Week ending 11/18/16

Hello families,
We've been pretty busy this week and I know we all look forward to next week to spend time with family and friends.

Important information:

• Wednesday, November 22, is a 12:00 dismissal.  Please plan accordingly and let me know if there are any changes.  There is no extended day or In School Creative Arts that afternoon.  
• If your child will be away before or after the Thanksgiving break, please let me know.  
• Next Wednesday, please send your child in with a special snack and a not to them answering this question: "Why are you thankful for them?"  Please do not tell them about the special snack and note...a little bit of a surprise.  :)  

3, 2, 1 things happening in room 250...

3 math skills we worked on were counting change when paying for items at a vegetable stand, reading bar graphs, and making our own tally charts and pictographs.  *When you need to decide where to eat out for dinner...have you child ask each member of the family and make a chart of the results.  

2 activities we completed during reading workshop were sorting books based on whether they were fiction or non-fiction and listening to a biography read aloud.  *Next time you go to the library, ask your child who they'd like to learn about and look for a biography for them to read about that person. We always read better and are more engaged when it's a topic we're interested in!

1 special activity we had this week was a visit from author/illustrator Ralph Masiello.  He was fantastic as always and the students really enjoyed the visit.  

Here's a few pics below:

Week ending 11/11

Hello families!  I hope you all enjoy this long weekend and take advantage of all that Fall has to offer.
Important information:

• Thank you SO much to the families who donated books to the classroom!  We have received a bunch of new chapter books and read aloud!  We already started reading some today...we read The Cookie Fiasco and Enemy Pie.  I can't wait to read the others as well.  Thank you for your generosity.
• On Thursday, we had a school wide visit from the Tanglewood Marionette company.  They are always so engaging and interesting!
• Wednesday, November 23rd, is early dismissal.  Dismissal is at 12:00 (not 12:30). Please plan accordingly.  
• Thursday and Friday, November 24 and 25th, there is no school.  

3, 2, 1 things you should know about our week...

3 features of non-fiction we have been working on identifying this week are diagram, captions, and glossaries.  * Ask you child about the other non-fiction text features we've covered and their purpose.  

2 math skills we've been working on are telling time to the half hour consistently and accurately and sharing ideas on why we need to learn how to tell time on an analog clock. * Ask your child why we need to know how to tell time on an analog clock.  

1 writing skill we continue to work on is editing and revising our work.  Many of us have finished our first pieces of writing by adding more talking, thinking, feelings, details, and describing words.  Many have started writing a final copy.  * Ask your child which story they are going to publish?  

Last week's blog for weeks ending 11/4/16

We had a very busy week last week and I apologize for getting this blog to you a few days late!
Last week was full of Fall activities and starting new math units!

Important information:

• There is no school on Friday, November 10.  Enjoy the long weekend.
• We are attending the book fair on Thursday morning at 9 am.  If you would like to join us for our 30 minute slot, you may. If you'd like to send money for the book fair, please do in an envelope with your child's name on it.  You may also attend the book fair night on Wednesday and do your shopping then if you'd like.  Please keep in mind that we are not allowing students to buy games or toys at the book fair.  If you'd like them to get those items, please go Wednesday night.  Thank you!
• Homework is coming home again tonight but is due back on Thursday this week.  

3, 2, 1 skills we worked on last week...

In math, we worked on cooperative team work, estimating, and counting in groups as we worked on counting out all our pumpkin seeds!  

Here's our estimates and our actual total!

 

*Whenever you have a lot of items at home such as cheerios, crayons, toy cars, etc...ask them what they estimate the number to be and then have them check by grouping items.

2 reading comprehension strategies we worked on were identifying the problem and solution of the story and the setting (paying attention to not just where the story takes place but also when).  *When your child is reading at home, have them share these 2 parts with you as a way to check their understanding.

1 math skill we've been work on through games is sorting, regrouping, and understanding place value.  We've learned the games Race to 100 and Race to 0.