Classroom Update - Week of November 28th

Field Trip to Downtown Raleigh:

This Thursday, our class will be going on a field trip to downtown Raleigh. We will be leaving at 9:30AM sharp, so please make sure that your child is at school on time that day. Your child should pack their lunch in a disposable bag (Ziploc bags work great for this, especially since they don't rip like paper ones do) labeled with their name. If your child purchased a lunch from the cafeteria, it will already be bagged up for them to take with them in the morning. We should arrive back at school by about 1:00PM. If your child has any MES spirit wear, Thursday would be a great day to wear it!

Book Fair:

The Scholastic Book Fair has arrived at Morrisville Elementary. If your child wishes to purchase books, they may do so during morning work time (8:45AM-9:15AM). The Book Fair will be at Morrisville from November 27th through December 8th.

Upcoming Events / Reminders:

• November 30th is our field trip to downtown Raleigh. The students will be visiting our Legislative Building and the North Carolina History Museum. Parent Chaperones will be needed for this trip, so please make sure that you have taken the time to register. More information about this trip will be going home soon.

• December 5th is Literacy Night and School-wide Spelling Bee. Mark your calendars more information will follow soon!

• December 21st is not only an Early Release Day (school will dismiss at 1:15) but also our last day of the quarter.

Reader's Workshop:

This week, the students will read firsthand and secondhand accounts (primary and secondary resources) of an event or topic and recognizing the differences between the two.

Differences Between Firsthand & Secondhand Accounts:

• A firsthand account of an event or topic is based on an author’s personal experience. The author uses pronouns such as I, me, and we to describe the event or topic. Diaries, autobiographies, and letters are considered to be firsthand accounts.

• A secondhand account of an event or topic is based on an author’s research, rather than personal experience. The author uses pronouns such as he, she, and they to describe the event or topic. Encyclopedia entries, biographies, and textbooks are considered to be secondhand accounts.

Questions to Ask Your Child at Home:

• Is this article a firsthand or secondhand account of _______________? *What details from the text support your answer?

• How do you think the reader might benefit from reading this account?

• How might a reader benefit from reading both accounts (firsthand & secondhand)?

• Which type of text (firsthand or secondhand) is more reliable?

• How does the author know these details? Was he or she present at the event?

Writer's Workshop:

This week in writing, the students will be working on their second research report. The students will be researching a famous individual that shows a growth mindset. They will be using a Who Was... book to help them conduct their research, along with two other sources.

Questions to Guide their Research:

• What were the challenges that your person had to face or overcome?

• What is your person famous for?

• How does your person still inspire people today?

Questions to Ask Your Child at Home:

• Which famous person did you choose to research?

• What are some ways that your person demonstrates/ed a growth mindset?

Math:

This week in math the students will be describing shapes based on their angles and whether they have parallel and perpendicular lines. They will also learn that a circle has 360 degrees and the size of a circle does not affect the number of degrees that it has. On Friday, the students will take their first geometry assessment. Next week, they will work on measuring angles using a protractor.

Questions to Ask Your Child at Home:

• What type of angles are a square? Trapezoid? Hexagon?

• What type of lines (parallel or perpendicular or both) are in a square? Trapezoid? Hexagon?

• How many one degree turns are in a 60 degree angle?

• How many degrees are in a circle?

• How many degrees are in a straight angle?

• How many degrees are in a right angle?

Science:

This quarter, the students will be learning about landforms. More information will follow soon!