General News
P&P this week
ELA:
- Read chapter 7 & 8 of Esperanza Rising
- Complete reading response questions for Esperanza Rising
- Complete grammar spiral review page and cursive practice
Math:
- Complete Math Practice Packet
Theme:
- Read the packet about the Midwest Region (Or follow along with this auditory version!)
- Use the provided sentence starters to make-your-own questions about the packet! (Kids don’t have to answer their own questions! We’ll swap next week!)
- Add the names/capitals to your Mini-Bag-o-States (Midwest)
- We’ll check-in on SE Region States next Wednesday.
Reading/Writing Update
This was a short but busy week in ELA! We started by going over homework, and everyone is doing a great job settling into our routines. On Wednesday, we introduced research skills and talked about how to find trustworthy academic sources, including .edu, .org, and .gov websites. Students then used these skills to research their own “burning questions” about the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, turning their findings into short written responses and sharing them with the class. We also practiced recording our sources so we can give credit to the information we use. It was a great first step into research!
Math Update
Year 1 Deltas tackled one of math’s most oddly satisfying skills this week: Order of Operations! Using the tried-and-true “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally,” we made our little “carrots” and rewrote the equation after each step, building good habits now that will pay off when algebra comes knocking later. Our finished problems started looking like stacks of Doritos, and before long, the classroom was basically a Dorito factory. The kids took to this skill beautifully, which is probably why Order of Operations is usually a fan favorite: there’s something deeply satisfying about conquering a giant, messy problem one tidy step at a time.
Year 2 Deltas rounded out our integer unit by putting all four operations together before pivoting back to Order of Operations. This meant both groups were ready for an end-of-week showdown: OOO Bingo against Granny Salome, otherwise known as Ms. Lorrie in a truly unfortunate gray wig. Granny was fierce. The wig was fiercer.
Next week, Year 2 heads into fractions! If fractions tend to be a shaky spot for your Delta, this weekend might be a good time for a quick dusting-off of the basics, especially simplifying fractions and converting improper fractions to mixed numbers. We’ll be launching pretty quickly into the 6th-grade work of multiplying with mixed numbers, so having those foundational skills handy will make the trail ahead considerably smoother!
Theme Update
We started the week with a little minting operation! Each Delta selected a state from their region and designed a commemorative “quarter” using a wooden disc. One side featured a researched natural landmark, while the other highlighted a political feature or human-made attraction. Kids researched first and then moved into the creation phase, turning tiny wooden circles into surprisingly detailed little snapshots of their states.
Next, we took our maiden voyage into Canva! After getting everyone logged into our education accounts, our Canva veterans became tour guides for students who were new to the platform, offering mini-tutorials and helping everyone get their sea legs. Then, before touching the actual brochure design, groups researched the travel tidbits that will make their regions worth visiting and created some hand-drawn artwork to incorporate into their final products. We are determined that these brochures shall have SOUL! Next week, we’ll migrate all that research and original art into Canva and begin bringing our regional travel brochures to life.