We are learning about the natural cycles that make life on Earth possible in our Listening and Learning Strand. First, we learned about the cycle of daytime and nighttime. We discussed that although people say the sun is rising or setting, in fact, the earth is rotating on an axis. So when the sun rises we are turning toward the sun and when the sun sets we are moving away. Ask your child to name a place on earth where it is nighttime while it is still daytime in California.
The next lesson explained the reasons for the seasons. We learned that the earth is tilted on its axis. As a result, as the earth revolves around the sun the the Northern and Southern Hemispheres receive different amounts of sunlight. Ask your child what season it is when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun and is getting the most amount of daylight (summer).
After learning how the tilt of the earth causes the change in seasons we discussed the characteristics of each season including temperature and how plants and animals behave during spring, summer, fall, and winter. Ask your child to name each season in order.
We read two poems related to the change in seasons. "Bee! I’m expecting you! " by Emily Dickinson and "Bed in Summer" by Robert Louis Stevenson. You can find these poems on the poems page.
Next week we will continue our study of cycles in nature. We will begin a new skills unit next week and students will receive a spelling list to study. On Monday, there will be paperwork for a field trip to the Youth Science Institute where we will learn more about life cycles and insects. It will be in the homework folder.
In addition, we will start a new math module in which students will learn to add and subtract larger numbers within 1000. Students will build upon the skills they learned previously to extend their learning to addition and subtraction algorithms to numbers within 1,000, always with the option of modeling with materials or drawings.