Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful break! We enjoyed seeing friends, teaching Lily to ice skate, and relaxing. I hope you had time to do the same.
We've been very busy here in room 235 this week! A few reminders…
* Please continue to send in snow gear, even if it's just cold out.
* There is no school on Monday, the 20th.
* If you have any cleaning wipes, tissues, or hand sanitizer you'd like to send in, please do! It's that time of year for colds.
* I was so excited to be able to spend some of the gift cards over break. I picked up some books for the classroom boxes as well as whole class read alouds. I also picked up some new games/activities for recess time as our other games were wearing thin.
* Earlier this week, we did an activity called, "What's in my teacher's bag?" I brought items in that were important to me or helped describe me and the students had to infer what each item said about me. For example, from a Starbucks gift card, students inferred that I liked coffee. From a picture of my family, they inferred that family was important to me. Also, from a running magazine, they inferred that I like to run and be healthily.
A little homework: I would like each student to bring in a bag next week with 3 items. Each item should help us to infer what the student likes or help us to describe the student. Please send these items in a bag (plastic bag is just fine), Monday through Wednesday and we will share at meeting time. Thanks for your help!
What's happening in room 235?
In literacy, we've been focusing on mid-year assessments as well as questioning and inferring. Both of these skills are important for students to learn as they become better readers. The better they can question, the better they are understanding the story. Next week during reading workshop, we'll be doing guided reading groups using books about Mexico to tie in our social studies units. In the past, students have really enjoyed these books. We will also finish up our questioning unit and move to Folk Tales the following week. In writing, we've been reviewing some grammar, such as common and proper nouns and punctuation. We also did some creative writing about snow. On Friday, we wrote an opinion piece on a topic we care about. This is the beginning of the opinion unit, which we will get into more in the next few weeks.
*Ask your child what they wrote about!
In math, we finished up our geometry unit on polygons, solid figures, and comparing/contrasting shapes. We began a 10-day unit on measuring and addition called The Art Show. We began by measuring with cubes and comparing our answers. Some of the paper is small, some of it is very large and students loved measuring each one! We will begin to have discussions about how we measured, our results, why measurements may be different, and other ways we could measure more accurately. We will begin making a blue print for each piece of paper next week.
*Ask your child how big the yellow paper was!
In social studies, we continue learning about Mexico. We have learned about the geographic regions, compared the rights and responsibilities of children in the U.S.A and children in Mexico, and shaded in a map of Mexico to show different landforms and areas.
*Ask your child to share one fact about a region they learned about.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Weekly update 12/18/13
It's vacation! I know I am excited for some time with my family and friends to celebrate the winter holidays. I hope you all have special plans as well. Even though, it's coming up on vacation, it's still business as usual around here.
Few important reminders…
* Friday, the 20th, is pajama day for earning 9 baseballs. Please be sure your child is dressed warm enough for the weather outside.
* Friday, we will also be having popcorn (no nuts) with a movie. If your child needs a different snack or gluten free popcorn we have some but you need to let me know (it usually is anyways but not all boxes say it).
* School is out beginning at 3:00 Friday through Wednesday, January 1. School resumes on a regular schedule on Thursday, January 2 at 8:20.
What's been happening this week?
In literacy, I've started some assessments to see how students have been progressing so far this year. We've been working on asking questions as we read and understanding why we ask questions when we read. We also started working on asking questions before, during, and after reading. This is very important for students to be able to do as it helps build their comprehension, helps us learn new information, and we read because we're curious! In writing workshop, we've been working on some creative writing, such as what you would like, do, or say as a snowflake. The answers are great! We do lots of narrative writing and will start opinion writing after break but creative writing helps build their imaginations! In Fundations, we've been working on trick words, 2 syllable words, open and closed syllables, and suffixes such as -y (sounding like "e") and -ly.
*Ask your child why we ask questions when we read.
In math, we've been working on geometry. This week we used polygons to learn different names of shapes, sort them into different categories, and push ourselves with a mid-year test. When we return from break, we will work on quadrilaterals and later move into the unit called "The Art Show" which involves measuring in many different ways.
* Ask your child what a polygon is.
In social studies, we started Mexico! On Monday, we took off from Logan, flew over to Mexico, watched an in-flight presentation on Mexico, and landed in Mexico City. Before we could leave the airport, we had our passports stamped. The students LOVED it! We've been learning about where Mexico is located, what a child's life is like there, and what the flag represents. When we return, we will focus more on the flag and the geography.
* Ask your child if they made it through customs. :)
Finally, have a wonderful and safe break!
Mrs. DeKing
Few important reminders…
* Friday, the 20th, is pajama day for earning 9 baseballs. Please be sure your child is dressed warm enough for the weather outside.
* Friday, we will also be having popcorn (no nuts) with a movie. If your child needs a different snack or gluten free popcorn we have some but you need to let me know (it usually is anyways but not all boxes say it).
* School is out beginning at 3:00 Friday through Wednesday, January 1. School resumes on a regular schedule on Thursday, January 2 at 8:20.
What's been happening this week?
In literacy, I've started some assessments to see how students have been progressing so far this year. We've been working on asking questions as we read and understanding why we ask questions when we read. We also started working on asking questions before, during, and after reading. This is very important for students to be able to do as it helps build their comprehension, helps us learn new information, and we read because we're curious! In writing workshop, we've been working on some creative writing, such as what you would like, do, or say as a snowflake. The answers are great! We do lots of narrative writing and will start opinion writing after break but creative writing helps build their imaginations! In Fundations, we've been working on trick words, 2 syllable words, open and closed syllables, and suffixes such as -y (sounding like "e") and -ly.
*Ask your child why we ask questions when we read.
In math, we've been working on geometry. This week we used polygons to learn different names of shapes, sort them into different categories, and push ourselves with a mid-year test. When we return from break, we will work on quadrilaterals and later move into the unit called "The Art Show" which involves measuring in many different ways.
* Ask your child what a polygon is.
In social studies, we started Mexico! On Monday, we took off from Logan, flew over to Mexico, watched an in-flight presentation on Mexico, and landed in Mexico City. Before we could leave the airport, we had our passports stamped. The students LOVED it! We've been learning about where Mexico is located, what a child's life is like there, and what the flag represents. When we return, we will focus more on the flag and the geography.
* Ask your child if they made it through customs. :)
Finally, have a wonderful and safe break!
Mrs. DeKing
Friday, December 13, 2013
Weekly Update 12/13/13
I can't believe how quickly December is going! Oh my! It has certainly gone quicker than I anticipated!
A few things to keep in mind:
* With the cold weather, especially after the holiday break, please remember to send your child in with boots, snow pants, etc. to stay warm and dry at recess. Students without the right clothing will not be able to play in the snow.
* December break is Saturday, the 21 through Wednesday, January 1. We return to school on Thursday, January 2.
* If your child will not be here next week or after vacation, please let me know so I can plan accordingly.
* Next Thursday is fitness preview in PE class. Our class will be going 2:00-2:30 on that afternoon.
* Next Thursday is fitness preview in PE class. Our class will be going 2:00-2:30 on that afternoon.
* Next Friday, the 20th, will be pajama day in our class. We earned our last baseball today from Ms. McManus who complimented the class on stopping, looking, and listening, so quickly today when she stopped by to talk about recess!
* Don't forget…Heritage Bears were due today, Friday. If your child has not completed it, please complete this weekend so we can began sharing next week.
* Moon calendar is due next Friday, the 20th.
* Don't forget to check out "What did we learn this week?" on our class webpage.
* Don't forget to check out "What did we learn this week?" on our class webpage.
What's happening in room 235?
In literacy, I've begun doing some assessments for mid-year. Students are assessed on reading sight words, decodable words (Fundations words), and reading assessment. I will continue doing assessments and reading groups till they are completed. This will help me be sure they are where they are in reading groups, change groups if needed, provide more instruction in particular areas, and prepare for progress reports. We've also started focusing on questioning when we read. We've been focusing on creating "I wonder…" statements and "I learned…" statements to help us understand and learn as we read.
* Ask your child why we wonder or ask questions as we read.
We also received our pen pal letters back from NY! Students have completed their responses and now we will decorate bookmarks and I'll mail them off this coming weekend! Their letter writing skills have improved with just 2 letters! They are not only "just writing a letter", they are learning letter format, focusing on correct sentence structure and grammar, practicing writing sight words, sounding out decodable words, and learning how to answer a question correctly (not just a yes or a no) and how to ask appropriate questions. We've also been working on tiny seed stories in writing workshop and reviewing punctuation during morning work.
In math, we took the Unit 4 test and began unit 5. Unit 5 will focus on geometry. We started looking at attribute blocks and how they were similar or different. We also talked about polygons.
* Ask your child to name 2 out of the 4 attributes of the blocks we were working with.
In science, we've been finishing up our unit on Earth, Sun, and Moon. We viewed a power point of the moon, and we imagined taking off, walking on the moon, and returning to Earth. We used students to model the Earth, Sun, and Moon to understand how rotation and revolving plays into our solar system. Next week, we will begin working on our Mexico unit. On Monday, we will "fly" to Mexico and begin our study!
* Ask your child what rotates and what revolves around what.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Weekly Update 12/6/13
I hope everyone had a nice few days off and are ready for the last few weeks before the December break. I hope you all enjoyed your holidays with family and friends. We had dinner at my parent's house and my husband and Lily went to NY to visit before Thanksgiving day so we were all surrounded by family!
Important Information:
* Each week, on Friday, I will send you a reminder to check out the "What did we learn this week?" page on my website. On Thursdays and Fridays, students type what they think is the most important piece they learned this week. This will allow them some typing practice, sentence and punctuation practice, a chance to review weekly concepts, and an opportunity for you to see what students have written. Use this as a chance to start a conversation about what your child is learning or what they liked best this week.
* As the days get colder, students continue to go out for lunch recess for some running around and fresh air. Please send clothes accordingly.
* Starting next week, I will be sending home a project about Heritage Bears. This is a great chance for all of us to learn about where we all came from and what's important to our families. More info will come next week.
* We have 2 more full weeks of school before break.
* School is closed Saturday, the 21st through Thursday, January 2nd. If you will be away before that or after, please let me know.
What's been happening in room 235?
In literacy, we've been focusing on non-fiction features and purposes. This past week, we've each written a book about the features of a non-fiction book. We listed the word, added an illustration or photograph, and then the purpose. Students did a great job showing each feature and creating a neat and informative book to share with you. They will be going home soon! In writing, we've been working on those books as well. We also brainstormed a few more tiny seed topics that we could write for a narrative story. Students had wonderful ideas! I look forward to seeing their writing. Next week, we will be working on writing our pen pals back and our narrative writing. When writing our narrative stories, we will again be using a checklist to be sure we are including all the pieces of writing that we've discussed so far. This helps students become more responsible for their own writing and self assessments.
In math, we've spent a good deal of time on problem solving. We're really focusing on what the question is asking us, what information do we already know, and what words or numbers are most important. Also, during our challenge work, I've been encouraging students to really try and think about the problem before running up to me. They can do it! It may be difficult at first and in the end they may need some help but I'm really working with them to build independence and to trust themselves that they can get started and try different solutions on their own. They need to believe in themselves they can get started…they need to believe they can do it…and they need to believe and trust that's it's ok to make mistakes!
In science, we have discussed the sun, the moon, day and night, and have focused on our line of learning. We write in our journals what we think or what we've learned during the lesson and then we draw a line under. After talking with a partner, we write any new information we learned under the line. Each child has something to offer and this is a great way for students to share what they know with a peer.
***We've spent lots of time lately talking about making mistakes. Many of us get stuck when we have made a mistake or with something difficult. We've been having great discussions regarding what happens when we make a mistake, is it a glitch or a huge deal, and how can we move past it? We've learned when we make mistakes, our brain grows and stretches. I've also been having them think about what happens if they never try? They'll never know they can do it!
Important Information:
* Each week, on Friday, I will send you a reminder to check out the "What did we learn this week?" page on my website. On Thursdays and Fridays, students type what they think is the most important piece they learned this week. This will allow them some typing practice, sentence and punctuation practice, a chance to review weekly concepts, and an opportunity for you to see what students have written. Use this as a chance to start a conversation about what your child is learning or what they liked best this week.
* As the days get colder, students continue to go out for lunch recess for some running around and fresh air. Please send clothes accordingly.
* Starting next week, I will be sending home a project about Heritage Bears. This is a great chance for all of us to learn about where we all came from and what's important to our families. More info will come next week.
* We have 2 more full weeks of school before break.
* School is closed Saturday, the 21st through Thursday, January 2nd. If you will be away before that or after, please let me know.
What's been happening in room 235?
In literacy, we've been focusing on non-fiction features and purposes. This past week, we've each written a book about the features of a non-fiction book. We listed the word, added an illustration or photograph, and then the purpose. Students did a great job showing each feature and creating a neat and informative book to share with you. They will be going home soon! In writing, we've been working on those books as well. We also brainstormed a few more tiny seed topics that we could write for a narrative story. Students had wonderful ideas! I look forward to seeing their writing. Next week, we will be working on writing our pen pals back and our narrative writing. When writing our narrative stories, we will again be using a checklist to be sure we are including all the pieces of writing that we've discussed so far. This helps students become more responsible for their own writing and self assessments.
In math, we've spent a good deal of time on problem solving. We're really focusing on what the question is asking us, what information do we already know, and what words or numbers are most important. Also, during our challenge work, I've been encouraging students to really try and think about the problem before running up to me. They can do it! It may be difficult at first and in the end they may need some help but I'm really working with them to build independence and to trust themselves that they can get started and try different solutions on their own. They need to believe in themselves they can get started…they need to believe they can do it…and they need to believe and trust that's it's ok to make mistakes!
In science, we have discussed the sun, the moon, day and night, and have focused on our line of learning. We write in our journals what we think or what we've learned during the lesson and then we draw a line under. After talking with a partner, we write any new information we learned under the line. Each child has something to offer and this is a great way for students to share what they know with a peer.
***We've spent lots of time lately talking about making mistakes. Many of us get stuck when we have made a mistake or with something difficult. We've been having great discussions regarding what happens when we make a mistake, is it a glitch or a huge deal, and how can we move past it? We've learned when we make mistakes, our brain grows and stretches. I've also been having them think about what happens if they never try? They'll never know they can do it!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Weekly Update 11/22/13
This week went by so quickly! Thank you so much to everyone who made it to math morning! We had a great turn out and the students were so happy to teach you how to play the games. They are working so hard on their math skills and it's great to see them excited to share with you!
Important information:
Tomorrow, Friday, November 22 is an all school pajama day run by the student council.
Wednesday, the 27th, is an early release day with dismissal at 12:00.
There is no school on Thursday, the 28th, or Friday, the 29th.
There will be no reading response next week as it's a very short week.
In literacy this week, we've started focusing on non-fiction books, their features and purposes. It's been great to change to non-fiction and focus on real life topics that the students really enjoy. We've read about butterflies, the Earth, Martin Luther King Jr, and the rain forest. We've been using sticky notes to keep track of our thinking during reading time. Students might use a sticky note to show something they learned, a question they still have, or an important fact. We will continue with non-fiction for the next few weeks. In writing workshop, we've switched from narrative writing to more creative writing. We've wrote about who in the whole world we would invite for dinner, if we could have any balloon in the Macy's parade which one it would be, and tomorrow we're going to write about how to catch a plum turkey! It's great to see their creative sides and imagination come out!
In math, we're still focusing on place value but working on addition and subtraction strategies as well. We will continue this next week as we focus more on story problems and the steps to explain their mathematical thinking.
In science, we've started the Earth, Sun, and Moon unit and so far the students love it! We've been using our background knowledge to share what we think we already know about the sun and then asking questions that we want answers too. We're also sharing our line of learning. This is when we write our thoughts and then underneath write something we learned from a peer. This helps create conversations and sharing of ideas around science topics.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday mini-break and enjoys time with family and friends.
Mrs. DeKing
Important information:
Tomorrow, Friday, November 22 is an all school pajama day run by the student council.
Wednesday, the 27th, is an early release day with dismissal at 12:00.
There is no school on Thursday, the 28th, or Friday, the 29th.
There will be no reading response next week as it's a very short week.
In literacy this week, we've started focusing on non-fiction books, their features and purposes. It's been great to change to non-fiction and focus on real life topics that the students really enjoy. We've read about butterflies, the Earth, Martin Luther King Jr, and the rain forest. We've been using sticky notes to keep track of our thinking during reading time. Students might use a sticky note to show something they learned, a question they still have, or an important fact. We will continue with non-fiction for the next few weeks. In writing workshop, we've switched from narrative writing to more creative writing. We've wrote about who in the whole world we would invite for dinner, if we could have any balloon in the Macy's parade which one it would be, and tomorrow we're going to write about how to catch a plum turkey! It's great to see their creative sides and imagination come out!
In math, we're still focusing on place value but working on addition and subtraction strategies as well. We will continue this next week as we focus more on story problems and the steps to explain their mathematical thinking.
In science, we've started the Earth, Sun, and Moon unit and so far the students love it! We've been using our background knowledge to share what we think we already know about the sun and then asking questions that we want answers too. We're also sharing our line of learning. This is when we write our thoughts and then underneath write something we learned from a peer. This helps create conversations and sharing of ideas around science topics.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday mini-break and enjoys time with family and friends.
Mrs. DeKing
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Weekly Update 11/15/13
Hi Families,
**Next week on Thursday is math morning. You will hear a presentation from 8:30 - 9:00 in the auditorium before heading to our classroom for math activities where your child will be the teacher form 9:00 - 9:9:30. If you can join us form 8:30 - 9:30 that would be wonderful. If you can't, no worries, just let me know and I will be sure your child is matched with another student or staff.
**Thanksgiving week: Wednesday is a half day with dismissal at 12:00. There is no school on that Thursday or Friday.
Can you believe we saw our first sight of winter this week? I know many of you love the snow! Me? Not so much and I'd prefer it stay far away! It's been a short week but we've been busy. In literacy, we focused on reader's theater with George and Martha stories. Reader's theater helps students work on their fluency skills by reading a skit and using emotion and their voice to bring the story across. We switched with some students in other classes so it was good to see other how each class worked so hard! We also finished up our James Marshall unit. Students are writing book recommendations to help a friend choose which James Marshall book they should pick. Next week, we'll be focusing more on nonfiction text features and their purpose. In writing, we shared our stories with our buddies on Tuesday to celebrate the end of the narrative unit. On Thursday, we wrote our piece the same way we did our first one, we did a pre-assessment in September and now we completed the post-assessment. I have not scored it yet, but just by walking around, I can see the hard work they are doing and how much they've strengthened their writing skills. I can't wait to read them! We also finished up Unit 3 in math, focusing on place value and making change. Our next unit will be focusing on more difficult money problems, story problems for addition and subtraction, and more clock work. We completed our work on the United States and next week we will be looking at our next science unit of Earth, Moon, and Sun. Students usually love this unit and I look forward to getting started!
Have a great weekend!
**Next week on Thursday is math morning. You will hear a presentation from 8:30 - 9:00 in the auditorium before heading to our classroom for math activities where your child will be the teacher form 9:00 - 9:9:30. If you can join us form 8:30 - 9:30 that would be wonderful. If you can't, no worries, just let me know and I will be sure your child is matched with another student or staff.
**Thanksgiving week: Wednesday is a half day with dismissal at 12:00. There is no school on that Thursday or Friday.
Can you believe we saw our first sight of winter this week? I know many of you love the snow! Me? Not so much and I'd prefer it stay far away! It's been a short week but we've been busy. In literacy, we focused on reader's theater with George and Martha stories. Reader's theater helps students work on their fluency skills by reading a skit and using emotion and their voice to bring the story across. We switched with some students in other classes so it was good to see other how each class worked so hard! We also finished up our James Marshall unit. Students are writing book recommendations to help a friend choose which James Marshall book they should pick. Next week, we'll be focusing more on nonfiction text features and their purpose. In writing, we shared our stories with our buddies on Tuesday to celebrate the end of the narrative unit. On Thursday, we wrote our piece the same way we did our first one, we did a pre-assessment in September and now we completed the post-assessment. I have not scored it yet, but just by walking around, I can see the hard work they are doing and how much they've strengthened their writing skills. I can't wait to read them! We also finished up Unit 3 in math, focusing on place value and making change. Our next unit will be focusing on more difficult money problems, story problems for addition and subtraction, and more clock work. We completed our work on the United States and next week we will be looking at our next science unit of Earth, Moon, and Sun. Students usually love this unit and I look forward to getting started!
Have a great weekend!
Friday, November 8, 2013
Weekly Update 11/8/13
I'm very proud of our whole class this week! We've had our new student join us and as you may have heard, she does not speak much English. Student have been wonderful being respectful, kind, and helpful. They welcomed her so well and you should be proud of your children!
Important information:
*No school on Monday 11/11/13 for Veteran's Day.
*Math morning is scheduled for Thursday, November 21 from 8:30-9:30. At the beginning you will meet in the auditorium with the math coach and then proceed to our classroom for a variety of math activities. As it gets closer, please let me know if you can't make it so I can buddy students up with families if necessary.
*For future planning...On Wednesday, November 27, there is an early release day at 12:00 (not 12:30 as usual).
*Thank you everyone for coming in for conferences. The students were proud to share their work and it's so important for us to touch base and discuss the progress made and the work we still have to do.
*Since we have all met for conferences and we've discussed math and Fundations tests, I will begin sending copies of the tests home for you to view as well. Please keep in mind that the Fundations tests are not always an accurate representation of what I see in in the classroom. I am watching the tests, but also students' everyday writing, practice Fundations work with letter tiles or the white board, and their writing workshop work.
What's happening in room 235?
In literacy, we've been focusing on our James Marshall author study. We're looking at cause and effect, problem and solution, character traits, and writing our opinion on books and what makes a good friend. In Fundations, we've been working on syllables and trick words: against, knew, know, always, often, and once. During writing workshop, we have been working on completing and publishing our narrative books. I am very impressed. Each student showed growth during this writing unit and the work they've done to fancy up and expand their stories has been great! Next week, we will be meeting with our 3rd grade buddies to share our stories celebrate their hard work!
In math, we've been working on place value. Understanding how to write numbers and make them with cubes to show hundreds, tens, and ones is an important skill that much of our math builds on for later this year. We played a game "Race to 100" and "Race to zero" with partners. We've also been reviewing how to tell time and different ways to show amounts of money. We will take unit 3 test at the end of next week.
In social studies, we've been learning about jazz music, the 4th of July, and rural/urban/suburban areas. We will finish the United States unit early next week and then begin science (Earth, Moon, and Sun).
Important information:
*No school on Monday 11/11/13 for Veteran's Day.
*Math morning is scheduled for Thursday, November 21 from 8:30-9:30. At the beginning you will meet in the auditorium with the math coach and then proceed to our classroom for a variety of math activities. As it gets closer, please let me know if you can't make it so I can buddy students up with families if necessary.
*For future planning...On Wednesday, November 27, there is an early release day at 12:00 (not 12:30 as usual).
*Thank you everyone for coming in for conferences. The students were proud to share their work and it's so important for us to touch base and discuss the progress made and the work we still have to do.
*Since we have all met for conferences and we've discussed math and Fundations tests, I will begin sending copies of the tests home for you to view as well. Please keep in mind that the Fundations tests are not always an accurate representation of what I see in in the classroom. I am watching the tests, but also students' everyday writing, practice Fundations work with letter tiles or the white board, and their writing workshop work.
What's happening in room 235?
In literacy, we've been focusing on our James Marshall author study. We're looking at cause and effect, problem and solution, character traits, and writing our opinion on books and what makes a good friend. In Fundations, we've been working on syllables and trick words: against, knew, know, always, often, and once. During writing workshop, we have been working on completing and publishing our narrative books. I am very impressed. Each student showed growth during this writing unit and the work they've done to fancy up and expand their stories has been great! Next week, we will be meeting with our 3rd grade buddies to share our stories celebrate their hard work!
In math, we've been working on place value. Understanding how to write numbers and make them with cubes to show hundreds, tens, and ones is an important skill that much of our math builds on for later this year. We played a game "Race to 100" and "Race to zero" with partners. We've also been reviewing how to tell time and different ways to show amounts of money. We will take unit 3 test at the end of next week.
In social studies, we've been learning about jazz music, the 4th of July, and rural/urban/suburban areas. We will finish the United States unit early next week and then begin science (Earth, Moon, and Sun).
Friday, November 1, 2013
Nuts and Pumpkins
Just a reminder to families that we're trying to keep a nut free classroom due to the number of nut allergies. We want to keep all students safe so thank you for your cooperation with this.
Also, thank you so much for sending in the pumpkins and sharpies! The students loved decorating the pumpkins and were so creative!
Also, thank you so much for sending in the pumpkins and sharpies! The students loved decorating the pumpkins and were so creative!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Weekly Update 11/1/13
I can't believe it's November already! The weather is starting to feel that way. Please be sure you send your child into school with appropriate clothing for outside recess.
Important dates:
*Thursday, November 7 is an early release day with dismissal at 12:30.
* Monday, November 11, there is no school.
* Wednesday, November 27, is an early release day with dismissal at 12:00. Please note the different dismissal time.
* Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29, there is no school for the Thanksgiving break.
* Homework expectations: reading nightly, Xtramath at least 2 times a week, reading response 1x a week on the computer, and Fundations and math worksheet for practice.
What's been happening in room 235?
It's been a busy week getting ready for conferences!
In writing, we've been working hard to edit/revise and rewrite our narrative stories to share with you when we meet.
In literacy, we worked on finding the problem and solution to the story. In small groups, we've also started working on character traits. Character traits are words to describe a character's personality or qualities...versus describing what they look like or what they like to do. We also started an author study on James Marshall. We will be looking at story elements, characters, and writing opinion pieces.
In math, we've been working with different Kathy Richardson activities to focus on place value. We've also started working on describing tens and ones within larger numbers. We also counted the pumpkin seeds we scooped out last week. We used our estimation skills to determine how many we thought were in there. Then we counted by 10s as a class and adjusted our thinking as we counted higher and higher!
In social studies, we've focused on U.S. landmarks and landforms.
In science, we observed our moldy pumpkin! It was very gross and the students LOVED it!
Ask your child to name 1 landmark and 1 landform from the United States.
Ask your child to tell you 1 way to make a narrative story more exciting!
Ask your child what cheer words are and if they remember the cheer for "again" or "sure".
Ask your child how many pumpkin seeds there really were. You'd be amazed!
Important dates:
*Thursday, November 7 is an early release day with dismissal at 12:30.
* Monday, November 11, there is no school.
* Wednesday, November 27, is an early release day with dismissal at 12:00. Please note the different dismissal time.
* Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29, there is no school for the Thanksgiving break.
* Homework expectations: reading nightly, Xtramath at least 2 times a week, reading response 1x a week on the computer, and Fundations and math worksheet for practice.
What's been happening in room 235?
It's been a busy week getting ready for conferences!
In writing, we've been working hard to edit/revise and rewrite our narrative stories to share with you when we meet.
In literacy, we worked on finding the problem and solution to the story. In small groups, we've also started working on character traits. Character traits are words to describe a character's personality or qualities...versus describing what they look like or what they like to do. We also started an author study on James Marshall. We will be looking at story elements, characters, and writing opinion pieces.
In math, we've been working with different Kathy Richardson activities to focus on place value. We've also started working on describing tens and ones within larger numbers. We also counted the pumpkin seeds we scooped out last week. We used our estimation skills to determine how many we thought were in there. Then we counted by 10s as a class and adjusted our thinking as we counted higher and higher!
In social studies, we've focused on U.S. landmarks and landforms.
In science, we observed our moldy pumpkin! It was very gross and the students LOVED it!
Ask your child to name 1 landmark and 1 landform from the United States.
Ask your child to tell you 1 way to make a narrative story more exciting!
Ask your child what cheer words are and if they remember the cheer for "again" or "sure".
Ask your child how many pumpkin seeds there really were. You'd be amazed!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Birthday Guest Reader
A child's birthday is so important...especially in 2nd grade! We have had no birthdays yet in the classroom but starting next month, we have many coming up! Although we do not have parties with food, etc., I always encourage parents to come in and read on the morning or end of day of their child's birthday. The reader can be a parent, family member, sibling in another class, etc. The students love this and I usually ask parents to keep it a surprise! Choose a favorite book that you and your child love and read it to the class to start their birthday off right!
When your child's birthday is coming up, please send me an email and set up a time to come in read!
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