Science: 

We are taking a brief pause from our work on Passion Projects this Monday to learn about the Solar Eclipse. The best time for viewing the eclipse is about 12:30, and that happens to be during our Science/Social Studies block. Students will read about solar eclipses, then watch a video about them, and finally, we will go outside to view the eclipse. To ensure the safety of our students, Westgate will be providing eclipse glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard for every student.

Colorado will not be in the area to witness the totality of the eclipse; we will only see approximately 65% coverage. Therefore, it is important that the students wear their protective glasses at all times. Rest assured that the safety of our students is our top priority, and our staff is committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. 

Before the eclipse viewing, we encourage you to review the following eclipse viewing safety with your student. Our teachers and staff will also be going over essential safety tips with the students to ensure they understand.

Safety reminders for viewing a solar eclipse:

• Wear certified eclipse glasses at all times while observing the eclipse, even during partial phases.

• DO NOT remove or peek over the edges of the protective glasses while viewing the eclipse.

Passion Project Update:  

Before Spring Break, the students should have finished finding facts about 3 possible topics and then chosen their topic. After students have chosen their topic, then they will write 3 essential questions about their topic.  

For example, if the topic is penguins, the 3 essential questions might be:  

1. What is the penguins’ habitat?  

1. What do penguins eat?  

1. How do penguins survive in the cold? 

This week, students will learn how to take notes as they read, without plagiarizing. Students will learn to jot down a word or phrase on a sticky note as they are reading. When they have a variety of notes about their topic, they will close the book and write what they learned.  

Before Winter Break, we wrapped up our science unit on the States of Matter. 

This week, we will begin our Economics and Civics unit by learning about goods and services, as well as scarcity and choices. Goods are things made or grown that we consume. Services are jobs or actions that someone else does for us. Scarcity is when there is not enough of something. Choices are when we must pick one thing and give up another thing. We will relate these concepts through activities that teach students that goods and services are ways producers earn money, and choices must be made when goods and services are scarce. 

Before Thanksgiving break, we wrapped up our Social Studies unit, “History & the Past,” and started our new science unit, “States of Matter & Material Properties.” Students took a history post-test and a Science Pre-test. At the end of the week, we began learning about what matter is and that there are three states of matter - solids, liquids, and gases. 

This week, students will learn in detail about the properties of each type of matter, including how the molecules are different. 

Last week, we continued our Social Studies unit, “History & the Past.” Students learned about how the fishing industry and immigration has changed from the past to the present. If you have immigrants in your family history, tell your child which country they immigrated from. 

This week, students will learn primary and secondary sources. A primary source is a document or object that was created during the time period being studied. A secondary source is information gathered by someone who did not take part in or witness the event. Towards the end of the week, students will take a history post-test and a Science Pre-test. Our next science unit will be about the States of Matter. 

Last week, we continued our Social Studies unit, “History & the Past.” Students learned about how people in the past lived, and how tools and the farming industry have changed. 

This week, students will learn about how the fishing industry has changed and then compare it with the farming industry. Toward the end of the week, students will learn about how immigration has changed from the past to the present. 

Donation request:  

I am trying to put together a hands-on timeline of the telephone. I have a rotary phone from the 1950’s, a corded push-button phone from the 1980’s, and the school’s classroom phone.  

• I am looking for a donation of a “Fisher-Price Toddler Pull Toy Chatter Telephone with Rotary Dial and Wheels” that students can use to see how the rotary mechanism works. My antique rotary phone is currently broken, and I cannot allow students to touch it.  
• I would also like to have a cordless phone that was popular in the 1990s.
• Lastly, I would love to have an old Nokia or similar early cell phone. 

If you have one of these phones and are looking to part with them, our class would love to give them a new home! 

Science & Social Studies: 

The week before break, we continued with our current unit, Earth Systems. We learned about events that quickly change the earth’s surface, such as volcanoes and earthquakes.  

This coming week, we will wrap up this science unit and begin our new Social Studies unit, “History & the Past.” If you have antiques around your home (or at a grandparent’s home, please show them to your student and explain how they work. We will be continuing this unit until the week of November 10. 

This past week in social studies, we used a compass and map key to follow directions to navigate a map. This coming week, we will learn about map grids and scales, as well as the continents, oceans and the equator.

This past week in social studies, we started our unit on Geography. On Monday, we read the book, “Me on the Map,” and created our own books that show where we live. Please consider helping your child add their addresses to the book. Then we began learning about features of a map including a map key and a compass rose.

In the coming week, we will use a compass and follow directions to navigate a map. After that, we will learn about map grids and scales.