WMS: Math and Science this week!

Dear Families,

Just a beginning of the week email to let you know what we're working on this week!

Math - NO CALCULATIONS YET, PLEASE! :) 

• TUESDAY: Okay, so we're doing circles. We have defined circles as the collection of points all equidistant from a center point. We have described and defined the radius and diameter of a circle and found a relationship between them. Today we added some vocabulary about arcs, chords, and tangents of circles. And tonight's homework asks students to do kind of a piece of artwork with a circle and its parts, then to try to find a way to measure the circumference. I asked students not to calculate the circumference (so no pi, no 3.14156, no 22/7... YET!). 
  
• WEDNESDAY: Tomorrow we will investigate how many diameters of a circle can fit around its circumference and we will have a rough estimate (about 3). Their homework will have them use that rough estimate.
• THURSDAY: On Thursday we will formalize pi as the ratio of circumference to diameter and we will begin using 3.14 and 22/7 as estimates of pi (just more accurate ones than the value of 3 we will use tomorrow) for calculating circumference... or for finding the diameter from the circumference... or for then finding the radius from the circumference.
• FRIDAY: We should be using circumference to find the perimeter of semi-circles and shapes that have semicircular (and quarter-circular) parts.

Science - FRICTION!

• TUESDAY: We introduced the word friction today and students brainstormed what they think it means to surface preconceptions.
• WEDNESDAY: We will investigate friction as it effects the force needed to move a wooden block over different textures (surfaces).
• THURSDAY: We will investigate the effects of load (mass) on friction. 
• FRIDAY: We will investigate the effect of surface area on friction.
• Throughout all of these investigations, students will be keeping careful notes in their science notebooks. There are specific CHECKOUTS throughout the lab where partners bring me over and I check on their progress and their understanding before the can move on. Your child is welcome to bring home his/her science notebook to share with you what we have been working on. 

A long weekend, a short week, and sunshine today! I hope you have a very pleasant Tuesday!

Sincerely,

Brian MacNevin