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Social Studies finish finding similarities among states persuasive paragraph - within each region begin typing our brochures for state fair week of 3/3
 * week of 3/10**
 * This will all be a good part of our week.**
 * We have some more work to do to find similarities between states in a region.**


 * We never got to the persuasive paragraph, so we'll start that this week.**

week of 2/24
 * Final work researching states**


 * Kids will work in small groups (within their region) to find what their states have in common. (For example, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts all grow apples.)**


 * Writing persuasive paragraph about each region. (They haven't had much exposure to persuasive writing, so we'll need to do some background there.) The focus of the paragraph is convincing the reader to visit their region. (We'll connect this to what the states have in common.)**

week of 2/10
 * I will introduce state projects on Monday.**


 * Kids will begin researching their states.Some of our friends will need lots of support with this. It would be great if people can support them with this here or there. Thanks in advance for considering!**

week of 2/3
 * This week I will assign states. Our class is focused on the Southeast and Midwest regions.**


 * We will also learn the vocabulary for manufacturing and agriculture. These words were introduced during our continen t unit, but they will be taught more in depth now. **


 * Looking ahead, late this week or early next week the kids will begin researching their state. I attached the [[file:stateresearch.pages|research page]] that they will use. This copy actually isn't going to be the actual one. It has the same ideas, but I'm hoping to put the structured lines onto this one.**


 * My biggest concern is the readability of the texts we use. We have two sets of books from the library. One set is a little easier to read than the other set, but there's not a huge difference. I want to make sure the information is accessible to 6 of the kids. (Although 2 of those kids are reading at a slightly higher level, comprehension is still an issue…)**


 * @Bonnie, Thank you for the tip about the computers. We don't usually use the computers for this research. Maybe I can just have that group use the computer? I would have to find a website where the information is very structured so they can find the info. they need. I'm happy to look for that. Thoughts? I'm very happy to hear feedback about this. I just want them to be as successful as possible with this. :o)**

week of 1/27
 * We're switching to our new States unit! This is a huge unit that the kids get really excited about. But I'll really need a lot of support for some of our babes to pull this off… **


 * Basically, each kid is assigned a state. They do a project at home about something that represents their state. By the end of the unit, they should be able to identify all regions in our country. They should know the other states in their regions. They should know why the states are grouped the way they are. **


 * The beginning of the unit should be very reasonable, because it's more of an overview. But starting the week of 2/10 the children will start researching about their state. I don't have a lot of options in terms of differentiated texts. Does anyone have access to anything? Does anyone know of any "readable" resources online? **
 * They can use text-to-speech to have the computer read any websites they use. I would be happy to show you how to do this, and to find some useful websites if you tell me which states they each have (when you know) -BN **


 * After researching, the kids will be writing persuasive paragraphs about their state. We'll need some support with that too. **


 * I would be happy to talk about this in my Friday group. Let me know the specifics and I can work on that with them. -BN **


 * This week I will do a brief overview and we'll begin coloring a map by region. They don't know yet what their state will be.

Science wrapping up electricity this week. They are going to choose a question to investigate. We will sort questions - researchable/ones with can investigate They will work with a partner to make a plan to answer their question. Then they will try to implement their plan. An example of a question might be: What would happen if we use two batteries and two lightbulbs in a circuit? Any thoughts on how to support some our friends with this? They will have a partner, but I want them to be full participants.
 * week of 1/21 **

The kids learned how to make a circuit using a motor. They figured out that they could make the motor spin the opposite direction by switching the wires from one end of the battery to the other.
 * week of 1/13 **

They also made a circuit using just a battery, a wire and a lightbulb. They learned that the critical contact points (necessary points to light the bulb) are on the very bottom of the lightbulb and the side of the post on the metal.

This week we will learn about conductors and nonconductors. We will also learn about switches. Both lessons will reenforce the concept of a circuit needing to be closed for the electricity to flow.


 * week of 1/2 **

Wrap up static electricity. We'll consolidate what we've experienced during some shared reading.

Starting 1/9 we'll begin current electricity. They will start by building a simple circuit using a battery, wire and a motor. They will try to make the motor run.


 * week of 12/16** Last week we learned about the atomic model. This is the key to understanding electricity because they need to have some understanding of what an electron is. This week we will learn about static electricity which is when electrons jump from atom to atom. This causes atoms to have a negative or positive charge. Atoms with opposite charges attract.

I am introducing electricity this week. The focus of the beginning of the unit is Static Electricity. After that we focus on circuits.
 * week of 12/9 **

learning about a few other countries through TFK Around the World Find locations on the map Give review sheet - for kids to study at home Map test on Friday
 * week of 12/2 **

Most kids now understand hemispheres We'll go back over Reason for Seasons to be sure they understand basic reasons why climate patterns exist - at least near equator
 * week of 11/25 **

continue map skills Reason for the Seasons - understanding equator TFK Around the World
 * week of 11/18 **

map skills - compass rose/directions equator hemispheres key
 * week of 11/12**

Introduce continents - We'll read about 2 different countries - on two different continents - in TFK Around the World.
 * Week of 11/4**

Later in the week - introduce the geography/map skills around the world. - equator, prime meridian, hemispheres, compass rose, etc... What continent is in which hemisphere? Identify continents on the map.


 * Week of 10/28**

We have identified our minerals. We are going to look at the roles minerals play in our lives and the characteristics of the minerals that make them useful.

We will have an assessment on Wednesday. Lauras, Can Mary Ann bring a small group of children to the Learning Center for the assessment on Wednesday?

Do a combination of tests to determine the identity of a mineral
 * Week of 10/21**


 * Week of 10/15**

Finish rock cycle - we are learning that igneous rocks are made from cooled lava. Igneous rocks are broken down into sediments due to erosion. Then sediments get pushed back together underground. Both sedimentary rocks and igneous rocks are both eventually changed and turn into metamorphic rocks.

Introduce minerals


 * Week of 10/7**

Rocks:

Focus on rock cycle: sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous

Introduce minerals