Math Update!

We've covered many topics in Unit 6, including: 

How to express and interpret remainders in division (remainder OVER divisor)

When to pay attention to remainders and when to ignore them, based on the question being asked

How to measure and draw angles using a FULL CIRCLE PROTRACTOR

How to measure and draw angles using a HALF CIRCLE PROTRACTOR 

Identifying ACUTE, OBTUSE, REFLEX, STRAIGHT, and RIGHT ANGLES

Using Rectangular Coordinate Grids to find areas/points on a map

Using ordered pairs to identify and locate points on a map

We are currently working on understanding the GLOBAL COORDINATE GRID SYSTEM on a globe and map. Before we began, we gathered information on what we already know, and then shared some questions of what we'd like to find out. Here's what we came up with:

What we know:

Globe/Sphere is round (Adam)

There's life on earth (Joshua)

There are time differences (Daniel G.)

Globe shows continents and oceans (Daniel G., Rochel, Daniel K.)
Earth mostly covered with water (Alice)
There's a North and South Pole (Daniel G.)
Equator (Daniel K.)
Variations in weather and climate (Alice)
Top & bottom is colder (Alice)
Middle is hotter (Alice)
Blue represents water, and the rest is for landforms (Rachel)
Countries are represented with different colors (Rachel)
Latitude and Longitude are lines on the globe (Noah)
There's a Northern Hemisphere and a Southern Hemisphere (Noah)
Main line of latitude is the equator (Noah)

What we want to know:
What are the lines for? (Rachel)
How many countries and languages are there? (Daniel G.)
Are continents flat or 3-D? (Adam)
Why does the globe show so many countries? (Joshua)
How does time change? (Alice)
What is inside Earth's core? (Daniel K.)

In the lesson, we covered the following topics. It would be great if you discuss these at home, and practice finding locations on the map using the degrees North/South of the equator (LATITUDE), and degrees East/West of the PRIME MERIDIAN (LONGITUDE):

NORTH POLE, SOUTH POLE, and AXIS

EQUATOR

PRIME MERIDIAN

HEMISPHERES (Northern and Southern, Eastern and Western)

LINES OF LATITUDE (Full Circles, and they are parallel to the Equator)

LINES OF LONGITUDE (Semi-circles, and they are not parallel to the Prime Meridian because they meet at the North and South Poles)

We also learned that each degree represents 70 miles. So to find the distance in miles you need to multiply your number by 70...

 

FEBRUARY TRIP TO HISTORIC RICHMOND TOWN

PLEASE NOTE:

February 15th (Tuesday), 9:30am- 1:00pm: We will travel to Historic Richmond Town and have a workshop called "Fiber to Thread".

This workshop focuses on pre-industrial textile production as students experience for themselves the stages of making flax into linen thread and sheep's wool into woolen thread. Students always enjoy breaking flax, carding wool, and trying out the drop-spindle. A visit to some of the historic buildings allows them to consider the uses and value of cloth in early American communities.

Curriculum Themes Addressed:
· People depending on and modifying the physical environment
· Challenge of meeting needs and wants
· People using human, capital, and natural resources
· Colonial and revolutionary periods

A HEADS-UP: FEBRUARY IS LITERACY MONTH AT MAZEL

February is Literacy Month at Mazel (please see note that was sent home in the homework folder)! It is a great opportunity to champion reading of quality books, and encourage your child to advance in our class Book Challenge, too! The PTA has teamed up with us to plan a month filled with great literacy activities and reading fun:

 Reading at Home Information Session (look out for e-vite)

Parent Read Aloud: please contact me when might be a good day in Feb. for you to come and read to us, we would love to listen to your (child's) favorite book (or a part of it)! Slots can be made between 1:15-2:30 on most days. (Please arrange in advance so we can work out the details.)

Meet the Author: we will be visited by an author of children's books.

Mazel Book Sale, Feb 7th - 11th: We will have our week-long book sale offering a diversified collection of books to choose from.

Trip to the Central Brooklyn Public Library: if your child does not yet have a library card, please be sure to fill out the form sent home and return by Monday, January 31st.

We will also be doing fun literacy activities in class:-)

Tu BiShvat in Pictures

We enjoyed a "fruit-filled" Tu BiShvat Celebration! We tasted each one of the 7 Species of Israel: Wheat (crackers), barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates...and even delicious date syrup! We also tasted new fruits and made the special blessing for a fruit we haven't eaten yet this season. We tried star fruit, bloody oranges, and dragon fruit! We were treated to a cupcake formation designed to look like a fruit tree, and we each got one to taste. You can bet no one went hungry that day...

A great big thank you for bringing in your favorite fruit; we enjoyed a delicious fruit salad!

INTREPID TRIP IN PICTURES!

 We had an amazing and educational trip to the Intrepid Museum. We learned that this aircraft carrier was used in war (Including World War II), and now carries a unique collection of planes. We went up and got to see planes used for spying, bombing, planes painted to frighten or camouflage, and planes that were given to the U.S. as gifts from other countries. Can you find Israel's gift, the "Kfir" with its Jewish Star painted on it?

We then went in (and out of the rain!) to the bottom of the ship for a workshop on aviation. We watched a presentation on the development of airplanes, and the forces involved in flying a plane. We experimented to better understand Isaac Newton's scientific law "every action has an equal but opposite reaction": we glided an open air balloon along a string and saw and felt the rush of air move to one direction, while the balloon glided in the opposite direction. We each made our own propeller as well. We then went to explore the great hands-on exhibits: we got to pretend to navigate an airplane, ride a ship, work with space-gloves, launch a rocket, and much more... Enjoy the pictures:-)

MASBIA: Pictures from Chessed trip to an eat-free restaurant

We had a fascinating trip to Masbia, an "eat-free restaurant" (not called a soup kitchen!), which provides daily, wholesome meals to people/families in need. We were surprised to find that Masbia was set up like a restaurant! This is all to serve the needy with dignity.

We had many questions for the director: how many people they feed each day, if there are other Masbias in the area, who volunteers and why, etc.

We asked the volunteers why they were willing to work so hard preparing 500 (!) meals a day. They told us that they enjoy helping other people - it makes you feel great! One volunteer told us that she began helping at Masbia for a school project, and continued because it meant so much to her.

This pot of soup is HUGE! It makes 500 servings every day! We got a quick tour of the kitchen, and saw how so much food can be prepared for so many people in a clean and organized way. We watched helpers and delivery personnel move boxes of food out for delivery for the other Masbia restaurants. Maybe when we are a little older, we can come back to volunteer...what a great mitzva of kindness!


For more info about Masbia and for volunteering opportunities:
http://www.masbia.org/

FOR THURSDAY: Bring your favorite fruit!

As mentioned on the Homework Log, Thursday will be Tu B'Shvat, the New Year for Trees. We celebrate the gift Hashem gave us of tree/plant life that is so vital to us. It is also meaningful: a person is compared to a tree whose roots must be strong and firm, and whose branches we hope will spread and bear fruit. Wholesome education and nurturing tend the saplings untill they grow with firm knowledge and solid character.

In honor of this special day we are having a Tu B'Shvat (translated as the 15th day in the Hebrew month of Sh'vat) celebration. We will celebrate the 7 special fruits of the Land of Israel, which will be provided by the teachers/school. We also ask that each child bring in their favorite fruit (whole and uncut/not peeled), to share with the class. Thank you!

Tomorrow's Trip!

Quick reminder: Tomorrow we go to the INTREPID Museum at 9:30-1:30.

Dear Parents,
In our Science Lesson your child is learning what causes weather and how it can be predicted. In the science chapter Water Cycle and Weather, our class has learned how Earth’s water affects the weather.

Students have also learned the difference between freshwater and ocean water and how the water cycle contributes to our freshwater supply.

In addition to learning about the water cycle, the students have also learned many new vocabulary words. Help your child to make these words a part of his or her own vocabulary by using them when you talk together about weather.

evaporation
condensation
precipitation
humidity
front
meteorologist
barometer
anemometer
wind vane


I will be sending home activity pages that you and your child can do together. By participating in your child’s education, you will help to bring the learning home:-)

Mini Trip this Tuesday to Local Soup Kitchen

Chessed/Kindness - 3rd and 4th grade trip - 'Masbia' - Tuesday January 11th , 10:30 - 12:00

We will be taking a mini trip this Tuesday to a soup kitchen on Coney Island avenue. We will be travelling by school bus.

As we are learning about chessed/Kindness this year we want to expose our older grades to charities that run in our community and to volunteer work. The children will have the opportunity to see a real soup kitchen in operation: volunteers preparing food, needy people coming to eat and maybe we will even be able to volunteer and help out a little ourselves.

UNIT 5 Math Test coming up Monday!!

We have our Unit 5 Math Assessment this Monday, January 10th. This unit has covered two types of multiplication (partial products and lattice multiplication), estimating with large numbers, place value, as well as EXPONENTS (Powers of 10). Your child did review work in school and at home, and was assigned to fix any mistakes in Unit 5 homework sheets. In addition to doing the review questions again over the weekend, I suggest reviewing any Unit 5 items in the Personal Reference books (little notebooks). Good Luck, and I'm sure all students who give it their BEST EFFORT will do well:-)