In our unit on Ancient Asia, we learned about the silk road. We discovered that it consisted of many roads and that they were not actually made of silk. Instead, these roads were a series of trade routes on which silk was an important item of trade. We learned that the Chinese used a highly secretive process to make the fine silk cloth that was valued by the traders along the silk road. We completed a shared writing activity in which we wrote about the silk making process. Ask your child what were the steps to making silk. Ask him or her to use the antonyms emerge and plunged as they describe the process. (The cocoons are plunged in water before the moths emerge.)
We read in Scholastic News about types of landforms. We followed a flock of geese migrating south and the different landforms over which they fly. We learned that plains are flat wide spaces with few trees, and mountains are steep peaks that rise abruptly. Also, rivers are long flowing bodies of freshwater, and oceans are large areas of salty water.
We read another non fiction article called Nocturnal Animal Showdown. Students discovered how nocturnal animals hunt for prey and how those prey protect themselves. Ask your child to explain why predator and prey are antonyms. Also, ask him or her what are some of the techniques owls use to hunt and mice use to stay safe.
Our new common core standards have us delving deep into place value so that students master the concepts before moving on to higher grades. The emphasis is on helping students gain a strong number sense with a deep understanding of place value. We learn and practice mental math strategies daily. In addition, we collaborate with partners or table teams to figure out mathematical word problems. We are learning the why we do it, as well as the how we do it. The goal is to help students gain a strong number sense and love of mathematical patterns and problem solving.