- Tomorrow (Wednesday) night at 6:00 p.m. your student is performing in the TBS Holiday concert at Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda in Berkeley. We look forward to seeing all of you!
- Friday from 11:45-1:00 p.m. you are invited to join us for the class family potluck in the Strawberry Creek classroom. Please sign up emailing room parent Clare Woakes to let her know what you're bringing, so we have everything covered. Also, hot lunch people will get their hot lunch as part of the buffet. Please bring, by last name: A - G Main Dish, H - M Drinks, N - Z Dessert. Thanks!
Fifth grade math homework, due tomorrow
In the packet, downloadable on yesterday's blog (sorry that last night's homework was absent).
Fourth grade math homework, due tomorrow
Blue group:
1. Finish cutting out the multiplication fact cards (pages 1-2, pages 3-6).
2. Label the back of each card with the answer.
3. Practice the cards (use the instructions) to separate them into two piles (fast and slow or don't know).
4. Write a hint on the front of the card for ones you need to practice.
5. Keep the cards in your envelope and place inside your RED folder.
Purple group:
Option 1 (plum): Continue making & practicing multiplication cards from Monday (see instructions from the blue group above); complete Tickets for the Play, Unit 3, page 6
Option 2 (periwinkle): Round & estimate with 100s and 10s
Hopes for the New Year Homework (assigned yesterday) is due tomorrow.
Fifth grade math
Fifth graders played a game of staircase to begin the day, a game in which the teacher rolls a ten-sided die ten times. Students place each digit that is rolled on the staircase in order to get the biggest possible number, smallest possible number, or closest to a number the teacher names. They practice reading their large numbers in front of the class. Then they practiced mental subtraction of large numbers and some division word problems.
Fourth grade math
In both groups, we did a warm up with Quick Images of dots in different arrays. Students shared math equations and how they saw the dots grouped.
Purple group: One part of the purple group continued work on breaking arrays into smaller parts to solve multiplication word problems. The other used a computer applet of the Paper Pool game to test systematically different dimensions to figure out rules for which pocket the ball goes in, and how many hits occur, looking for patterns and number relationships.
Blue Group: Our main focus today was to practice the multiplication facts from 1-9. In class the students tried a sheet of 50 problems in 5 minutes (sent home with the homework tonight). Our goal will be to increase the number of facts students can do in the 5 minutes by daily practice at school, and at home! The fact cards will be kept in the student binders for use nightly. The cards are also linked in the homework posting if you want to make a set to keep at home. Knowing the basic facts makes our work with multiplication and division more approachable.
Californios and Ranchos: Before the Gold Rush, California was part of Mexico. We recently learned about Mexico gaining independence from Spain, and the transition from a focus on Missions to ranching. During this brief period (1821-1846) Fort Ross was up an running, and Mexican citizens were acquiring large plots of land in California to develop ranching. John Sutter (of Sutter's Fort and Sutter's Mill fame) was from Switzerland, became a citizen of Mexico and acquired quite a bit of land in California. It is an interesting moment in time to consider especially given that evidence of Mexico is all around us in the many Spanish names for streets, cities, bodies of water . . .
