During the month of February students will be identifying, reading, writing, and comparing fractions with area models and set models. We will also be celebrating the 100th day of school. Later in the month we will go back to addition and subtraction, estimating and story problems.

This month, students have been learning about Realistic Fiction. They have learned that Realistic Fiction is a story that isn't true but COULD be true. They have been learning what the problem and solution of a story is, mistakes the character made, and what the character or charachters said and did. They also are learning about lessons the character learned in the story.

This month students will learn to write a Realistic Fiction story. We will explore creating a character, developing a good setting, problem and solution, dialogue and feelings. There will be a "lesson learned" in the story, and our character will change in the story. We will present and share our stories with a small celebration at the end of the unit.

This month, students will learn why we honor and celebrate major holidays including George Washington Day (Presidents' Day). Students will also learn about the ideas and innovations of early American leaders including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, and how they continue to impact us today. Additionally, students will learn about European Exploration. Specifically, students will compare the ideas and contributions of explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Christopher Newport and the impact they had our world today.

This month students will learn about the characteristics of the three stages of matter. We will focus on solid, liquid, and gas. They will learn how heat and cooling change the phases of matter. The students will explore the water cycle, focusing on evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Then students will learn about forces and how they apply to our lives. They will look at how gravity and magnetism can cause objects to move.