Happy Thanksgiving PS11! Below are some Thanksgiving resources!

National Geographic Kids: Gives the backstory on the first Thanksgiving, debunks some myths, and more!

Thanksgiving Mini-book: Lower grade parents, if you would like your child to make a book about things they are thankful for, this is an easy way!

NPR – How to Talk to Kids About Thanksgiving: Want your children to look at Thanksgiving with a more critical eye? Check out this article by NPR.

Bet You Didn’t Know: This video shares interesting and quirky facts about Thanksgiving!

Enjoy!

Is your 4^th grader confused about the difference between food chains and food webs? How about physical versus behavioral adaptations? Maybe they want to learn more about human impact on the environment?

Here are some resources from our 4^th Grade Ecosystems Unit to explore at home!

Ecosystems

• Ecology and Behavior

Food Chains and Webs

• Brainpop: Ecology and Behavior – Food Chains
• Science Bob – Food Chains and Food Webs
• Sheppards Software – Producers and Consumers

Animal Adaptations

• Scholastic – Animals
• PK Life Science – Behavioral and Physical Adaptations  (Check out all of the sections on the left)

Human Footprint:

• Nat Geo – Human Footprint Interactive
• Nat Geo. – Mapping Out the Human Footprint 

Mark your calendars! On November 14th we will experience a super moon-and the moon will appear bigger and brighter than it has been in over 70 years!! To get the best views of the moon, try to find a dark place without too many lights or buildings. The piers or the park might be good places to try. If you get some good pictures bring them or send them to Mrs. Griffith. She would love to see them! To learn more check this out!

We are thrilled to announce that we have our first student made tutorial! In the video, 3rd grader Hudson teaches us how to use Compensation when subtracting.

What is the strategy? Compensation. Compensation can be used in different ways, but in this video Hudson will show you how to take 1 away from the minuend and add it back later. 

When does he use it? When subtracting from a number that has a lot of zeroes, like 700, 2,000, 0r 10,000 …like in this equation below.

2,000 – 756 =

Why he loves it? Hudson explained that regrouping can really mix him up, so using compensation gives him a friendlier number to subtract from. Using the example above, Hudson would do this:

2,000 – 756 =

1. 2,000 – 1 = 1,999 (Take one away from the minuend)
2. 1,999 – 756 = 1,243 (subtract using expanded form or standard algorithm)
3. 1,243 + 1 = 1,244 (Add the one back that you took away in the first step)

Check out Shepard Software, they have tons of free educational games for students in pre-k and beyond!

Here are some highlights…4th grade scientists used this game to review food chains in Mrs. Griffith’s class today! 3rd graders, can practice your multiplication facts with this fast paced game. Upper grades, want your child to improve their typing, try this spooky Halloween themed practice.

Enjoy!

Did you know that PS11 has a Brainpop membership that you are welcome to use?

Here it is! Enjoy!

• Username: ps11
• Password: brainpop

More about BrainPOP

BrainPOP engages students through animated movies, learning games, interactive quizzes, primary source activities, concept mapping, and more. Our award-winning resources cover topics within Science, Math, Social Studies, English Language Arts, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Music, Health, Reading, and Writing. Our content is carefully mapped to the Common Core, aligned to academic standards, and searchable with our online Standards Tool.

To answer that question, The Times interviewed groups of young New Yorkers. About a dozen of them agreed to document their daily lives by making videos on their ubiquitous smartphones. Others tolerated us while we shadowed them and asked annoying questions. Here’s what they gave us.

Every year Mr. Bender carefully selects a book for each month of the school year. These books are always connected by a particular theme which changes from year to year. This year’s is a really powerful theme, but we aren’t going to tell you what it is just yet.

At the end of each month, we will share the Book of the Month with you in the hopes you will discuss it further with your children. And while you’re at it, see if you can figure out Mr. Bender’s theme!

September’s book was, “Kindness is Cooler Mrs. Ruler.” Below you will find a video of the book being read

Ways to talk about this book at home:

• Here is a cool resource with discussion questions about the text and ways to, “Keep Kindness Going.”
• 22 Kid Approved Acts of Kindness
• 100 Acts of Kindness for Kids
• Keep track of acts of kindness at home with this printable document.
• Article: Are You Raising Nice Kids? A Harvard Psychologist gives 5 Ways to Raise them to be Kind

Aren’t sure how to access all our H.O.P.s, then watch the video below –  it will show you how in about 5 minutes! Enjoy!

Well, great news…now you can learn more about yourself! As a parent of PS11 you have access to the Introversion/Extroversion Self Assessment created from a partnership between the Quiet Revolution and University of Pennsylvania’s Scott Barry Kaufman. This assessment was created for adults and is the result of months of rigorous testing and analysis and you can take it below:

Take the Introvert/Extrovert Assessment

(use the password 125197)

Want to learn more about PS11’s Quiet Revolution?

Join us at next week’s Curriculum Connection Tuesday, October 18th @ 9:00 am. If you plan to attend:

RSVP here

About the Curriculum Connection:

The better we understand one another, the better we can work together. That’s the simple idea behind the Quiet Revolution at PS11.

Based on Susan Cain’s bestselling book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking the Quiet Revolution is a movement to unleash the untapped potential of introverts and create an inclusive culture in which everyone – introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts alike are encouraged to reach their potential.

Please Join us Tuesday, October 18th at 9:00am in the auditorium

During this meeting we will:

• Introduce you to the characteristics of each temperament
• Explore how each temperament learns and collaborates
• Discuss the importance of honoring temperaments
• Provide an overview of the work will will embark on this year