G'Day From Down Under!

We have started learning all about AUSTRALIA this week! We've had a fun and busy week in our new theme. 

Here's what we've been up to...

Language Arts

We began Tuesday by introducing and starting all the new centers for the week. Activities centered around our spelling words with -sh and -ch, Australia, and much more. We finished up reading with each individual student and are truly AMAZED at the amount of growth they have made since the beginning of the year!! In guided groups, students began research on their Australian animal. We are starting to learn all about their diet, habitat, behavior, and appearance. Students also learned all about the map of Australia, read stories about animals and found answers to comprehension questions within the text.

-sh and -ch ball toss

Listening center report

Fun with Australian puzzles!

Reading to the teacher

Australia journal entry

ABC order

Aussie Puppets

Reinforcing fractions

Australian animal research has begun!

Finding answers to questions in a text

Math

Writing equations for number of the day

Bubble gum fractions

Putting pieces of an apple together to make 1 whole

Pizza fractions

Pizza fractions

"I have, who has" with fractions

Playing "rolling fractions"... quite the photo bomb!

Social Studies

We started our Australia unit! On Tuesday, we had the "big reveal" of our Australian animals and the children are SO excited! We did a brief intro to the continent and also studied and created the Australian flag.

Making Australian flags

Thrilled to study the koala!

TNT

To celebrate our journey into Australia, students created their very own kangaroo complete with an interesting fact about the famous Australian animal.

Hands on Science

We started science with a discussion about surface tension and water molecules. We have learned about different things that break the water's surface tension and things that don't. To experiment with surface tension even further, we did the "magic finger" experiment. Students had a bowl of water with black pepper sprinkled into it. They dipped their finger into the water and nothing happened. Then we placed a drop of dish soap on their finger. When they dipped their soapy finger into the water, it caused the black pepper to scatter and "run away" from their finger! We discussed how the soap causes the molecules to relax and not stick together so tightly. This changes the water's surface tension. It was cool to learn about how soap cleans different things!

How can we make the pepper run away from our finger?

Without soap, the pepper stays in place

With soap, the pepper spreads out!

Magic finger experiment

So this is how soap works!

Computer Lab

Students visited the website www.learninggamesforkids.com and played a fun geography game about Australia.

Spelling

We will not have a spelling list or test next week due to parent/teacher conferences on Thursday and Friday. The list for the following week will be sent home on Wednesday 2/26.

REMINDERS:
*Paint day on Monday- have your child wear not so nice clothing please!  Parent volunteers that signed up to paint please by here by 9:15am. Thanks!
*Parent/teacher conferences.... NO SCHOOL on Thursday 2/27 and Friday 2/28
*Please return the book in the bags on Monday so your child can get a new book.  We have some students that have them at home from before the USA theme.  Thanks!
*Australian animals will come home next week to stuff, staple and decorate with craft materials.  

Have a great weekend!

Melissa & Jenny