Update

Greetings!

Please remind students to bring in their charged devices to school each day. Students are accessing short videos and responding through the Google Classroom. My contingengy plan is to have students write out what they would rather type and submit online. Of course, students are also completing assignments using pencil and paper. We are achieving a fine balance. In the meantime students are working very hard at writing strong, clearly written detailed sentences. Mechanics are improving as well. Well, this creates better morale with proper feedback. It is great to see at this early stage in the school year. In the meantime, there were a number of assignments turned in this week with no names on them.

This week in Science students learned about Current Electricity and its various elements and circuits. Students created a 4-Square drawing and labeling diagrams of series, parallel, open, and closed circuits. I demonstrated with Smashing Spheres to show how friction can burn right through a piece of paper and also create a burning smell in the process. Students created their own circuits with battery packs, wires, and light bulbs. Students tested many different items to see if they were conductors or insulators based on if the light bulb lit up when the circuit was closed. Students also reinforced the concept of Static Electricity by reading an article and writing 5 facts. Finally, students watched 2 Brainpop videos on Electric Circuits and Batteries and answered questions to check their comprehension. Today, students received flash cards for next Thursday's Electricity Quiz.

This week in History students learned about Viking Voyagers and Life on an Explorers Ship. Students wrote whether they would choose to venture on a voyage or remain home and work on the main land. They had to cite text evidence about all that they could endure on a ship in terms of dried food, stale water, scurvy, loneliness, etc. as opposed to wonder, adventure, chance to visit a new land, etc. Students also viewed 3-minute child-friendly videos from pbslearningmedia.com entitled "10 Things You Did Not Know About Christopher Columbus, Who were the Vikings?, and Leif Erikson and responded to questions in our Google Classroom. Students also learned the Viking Alphabet and wrote an encrypted message.

Reminder: There is no school on Tuesday!

Quite a lull to end the week with Halloween and the Red Sox Parade passing us by.

Regards,

Chris