtract across zero by using place value blocks. Then students learned how to solve word problems by using a bar diagram and writing a number sentence. At the end of the week we reviewed and assessed everything we learned in Topic 4: Subtracting Whole Numbers to Solve Problems.

Science: Students learned that animals are born, grow, reproduce, and die during their life cycles. Students also learned the most living things pass on traits to their offspring, as a result they often look similar.

Next Week
Reading: Students will learn more about characters by noticing how they act, and react to other characters in their books. Students will also learn more about their characters by noticing objects that they hold dear and when they are acting "out of character".

Writing: Students will elaborate upon their writing by adding dialogues and thoughts. Students will further elaborate by using multi-sensory details and stretching out the climax of their story.

Math: Students will begin Topic 5: Multiplication Meanings and Facts. Students will learn to model repeated addition as multiplication. They will also learn how to multiply by using counters, writing number sentences, and word problems.  

Social Studies: Students will learn that communities share different things and are connected in different ways. Students will also learn that communities differ according to their geography, past, and types of businesses. Finally students will various ways to learn about their community.