Since returning from Christmas Break, Cooleemee Elementary PE students played several fitness games such as: Survivor Fitness, Kitty Cat, Space Tag, and Sharks and Minnows.   They participated in the Fitness Gram Test for the second time.  The goal is to see how much they each can improve on their scores from the beginning of the year.

Next is a unit on bowling, where each student will learn the proper form and technique.  In February, the Jump Rope for Heart Fundraiser begins.

In kindergarten, children are learning about Dr. Martin Luther King and his fight for justice. They are also learning about the winter season.  In math the children are using strategies to solve addition and subtraction word problems.

First graders are testing in math and reading. Along with reviewing standards, students have been learning about polar bears and penguins. They researched facts and compared both animals’ habitats, diets, appearance, and lifestyles. First graders are learning to write opinion stories where they state an opinion and provide reasons and a closing statement.

Third grade students are working on determining what the main idea is of nonfiction texts and what the central message is for fiction texts in reading. For social studies, students are studying the historical contributions of Martin Luther King Jr. In math, students are learning about the properties of multiplication: identity, zero, associative, commutative and distributive. They are applying these properties to solving problems and determining effective strategies. They continue a study of the human muscular system, learning how skin protects.

Fourth grade students are working on determining the theme of folktales and fables. Students are working on how to write a summary after reading a fable or a folktale. In math, students are working on equivalent fractions.

Before the holiday break, fifth grade students tested their knowledge of Newton’s Laws by creating devices to protect an egg from a 10-foot drop. They started with research and then built their device using what they learned. Students had a great time dropping their eggs and seeing whether they survived or not.