News From J.K. Rowling Road

Mrs. Heilbronn, Mrs. Gallagher, Ms. Sorrentino, Ms. DiMenna

            We have been involved in exciting activities since the year has begun.  The children have been learning about the many different genres and how to write an insightful response to what they have read.  The children are excited about our genre studies and are learning about the genre’s elements.         

Since the beginning of the school year we have had many wonderful visitors coming into our math class. To start off the year “Nick Place Value” came in and reviewed place value and value with us. When their train left we were sad to see them go but in a few weeks we had another visitor, Esti-Witch. She was a little scary but taught us about estimation, and making predictions about numbers. We are in the process of mastering multiplication and long division.  Our next unit is fractions and we are very curious about the next character we will meet!

In science we are continuing with our human body unit of study.  The children had the opportunity to construct models of the thumb, arm and leg.  This hands-on experience allowed them to see first hand how our ligaments, tendons, muscles and bones work together to provide movement for our bodies.  The children will use the knowledge that they have gained about their bones and muscles to help them understand how they work together to complete a task.  Our young scientists will use the scientific method to investigate hand and foot response to visual stimuli.  It should prove to be a terrific learning experience for everyone!

In social studies, the students are busy discovering how government works.  They have been chosen to be the Founding Fathers and Mothers of a newly independent state.  Important congressional meetings have been held to create the foundation for a working constitution for each state. These Founding Fathers and Mothers have debated key issues necessary for a constitutional government.  We are hoping to create a peaceful union in which all the states find areas of compromise and agreement.  Additionally, each student sharpened their map-making skills.  They have all proven to be wonderful cartographers as they sketched beautiful maps of their state.  Our government unit has been very fun and exciting!

We are looking forward to the months ahead.  There are many exciting projects and activities planned for the students.  We wish all of you a healthy and happy holiday season!