Guest Speakers and Cultural Surveys
/Last week we took a trip to the library to get new books and we learned how to say hello in different languages. This week we continued discussing other languages and cultures during our morning meetings. We examined maps and flags from different places. Penny's mom came in to teach us about Spanish, Portuguese, and Yiddish. Ms. Itza came in to teach us about her experience immigrating to the United States from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. We discussed what it would be like to come to a new country and not know the languages or customs. We also discussed how hurricanes are a type of natural disaster that can quickly change landscapes. Alexander's mom was a guest speaker on Zoom who taught us some Russian words and the Russian alphabet. She talked about her experience growing up in Russia and then moving to the US. This week students partnered up to discuss their cultural surveys then they shared the results with the class. It was so fun learning about students' different heritages and family customs. Earlier this week we prepared for Earth Day by painting planter boxes for the rainbow garden. During our literacy time this week we studied how to read and spell different long a words. Many vowel teams and spelling patterns can make the long a sound. For example, a_e, ai, ay, ey, ei, eigh can all make the long a sound. During math we learned how to play different versions of a game called Clumsy Thief. We also continued playing Qwirkle, Fives Dominoes, Knock Out, and Fudge. We read books and watched a few video clips about changes to the earth's surface. We also did scientific sketches of the rocks that will be going in our rock tumbler. We started our rocks tumbling in the rock tumbler. Outside several students teamed up to problem solve when a ball got stuck high up in a tree. Our mason bees have been busy pollinating flowers and laying eggs. This afternoon we got to celebrate August’s birthday too!
