Living vs. Nonliving and Subtraction Stories

In science this week, we have enjoyed learning about living versus nonliving items. We recorded what we learned about living things on an anchor chart and then used these rules to play an offspring match where we matched a baby animal or plant to his/her parent. Check out our fun pictures from our science adventures this week!

In math, we have been working hard to solve subtraction story problems, using model drawing. This is the math program that they use in Singapore. Research has shown it to be very effective. Model drawing is a way for children to not only solve a story problem but to be able to prove why the answer is true. In order for our students to have a solid foundation in number sense, we find the ability to fully explain your reasoning behind your answer to be a very important skill. Model drawing allows our students the opportunity to practice doing this. Below you can see how we were able to solve problems that we created on our own using the model drawing strategies.