Today Gwendolyn began our session practicing her vocabulary playing Hangman. Then she wrote her introductory and conclusion paragraphs for her opinion piece. Next week she will begin typing it up. She has decided to turn it into a letter for Ms. Judie. She has worked very hard so I am sure Ms. Judie will consider her opinions.

Today Gwendolyn finished up the main body of her opinion piece of writing. She has really gotten the hang of the format of this type of piece. I am really proud of how her writing has progressed. When she was finished, we continued reading together from her chapter book. She summarized what she read and answered oral comprehension questions.

12-8 Problem Solving: Draw a Picture and Make an Organized List
We learned to draw a picture and make an organized list as a method of solving problems with perimeter and area. Then we saw that information in some problems can be represented using a diagram to solve the problem. Next we learned that some problems can be solved by generating a list of outcomes organized in a systematic way.

12-7 Circles and Circumference
We learned that a circle is a set of all points that are a given distance from a point called the center. Then we learned that line segments called chords can be drawn between points on the circle. The longest chord goes through the center of the circle and is called the diameter. Next we learned that the radius of a circle is a line segment that connects the center to a point on the circle. We learned that the distance around a circle is the circumference. The circumference of a circle is a little more than three times the diameter. Then we learned that the ratio of the circumference to the diameter for every circle is always the same and is called pi. The value of pi is 3.14 or 22÷7. To determine the circumference of a circle you multiply pi times the diameter.

Today Gwendolyn made wonderful batch of Cadbury Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies. Gwendolyn beat together the butter and sugar until it was creamy. She then added an egg and a dash of vanilla. Next, she mixed in the flour, baking powder and salt. Once the cookie dough was ready Gwendolyn rolled 20 balls of dough. She place them on a ungreased baking sheet and baked them for 10 minutes. When the cookies were cooled Gwendolyn placed a small dollop of chocolate frosting with a mini Cadbury egg on top. Gwendolyn's cookies looked like adorable little nests.

Gwendolyn continued her study of World War II. Today she learned more about Hitler and the Holocaust. She read about Rosie the Riveter and we listed new words relative to the War - front, occupation, concentration camps, genocide, anti-semitism. We discussed the bombing of Pearl Harbor, D-Day and Nazi propaganda. Gwendolyn and I made an Easter egg from a blown egg and tissue paper with Mod Podge - beautiful! I promised her this treat/project. Happy Easter!

The plan was to introduce Gwendolyn to the use of logic to deduce which coin of a group was false. She would have to develop a strategy to determine the false coin in three balance attempts.

Today we did an origami in order to continue practicing the prepositions of place and to learn the vocabulary. Also, on Raz-Kids we read Sobre, Arriba and Abajo. In addition, we learned about Honduras and Guatemala. We colored their flags and learned their capital cities.

Today we did an activity on Easter, we created a bunny mask and also we talked about Easter in Spanish speaking countries and its history. We reviewed the countries and placed them on a map. Gwendolyn will take a quiz next class.

Today Gwendolyn continued working on her friendship bracelet.