Showing Steeler Support!

Go Steelers!! AND....Go Big Macs, too! Everywhere you looked at N.S.I. today, students were supporting their teams! We love that team spirit!

It was a great Friday! As always, Team Enterprise was going in many directions. Mrs. McIlvaine was very impressed with the earnest discussions taking place in McD's Cafe. Everyone took their roles very seriously and did a nice job of listening and participating. The students practiced looking at the person who was speaking to show respect. We are working on our listening and leadership skills. Our first novel begins next week, and we're very excited.

The students enjoyed the "longest problem ever completed" using order of operations in Math class. The problem was so long that Nate needed another piece of paper!!! The thing that really made Mrs. Haddox do a dance was that most of the students got the problem correct.

Our team further explored the movement of the earth's layers and tested their knowledge of the different boundaries and faults. The website used was colorful and interactive. If you'd like to visit it again, here is the address:

www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/


Homework:
Language Arts - Although we didn't hand in our spelling today, we will do so on Monday. Be prepared!
Math - Gem Problem
Social Studies - Study notes and review pages for Ch. 1 Test. Test will be on Monday.

Original Horizontality?

In Science, we are wrapping up our lessons on the movement on the plates. Can you tell me what is happening in the picture above? Record your answer and bring it to class. If you are correct, you will receive an extra point on tomorrow's test. Use your vocabulary from this lesson to describe what is happening above with the plates.

In Math, we started to learn the Properties of Addition and Multiplication. We found the root word in each type of property to help us remember the property. For extra practice, the students were to work on one long problem using the Order of Operations. Remember to do the problem twice to see if you are correct. Good Luck!

In Social Studies, we reviewed our map skills for our Chapter 1 Test. This test will be on Monday. To help you review reading Latitude and Longitude, you may play a game at the following link.

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-games/latitude-longitude-map-game.php

We began work for a new story in Language Arts! The story will be April's Mud. The skill for this story, determining cause and effect, was practiced today in class.

Homework:
Language Arts - Share your new Family Times paper. Complete your trace+2 activity for spelling. Be prepared with your role for tomorrow's McD's Cafe!
Social Studies - Study notes and review pages for Chapter 1. Test will be on Monday.
Science Test tomorrow on the Earth's plates
Math: GEMS problem
SHARE YOUR PROGRESS REPORT WITH YOUR PARENTS. THE SIGNED PROGRESS REPORT SLIP IS DUE TOMORROW!

Smile!

Today was picture day! The students looked quite stunning in their picture-best clothes.

In Science, the students learned how studying the Earth's crust is important. We reviewed for a test that will be given on Friday. Look tomorrow on the blog for a bonus question! Remember to study your vocabulary, especially the different types of boundaries and faults.

The students continued to review the Order of Operations in Math class. We are enjoying solving the problems with Dear Aunt Sally.

The students impressed me today with their encouraging friendly letters that they wrote to a friend in Wellness class. They used sympathetic words and the friendly letter form.

In Social Studies, the students plotted coordinates for two ace fliers that flew around the world. We used our knowledge of latitude and longitude and a world map to plot our coordinates.

Homework:
Social Studies: Study vocabulary words.
Wellness- (204) page 332, 1-3; (202) Friendly Letter
Math- PEAS Worksheet #2, both sides
Science- begin to review for your test on Friday.

Aunt Sally Stayed!

Aunt Sally stayed in our Math class today to help us with Order of Operations. We remember "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" to help us in solving Math expressions. The "P" in Please is to prompt us to start with the numbers in parenthesis; the "E" in Excuse is to prompt us to solve the exponents; the "M" in My is to prompt us to solve the multiplication; the "D" in Dear is to prompt us to solve the division; the "A" in Aunt is to prompt us to solve the addition; and the "S" in Sally is to prompt us to solve the subtraction. When we are faced with only addition and subtraction, we work from left to right to solve the problem, even if the subtraction is first.

Did you know that the Earth's crust recycles itself? While new crust is being formed in some places, older crust is being formed in other places. The students learned how the sea-floor is spreading and pushing the continents apart.

In Reading, we responded to a writing prompt about Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson using "POWER."

In Social Studies, we used large desk maps of the United States and the world to locate latitude and longitiude points. We also figured out the coordinates for cities around the United States and the world.

Homework:
Math: Worksheet on PEMDAS
Science: Worksheet, front and back, on the plates
Wellness (204): read pages 320-325 and complete vocabulary and the questions 1-3, and 5 on page 325.
Spelling: Study Words
Social Studies: Study vocabulary
Writing: Finish prompt

Oranges Smoranges!!

Today our room smelled like fresh oranges! That was because we were participating in an activity for Social Studies that would forever remind us of the global grid. We compared our oranges to the globe! Studying the outside of our oranges, we held them between our fingers at the north and south poles. Then, we carefully carved the equator halfway between the north and south poles, around the middle of the orange. If we were cutting straight through, we would be dividing the orange into its northern and southern hemispheres! Then, we added the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. We discussed the direction these latitude lines run, what they measure, and why they're known as parallels. Next, we peeled our oranges. The inside of our oranges, when held between our fingers at the poles, revealed the longitude lines! We noticed that they were not parallel, and they look further apart at the equator than they do at the poles. We noted the direction they run, what they measure, and that they are also known as meridians. Finally, we divided our orange into the eastern and western hemispheres and shared it with our partner. Students received notes that they should study.

Language Arts was a time of review. Our team will be tested this Wednesday on the story Teammates, as well as the assigned spelling list for the story with the tricky ie, ei patterns. Today, we reviewed the story and the skill of Author's Viewpoint. We also played a game with our spelling words.

In Math, we met Aunt Sally who is helping us with our Order of Operations. The students are enjoying working through the different steps of the problem. Tomorrow, the students will use their own white boards to practice.

Wow! Did you feel the Earth move? The students learned the different ways that the plates can move. Our restless Earth is continually changing, as a result of forces that build landforms and wear them down.

Homework:
Language Arts - Spelling and Reading tests on Wednesday.
Math - Pg. 26 (8-28)
Social Studies - Study notes, vocabulary, and complete the What End is Up? activity.
Science - Read pages D12 - D15 and finish vocabulary