Lower Elementary Newsletter- Friday, November 8, 2013

November 8, 2013

 

Dear RiverRun Families,

This week the Elders analyzed sentences; looking for the subject and identifying what the subject is doing.  They also had extended lessons on the Checkerboard, a work used to practice multiplication.  As of now, they are multiplying large numbers by one digit.  Those who are ready will soon move to two digit multipliers.  Others in the class had lessons on how to set up an equation, being sure to align the numbers according to place value. Some of the children were introduced to the Stamp Game, a material used for the four operations.  The First-Years also had lessons in grammar; using the grammar boxes and identifying nouns, adjectives and articles in prepared sentences. 

The History of Math, another of the Great Lessons was given.  This lesson starts about 20,000 years before the Common Era.  We looked at pictures of the Ishango Bone found in Africa in the 1960s; a bone believed to show marks or tallies related to recording time or transactions.   We then jumped way ahead to between three and four thousand years B.C, when several different cultures had come up with ways to equate.  The Sumerians had a numbering system only up to the number three!  They used clay and a stylus to record these numbers, while in India they used sticks to communicate numbers, also only up to the number three.  The Naruba of Nigeria used Cowry shells set in rows of twenty to compute transactions.  The ancient Mayans had a system of shells, stones and sticks; they even used the number zero.  Like the Naruba of Africa their system was also based on twenty.  In class we have a work where the children estimate how many beans are in a box. This week we used the Mayan system to express the actual number of beans once we counted them using current techniques.

On Thursday December 12^th, we would like to meet as a community in the evening.  The Upper El will present a short play and the Lower El will cook for all.   We are learning about Native Americans and the evening will be an extension our classroom work.    We plan to start at 5:30 so we can eat and get home at a reasonable time. 

 

In last week’s letter I put in dates for Veteran’s day and Thanksgiving.  I was looking at last year’s calendar so they may have been incorrect.  I asked Rachel to email the community with the correct dates.  She sent a list of all the days we have off this year.  This list can be found on our website.  The list has not changed from the beginning of this year.  Also, check out our blog.  The Friday letters and pictures of the children engaging in recent activities are posted there.

 

“If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.” Mahatma Gandhi

Shalom, Namaste, Salaam, Peace be with you,   

Amy