Gingerlily's Blog

It is the year of the Dragon, 4710 and portends to be a really great year full of blessings, growth, and productivity. So I’m asking the kids to work hard, too.

We just took our Unit 5 test. Unfortunately the copier has been on the blink for the last few days, so I’m waiting on it before I send the test home. But we’ve already been going over some of the problems that I want them to work more on.

Students did some extra work on partial products multiplication today. Our homework tonight is to do more practice with that. As the copier is not working, I had the students copy my example. We made up four problems that they will do tonight: 93 x 78, 86 x 24, 57x 63, 37 x 49. Students need to do the estimate first, and then multiply for the exact answer. I also have been trying to get them to be systematic and always start with the bottom digits (see the example they did today).

Students can also use more practice measuring things with a ruler–particularly to the nearest 1/4 inch. Please find some time to have your child practice at home.

Remember that you can also have your child go online to see the animations and see examples.

Thanks for your support.

-This weekend if you are looking for some activity there is the Chinese New Year Faire, Downtown. I will be performing there with Asian Story Theater. Hope to see you there!

Thank you all for the lovely gifts, yummies, and cards!

During this break have your child write about some of their wonderful experiences in their writer’s notebook. Have them take some pictures and keep them on their jumpdrive so that they can add them to their illustrations when they work on their books.

In homeroom math, we have been working on multiplication. When we get back we will be finishing the unit and getting ready to take a unit test. Please have your child practice their multiplication tables by playing some of the Everyday Math games: “Beat the Calculator”, “multiplication Top-it”, “Name that Number”, “Multiplication Wrestling”. Students should have a good handle on all their facts and extended facts, know how to do partial product multiplication, and also use the lattice method. It has been a terrific 2011 and I’m really looking forward to 2012 (can you believe it?!).

Have a wonderful winter break! I hope that you get a chance to spend some quality time together, and play and laugh plenty.
-Gingerlily

We are at the end of the math unit and I am planning to do the Unit 4 assessment on Thursday (maybe Friday if we need more time with millimeters and centimeters).

Students should have their study notes to go over on Weds. Students will need to evaluate decimals to make number sentences true, order decimals, write numbers between 2 whole numbers, measure and draw line segments to the nearest 1/2 centimeter and millimeter, write factors and multiples, add and subtract decimals, identify decimal digit values, rename decimals as fractions with 10, 100, and 1000 in the denominator, and solve open sentences.

There are a few fun excursions you might like to try:

San Diego Symphony is doing a free family concert on December 10th.
Click here for more information:
http://www.sandiegosymphony.org/concertcalendar/freefamilyconcert.aspx

Emery is also performing at Junior Theater. Click here to find out more about “the Complete History of America”. http://www.juniortheatre.com/shows/2011-2012/the-complete-history-of-america-abridged/

Happy Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos!
On Monday we will have a little celebration for the holidays. We were planning to have breakfast in the morning, but our schedule has changed slightly. So we will be eating our “creepy” food at about 1:20 to 2:20. I hope that is okay with everyone. Students can bring their items in the morning, and we will just set them aside for later. It they need to be kept cold, please help us with refrigerator space by just putting a couple of frozen water bottles on top of the bag. Students should rename their food with a creepy theme and make a sign for it so we know what it is. (We can also use some plates, cups, napkins, forks.)
Many students would like to dress up in the afternoon. Please remind students that they should leave mask and props at home so they won’t be lost or ruined for trick-or treating in the evening. And as a matter of safety, please to not send any weapons–toy or otherwise to school.
After our festivities, our homeroom will be doing some fun art projects with Omar (and there might even be a very special activity that one of our parents is preparing). I will be telling some of my very favorite Chinese ghost stories. And at the very end of the day, our class is invited to visit an Egyptian Tomb that the middle schoolers have set up.
I would also appreciate any parents who might be available to help us after lunch. The school is decorated with beautiful tissue cut-outs that the students have made (Thank -you Omar). And there are alters set up. I will also have a sign up sheet for parent conferences by my door. It is going to be a lot of fun! Hope you can join us.

Moooo-haa-haa-haa!
-Gingerlily

Student have their graded Unit 2 test. Please make sure that you review it and return the signed letter.
They also should have taken home the family letter for Unit 3. In this unit we will be working with our Multiplication/Division facts. Students should practice and memorize their facts. They can also go online to play the math games: Name that Number, Buzz an Bizz Buzz, Baseball Multiplication, Multiplication Top It, Beat the Calculator, Division Arrays.

Remember to get your scholastic book orders in.

Also our students have been talking about having some fun activities on Halloween day. In our homeroom, we were thinking about having a spooky breakfast. If you are able, we would appreciate some healthy choices, but I am encouraging students to use their imaginations and come up with some creepy or ghoulish treats.
During Monday’s Rotation time we were hoping for some parent volunteers to help us arrange some themed activities for our students-from 2:20-4:00. Please let Jane know if you are available to help, or organize a station, or volunteer for that afternoon.

On Monday we will complete our current math unit and will take the Unit 2 test on Wednesday.
If you have been following along with the family letter and study links (homework), you will know that we have been working on tally charts and bar graphs, finding landmarks-maximum, minimum, range, mode, median, and mean for a data set. Students will also be expected estimate sums and differences, and to add and subtract multi-digit numbers using “partial-sums” and “partial-difference”, and use column methods.
Students should also be able to draw a polygon, mark right angles, explain whether or not a given polygon is a parallelogram, write equivalent names for numbers, and measure and draw line segments to the nearest 1/2 centimeter.

Please help your child go through these concepts and practice the skills that they need more help with before the test. Review the vocabulary on the family letter with them, so they can answer the test questions correctly. Remind them to read directions, and to make sure that they understand what it is they are suppose to do before they start on each problem.

Also please remember that book orders for Scholastics October catalog is due on the 19th. There are a lot of good books for Halloween, and so much better for them than candy.