Upper Elementary

June 1-5, 2020

Daily Reading and Response Journal:

Read a fiction book for a minimum of 1 hour per day. This book could be your new book club book, or an independent book you are already reading.  Keep a response journal each time you read. 

In addition to capturing your thoughts about your current independent book, this week, recommend a favorite fiction book you read this school year. You can use our “Staff Picks” Book Recommendation template to record your notes. What are some reasons to recommend a book to a friend or family member?

• You couldn’t put the book down!
• The characters in the book are interesting and entertaining.
• The problem in the story is exciting and unpredictable.
• The author uses descriptive language that is fun to read.
• The book is part of a series, and you want to get your friends interested in the series. 
• The illustrations are unique or memorable.
• The story is very funny and makes you laugh while you are reading.
• The story teaches you a lesson that helps you see the world differently.
• The story reminds you of something important in your life or the world.
• The book offers a unique perspective you might not encounter in daily life.
•  The book won an award. 
• Use your notes and the template to write a letter recommending your book to someone. The letter could be intended for someone you know, or it could be intended for a general audience. Share your book recommendations at a community meeting this week, or send them to your friends!

Weekly Spelling List and Activity:

Parents, the lists attached are suggestions for the children. An old fashioned dictionary or independent reading books work fine to scout for new and interesting words instead of using the PDF lists. 

Children, choose ten words to learn this week. Ideally these are words you use often but notice that you don’t feel comfortable spelling in your own writing, or they can be words that trip you up while reading. As a backup, you can choose words from one of the high frequency lists, or new vocabulary you encounter through your own research. 

Remember, new words will only stick if you use them, so practice multiple times and make sure they are going to be applicable in your work. 

Once you have chosen words, practice spelling them correctly. Options for this include: 

• Word Wall Card  
• Tiles: spell with bananagrams tiles
• Shaving Cream: write in shaving cream using a silpat or tray
• Skin/Air Writing: trace the letters on your skin with a finger, tap each letter down your arm and then say the whole word, or write them in the sky using your whole arm
• Stamp: use an alphabet box to stamp the words with ink or into dough 
• Sand: trace the words with your finger in a sand tray
• Word Hunt: search a book or the environment around you for each word and then record 
• Cirque du Soleil: form each letter on the rug with your body 
• Chant: chant each letters in a rhythmic pattern 
• Rainbow: choose 3-5 colors and write the word in each 
• Story: write a story/poem that includes all of the words 
• Teach: teach someone else how to spell the word 

Each time, make sure you: 

1. Read the word aloud (while looking at it in written form). 
2. Spell the word aloud, one letter at a time. 
3. Attempt to spell without looking at the word (using one of the above methods). 
4. Check that you spelled the word correctly. 
5. Create a sentence that uses the word (aloud). 

High Frequency Word Lists (see PDF)

• Grade 4 List
• Grade 5 List
• High Frequency List for All Grades

June 1-5, 2020

Math and Geometry: Modern Mathematicians & Probability Games

Do you ever wonder, what are mathematicians currently exploring? Are there any new theorems? How many digits of pi do we know? How many prime numbers do we know? Find out this week and report to us at a community meeting!

Probability Games

The idea of likelihood is called probability. Probability is the likelihood that some outcome will occur. If I flip a coin, maybe even an ancient coin, the two outcomes, heads or tails, are equally likely to occur. In other words, the probability of getting heads or tails is equally likely. It’s a 50/50 chance!

At home, you can find different materials to help you explore the idea of probability. Turns out, it’s really fun.

Here are some examples of materials you can use: 

• Several dice: 
  • There are many kinds of dice. The most common is a six-sided dice numbered 1-6.
  • You could also use dice that have 1 on two sides, 2 on two sides, and 3 on the other two sides
  • You might also use dice with 4, 8, 12, or even 20 sides!
• 15 blue, 10 red and 5 white poker chips and a bag to “draw” them from
• A deck of playing cards
• Several pennies

With the material you have at home, see how often the most likely outcome occurs. For example, if you use a deck of cards (make sure it’s a full deck with 52 cards total), figure out if you would be more likely to pick a number card or a face card. Then, actually choose a card. What did you get (a number card or a face card)? On your first draw, did you get what was more likely, or not? Set up a trial and record your results. If you draw cards from the deck 50 times, putting back the card you drew each time and mixing up the cards, what is the experimental probability of drawing a face card or a number card?

Experimental probability means you’ve set up a trial to determine what actually happens. It’s like a science experiment. Sometimes you get what you expect, and sometimes you don’t. You can record your trial like a fraction, like this:

The number on top is the number of favorable outcomes. The number below is the number of total possible outcomes, or trials. 

You can then compare this experimental probability (what actually happened) to the theoretical probability. Theoretical probability is what we expect to happen. But in practice, it might not always happen the way we expect!

Set up your own experimental probability trial this week using dice, cards, coins, or poker chips of different colors. Record the theoretical probability of an event before you begin. Then, when you do your trial, see how long it takes you to get something that has the least probability. Be sure to record your data as a fraction. Share with us what you found from your exploration.

A variation on this work: 

Say I have a set of chips: 10 white, 15 red, 20 blue, a total of 45 chips. I put them into a bag and shake them up, and then I draw one chip from the bag without looking. I pull a red chip. This time, instead of recording and returning the red chip to the bag, I DO NOT RETURN the red chip to the bag, so now my total number of possible outcomes becomes 44 chips. When I draw my next chip, it will be out of 44, rather than 45. This is called a dependent event. Two events are dependent if the first outcome changes the probability of the second event.

Another idea for further practice is below:

Materials: a pair of 6-sided dice, preferably in different colors, and a piece of paper.

• How many different outcomes are possible if you roll two 6-sided dice? 
• There are 6 options on both sides. 6 x 6 = 36 possible rolls.
• How many ways are there to roll a total of “2” using two dice? 
• How many ways are there to roll a total of “7” using the two dice? 
• Fill in the rest of the chart!

Don’t forget to visit Mr. Hurwitz’s curriculum supplements on the Specials page! He has shared a number of printable packets that are grade specific.

Khan Academy:

Parents, you are encouraged to create an account on Khan Academy for your child. The accounts are FREE. You may click the grade level links below to subscribe your child to a course under my teacher account page, where they can access learning content (video tutorials and activities) and I can view their progress through course content. Content is not lock-step, and it is self-paced. If you do not subscribe your child to the “courses” via the links below, I will not be able to view their progress or work, but the children will still be able to access the various tutorials and content.

Each day, your child should choose an appropriate topic to review/learn and practice. If this is their first experience on the Khan Academy platform, they may need some guidance finding an appropriate topic of study. In general, grade level topics should be familiar territory (e.g. a 4th Year should look through the 4th Grade content and select a topic).

If for any reason your child does not have access to a computer or you prefer to support their work differently, there are plenty of alternative ways to build math appreciation, number flexibility and to practice building skills. Please see the links below with further ideas (I recommend “Numbers Talks” at this link - once a parent knows how to have a number talk, these can make for fun, spontaneous conversations). 

If you have simple tools at home (e.g. geometry compass, ruler, measuring cups, graph paper, protractor, thermometers, etc.) your child is encouraged to put those tools to good use! If you have workbooks at home (e.g. Kumon, Spectrum, Common Core Math) please feel free to use those instead of Khan Academy for skill practice.

Because each child’s math and geometry work is individualized at school, I understand that supporting this work can be a challenge outside of school. Please feel free to drop me a note for some guidance or assistance identifying the best fit for your child. 

• Khan Academy information letter to parents: link
• Grade 4 Math Essentials Course link
• Grade 5 Math Essentials Course link
• Grade 6 Math Essentials Course link

If you are nostalgic (as I am) for our Montessori Math Materials, have a try at extracting the square root or finding common multiples on the pegboard VIRTUALLY, a new resource coded by a Montessori teacher’s husband! This resource might be most fun for parents, to get a glimpse at how our materials work. A little tutorial can be provided if you request. 

June 1-5, 2020

Geography: The Story of Sugar (Economic Geography / World Trade)

Did you know that the word “candy” comes from the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit? In Sanskrit, the word for a piece of sugar is khanda. Long ago, this Sanskrit word traveled with the Persians and made its way to the Middle East. Soon it was translated into Arabic. Later, the word traveled to Europe, where it became known and spelled, “candy,” in English.

The origin and migration story of sugar is filled with high drama. About 8,000 years ago, sugarcane was first domesticated (farmed) in New Guinea, which sits north of Australia in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. Sugarcane is a type of grass, looking similar to bamboo. In New Guinea, sugarcane was apparently used to fence in domesticated pigs, but over time, the pigs grew wise to the sweetness of the stems, and would eat their own fences to the surprise of their human owners!

Below are some surprising facts about sugar (not specifically sugarcane):

• The average human adult burns 1 teaspoon of sugar in 1 hour of learning.
• American caloric intake is 20% sugar.
• In one year, Americans consume 65 pounds of high fructose corn syrup.
• Our great, great, great grandparents consumed 1 ounce of sugar per year!
• Fructose gives us the sweet taste we crave.
• Saccharum officinarum is the scientific name for sugarcane.
• Before the 1500s, sugar was used medicinally.
• In the 1600s, sugar became a big business (making 50% of ocean-going trade, closely aligned with the spread of slavery).
• Today sugarcane is the world’s largest crop!
• Big producers of sugarcane today: Brazil, India, China, Pakistan, Australia, Thailand (all countries within 30 degrees of the Equator).

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) offers a resource so citizens can learn more about various plants in the country. Here is some information about where sugarcane currently grows in the USA:  https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SAOF

This week, choose a plant product that humans consume or use today (e.g. potato, buckwheat, Arabica coffee beans, cocoa, pomegranate, lavender, cotton, rice, etc.).

Find out:

• Where does the plant grow in the world?
• Where is the plant’s native habitat? Has the plant been introduced to other parts of the world beyond its native land?
• What are the typical uses of your plant (e.g. textiles, essential oil, food, medicine)?
• How much is produced yearly? You can focus on one country, or look at the total amount produced in the world.
• What countries are the main producers of your plant product today?
• Which countries export your plant product?
• Which countries import your plant product?

You can find information about various plants in the USA on the USDA site: https://plants.usda.gov/java/factSheet

You can also find out more about the history and science of agriculture here: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/agriculture/6th-grade/

An example of a source for research on cocoa beans: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-10-cocoa-producing-countries.html

The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) of the United Nations has additional information that can be found here: http://www.fao.org/home/en

June 1-5, 2020

Cooking

Miss the Learning Kitchen? Here's how you can keep sharpening your cooking skills at home, even with limited ingredients: 

1. Inventory your kitchen! Ask your parents which ingredients in your kitchen you're allowed to use for your project, write a list of everything you have access to, and email it to Mr. Kendall.
2. Get your recipe! Mr. Kendall will use your list to find a personalized recipe for you to try out at home (or find your own by entering your ingredients into SuperCook).
3. Cook! Be sure to ask for parental support with anything difficult or dangerous. 
4. Record your results! Write down your observations about the process, noting things you enjoyed doing, things that were difficult (and why), things that went well for you, and things with which you struggled. If you'd like, take pictures!
5. Share your results with others! Share the finished project with your family, and share your notes with Mr. Kendall and the class. 
6. Be sure to clean and sanitize any kitchen tools or surfaces after use.

Each week you'll be able to get another personalized recipe, so be sure to let Mr. Kendall know if there's something you're particularly interested in trying.