As November comes to a close, so too do our first quarter Project Arrow Units. Literature was the driving theme throughout September, October and November, and now we are beginning to wind down.
The major process involved in unit two for our second graders is analogical reasoning, with figurative language devices broken down into their components for analysis. Students will be writing, with an emphasis on persuasive writing. As always, the unit is centered around the concept of change, with particular emphasis on the concept of language and it's relationship to change. The students explore how language changes as well as the changes language can cause.Look forward to seeing some writing samples coming home, and notice the similes and metaphors in their writing.
Our third graders are gearing up and setting the foundation for their study of Ancient Egypt. Learning about where Egypt is, and when the events they will be studying happened, is our first step. I am attempting to contextualize ancient Egypt; helping them to grasp some of the difficult concepts of time and space. Timeline activities and discussions of the difference between BC dates and AD dates are helpful. Our next step is to introduce, develop and understanding the concept of "a civilization."
Now that we have completed The Secret Garden, and The Girl from Yamhill, the fourth and fifth grade students are busy working on their story wheels. After responding to literature, with an emphasis on evidence and interpretation, they are ready to create a final project, reflecting what they have learned. These story wheels will be on display in our classroom during fall conferences! Fourth grade is gearing up to begin their study of the ocean, as fifth grade begins the exploration of the Ancient Maya Culture. As you can see, we have lots of exciting work ahead of us!
I look forward to meeting with you during our scheduled fall conferences. I still have a few available slots if you have not yet signed up. Please let me know if you have not received a confirmation notice.
One last note... The IPPA PTA is sponsoring a chess tournament on Sunday, Nov. 7 at NVHS-Gold Campus. It is open to all students in 204. If you are interested, you will need to act on this quickly. I apologize, I just got word of this over the weekend. Click on the link for more information.
ChessTournament.doc.pdf (20 KB)
Thank you all for all you generous support. I hope you are enjoying this very beautiful Naperville Fall!
Patti Tobin
"We are all traveling through time. Let us make the future a place we'd want to visit." Stephen Hawking
