Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Mystery Boards

Today went by pretty quickly and productively. We started off with our journals. We checked and corrected homework. We read a short non-fiction selection from Treasures on the "Great Wall of Los Angeles." Designed by artist Judy Baca, this is a large mural in Tujunga, probably the longest mural in the world. We discussed the difference between facts and opinions, and the students started to write summaries of the article.

After recess, we continued to work on electricity. We discussed electrical circuit boards, and the students were given pieces of cardboard with wires connecting different points. 

Mystery Board

They had to figure our which points were connected by the wires. Was it A to B? C to D? Or A to C? The students created circuit testers to do this using wires, a motor, and a d-cell. 

After lunch, we finished reading Stone Fox. This was the really sad point where Searchlight, Little Willy's beloved sled dog, dies trying to help him win the race and save his grandfather's farm. It's so well-written! We also talked about adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. 

Homework:   (1) Write spelling words 8-17 five times each in cursive and write a sentence for each word also in cursive. (2) Do the spelling jumble. (3) Do "Skimming" page 221 and "Word Origins" page 223 in the Practice book. (4) Do Comparing Fractions 2. (5) Do "Unlike Denominators" pages 256-257 and "Animal Runners" on the back of the answer sheet.  

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