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Last weeks of school:
So, I got a little behind on my website. I apologize! We have been so busy though. Here's what we have been working on...
Writing: We finished up our opinion writing and are so excited about our upcoming "Book Fair." The kids have worked SOOOOOO hard and are excited to show off their work. Remember, you are invited to attend on Friday, May 25th at 11am.
We took a break and made Mother's Day cards using our water colors. I was so impressed with the beautiful cards and sweet words.
We have started poetry and are learning different styles of poems. We have learned about repetition, rhymes, alliteration, rhythm and onomatopoeias. We have read a lot of Shel Silverstein (my favorite) and giggled and laughed at all his silly poems while noticing the different components. The kids have done amazing jobs of writing and sharing their poems. It has been so fun.
Reading: We finished up The Great Kapok Tree assignment which drew on all the skills we learned this year. Students made predictions, connections, identified setting, characters, problem and solution. This assignment also included writing a summary. It took some time but the kids enjoyed it and it was a great way to sum up their learning!
Math: We zoomed through graphs, lines and shapes! Kids love these units. We have spent the last week reviewing all the concepts we have learned this year for the "big" end of year assessment. The kids will ROCK it!
Science: In science we have continued our work on systems. We learned about 5 different biomes and the systems within those biomes. We learned about the different plants and animals in each habitat and the adaptations they have to help them survive.
We have also started learning about weather. Today, we used a strategy called THINK-PAIR-SHARE. The kids had to think individually about how the weather and season changes effect humans, plants and animals. Once they did their own thinking, they paired up to SHARE their thinking with a partner. Then partners paired up to groups of 4 to share their thinking again. This was really fun and a great way for the kids to learn from each other. At the end of the lesson, we all came together and added their thinking to our chart.
Lastly, I have started the year end raffle. Prizes include a kickball, bubbles, magic sand, a dinosaur eraser, a large sticker book and a few other fun things. The kids are working hard on their behavior to earn extra points towards entries for the drawings!
So, I got a little behind on my website. I apologize! We have been so busy though. Here's what we have been working on...
Writing: We finished up our opinion writing and are so excited about our upcoming "Book Fair." The kids have worked SOOOOOO hard and are excited to show off their work. Remember, you are invited to attend on Friday, May 25th at 11am.
We took a break and made Mother's Day cards using our water colors. I was so impressed with the beautiful cards and sweet words.
We have started poetry and are learning different styles of poems. We have learned about repetition, rhymes, alliteration, rhythm and onomatopoeias. We have read a lot of Shel Silverstein (my favorite) and giggled and laughed at all his silly poems while noticing the different components. The kids have done amazing jobs of writing and sharing their poems. It has been so fun.
Reading: We finished up The Great Kapok Tree assignment which drew on all the skills we learned this year. Students made predictions, connections, identified setting, characters, problem and solution. This assignment also included writing a summary. It took some time but the kids enjoyed it and it was a great way to sum up their learning!
Math: We zoomed through graphs, lines and shapes! Kids love these units. We have spent the last week reviewing all the concepts we have learned this year for the "big" end of year assessment. The kids will ROCK it!
Science: In science we have continued our work on systems. We learned about 5 different biomes and the systems within those biomes. We learned about the different plants and animals in each habitat and the adaptations they have to help them survive.
We have also started learning about weather. Today, we used a strategy called THINK-PAIR-SHARE. The kids had to think individually about how the weather and season changes effect humans, plants and animals. Once they did their own thinking, they paired up to SHARE their thinking with a partner. Then partners paired up to groups of 4 to share their thinking again. This was really fun and a great way for the kids to learn from each other. At the end of the lesson, we all came together and added their thinking to our chart.
Lastly, I have started the year end raffle. Prizes include a kickball, bubbles, magic sand, a dinosaur eraser, a large sticker book and a few other fun things. The kids are working hard on their behavior to earn extra points towards entries for the drawings!
Week of April 16-19:
A busy week indeed. Play practice and performances every day! Wild winds on the play ground and wild children in the classroom! LOL! Just kidding!
Reading - This week we practiced accuracy, fluency and retell in preparation for our Dibels assessments next week. Students set individual goals and have been working toward them. Huge thank you to all my volunteers who were able to help me meet with all the students!
Writing - Well....play practice kind of took over writing. We will get back to it next week!
Math - We have started telling time. This is a very tricky skill that takes a lot of practice. Check your child's folder for some extra practice to do at home.
A busy week indeed. Play practice and performances every day! Wild winds on the play ground and wild children in the classroom! LOL! Just kidding!
Reading - This week we practiced accuracy, fluency and retell in preparation for our Dibels assessments next week. Students set individual goals and have been working toward them. Huge thank you to all my volunteers who were able to help me meet with all the students!
Writing - Well....play practice kind of took over writing. We will get back to it next week!
Math - We have started telling time. This is a very tricky skill that takes a lot of practice. Check your child's folder for some extra practice to do at home.
Week of April 9-13:
Reading: We continue to work on Nonfiction reading and have coupled it with our Biomes study. This week we focused on the Arctic. We learned many interesting facts and put together our own books of what we learned.
Writing: Opinion papers are coming along. Between the eye dissection and play practice, writing had to take the back seat for a few days.
Math: Started and finished Fractions. The students did an amazing job! I am so proud.
Science: Eye ball dissection, in case you hadn't heard! :)
Reading: We continue to work on Nonfiction reading and have coupled it with our Biomes study. This week we focused on the Arctic. We learned many interesting facts and put together our own books of what we learned.
Writing: Opinion papers are coming along. Between the eye dissection and play practice, writing had to take the back seat for a few days.
Math: Started and finished Fractions. The students did an amazing job! I am so proud.
Science: Eye ball dissection, in case you hadn't heard! :)
Week of April 2-6:
Spring is in the air, but learning goes on! :) I added a few more classroom rewards to the mix to help motivate the students to make good choices and stay on task. The most popular is "Bring a Furry Friend to School". I have been very pleased with the students who have brought their furry friend so far. They have been able to have it here and not let it interfere with their learning!
Reading: We switched gears slightly this week and began working on nonfiction summary. This one seems a little easier for the kids, however, identifying the main idea can be tricky. We read a story about the moon and worked on identifying the main idea and supporting details for our summary.
Spelling: We are getting better at our spelling!!! We learned a new syllable type this week, the Open Syllable. These syllables have the long vowel sound. We practiced that syllable using the "Tulip" words.
Writing: We are starting to prepare for our "Book Fair". We are perfecting our opinion writing skills around books we have read. At the end of April, the room will be set up as a "Book Fair" for other students to come and learn about the books that my students have been reading. This is my first time to do this. I hope it works! :)
Math: We finished up money this week (thank you for your support at home!) and are gearing up for Fractions!
Spring is in the air, but learning goes on! :) I added a few more classroom rewards to the mix to help motivate the students to make good choices and stay on task. The most popular is "Bring a Furry Friend to School". I have been very pleased with the students who have brought their furry friend so far. They have been able to have it here and not let it interfere with their learning!
Reading: We switched gears slightly this week and began working on nonfiction summary. This one seems a little easier for the kids, however, identifying the main idea can be tricky. We read a story about the moon and worked on identifying the main idea and supporting details for our summary.
Spelling: We are getting better at our spelling!!! We learned a new syllable type this week, the Open Syllable. These syllables have the long vowel sound. We practiced that syllable using the "Tulip" words.
Writing: We are starting to prepare for our "Book Fair". We are perfecting our opinion writing skills around books we have read. At the end of April, the room will be set up as a "Book Fair" for other students to come and learn about the books that my students have been reading. This is my first time to do this. I hope it works! :)
Math: We finished up money this week (thank you for your support at home!) and are gearing up for Fractions!
Week of March 26 - 30th
It's been a busy week of learning! Here's whats going on...
Reading- Continued work on summarizing books read. We are still using the "Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then" strategy for Fiction texts. The kids are getting the hang of it, although sometimes it can be pretty tricky!
Writing - We are continuing to work on opinion writing. This week we learned the "Sandwich" approach to writing. Start with the bread (state your opinion), layer on lettuce, tomato, cheese and meat (each a reason for your opinion with support from the text), end with the bread (restated your opinion). This structure seems to be logical to the kids and has helped them in organizing their thoughts. (See picture of anchor chart).
Spelling - We continue to practice with our syllable types: Rabbit, Reptile and Penny. I am seeing improvement!
Math - We spent 2 days on rounding and moved on to money. The kids LOVE LOVE LOVE money! I use the "Hair" approach to counting money. See video sent on Friday afternoon via email.
It's been a busy week of learning! Here's whats going on...
Reading- Continued work on summarizing books read. We are still using the "Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then" strategy for Fiction texts. The kids are getting the hang of it, although sometimes it can be pretty tricky!
Writing - We are continuing to work on opinion writing. This week we learned the "Sandwich" approach to writing. Start with the bread (state your opinion), layer on lettuce, tomato, cheese and meat (each a reason for your opinion with support from the text), end with the bread (restated your opinion). This structure seems to be logical to the kids and has helped them in organizing their thoughts. (See picture of anchor chart).
Spelling - We continue to practice with our syllable types: Rabbit, Reptile and Penny. I am seeing improvement!
Math - We spent 2 days on rounding and moved on to money. The kids LOVE LOVE LOVE money! I use the "Hair" approach to counting money. See video sent on Friday afternoon via email.
Week of March 12th - 16th:
I can't believe it is already Spring Break!!!! Where has the time gone? I guess that's what happens when you are working hard and having fun while learning!
Reading - We continued to work on our summarizing this week. This is a skill that is going to take some time and practice! We read more Kevin Henkes books to work on our summarizing skills. (Please excuse the error on the poster, I try to write quickly so the kids don't get bored and I make errors. I can't believe they didn't catch that one. They usually keep me on my toes!)
Spelling - We learned a new syllable/word type today. The "penny" word. Two syllable words where the "Y" makes a long e sound. Students are bring home a practice sheet done in class this week.
Writing - We are breaking the opinion writing down into steps. Step 1: Create a hook and name the title and author. Step 2: Provide a summary but don't give away the ending! No spoiler alerts in room 305! Step 3: State your opinion and your reasons for your opinion. Step 4: Give strong evidence for your reasons. Step 5: Add a conclusion (we haven't gotten to this part just yet!). It has been interesting to see the students flip their opinions when they find it hard to support their original thought! Students took turns in the author's chair to share their opinions and reasons. (picture above)
Math - Flying through volume! This comes pretty naturally after doing measurement and mass.
Science - Students are working in groups in Think Tank to build a toy that will move. It has been fun to see their amazing ideas. They are having to think outside the box to build their creations!
I can't believe it is already Spring Break!!!! Where has the time gone? I guess that's what happens when you are working hard and having fun while learning!
Reading - We continued to work on our summarizing this week. This is a skill that is going to take some time and practice! We read more Kevin Henkes books to work on our summarizing skills. (Please excuse the error on the poster, I try to write quickly so the kids don't get bored and I make errors. I can't believe they didn't catch that one. They usually keep me on my toes!)
Spelling - We learned a new syllable/word type today. The "penny" word. Two syllable words where the "Y" makes a long e sound. Students are bring home a practice sheet done in class this week.
Writing - We are breaking the opinion writing down into steps. Step 1: Create a hook and name the title and author. Step 2: Provide a summary but don't give away the ending! No spoiler alerts in room 305! Step 3: State your opinion and your reasons for your opinion. Step 4: Give strong evidence for your reasons. Step 5: Add a conclusion (we haven't gotten to this part just yet!). It has been interesting to see the students flip their opinions when they find it hard to support their original thought! Students took turns in the author's chair to share their opinions and reasons. (picture above)
Math - Flying through volume! This comes pretty naturally after doing measurement and mass.
Science - Students are working in groups in Think Tank to build a toy that will move. It has been fun to see their amazing ideas. They are having to think outside the box to build their creations!
Week of March 5th-9th:
Another fun week full of learning in Room 305! We got to share our writing with the kindies!
Reading - We are working on summarizing a story. The strategy we have been working on is "Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then". We read "Owen" by Kevin Henkes and worked in groups to prepare a summary.
Writing - We began our opinion writing this week. We reviewed what an opinion was and discussed that it needed to be supported. We have a lot of opinion writing coming up focused on books we have read.
Math - We reviewed Chapters 1-6 and took a review assessment.
Another fun week full of learning in Room 305! We got to share our writing with the kindies!
Reading - We are working on summarizing a story. The strategy we have been working on is "Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then". We read "Owen" by Kevin Henkes and worked in groups to prepare a summary.
Writing - We began our opinion writing this week. We reviewed what an opinion was and discussed that it needed to be supported. We have a lot of opinion writing coming up focused on books we have read.
Math - We reviewed Chapters 1-6 and took a review assessment.
Week of February 26-March 2:
What a fun day today was! Donuts with Dad and the PRIDE assembly. It was great seeing so many dads here this morning. We have such a wonderful community!!!
Reading - We didn't have any formal whole group lessons in reading this week due to the work we did in writing. We did do Daily 5 (reading groups) and a lot of independent reading. Next week we will get back to a structured lesson.
Writing - I am so proud of the hard work every student has put into their books! We spent all week publishing our informational writing into books. They are so proud of them too! We will be collaborating with Kindergarten to share our writing with an authentic audience next week.
Math - We finished up "Mass" and are moving on to "Volume." We continue to practice the skills we learned earlier in the year to keep them sharp! :)
What a fun day today was! Donuts with Dad and the PRIDE assembly. It was great seeing so many dads here this morning. We have such a wonderful community!!!
Reading - We didn't have any formal whole group lessons in reading this week due to the work we did in writing. We did do Daily 5 (reading groups) and a lot of independent reading. Next week we will get back to a structured lesson.
Writing - I am so proud of the hard work every student has put into their books! We spent all week publishing our informational writing into books. They are so proud of them too! We will be collaborating with Kindergarten to share our writing with an authentic audience next week.
Math - We finished up "Mass" and are moving on to "Volume." We continue to practice the skills we learned earlier in the year to keep them sharp! :)
Week of February 19-23:
BURRR! It was a cold week with lots of indoor recess. Luckily we survived! :) .
Reading- We continued to work on inferencing the word meaning in a text. The kids worked together to read short passages with nonsense words. They had to identify the clues and infer the meaning of the word. (This was sent home in Thursday folders.)
Writing - We finished up our informational piece that we have been working so hard on. We are going to be publishing next week and the kids are super excited. Stay tuned...
Science - We had a force and motion experiment this week. Students were paired up and given a spoon, a bowl, tape and marshmallows. The challenge was to build a marshmallow launcher. They surprised me and did this in minutes. We then got together and experimented with different designs. It was fun and the kids continued to add to their force and motion knowledge.
Math - We started the unit on Mass this week. We are learning the difference between a gram and a kilogram. This chapter focuses on reading scales and comparing mass between 2 objects.
BURRR! It was a cold week with lots of indoor recess. Luckily we survived! :) .
Reading- We continued to work on inferencing the word meaning in a text. The kids worked together to read short passages with nonsense words. They had to identify the clues and infer the meaning of the word. (This was sent home in Thursday folders.)
Writing - We finished up our informational piece that we have been working so hard on. We are going to be publishing next week and the kids are super excited. Stay tuned...
Science - We had a force and motion experiment this week. Students were paired up and given a spoon, a bowl, tape and marshmallows. The challenge was to build a marshmallow launcher. They surprised me and did this in minutes. We then got together and experimented with different designs. It was fun and the kids continued to add to their force and motion knowledge.
Math - We started the unit on Mass this week. We are learning the difference between a gram and a kilogram. This chapter focuses on reading scales and comparing mass between 2 objects.
Week of February 12-16:
What a whirlwind of a week! A short week coupled with the Valentine's Friendship party has me feeling thankful for a long weekend!!! A HUGE thank you to Natalie and Mark Eddy and all the parents/grandparents who helped plan, attended and purchased supplies for the party. The kids had a blast! (In case you didn't hear, we had a chocolate fountain!!!) . And thank you for the beautiful video. My heart is so full! Here is what we have been up to!
Reading: We continue to work on inferencing. We have shifted a little to inferring the meaning of unknown words in our text. We kicked this learning off with a silly story I wrote with nonsense words. Students had to use the clues in the text to infer what the nonsense word meant. There was a lot of laughing and it was a fun lesson.
Writing: We continue to work on our informational writing. This week we worked on adding charts and maps to help our reader understand what we are teaching with our story. Students have been able to use the ipads to research information for their maps and charts. I have been really impressed with their ideas.
Spelling: We are moving forward with Syllabication as our approach to spelling. The kids seem really empowered with this knowledge in both reading and writing. We learned a new pattern this week, a "reptile" word. A "reptile" word has both a closed syllable (short vowel) and vowel-consonant-e syllable (long vowel) in the word.
Math: We wrapped up measurement using centimeters and meters. Moving on to measuring weight with grams and kilograms.
What a whirlwind of a week! A short week coupled with the Valentine's Friendship party has me feeling thankful for a long weekend!!! A HUGE thank you to Natalie and Mark Eddy and all the parents/grandparents who helped plan, attended and purchased supplies for the party. The kids had a blast! (In case you didn't hear, we had a chocolate fountain!!!) . And thank you for the beautiful video. My heart is so full! Here is what we have been up to!
Reading: We continue to work on inferencing. We have shifted a little to inferring the meaning of unknown words in our text. We kicked this learning off with a silly story I wrote with nonsense words. Students had to use the clues in the text to infer what the nonsense word meant. There was a lot of laughing and it was a fun lesson.
Writing: We continue to work on our informational writing. This week we worked on adding charts and maps to help our reader understand what we are teaching with our story. Students have been able to use the ipads to research information for their maps and charts. I have been really impressed with their ideas.
Spelling: We are moving forward with Syllabication as our approach to spelling. The kids seem really empowered with this knowledge in both reading and writing. We learned a new pattern this week, a "reptile" word. A "reptile" word has both a closed syllable (short vowel) and vowel-consonant-e syllable (long vowel) in the word.
Math: We wrapped up measurement using centimeters and meters. Moving on to measuring weight with grams and kilograms.
The week of January 29 - February 2 (the early edition):
Another great week of learning in room 305! I am so proud of these kids and the progress they are making.
We have had several students out sick this week. It might be a good idea to wash coats/jackets, spray down backpacks and lunch boxes in an effort to keep your family healthy. In the classroom, we are cleaning the tables daily with water and lemon oil to help combat the germs. After the students leave, I am spraying handles, light switches and other frequently touched items with a environmentally safe spray. I also periodically diffuse essential oils that work again germs, however, mostly when the students are not in the room to avoid allergies or irritations.
Reading: This week we have started focusing on inferencing. The kids are doing such a great job of picking up on the clues in the text to infer all types of things. I just love it!
Writing: We are learning about different text features and how to incorporate them into our writing to help build understanding. We are also focusing on editing. I purchased some "magic editing" glasses at the Dollar Tree over the weekend. When the students put them on they are able to see their errors more clearly to make corrections. Needless to say, it has been a hit.
Math: We began measurement this week. We are using centimeters and meters in this unit.
Social Studies: On Friday we will be learning about Groundhog's day. While I will be out, I have fun lessons planned for the kids to enhance their understanding of the event and express and support their opinions.
Another great week of learning in room 305! I am so proud of these kids and the progress they are making.
We have had several students out sick this week. It might be a good idea to wash coats/jackets, spray down backpacks and lunch boxes in an effort to keep your family healthy. In the classroom, we are cleaning the tables daily with water and lemon oil to help combat the germs. After the students leave, I am spraying handles, light switches and other frequently touched items with a environmentally safe spray. I also periodically diffuse essential oils that work again germs, however, mostly when the students are not in the room to avoid allergies or irritations.
Reading: This week we have started focusing on inferencing. The kids are doing such a great job of picking up on the clues in the text to infer all types of things. I just love it!
Writing: We are learning about different text features and how to incorporate them into our writing to help build understanding. We are also focusing on editing. I purchased some "magic editing" glasses at the Dollar Tree over the weekend. When the students put them on they are able to see their errors more clearly to make corrections. Needless to say, it has been a hit.
Math: We began measurement this week. We are using centimeters and meters in this unit.
Social Studies: On Friday we will be learning about Groundhog's day. While I will be out, I have fun lessons planned for the kids to enhance their understanding of the event and express and support their opinions.
January 22 - 26:
It was a coooold week! Luckily it warmed up a few times for us to be able to go out side and run off some energy! I am so thankful for the snow though!
Writing: We have continued to build on our informational writing. We focused on creating a really good introduction sentence that will "hook" the reader. I love what the students have come up with. They have been sharing and providing suggestions to each other on how to make them even better. I love seeing this collaboration between the kids!
Reading: We finished up cause and effect today. The kids really seem to get this concept and are constantly noticing relationships throughout the day. It is awesome. I think the favorite book this week was The Day Jimmy's Boa at the Wash. It is a silly book of mishaps that occur like dominos falling down.
Spelling: We are taking a new approach to spelling. I just didn't feel like the old approach was working and I was having trouble being consistent with it. This approach is part of the Orton Gillingham (OG) approach to phonics. I am teaching the students the different syllable types. Knowing these patterns will help them with both reading and spelling. They seem to really enjoy it so far!
Math: We finished up multiplication and division for a while. It is a tough topic to learn. Continue to practice those math facts at home to help build fluency!
Science: Force and Motion! WOOHOO!!! It is so much fun. We explored with toy cars last week. Observing some of the forces we learned in the vocabulary, in action! This week we made a balloon rocket. It was so fun to hear their thinking about what was going on. They thought of things I hadn't even thought about! They just amaze me!
It was a coooold week! Luckily it warmed up a few times for us to be able to go out side and run off some energy! I am so thankful for the snow though!
Writing: We have continued to build on our informational writing. We focused on creating a really good introduction sentence that will "hook" the reader. I love what the students have come up with. They have been sharing and providing suggestions to each other on how to make them even better. I love seeing this collaboration between the kids!
Reading: We finished up cause and effect today. The kids really seem to get this concept and are constantly noticing relationships throughout the day. It is awesome. I think the favorite book this week was The Day Jimmy's Boa at the Wash. It is a silly book of mishaps that occur like dominos falling down.
Spelling: We are taking a new approach to spelling. I just didn't feel like the old approach was working and I was having trouble being consistent with it. This approach is part of the Orton Gillingham (OG) approach to phonics. I am teaching the students the different syllable types. Knowing these patterns will help them with both reading and spelling. They seem to really enjoy it so far!
Math: We finished up multiplication and division for a while. It is a tough topic to learn. Continue to practice those math facts at home to help build fluency!
Science: Force and Motion! WOOHOO!!! It is so much fun. We explored with toy cars last week. Observing some of the forces we learned in the vocabulary, in action! This week we made a balloon rocket. It was so fun to hear their thinking about what was going on. They thought of things I hadn't even thought about! They just amaze me!
Week of January 8-11:
Welcome back! We've had a great start back to learning and I am so glad to be back in school and in routines again. We spent some time reviewing rules. We read My Mouth is a Volcano and That Rule Doesn't Apply to Me to remind us why the rules are important. Here's what else we have been working on.
Writing: We began a new writing unit! YAY!!! We are working on informational writing. This week we started by looking at fiction (chapter books) and non-fiction texts and comparing the differences and similarities. This was really fun for the kids. They noticed so many things and had some "a-ha" moments!
Reading: We are starting cause and effect relationships in reading. We read a really silly book that was full of cause and effect examples. It was super fun for the kids to recognize the relationships and make predictions about what would happen next. The book was called "Book or Bell?".
Math: We are learning how skip counting can assist us in quickly figuring out our multiplication problems. The students practiced skip counting while color coding a hundreds chart for future reference.
Science: Force and motion is our new science unit and it is a fun one. We have been busy learning the vocabulary and concepts. We will begin the science experiments soon!
Welcome back! We've had a great start back to learning and I am so glad to be back in school and in routines again. We spent some time reviewing rules. We read My Mouth is a Volcano and That Rule Doesn't Apply to Me to remind us why the rules are important. Here's what else we have been working on.
Writing: We began a new writing unit! YAY!!! We are working on informational writing. This week we started by looking at fiction (chapter books) and non-fiction texts and comparing the differences and similarities. This was really fun for the kids. They noticed so many things and had some "a-ha" moments!
Reading: We are starting cause and effect relationships in reading. We read a really silly book that was full of cause and effect examples. It was super fun for the kids to recognize the relationships and make predictions about what would happen next. The book was called "Book or Bell?".
Math: We are learning how skip counting can assist us in quickly figuring out our multiplication problems. The students practiced skip counting while color coding a hundreds chart for future reference.
Science: Force and motion is our new science unit and it is a fun one. We have been busy learning the vocabulary and concepts. We will begin the science experiments soon!
TodayWeek of December 18-21:
What a great week of super fun learning. I have really tried to incorporate somethings to keep the kids engaged during this exciting time of year. Here are some highlights.
Reading and Writing - We have had lessons that incorporate reading and writing and holidays around the world. We have learned of the traditions in Israel, Australia, Germany and Mexico. The lessons include a book or video about the unique traditions, followed by a writing activity and a craft. I think the kids have really enjoyed it. I have tried to bring some of the traditions into the classroom. St. Nickolas visited and put fruit and candy in their shoes similar to the German tradition. I really wanted to play dreidel but I waited too long and couldn't find the dreidels at the store. :( . Today Mrs. Frey planned a fun writing lesson using the Mystery Oreos. The kids had a blast!
Math - We have been playing games that involve math practice. One day we played bingo with addition with regrouping. Today we practiced our math facts on balloons. Ask you child about it. There was a lot of laughing!!! :)
Lastly, we have spent some time working on kindness and the spirit of giving. We made gifts for each student's family. I loved how they turned out and the pride the kids exhibited while making them. They really kept their families in mind when making their creations. I heard lots of time, "I need the pink. My mom LOVES pink!" or "my dad's favorite color is yellow, Where is the yellow?" I hope you love the final product as well.
Pictures coming tomorrow!
What a great week of super fun learning. I have really tried to incorporate somethings to keep the kids engaged during this exciting time of year. Here are some highlights.
Reading and Writing - We have had lessons that incorporate reading and writing and holidays around the world. We have learned of the traditions in Israel, Australia, Germany and Mexico. The lessons include a book or video about the unique traditions, followed by a writing activity and a craft. I think the kids have really enjoyed it. I have tried to bring some of the traditions into the classroom. St. Nickolas visited and put fruit and candy in their shoes similar to the German tradition. I really wanted to play dreidel but I waited too long and couldn't find the dreidels at the store. :( . Today Mrs. Frey planned a fun writing lesson using the Mystery Oreos. The kids had a blast!
Math - We have been playing games that involve math practice. One day we played bingo with addition with regrouping. Today we practiced our math facts on balloons. Ask you child about it. There was a lot of laughing!!! :)
Lastly, we have spent some time working on kindness and the spirit of giving. We made gifts for each student's family. I loved how they turned out and the pride the kids exhibited while making them. They really kept their families in mind when making their creations. I heard lots of time, "I need the pink. My mom LOVES pink!" or "my dad's favorite color is yellow, Where is the yellow?" I hope you love the final product as well.
Pictures coming tomorrow!
Week of December 4 - December 8:
How can it already be Friday?!! It was a busy week. Just a heads up, we are having (or had) a shelter in place drill and a fire drill this afternoon. Shelter in place is in case there is a threat outside the building such as a tornado. We move into an interior room away from windows. On another note, you will find the weekend Kindness Challenge items above.
Writing - Personal Narratives, still! Kids are getting so good at adding details to their writing, stretching the story out to tell it step by step and are gaining more and more confidence in their writing skills! YAY!
Reading - I am working on the Mid-Year Reading Assessment. I am very pleased with the growth I am seeing. The kids have worked so hard. I know you have too, holding them accountable for their reading at home, which is not always an easy task! We continued with Folktales, Fables and Fractured Stories (altered fables and folktales) this week. It has been fun and a great way to compare and contrast stories.
Math - Multiplication and Division. I emailed a video this week of some of the strategies I have been teaching the kids. I am so impressed with how quickly they are getting these new concepts. The just love it!
Bonus- A cute picture of Humphrey taken at home eating raw spaghetti! :)
How can it already be Friday?!! It was a busy week. Just a heads up, we are having (or had) a shelter in place drill and a fire drill this afternoon. Shelter in place is in case there is a threat outside the building such as a tornado. We move into an interior room away from windows. On another note, you will find the weekend Kindness Challenge items above.
Writing - Personal Narratives, still! Kids are getting so good at adding details to their writing, stretching the story out to tell it step by step and are gaining more and more confidence in their writing skills! YAY!
Reading - I am working on the Mid-Year Reading Assessment. I am very pleased with the growth I am seeing. The kids have worked so hard. I know you have too, holding them accountable for their reading at home, which is not always an easy task! We continued with Folktales, Fables and Fractured Stories (altered fables and folktales) this week. It has been fun and a great way to compare and contrast stories.
Math - Multiplication and Division. I emailed a video this week of some of the strategies I have been teaching the kids. I am so impressed with how quickly they are getting these new concepts. The just love it!
Bonus- A cute picture of Humphrey taken at home eating raw spaghetti! :)
Week of November 27- December 1:
I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving week! From the stories I have heard, it sounds like there were some fabulous meals eaten and nice family time enjoyed. Here is what we have been up to this week...
General - We are lighting up our room with kindness. We have holiday lights decorating our room with "shout outs" to recognize when a classmate has been extra kind to another. The kids have been so sweet and writing some very thoughtful messages. We also are starting a Kindness Challenge for the month of December. Each day I will reveal a new challenge for the students. I hope they enjoy it and kindness will spread! Lastly, I have included a picture of the prizes I purchased for the Positive Behavior Challenge for the month of December. The kids seemed pretty excited about the gifts!
Writing - Finishing up our narrative writing unit. Students wrote about their Thanksgiving week.
Reading - We have moved from Fables to Folktales this week. We have read The Three Little PIgs, The Little Red Hen and The Gingerbread Man. Many of the students had heard these stories before, however, we looked at them more critically to determine if they were folktales using the characteristics of folktales. It has been fun.
Math - It has happened! We are learning multiplication!!!! The kids are so excited and are catching on quickly! I will be sending home practice soon.
I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving week! From the stories I have heard, it sounds like there were some fabulous meals eaten and nice family time enjoyed. Here is what we have been up to this week...
General - We are lighting up our room with kindness. We have holiday lights decorating our room with "shout outs" to recognize when a classmate has been extra kind to another. The kids have been so sweet and writing some very thoughtful messages. We also are starting a Kindness Challenge for the month of December. Each day I will reveal a new challenge for the students. I hope they enjoy it and kindness will spread! Lastly, I have included a picture of the prizes I purchased for the Positive Behavior Challenge for the month of December. The kids seemed pretty excited about the gifts!
Writing - Finishing up our narrative writing unit. Students wrote about their Thanksgiving week.
Reading - We have moved from Fables to Folktales this week. We have read The Three Little PIgs, The Little Red Hen and The Gingerbread Man. Many of the students had heard these stories before, however, we looked at them more critically to determine if they were folktales using the characteristics of folktales. It has been fun.
Math - It has happened! We are learning multiplication!!!! The kids are so excited and are catching on quickly! I will be sending home practice soon.
Week of November 6-10:
Another wacky week with a day off right in the middle!!! There has been some amazing thinking going on in this classroom. I am super proud of all the growth the kids have been making. Confidence is growing and learning is taking place!
Writing - This week we reviewed what we have learned about bringing a story to life by making people (characters) move, think and speak. Students had fun writing and sharing in class. Additionally, we wrote letters to veterans to thank them for their service! They turned out amazing and will certainly bring a smile to many veteran's faces.
Reading: We finished the first Humphrey book and and onto the 2nd one. Kids are still hooked! I love their excitement to hear what will happy to the furry little creature next! We have continued to work on fables and identifying the moral.
Math: We have been working on bar models. I didn't learn these as a kid, so they may be new to you too (although most of you are younger than I am). Bar models are a tool to help students analyze the information in a word problem and solve it. It is based on the concept of Part-Part-Whole. I have sent home extra practice. Let me know if you have questions on the concept.
Another wacky week with a day off right in the middle!!! There has been some amazing thinking going on in this classroom. I am super proud of all the growth the kids have been making. Confidence is growing and learning is taking place!
Writing - This week we reviewed what we have learned about bringing a story to life by making people (characters) move, think and speak. Students had fun writing and sharing in class. Additionally, we wrote letters to veterans to thank them for their service! They turned out amazing and will certainly bring a smile to many veteran's faces.
Reading: We finished the first Humphrey book and and onto the 2nd one. Kids are still hooked! I love their excitement to hear what will happy to the furry little creature next! We have continued to work on fables and identifying the moral.
Math: We have been working on bar models. I didn't learn these as a kid, so they may be new to you too (although most of you are younger than I am). Bar models are a tool to help students analyze the information in a word problem and solve it. It is based on the concept of Part-Part-Whole. I have sent home extra practice. Let me know if you have questions on the concept.
Week of October 30th - November 3rd :
What a crazy week! Candy, candy and more candy. A pumpkin carving. Humphrey in his ball. It's been so much fun.
Reading: We are continuing to learn about fables. We are currently reading the Lion and the Mouse. The one with no words. It has been great to hear what the kids can infer from the pictures. They are making predictions, inferencing and making connections. They are such great thinkers! We will finish the book next week.
Writing; In an effort to build comfort about where periods go in a sentence, we have spent some time learning and identifying subjects and predicates. We linked it back to our writing to help determine where periods go. Additionally, we just finished up another round of Words Their Way. I am very pleased with the spelling test scores!
Math: We just finished up Chapter 3. I was very pleased with the scores on the "Show my what you know" on such a hard concept! All that practice really paid off for most of the kiddos! I am super proud.
Science: We carved a pumpkin as part of our science experiment this week. Kids loved putting their hands inside and feeling the cold slime. Then we brainstormed words to describe the inside and outside of the pumpkin. This fell nicely in line with our lessons of adding details to our writing!
What a crazy week! Candy, candy and more candy. A pumpkin carving. Humphrey in his ball. It's been so much fun.
Reading: We are continuing to learn about fables. We are currently reading the Lion and the Mouse. The one with no words. It has been great to hear what the kids can infer from the pictures. They are making predictions, inferencing and making connections. They are such great thinkers! We will finish the book next week.
Writing; In an effort to build comfort about where periods go in a sentence, we have spent some time learning and identifying subjects and predicates. We linked it back to our writing to help determine where periods go. Additionally, we just finished up another round of Words Their Way. I am very pleased with the spelling test scores!
Math: We just finished up Chapter 3. I was very pleased with the scores on the "Show my what you know" on such a hard concept! All that practice really paid off for most of the kiddos! I am super proud.
Science: We carved a pumpkin as part of our science experiment this week. Kids loved putting their hands inside and feeling the cold slime. Then we brainstormed words to describe the inside and outside of the pumpkin. This fell nicely in line with our lessons of adding details to our writing!
Week of October 23-27:
It was a busy week, but boy was it a fun one! A HUGE thank you to Natalie Eddy for organizing an AMAZING party for the kids. It was so much fun! Another big thank you to all those who donated party supplies and candy for the festival. Lastly, a giant thank you to all those parents/grandparents who were able to attend and help execute the party! The kids really had a blast. I heard several times, "this is the best day ever!!!!!" Oh, and how could I forget, the introduction of Humphrey Jr. to our classroom!
Reading: In reading we began our unit on Fables. First we talked about the characteristics of fables (see picture), Next, we started reading several stories and used our knowledge to determine if it was a fable or not. The hard part about fables is determining the moral. Some morals are easy to spot and apply to our own lives (The Ant and the Grasshopper), others are a little trickier (The Fox and the Grapes!).
Writing: This week we had a super fun lesson on writing with detail . The kiddos drew a picture of a pumpkin and added lots of details to their drawing. Next, they wrote a story describing their drawing. They were encouraged to add as much detail as possible in their writing. Then, the students switched stories and had to draw the pumpkin they were reading about. This was really eye opening to some. The last step was to compare the drawings and provide some feedback.
Math: We are still working on subtraction with regrouping. I sent a video via email about subtraction over zeros. This is a skill that just needs to be practiced again and again. The more practice the better! When we break into math groups each day, the students have been playing games to practice their skills and have some fun. Maybe I will send a copy of the game home next week so you guys can play at home too!
Science: No science experiment this week. This coming week, we will be carving a pumpkin as part of our science experiment and writing lesson.
It was a busy week, but boy was it a fun one! A HUGE thank you to Natalie Eddy for organizing an AMAZING party for the kids. It was so much fun! Another big thank you to all those who donated party supplies and candy for the festival. Lastly, a giant thank you to all those parents/grandparents who were able to attend and help execute the party! The kids really had a blast. I heard several times, "this is the best day ever!!!!!" Oh, and how could I forget, the introduction of Humphrey Jr. to our classroom!
Reading: In reading we began our unit on Fables. First we talked about the characteristics of fables (see picture), Next, we started reading several stories and used our knowledge to determine if it was a fable or not. The hard part about fables is determining the moral. Some morals are easy to spot and apply to our own lives (The Ant and the Grasshopper), others are a little trickier (The Fox and the Grapes!).
Writing: This week we had a super fun lesson on writing with detail . The kiddos drew a picture of a pumpkin and added lots of details to their drawing. Next, they wrote a story describing their drawing. They were encouraged to add as much detail as possible in their writing. Then, the students switched stories and had to draw the pumpkin they were reading about. This was really eye opening to some. The last step was to compare the drawings and provide some feedback.
Math: We are still working on subtraction with regrouping. I sent a video via email about subtraction over zeros. This is a skill that just needs to be practiced again and again. The more practice the better! When we break into math groups each day, the students have been playing games to practice their skills and have some fun. Maybe I will send a copy of the game home next week so you guys can play at home too!
Science: No science experiment this week. This coming week, we will be carving a pumpkin as part of our science experiment and writing lesson.
Week of October 16-20:
I hope everyone had a fabulous Fall break. We slid right back into our routines and learning this week without skipping a beat! We had our dance performance, which was so fun to watch, popcorn Friday and a science experiment this week.
Reading/Social Studies: This week we finished up our Communities unit. Students worked in group to draw a community, either urban, rural or suburban, and then worked together to determine how the world would be different if that type of community didn't exist. I was so impressed with their thinking on this very hard challenge. Together we created a presentation rubric to guide the students on their presentation and listening skills. The kids did an amazing job! I was very proud!
We also spent several days reading Humphrey and working on our comprehension skills. We had a conversation about being good thinkers. When I am reading, they aren't just sitting there thinking about lunch or recess or anything else. They are good readers and good readers are ALWAYS thinking when they read (and what the teacher is reading). We created a cool anchor chart to help guide their thinking while reading. (see picture)
Writing: The kiddos did some writing about Fall Break. It was fun to read about so many adventures and activities that they experienced. We also learned about ARMS and CUPS as part of our revising and editing unit (see picture above). The kids created a foldable reference for CUPS to keep in their writing folders.
Math: We jumped right into Subtraction with regrouping. I am VERY impressed with how quickly this is coming back to them from 1st grade. Lots and lots of practice solving these problems!
Science: In science we made a homemade lava lamp using water, oil, food coloring and alka seltzer. We asked a lot of questions, just like Albert Einstein did. There was a definite WOW factor in this experiment! :)
I hope everyone had a fabulous Fall break. We slid right back into our routines and learning this week without skipping a beat! We had our dance performance, which was so fun to watch, popcorn Friday and a science experiment this week.
Reading/Social Studies: This week we finished up our Communities unit. Students worked in group to draw a community, either urban, rural or suburban, and then worked together to determine how the world would be different if that type of community didn't exist. I was so impressed with their thinking on this very hard challenge. Together we created a presentation rubric to guide the students on their presentation and listening skills. The kids did an amazing job! I was very proud!
We also spent several days reading Humphrey and working on our comprehension skills. We had a conversation about being good thinkers. When I am reading, they aren't just sitting there thinking about lunch or recess or anything else. They are good readers and good readers are ALWAYS thinking when they read (and what the teacher is reading). We created a cool anchor chart to help guide their thinking while reading. (see picture)
Writing: The kiddos did some writing about Fall Break. It was fun to read about so many adventures and activities that they experienced. We also learned about ARMS and CUPS as part of our revising and editing unit (see picture above). The kids created a foldable reference for CUPS to keep in their writing folders.
Math: We jumped right into Subtraction with regrouping. I am VERY impressed with how quickly this is coming back to them from 1st grade. Lots and lots of practice solving these problems!
Science: In science we made a homemade lava lamp using water, oil, food coloring and alka seltzer. We asked a lot of questions, just like Albert Einstein did. There was a definite WOW factor in this experiment! :)
October 2-October 5:
Another great week of meeting with families. Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me.
Reading/Social Studies: Continuing to work in our small reading groups. Continued our Star Citizen lessons by learning about Amelia Earhart and Rosa Parks. We are working on compiling a chart to gather all our learning and thinking.
We are also working in groups to determine what the world would be like without each of the following types of communities: Urban, Suburban and Rural. Kids are doing a great job of working together and I am so impressed with their thinking!
Math: We finished up the Chapter 2, Addition with Regrouping. I was very pleased with the kids hard work and growth. These tests will be coming home after the fall break. We spent today playing Yahtzee during Math and the kids loved it! They didn't even realize they were doing math! HEHE!
On Thursday we are going to see a choir performance by the NRE Honor Choir in the gym!
Another great week of meeting with families. Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me.
Reading/Social Studies: Continuing to work in our small reading groups. Continued our Star Citizen lessons by learning about Amelia Earhart and Rosa Parks. We are working on compiling a chart to gather all our learning and thinking.
We are also working in groups to determine what the world would be like without each of the following types of communities: Urban, Suburban and Rural. Kids are doing a great job of working together and I am so impressed with their thinking!
Math: We finished up the Chapter 2, Addition with Regrouping. I was very pleased with the kids hard work and growth. These tests will be coming home after the fall break. We spent today playing Yahtzee during Math and the kids loved it! They didn't even realize they were doing math! HEHE!
On Thursday we are going to see a choir performance by the NRE Honor Choir in the gym!
Week of September 25-29:
Conferences are in full swing in Room 305. I have really enjoyed meeting with parents this past week. While conferences are a lot of work for the teachers, I really enjoy the time to sit down with you and hear your perspective of how things are going for your child. I always leave conferences feeling so good and even more connected to my students. So, thank you for taking the time to meet with me.
Reading/Social Studies: I am reading a novel to the class in whole group. The novel is called The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney. We don't read it everyday, usually the last few minutes of the day after everyone is packed up. It is this cute story of a hamster who is a classroom pet. We work on many of the comprehension strategies as we read the book including inferencing, predictions, connections and visualizing. The kids love Humphrey, be sure to ask them about their favorite part so far!
We also read about Albert Einstein as part of our Communities/Star Citizens unit. The kids enjoyed making their hair "crazy" like Einstein's! :)
Science - On Friday we had our science activity. By now I am sure your kids have asked you to balance the robot on your finger. The activity didn't really tie into our unit, but it did have them exploring, problem solving and excited about science. I am curious to know how many remembered why the robot balanced with the paper clips (counter balance!).
Writing - We are STILL working on personal narratives. The kids are writing more and more and are excited to share their stories. We have shifted our focus just a little from adding life to the story to writing conventions (spacing, spelling, punctuation). Additionally, a spelling check came home on Friday with a letter attached. Please let me know if you have any questions. Above are a few pictures of the words they use for Words Their Way.
Math - Addition with regrouping is getting easier and easier for these kiddos. They are really getting the hang of it. We have started word problems. They are all addition, so pretty easy. I look forward to the time when the problems can be addition or subtraction as it takes a deeper level of thinking about the problem. We will be there after Fall Break!
Conferences are in full swing in Room 305. I have really enjoyed meeting with parents this past week. While conferences are a lot of work for the teachers, I really enjoy the time to sit down with you and hear your perspective of how things are going for your child. I always leave conferences feeling so good and even more connected to my students. So, thank you for taking the time to meet with me.
Reading/Social Studies: I am reading a novel to the class in whole group. The novel is called The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney. We don't read it everyday, usually the last few minutes of the day after everyone is packed up. It is this cute story of a hamster who is a classroom pet. We work on many of the comprehension strategies as we read the book including inferencing, predictions, connections and visualizing. The kids love Humphrey, be sure to ask them about their favorite part so far!
We also read about Albert Einstein as part of our Communities/Star Citizens unit. The kids enjoyed making their hair "crazy" like Einstein's! :)
Science - On Friday we had our science activity. By now I am sure your kids have asked you to balance the robot on your finger. The activity didn't really tie into our unit, but it did have them exploring, problem solving and excited about science. I am curious to know how many remembered why the robot balanced with the paper clips (counter balance!).
Writing - We are STILL working on personal narratives. The kids are writing more and more and are excited to share their stories. We have shifted our focus just a little from adding life to the story to writing conventions (spacing, spelling, punctuation). Additionally, a spelling check came home on Friday with a letter attached. Please let me know if you have any questions. Above are a few pictures of the words they use for Words Their Way.
Math - Addition with regrouping is getting easier and easier for these kiddos. They are really getting the hang of it. We have started word problems. They are all addition, so pretty easy. I look forward to the time when the problems can be addition or subtraction as it takes a deeper level of thinking about the problem. We will be there after Fall Break!
The Week of September 18-21:
The kids are really starting to understand the rules and expectations of the classroom and I am noticing I am redirecting a lot less and more work is being done! YAY!!! It takes several weeks to learn the expectations, test them and figure out what they can get away with, and then accept them. After all they ARE kids! :)
Reading/Social Studies- This week we started focusing on Star Citizens. These are people who have impacted the world in a positive way and help others. This week we read about Helen Keller. The kids were so interested to hear how she lived her life without hearing or seeing. At the end of the book, there was a timeline (which we learned about a few weeks ago) and real pictures of her throughout her life. Kids LOVED it!
Science - Due to a short week, we did not have a science project.
Writing - Continuing the personal narratives. We focused this week on identifying where punctation was needed. Hopefully we will see fewer run on sentences! :)
Math - I am so impressed with how quickly the kids are picking up Addition with Regrouping! They are doing an amazing job. Now that they are getting the concept, we will move into word problems that require them to set up the equation and solve.
The kids are really starting to understand the rules and expectations of the classroom and I am noticing I am redirecting a lot less and more work is being done! YAY!!! It takes several weeks to learn the expectations, test them and figure out what they can get away with, and then accept them. After all they ARE kids! :)
Reading/Social Studies- This week we started focusing on Star Citizens. These are people who have impacted the world in a positive way and help others. This week we read about Helen Keller. The kids were so interested to hear how she lived her life without hearing or seeing. At the end of the book, there was a timeline (which we learned about a few weeks ago) and real pictures of her throughout her life. Kids LOVED it!
Science - Due to a short week, we did not have a science project.
Writing - Continuing the personal narratives. We focused this week on identifying where punctation was needed. Hopefully we will see fewer run on sentences! :)
Math - I am so impressed with how quickly the kids are picking up Addition with Regrouping! They are doing an amazing job. Now that they are getting the concept, we will move into word problems that require them to set up the equation and solve.
Week of September 11-15:
This week we had our PRIDE kickoff assembly. It was very fun and the kids got excited about showing their PRIDE around campus. We also started our "Flood" groups this week. That means your child is most likely meeting with another teacher 3 times per week to work on reading skills that meet his/her needs. You might ask your child what teacher he/she sees and what they are doing during that time. A huge thank you to those who made it out to support our Multicultural Night at NRE. I enjoyed seeing the kids dance and sing.
Reading/Social Studies: We worked on maps and identifying the continents, equator, prime meridian and the different hemispheres. We spend some time on the compass rose as well and following directions. In small group we continue to work on our decoding, fluency and comprehension skills.
Writing: Still working on those personal narratives. They are getting so good. We made a list of strong action/feeling words and worked to incorporate them into our writing. We also completed the first assignment in our Words Their Way spelling/vocabulary curriculum. The kids really enjoy this program and they learn by recognizing the patterns in words.
Math: We finished up place value and are moving into Addition with Regrouping. I have emailed you a video of what language I use to teach regrouping, so if you did not receive it, please let me know.
Science: Our science experiment this week was a total failure, which is GOOD! It was a good lesson that things don't always work out the way they should or you expect them too. We were trying to get a paperclip to float by putting it on tissue paper in the water and then gently making the paper sink leaving the clip floating. I guess none of us are gentle enough because we couldn't get any of the clips to float. I guess we will have to try again! :)
This week we had our PRIDE kickoff assembly. It was very fun and the kids got excited about showing their PRIDE around campus. We also started our "Flood" groups this week. That means your child is most likely meeting with another teacher 3 times per week to work on reading skills that meet his/her needs. You might ask your child what teacher he/she sees and what they are doing during that time. A huge thank you to those who made it out to support our Multicultural Night at NRE. I enjoyed seeing the kids dance and sing.
Reading/Social Studies: We worked on maps and identifying the continents, equator, prime meridian and the different hemispheres. We spend some time on the compass rose as well and following directions. In small group we continue to work on our decoding, fluency and comprehension skills.
Writing: Still working on those personal narratives. They are getting so good. We made a list of strong action/feeling words and worked to incorporate them into our writing. We also completed the first assignment in our Words Their Way spelling/vocabulary curriculum. The kids really enjoy this program and they learn by recognizing the patterns in words.
Math: We finished up place value and are moving into Addition with Regrouping. I have emailed you a video of what language I use to teach regrouping, so if you did not receive it, please let me know.
Science: Our science experiment this week was a total failure, which is GOOD! It was a good lesson that things don't always work out the way they should or you expect them too. We were trying to get a paperclip to float by putting it on tissue paper in the water and then gently making the paper sink leaving the clip floating. I guess none of us are gentle enough because we couldn't get any of the clips to float. I guess we will have to try again! :)
Week of September 5-8:
It was a short week but packed full of fun and learning!
Reading/Social Studies: This week in reading, we focused our attention to Highlands Ranch History in order to prepare for the field trip. We learned all about the mansion, Dad Clark and other important people to Highlands Ranch. We looked at maps and located various places around our community including the school, town center, Target and several parks.
Writing: Still working on personal narratives. We looked at different sentences and I was able to model for the students to types of sentences I would like to see. LOTS OF DETAIL. (See Digging Deeper anchor chart) They spent a lot of time writing this week and working on their stories!
Math: We are wrapping up place value this week and will have the chapter assessment early next week (not Monday!). We are in full swing math rotations and I am able to meet with each small group every other day. We are excited to move on to the next chapter!
Science: We made butter! Hopefully you heard all about this by now! :)
It was a short week but packed full of fun and learning!
Reading/Social Studies: This week in reading, we focused our attention to Highlands Ranch History in order to prepare for the field trip. We learned all about the mansion, Dad Clark and other important people to Highlands Ranch. We looked at maps and located various places around our community including the school, town center, Target and several parks.
Writing: Still working on personal narratives. We looked at different sentences and I was able to model for the students to types of sentences I would like to see. LOTS OF DETAIL. (See Digging Deeper anchor chart) They spent a lot of time writing this week and working on their stories!
Math: We are wrapping up place value this week and will have the chapter assessment early next week (not Monday!). We are in full swing math rotations and I am able to meet with each small group every other day. We are excited to move on to the next chapter!
Science: We made butter! Hopefully you heard all about this by now! :)
The Week of August 28- September 1:
Another fun and busy week is behind us. Our class did AMAZING in the fun run! I am so proud of the kiddos for running in that heat. Remember, donations are due September 6th.
Reading: In reading this week we finished up our lessons on story elements and moved into lessons on Making Connections. There are three types of connections readers make when reading to help them build comprehension, Text to Text, Text to Self and Text to World. Kids love these lessons because they get to share stories that connect to the characters in the stories they read. Additionally, I have been able to complete my beginning of the year assessment and we are now in full swing reading groups. It is so nice to meet with the kiddos in small group and work on decoding and comprehension skills.
Writing: We continue to work and develop our skills in personal narrative writing. We concentrated on breaking our small moment down to tell the story in steps with a beginning, middle and end. This can be difficult for students some times, but I think they are understanding it now as I see some really good writing as I circulate the room to provide support.
Math: We are using Place Value to compare and order numbers. Students are using vocabulary such as "greater than" and "less than" and using the symbols for these terms (>,<).
Social Studies: We continue to work on recognizing the differences between the different types of communities (rural, urban and suburban). We have linked social studies into our reading lessons by identifying the setting of our stories in terms of types of communities. We also started talking about maps and reviewed the compass rose.
Science: We continue to get comfortable with the scientific process through fun and dramatic experiments. This week we made the colors move. Students had a plate of milk with a few drops of food coloring. I came around and add a drop of dish soap and the colors moved! This experiment was fun because there were a lot of comments like "awe! Cool!!" in the classroom.
The Week of August 21-25:
What a wonderful week. The eclipse was such an amazing experience for the kids. They did a good job of staying safe and keeping their glasses on. Thank you to all the volunteers who were able to help out. We had a viewing ratio of 1 adult to 2 students. Thank you!!! We also had our first library day this week. Students were excited to check out books and be able to bring them home. Check outs are for 2 weeks, however we visit the library weekly.
Reading: We had several read-alouds this week and the kids did a great job of sharing their thinking. They were making predictions and inferences left and right. I was very impressed. We spent some time talking about Story Elements this week and why it is important to recognize and think about the story elements as you read (to build comprehension). We completed a few follow up assignments involving the story elements.
Writing: We continued to add story ideas to our Tiny Topics journal. The eclipse was a big one that was added this week. We reviewed some of what they learned in 1st grade on how to bring a story to life and then worked together to bring my crummy story ("I skied a blue run. It was fun. I drank hot chocolate") to life! It was fun to have them share their ideas of how we can make my story more interesting. The next step is for them to go back to their writing and see how they can add life to their stories!
Math: We continued to build our skills in Place Value. I introduced the different number forms and we practiced converting the numbers between forms with a variety of games. Kids LOVE games, even if they are learning games! :)
Science: Our science experiment this week was called "Walking Water". It involved filling 4 cups with water and food coloring and using paper towels to bridge the cups. It was fun to see their excitement as the paper towels changed colors and "walked" across the bridge. We learned some new vocabulary words, "materials, procedures, prediction, results". The students made predictions before we started the experiment and then reflected on the results vs their predicition. It was fun and a great intro lesson to the Scientific Process.
The week of August 14-18:
We had a great week getting to know each other. Here are some of the highlights!
Reading: We practiced picking a "just right" book from the book baskets. We worked on building our reading stamina during D.E.A.R., Daily 5 Read to Self and Daily 5 Read to Someone. We learned how to "control our volcanos" (keep ourselves from blurting out of turn) and how we are all alike in some ways and different in others. I am hoping to start reading groups next week!
Writing: We began talking about small moment stories. Students received a small journal to keep track of ideas they have that they want to write about. We talked about how a Personal Narrative or small moment story is about something you did or something that happened to you. It can be something good or something bad, it is just something that was meaningful.
Math: We began Place Value and number sense. We reviewed their prior learning on Base Ten Blocks. The kids first were given numbers in standard form and then had to build the numbers using the blocks, and then vise versa. We played a matching game where they had to match the 2 forms of the numbers. They had fun and were engaged in this learning!
Science: We did our first "science" experiment. It was really more of a social lesson, but they don't need to know that! LOL! Students worked in groups to squeeze all the tooth paste out of a tube (thank you Milewski Family for the donation of toothpaste). Once all the paste was squeezed out, they were told to put it back in the tube. Of course this was messy and impossible. There was lots of laughing and good attempts at problem solving. Once we cleaned up I helped make the connection from the toothpaste to our words and how when we say mean things we can't put them back. We can apologize, but it is already out there and can be hurtful. I hope that the lesson will help students to think before they say something that may hurt feelings.
I am excited about what I have planned for the coming week. Stay tuned!
Another fun and busy week is behind us. Our class did AMAZING in the fun run! I am so proud of the kiddos for running in that heat. Remember, donations are due September 6th.
Reading: In reading this week we finished up our lessons on story elements and moved into lessons on Making Connections. There are three types of connections readers make when reading to help them build comprehension, Text to Text, Text to Self and Text to World. Kids love these lessons because they get to share stories that connect to the characters in the stories they read. Additionally, I have been able to complete my beginning of the year assessment and we are now in full swing reading groups. It is so nice to meet with the kiddos in small group and work on decoding and comprehension skills.
Writing: We continue to work and develop our skills in personal narrative writing. We concentrated on breaking our small moment down to tell the story in steps with a beginning, middle and end. This can be difficult for students some times, but I think they are understanding it now as I see some really good writing as I circulate the room to provide support.
Math: We are using Place Value to compare and order numbers. Students are using vocabulary such as "greater than" and "less than" and using the symbols for these terms (>,<).
Social Studies: We continue to work on recognizing the differences between the different types of communities (rural, urban and suburban). We have linked social studies into our reading lessons by identifying the setting of our stories in terms of types of communities. We also started talking about maps and reviewed the compass rose.
Science: We continue to get comfortable with the scientific process through fun and dramatic experiments. This week we made the colors move. Students had a plate of milk with a few drops of food coloring. I came around and add a drop of dish soap and the colors moved! This experiment was fun because there were a lot of comments like "awe! Cool!!" in the classroom.
The Week of August 21-25:
What a wonderful week. The eclipse was such an amazing experience for the kids. They did a good job of staying safe and keeping their glasses on. Thank you to all the volunteers who were able to help out. We had a viewing ratio of 1 adult to 2 students. Thank you!!! We also had our first library day this week. Students were excited to check out books and be able to bring them home. Check outs are for 2 weeks, however we visit the library weekly.
Reading: We had several read-alouds this week and the kids did a great job of sharing their thinking. They were making predictions and inferences left and right. I was very impressed. We spent some time talking about Story Elements this week and why it is important to recognize and think about the story elements as you read (to build comprehension). We completed a few follow up assignments involving the story elements.
Writing: We continued to add story ideas to our Tiny Topics journal. The eclipse was a big one that was added this week. We reviewed some of what they learned in 1st grade on how to bring a story to life and then worked together to bring my crummy story ("I skied a blue run. It was fun. I drank hot chocolate") to life! It was fun to have them share their ideas of how we can make my story more interesting. The next step is for them to go back to their writing and see how they can add life to their stories!
Math: We continued to build our skills in Place Value. I introduced the different number forms and we practiced converting the numbers between forms with a variety of games. Kids LOVE games, even if they are learning games! :)
Science: Our science experiment this week was called "Walking Water". It involved filling 4 cups with water and food coloring and using paper towels to bridge the cups. It was fun to see their excitement as the paper towels changed colors and "walked" across the bridge. We learned some new vocabulary words, "materials, procedures, prediction, results". The students made predictions before we started the experiment and then reflected on the results vs their predicition. It was fun and a great intro lesson to the Scientific Process.
The week of August 14-18:
We had a great week getting to know each other. Here are some of the highlights!
Reading: We practiced picking a "just right" book from the book baskets. We worked on building our reading stamina during D.E.A.R., Daily 5 Read to Self and Daily 5 Read to Someone. We learned how to "control our volcanos" (keep ourselves from blurting out of turn) and how we are all alike in some ways and different in others. I am hoping to start reading groups next week!
Writing: We began talking about small moment stories. Students received a small journal to keep track of ideas they have that they want to write about. We talked about how a Personal Narrative or small moment story is about something you did or something that happened to you. It can be something good or something bad, it is just something that was meaningful.
Math: We began Place Value and number sense. We reviewed their prior learning on Base Ten Blocks. The kids first were given numbers in standard form and then had to build the numbers using the blocks, and then vise versa. We played a matching game where they had to match the 2 forms of the numbers. They had fun and were engaged in this learning!
Science: We did our first "science" experiment. It was really more of a social lesson, but they don't need to know that! LOL! Students worked in groups to squeeze all the tooth paste out of a tube (thank you Milewski Family for the donation of toothpaste). Once all the paste was squeezed out, they were told to put it back in the tube. Of course this was messy and impossible. There was lots of laughing and good attempts at problem solving. Once we cleaned up I helped make the connection from the toothpaste to our words and how when we say mean things we can't put them back. We can apologize, but it is already out there and can be hurtful. I hope that the lesson will help students to think before they say something that may hurt feelings.
I am excited about what I have planned for the coming week. Stay tuned!