The rain meant that the fourth grade trip to Camp Albemarle was postponed until next Thursday. Students were given a choice between playing Contig or working with the Prime Climb chart, which is something they started last year. Contig is a math game that requires students to add, subtract, multiply, or divide as well as to think strategically about their target numbers.  Prime Climb asks students to take the pattern from the numbers 1-20 and then continue the pattern with the remaining numbers from 21-100.

Third grade continued their study of Cinderella by reviewing the conflict, resolution, and plot. Once we reviewed those pieces, students were allowed to preview different versions of Cinderella including Greek, Chinese, Egyptian, and Islamic versions. Students then ranked their choices for which they’d like to study. Tomorrow they’ll start to read their version and think about how it is similar and/or different to the version I read to them.

Second grade math completed its beginning algebra study. Most students were frustrated at one point or another during the past two weeks, which is good news for me though I suspect students would likely disagree with the idea that that is good news. Students are very comfortable adding and subtracting with small numbers as well as adding and subtracting using unknowns and abstract symbols.

Fourth grade reading had a chance to ask a million questions about the Battle of Britain since there was no reading assignment due today because of the expected field trip. We had great discussions, as always, though it was difficult to stay on track as their questions usually take us to places I hadn’t quite anticipated.

Third grade math has taken their study of multiplication as an array and moved into the study of multiplication as area. Today students were asked to take square tiles to make as many different rectangles as possible with an area of 24. They had to draw and label those rectangles on dot or graph paper. Once they’d conquered that, they had to draw a rectangle with an area of 24 on the diagonal and then prove how they know it has an area of 24. No one has yet been able to prove it, but I heard a lot of good conversations about how to go about it.