PACT/Prime Time Classes

Our final days for PACT and Prime Time classes for the 2011 year will be :
Hoover elementary - Thursday, December 15th
Nixon elementary - Monday, December 19th
Van Buren elementary- Wednesday, December 21st

I will be screening all of the 2nd and 3rd graders in the district during the month of January.  Schedules for spring semester will come out in January.
Have a relaxing break !!!
Mrs. Arnold

BLOGGERS!!!

PACT/Prime Time students from Van Buren, Hoover and Nixon have been blogging up a storm.  Our math courses have been creating their own math problems for their fellow students to solve.  Some of them are really challenging.  Way to go kids!!!
We also have a creative writing blog, where students can write and post their own stories and have their classmates read their finished products.  All of the blogs have to be preapproved before going LIVE!
I am trying to keep up with all the blogging :)  It has taken off like wildfire!
Congratulations to all of our Bloggers!
Mrs. Arnold

Final Day for PACT/Prime Time Classes.

We only have 3 1/2 weeks of PACT/Prime Time left for this calendar year.  The final day for our Prime Time/PACT classes is Wednesday, December 21st.  Your child will bring home his/her work folder and an evaluation/observation on the last day of class in December.
We will be starting some new classes for the spring semester. 
The Prime Time class will be Global Literature. 
Math Olympiads will continue their quest for algebraic/geometry knowledge. 
Other classes for spring will be annouced soon. :)
Mrs. Arnold

Oh No, I have to change the Recipe!

Prime Time students (2nd and 3rd grade) at Hoover, Nixon and Van Buren just began a unit on changing recipes.  We have been using multiplication or repeated addition to help us figure out how to alter the recipe to meet our needs. 
Check out our Thanksgiving turkeys that we created together.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone !!!
  

Awesome Math Students Race Against the Clock!

Students at Van Buren elementary ran/walked 25 ft. yesterday during class.  They had to use division to figure out how many feet per second they were moving. 
First they did it as fast as they could, then they did it as slow as they could.   Our fastest times were 12 1/2 feet per second.  Our slowest time was 0.38 feet per second.
Now they have to relate this to our new Chapter :  When are We Going to Get There?  (miles per hour)

Van Buren and Hoover Greek Mythology students present: gods or goddesses!

Greek mythology students at Van Buren and Hoover are preparing their presentation for class.  Each child chose a god or goddess to study and they have been learning about that particular person.  They are now getting ready to show the class their powerpoint or posterboard presentation.  We are all looking forward to learning more about the powerful leaders of Greek mythology. 

Math Challenge can be a challenge!

4th grade students in Math Challenge have completed three units so far.  The first chapter was Guess and Check, they had to make educated guesses and input numbers into word problems to see if they would work.  Chapter 2 was entitled Draw a Picture, which required the students to create a drawing that helped them solve the problem.  In chapter 3, the students were asked to create a table or chart in order to help solve the problem.  Good luck Math Challenge students :)

Math Olympiads soon will compete

5th grade students that participate in Math Olympiads are preparing for 5 upcoming math contests.  They take one test each month.  Good luck 5th graders :)

    

CONTEST DATES 2011-2012
Contest	Elementary Division
Nov	15
Dec	13
Jan	10
Feb	7
Mar	6

Greek Mythology - The Lightning Thief and The Shadow Thief

In our 4th/5th grade Greek Mythology class we are doing two book studies : The Lightning Thief starring Percy Jackson and The Shadow Thief starring Charlotte Mielswetszki. Both books take current day characters and connect them to stories of Greek mythology.

    

Prime Time Students Learn Money Matters

2nd and 3rd grade students have been learning about patterns, weight (pound and ounces) and money.  We learned how to make change with our hat store and we read the book "Caps for Sale."