March 31-April 4, 2014

Lifeskill or Life-long Guideline of the week: Integrity

Math rd 3 - This week in math, students will combine their prior knowledge of perimeter, area, and measurement. We will be focusing on understanding the different units used to label perimeter and area. The students will have a first hand experience with using rulers by measuring 2D shapes to obtain the perimeter. Also, the students will be exploring area and perimeter through real life situations. Students are expected to identify the differences between perimeter and area along with correct units that correspond. *Ask your child to share the key words that hint for perimeter or area. 4 - This week fourth grade students are exploring probability. We will be looking at different events from the future, and distinguishing events that are certain from those that are not. We will be learning to associate the word probability with how likely something is to occur and also looking at events with different probabilities. Finally, we will use concrete objects or pictures to make generalizations about determining all the possible combinations of a given set of data or of objects in a real life situation.
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Poetry This week in reading and writing, students will continue working on poetry. We will be exploring poetry through various authors, poets, and our very own students. Students will be able to identify parts of the poem, such as stanzas, lines, rhymes, rhyming scheme, and meters. Also, students will be able to identify and understand the different characteristics of humorous, lyrical, free verse, narrative, concrete, and black out poetry. During the week, the students will have poetry workshop to have the opportunity to freely write. We are learning various ways to find inspiration in writing by listing out feelings, thoughts, and images that comes mind. Then, we transfer the list into lines and stanzas of our poems. By the end of the week, students are expected to publish two different types of poetry. The students will be sharing their very own poems to the class through authors chair. If time, write poetry with your child to explore poetry, figurative language, and fun! *Ask your child to share what kind of poems they explored today, and what they have been writing.

The Revolution of Texas This week in social studies, students will continue to expand their knowledge of the Texas Revolution. We have finished learning Texas path towards independence, and we will be getting more in depth with the major people and events that took place. The students will be using their knowledge of text features to do research about specific people and battles. The students will be focusing on the importance of what happened, how it contributed to the Independence of Texas, and any interesting or surprising facts that they came across. They will gain perspective of the revolution through their research topics. Students will be working in pairs or groups of three to support in each others learning. Students will analyze the causes, major events, and effects of the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of the Alamo, the Texas Declaration of Independence, the Runaway Scrape, and the Battle of San Jacinto. Also, the students will be able to identify individual that contributed to the revolution, such as Texians William B. Travis, James Bowie, David Crockett, George Childress, and Sidney Sherman; important leaders such as Jose Antonio Navarro, Sam Houston, Mirabeau Lamar, and Anson Jones. *Ask your child about their research topic.

Important Notes and Events! STAAR Dates: 4th Grade April 22-Math April 23-Reading 3rd Grade April 22-Math April 23-Reading Mahlstadt/Svrcek/Kang Wax Museum Date: April 17, 2014 Where: Brentwood Elementary School, Room #309/311 Time: 10:45-11:30am *Invitations and details of this exciting project will be sent next Wednesday **We are doing special projects related to social studies and our wax museum. Please send in any extra shoeboxes, cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, and paper towel rolls. Thank you!

*Please visit our wiki page for information about our class: http://mahlstadtsvrcek2-3class.wikispaces.com/ * Please check the calendar online every week as dates do change. http://mahlstadtsvrcek2-3class.wikispaces.com/Calendar