Howdy,
No blogging this week due to extremely painful tendinitis. (a result of a full weekend of prying vinyl siding from a 70 year old house. It seemed like a good idea at the time.)
We are in the home stretch though, and I am sad to see the days passing by.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Pioneer Day
Today was pioneer day in fourth grade, so we had a mixed-up morning. We went to specials and had health in the morning. We did writing this afternoon. It's always odd to have a day that isn't "quite right" according to our normal schedule. I'm sure those with 4th grade siblings would say that Pioneer Day was worth the mix-up!
Speaking of, Aussie Day is coming up next week. We are dreadfully short of volunteers so if you can spare some time in the morning or afternoon, please let me know ASAP.
Today students continued working on ranking their facts via importance. We'll share them on Tuesday. We ran right out of time for our spelling test, so be ready for your words on Tuesday (we also didn't get very many homework packets back...) I continued to do reading assessments and hope to get that wrapped up by Wednesday, as well. It's so hard to believe that it's time for us to be thinking about the end of the year.
In math we talked about ranges of data and did some mystery data. Students did a very nice job determining which graphs went with specific sets of data. We also did some work reviewing ways of looking at data. Next week we will plan our very own survey/data collection project, and I am very excited to have the chance for the kiddos to design their own project from start to finish!
Our health work continued on the skin. Did you know that, if removed, the skin of an average adult would weigh between 7 and 9 pounds. I was fascinated by that. We talked today about keeping your skin healthy: Wearing Sunscreen is the #1 thing you should be doing to keep your skin healthy.
Be safe this weekend. Safe travels, safe playing. Wear your helmets.
Speaking of, Aussie Day is coming up next week. We are dreadfully short of volunteers so if you can spare some time in the morning or afternoon, please let me know ASAP.
Today students continued working on ranking their facts via importance. We'll share them on Tuesday. We ran right out of time for our spelling test, so be ready for your words on Tuesday (we also didn't get very many homework packets back...) I continued to do reading assessments and hope to get that wrapped up by Wednesday, as well. It's so hard to believe that it's time for us to be thinking about the end of the year.
In math we talked about ranges of data and did some mystery data. Students did a very nice job determining which graphs went with specific sets of data. We also did some work reviewing ways of looking at data. Next week we will plan our very own survey/data collection project, and I am very excited to have the chance for the kiddos to design their own project from start to finish!
Our health work continued on the skin. Did you know that, if removed, the skin of an average adult would weigh between 7 and 9 pounds. I was fascinated by that. We talked today about keeping your skin healthy: Wearing Sunscreen is the #1 thing you should be doing to keep your skin healthy.
Be safe this weekend. Safe travels, safe playing. Wear your helmets.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Scratch Paper
The first order of business: do any of our families need scratch paper? We have a lot of paper that has been used on a single side and if someone can use it, I'd much rather pass it on than just recycle it. I use it at home in my printer all the time (I only use new paper if it is something that is "official.") Please send me an email if you can use some scratch paper.
On to happenings of today. The jog-a-thon was great fun! Students ran their little hearts out. I think if we had had twice as much time, they would have just kept running. I enjoyed walking against the traffic so I could high-five and cheer on. What great fun. The kids were wiped out after. Everything was amazing. Thanks to the BSPTO for such a well-planned event.
This morning students chose a NF text to read in their table groups and are working on selecting multiple facts and ranking them in order of importance. We are continuing to work on our ability to synthesize what we read and deepen our understanding of an author's intention.
We continued working on spelling concepts, practicing with words that end in -ch and -tch.
We've started the revision process on our all-about books. Revising is much different from editing in that revising involves looking at the ideas and the information presented rather than just grammatical correctness. It's a hard notion for 7 year olds, but we're struggling through.
In math we compiled the data from our data collection yesterday. Each group made a representation of their collected data and then compiled it with other data from the same grade level. We then looked at how the trend of "lost teeth" looked as we progressed through the grades. It was interesting to see the shift from first to fourth grade.
Ask your child about the "happy bucket." Whining, tattling, bickering, blaming, complaining have started to take up more and more of my time, so we've created a place for these thoughts to go. At the end of the day, the bucket gets dumped and all the badness goes away!
Have a wonderful evening. Read a book with your child. Throw the Frisbee or walk the dog together.
On to happenings of today. The jog-a-thon was great fun! Students ran their little hearts out. I think if we had had twice as much time, they would have just kept running. I enjoyed walking against the traffic so I could high-five and cheer on. What great fun. The kids were wiped out after. Everything was amazing. Thanks to the BSPTO for such a well-planned event.
This morning students chose a NF text to read in their table groups and are working on selecting multiple facts and ranking them in order of importance. We are continuing to work on our ability to synthesize what we read and deepen our understanding of an author's intention.
We continued working on spelling concepts, practicing with words that end in -ch and -tch.
We've started the revision process on our all-about books. Revising is much different from editing in that revising involves looking at the ideas and the information presented rather than just grammatical correctness. It's a hard notion for 7 year olds, but we're struggling through.
In math we compiled the data from our data collection yesterday. Each group made a representation of their collected data and then compiled it with other data from the same grade level. We then looked at how the trend of "lost teeth" looked as we progressed through the grades. It was interesting to see the shift from first to fourth grade.
Ask your child about the "happy bucket." Whining, tattling, bickering, blaming, complaining have started to take up more and more of my time, so we've created a place for these thoughts to go. At the end of the day, the bucket gets dumped and all the badness goes away!
Have a wonderful evening. Read a book with your child. Throw the Frisbee or walk the dog together.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Art Literacy
Today we had our final installment of Art Literacy for the year and tomorrow is the first ever Jog-a-thon! Two big things in just two days. The students enjoyed art lit (at least so they say; I wasn't there).
Today kiddos tried to put facts in order of importance from a NF text. I'm finding that it's difficult for us to figure out what the MOST important piece of information is. It's also challenging to determine an author's theme from a fiction text.
We're working on cementing our spelling knowledge and have been focused on suffixes. Help your child out by practicing words where letters must change before -ed and -es endings are added (such as baby or cry).
Students did an excellent job collecting data from other classrooms today. I peeked in on those around and was impressed by what I saw. We also went to the computer lab to begin researching our Coral Reef fish. We found some good places to get fish information. Look for links on the right side if you want to help your child at home.
I'm looking forward to the jog-a-thon tomorrow. It really is a great way to support the school community and have a little exercise.
Today kiddos tried to put facts in order of importance from a NF text. I'm finding that it's difficult for us to figure out what the MOST important piece of information is. It's also challenging to determine an author's theme from a fiction text.
We're working on cementing our spelling knowledge and have been focused on suffixes. Help your child out by practicing words where letters must change before -ed and -es endings are added (such as baby or cry).
Students did an excellent job collecting data from other classrooms today. I peeked in on those around and was impressed by what I saw. We also went to the computer lab to begin researching our Coral Reef fish. We found some good places to get fish information. Look for links on the right side if you want to help your child at home.
I'm looking forward to the jog-a-thon tomorrow. It really is a great way to support the school community and have a little exercise.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
It's Open House Night
Hello All,
Once again this week I am behind in posting. This week has been super busy: I had a training until late on Tuesday, was here at school late on Wednesday and am finally sitting down to blog tonight.
I am looking forward to seeing you all here tonight.
So, the past few days: We've had Junior Achievement three days this week. Today the students voted for a mayor of their Community. It was interesting to watch them struggle with the idea of voting in secret. Overall, the students chose the mayor who had pledged to build an animal shelter, much to the dismay of several vocal boys. It was a good lesson about the realities of being a voter: what you vote for doesn't always win.
We all shared our biography posters (though the Audio wasn't recorded when I recorded them directly into iMovie :-() with the class and with our Big Buddies. Watching the Big Buddies sit and listen to our children was endearing. We've also been practicing reading non-fiction text pieces and identifying the most important fact we've learned.
Work continues on our All About books; revision will take place next week and then we'll begin the production process. I am hopeful that the students who have been working on the book about Bethany will have an impressive product.
We started collecting classroom data regarding the number of teeth lost. Please, please, please, make sure that your child brings back his information from family and friends. We need it for math tomorrow. We will continue to work on data collection, representations and synthesis into next week.
Students will begin investigating a coral reef animal tomorrow for our last research project of the year. I can't wait to see which animals the students choose.
Have a wonderful evening.
Once again this week I am behind in posting. This week has been super busy: I had a training until late on Tuesday, was here at school late on Wednesday and am finally sitting down to blog tonight.
I am looking forward to seeing you all here tonight.
So, the past few days: We've had Junior Achievement three days this week. Today the students voted for a mayor of their Community. It was interesting to watch them struggle with the idea of voting in secret. Overall, the students chose the mayor who had pledged to build an animal shelter, much to the dismay of several vocal boys. It was a good lesson about the realities of being a voter: what you vote for doesn't always win.
We all shared our biography posters (though the Audio wasn't recorded when I recorded them directly into iMovie :-() with the class and with our Big Buddies. Watching the Big Buddies sit and listen to our children was endearing. We've also been practicing reading non-fiction text pieces and identifying the most important fact we've learned.
Work continues on our All About books; revision will take place next week and then we'll begin the production process. I am hopeful that the students who have been working on the book about Bethany will have an impressive product.
We started collecting classroom data regarding the number of teeth lost. Please, please, please, make sure that your child brings back his information from family and friends. We need it for math tomorrow. We will continue to work on data collection, representations and synthesis into next week.
Students will begin investigating a coral reef animal tomorrow for our last research project of the year. I can't wait to see which animals the students choose.
Have a wonderful evening.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Monday
Apologies for missing Friday's post. We had a staff get together after school and after all the hoopla, I never got around to it.
You'll note that tonight your child's spelling homework looks different! We are trying something different in our class and we'll see how it goes. The students and I went over it this morning, so hopefully they will be helpful. I am hoping to find words that our students misspell in their writing to help them become more efficient writers. Kiddos seemed excited about it.
T-shirt alert! Please send your child to school with a plain white t-shirt ASAP. We need them very soon so that we may dye them in preparation for Aussie Day.
Ok, so Monday. No library today as we are headed to the bookfair tomorrow. Students are VERY excited. (Shameless plug: I'm pretty excited too!). We practiced biography presentations today and tomorrow we will start with the first 8-10 biography presenters. We've talked about the importance of looking at the audience and not just reading from the poster. Students are expected to maintain eye contact and engage their audience.
We wrote to our Trucker Buddy this morning. Everyone wants her to come and visit before the end of the year. We'll see what we can do. She is finally back to work after two horrible family emergencies, so I don't know when her next load will have her out our direction.
Students took surveys today in math and made their representations. They are clever thinkers. I could not believe how quickly they got these tasks done! Tomorrow we will talk through one or more sets of data and be on to the next task.
We studied the life cycle of coral today and I am looking forward to your child sharing it with you at Open House. Be on the look out for the LARGE "scuba" mask that hides a gigantic wheel of Coral Life.
Tomorrow our Junior Achievement volunteer will be in for some additional work on communities. The kids love JA.
I hope you're enjoying the sun. I sat on the lawn reading student writing and correcting math papers. It was wonderful!
You'll note that tonight your child's spelling homework looks different! We are trying something different in our class and we'll see how it goes. The students and I went over it this morning, so hopefully they will be helpful. I am hoping to find words that our students misspell in their writing to help them become more efficient writers. Kiddos seemed excited about it.
T-shirt alert! Please send your child to school with a plain white t-shirt ASAP. We need them very soon so that we may dye them in preparation for Aussie Day.
Ok, so Monday. No library today as we are headed to the bookfair tomorrow. Students are VERY excited. (Shameless plug: I'm pretty excited too!). We practiced biography presentations today and tomorrow we will start with the first 8-10 biography presenters. We've talked about the importance of looking at the audience and not just reading from the poster. Students are expected to maintain eye contact and engage their audience.
We wrote to our Trucker Buddy this morning. Everyone wants her to come and visit before the end of the year. We'll see what we can do. She is finally back to work after two horrible family emergencies, so I don't know when her next load will have her out our direction.
Students took surveys today in math and made their representations. They are clever thinkers. I could not believe how quickly they got these tasks done! Tomorrow we will talk through one or more sets of data and be on to the next task.
We studied the life cycle of coral today and I am looking forward to your child sharing it with you at Open House. Be on the look out for the LARGE "scuba" mask that hides a gigantic wheel of Coral Life.
Tomorrow our Junior Achievement volunteer will be in for some additional work on communities. The kids love JA.
I hope you're enjoying the sun. I sat on the lawn reading student writing and correcting math papers. It was wonderful!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
We have WORMS!
The good news is that our eight pounds of worms arrived in the mail today! The students went absolutely gonzo over the worms. We put the worms into each of the worm bins, so the worms should be eating our food waste away in the next few days. I'll add more food tomorrow, and hopefully by Monday we'll be able to see some worm action.
It is a little odd to get worms in the mail, though!
We had a busy day with our field trip today. Before we left we shared facts we learned about Coral Reefs and talked about symbiosis. Symbiosis is the interdependence of animals and other animals or plants. In coral reefs, coral and algae have a symbiotic relationship. The coral depends on the algae for food. No algae means hungry coral, hungry coral then dies.
The bus driver complimented our class and the students were amazing as we picnicked inside at lunchtime. We wrote about our adventure and drew pictures of our interpretations of a coral reef.
We then did our worm bin activities and suddenly it was time for specials. Time flies!
Have a wonderful afternoon.
It is a little odd to get worms in the mail, though!
We had a busy day with our field trip today. Before we left we shared facts we learned about Coral Reefs and talked about symbiosis. Symbiosis is the interdependence of animals and other animals or plants. In coral reefs, coral and algae have a symbiotic relationship. The coral depends on the algae for food. No algae means hungry coral, hungry coral then dies.
The bus driver complimented our class and the students were amazing as we picnicked inside at lunchtime. We wrote about our adventure and drew pictures of our interpretations of a coral reef.
We then did our worm bin activities and suddenly it was time for specials. Time flies!
Have a wonderful afternoon.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
No worms today
and we are sad. I'm sad, Ms. Clifford is sad. The whole class is sad. I'm hoping they come tomorrow. If not, I'll have to call the worm people and find out where our worms are. The bins were on their second day with food waste and do not smell. Covering the food scraps with newspapers really seems to be working. Be sure to come experience the worms during open house next week!
Beyond watching for the worm delivery, we did more work with antonyms today and read a story about Wilma Rudolph. Students were asked whether the pictures were important to the story? If the pictures are (or aren't), why is that? Especially with nonfiction texts, the pictures really help tell the story If you don't know much about Wilma Rudolph, your child! Have him or her tell you about her.
Lori Clifford came today and did a lesson on the damaging power of words. It's really important to understand how much words can hurt someone, even if it's not on purpose. We have worked hard at becoming empathetic peers.
In math we collected pocket data, calculated the total number of pockets worn by our class and made our own representations of the data. It was a big deal to take 22 data points and turn it into a reasonable graphical representation.
Students worked with partners becoming experts on one section of information about Coral Reefs. Tomorrow we will share our info in the morning before the leave and will talk about symbiosis.
Between the worms and the field trip, the kiddos can't WAIT for tomorrow. Be sure to send a sack lunch.
It really is my pleasure to share this energy with your child. I am blessed.
Beyond watching for the worm delivery, we did more work with antonyms today and read a story about Wilma Rudolph. Students were asked whether the pictures were important to the story? If the pictures are (or aren't), why is that? Especially with nonfiction texts, the pictures really help tell the story If you don't know much about Wilma Rudolph, your child! Have him or her tell you about her.
Lori Clifford came today and did a lesson on the damaging power of words. It's really important to understand how much words can hurt someone, even if it's not on purpose. We have worked hard at becoming empathetic peers.
In math we collected pocket data, calculated the total number of pockets worn by our class and made our own representations of the data. It was a big deal to take 22 data points and turn it into a reasonable graphical representation.
Students worked with partners becoming experts on one section of information about Coral Reefs. Tomorrow we will share our info in the morning before the leave and will talk about symbiosis.
Between the worms and the field trip, the kiddos can't WAIT for tomorrow. Be sure to send a sack lunch.
It really is my pleasure to share this energy with your child. I am blessed.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
We are ready for worms
Tomorrow we should begin our vermicomposting adventure. The worm bins are seeded with food waste, damp newspaper and shredded coconut husks. The students are amped and the worms were supposed to have been mailed yesterday by Priority Mail. I'm sure you'll get all the info you need from your student!
This is the last week for most students that spelling will come home on the pink sheets. After this, students will be working on individual vexing words and students will test each other on Fridays. For some students, spelling will continue as it has.
Today was a busy day (they are all, aren't they?). We added food to one of the worm bins, finished our people posters (all but three or four students are DONE!), returned to working on our All About Books (we read with partners trying to make sure we had facts not feelings in our books) and we participated in a survey in math. I showed three different ways to display the information gathered in a survey and tomorrow the students will have their own chance.
As we are headed to OMSI on Thursday and studying Australia, we have begun talking about the Great Barrier Reef. Today the students had a chance to hold some coral ad we talked about coral reefs being a live object. This was something I didn't fully understand until a few years ago. We talked about the things that we can do keep coral reefs healthy, as well.
Ask your student about the zones of the ocean. Today we talked about the fish that live in each zone. The fish in the abyssal zone had little bodies and BIG mouths!
Have a great Wednesday!
This is the last week for most students that spelling will come home on the pink sheets. After this, students will be working on individual vexing words and students will test each other on Fridays. For some students, spelling will continue as it has.
Today was a busy day (they are all, aren't they?). We added food to one of the worm bins, finished our people posters (all but three or four students are DONE!), returned to working on our All About Books (we read with partners trying to make sure we had facts not feelings in our books) and we participated in a survey in math. I showed three different ways to display the information gathered in a survey and tomorrow the students will have their own chance.
As we are headed to OMSI on Thursday and studying Australia, we have begun talking about the Great Barrier Reef. Today the students had a chance to hold some coral ad we talked about coral reefs being a live object. This was something I didn't fully understand until a few years ago. We talked about the things that we can do keep coral reefs healthy, as well.
Ask your student about the zones of the ocean. Today we talked about the fish that live in each zone. The fish in the abyssal zone had little bodies and BIG mouths!
Have a great Wednesday!
Monday, May 7, 2007
Worms, Worms and more Worms
Monday was a great day. The sun is shining, everyone is in a wonderful mood and folks are motivated to do nice work!
We began talking about antonyms today. Talk with your child about antonyms. It is SO much fun to find sets of words that are opposite. I could not believe how many the kids came up with! They covered nearly two pages of easel paper with unique pairs of antonyms.
Work continued on the people posters. We have about half the class with complete posters and we will start presenting them on Wednesday. Students will be assessed on the accuracy of their work, whether they figured out the BIG reason their person was important and the quality of their presentation. It's a big year end project for us.
After library we did Weekend News, and it's fun to catch up with what your families did over the time off. We started a new unit in math, but it continues the data collection theme. Look for the unit letter on Tuesday. We also began talking about the Great Barrier Reef today. Ask your child about the zones of the ocean.
Worm News: I wrote a grant to begin a vermicomposting program at Bethany. We have received four worm bins and our worms will arrive this week. Vermicomposting uses red worms to break down organic materials into materials that can be used for compost. It's a great way for us to reduce the amount of waste we put into the trash cycle and to study the life cycle of a critter. The students are so EXCITED. We put together one of the bins today to prepare it for the worms. The money came from METRO, and our bins and worms are coming from Happy D Ranch. For more info on vermicomposting (it doesn't smell and can even be done in a house, condo or garage) you can look here or here.
We began talking about antonyms today. Talk with your child about antonyms. It is SO much fun to find sets of words that are opposite. I could not believe how many the kids came up with! They covered nearly two pages of easel paper with unique pairs of antonyms.
Work continued on the people posters. We have about half the class with complete posters and we will start presenting them on Wednesday. Students will be assessed on the accuracy of their work, whether they figured out the BIG reason their person was important and the quality of their presentation. It's a big year end project for us.
After library we did Weekend News, and it's fun to catch up with what your families did over the time off. We started a new unit in math, but it continues the data collection theme. Look for the unit letter on Tuesday. We also began talking about the Great Barrier Reef today. Ask your child about the zones of the ocean.
Worm News: I wrote a grant to begin a vermicomposting program at Bethany. We have received four worm bins and our worms will arrive this week. Vermicomposting uses red worms to break down organic materials into materials that can be used for compost. It's a great way for us to reduce the amount of waste we put into the trash cycle and to study the life cycle of a critter. The students are so EXCITED. We put together one of the bins today to prepare it for the worms. The money came from METRO, and our bins and worms are coming from Happy D Ranch. For more info on vermicomposting (it doesn't smell and can even be done in a house, condo or garage) you can look here or here.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Wait, it's Friday?
Well, apparently, I completely missed Thursday! We have had two very busy days!
The students are working hard on their biography posters! Yesterday our room had an eery silence while students were working away. Several kiddos have finished their posters. Mr. Stewart walked through yesterday and gave us a hefty compliment on the quality of our work.
Two Hall of Fame spellers this week: Asher and Natasha. The words because and friends were very difficult.
We've been doubling up on the work on our posters and that has consumed most of our writing time the past two days. I can't wait for the posters to be finished.
We took a math assessment today on data collection and sorting. The students have done a great job figuring out ways to sort information. We're still working on different ways to categorize different types of information, but we'll have more time to figure that out in the next unit.
Our Junior Achievement volunteer came today. He's from Symantec and the children were excited to see him. He has an easygoing manner and I'm confident that JA will be a success.
Enjoy your weekend. I think more yard work is calling my name.
The students are working hard on their biography posters! Yesterday our room had an eery silence while students were working away. Several kiddos have finished their posters. Mr. Stewart walked through yesterday and gave us a hefty compliment on the quality of our work.
Two Hall of Fame spellers this week: Asher and Natasha. The words because and friends were very difficult.
We've been doubling up on the work on our posters and that has consumed most of our writing time the past two days. I can't wait for the posters to be finished.
We took a math assessment today on data collection and sorting. The students have done a great job figuring out ways to sort information. We're still working on different ways to categorize different types of information, but we'll have more time to figure that out in the next unit.
Our Junior Achievement volunteer came today. He's from Symantec and the children were excited to see him. He has an easygoing manner and I'm confident that JA will be a success.
Enjoy your weekend. I think more yard work is calling my name.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
and just like that, Wednesday was gone
I was out on Tuesday, so no blog entry. The sub reported the students were wonderful and said she'd come back any time. It's always nice to hear a glowing report of your students (it's not always that way, i will admit....)
Today was a refreshing day. The students are confident in their abilities and were taking on tasks without batting an eye. We played another round of Synonym Concentration today, and students had to tell me a pair of syllables for their ticket to lunch. My favorite was "Clicker and Remote." Sure enough, that's a set of syllables.
Tomorrow people posters begin. I will talk with the few students who didn't want to do a poster tomorrow to work out what they'd like to do. Most students sketched a rough draft today, and we are excited. I'd like to invite our 5th grade buddies to hear our fact presentations.
Kiddos had another chance today to finish up their partner stories. I really am amazed by what they're turning out. Cooperative talk is wonderful to hear. Tomorrow will be back at our "All About" books.
We learned about Venn diagrams in math and applied our knowledge to more sorting based on Yektti attributes. Tomorrow the students will select two attributes and collect data from our class for their own Venn diagram. We worked on a health assessment this afternoon that involved proper hand washing technique.
We've had lots of kids with colds in our class. If your child has a fever, she must stay home for a full day after the fever has broken. Remember to wash your hands often. It's always sad when students are missing.
Today was a refreshing day. The students are confident in their abilities and were taking on tasks without batting an eye. We played another round of Synonym Concentration today, and students had to tell me a pair of syllables for their ticket to lunch. My favorite was "Clicker and Remote." Sure enough, that's a set of syllables.
Tomorrow people posters begin. I will talk with the few students who didn't want to do a poster tomorrow to work out what they'd like to do. Most students sketched a rough draft today, and we are excited. I'd like to invite our 5th grade buddies to hear our fact presentations.
Kiddos had another chance today to finish up their partner stories. I really am amazed by what they're turning out. Cooperative talk is wonderful to hear. Tomorrow will be back at our "All About" books.
We learned about Venn diagrams in math and applied our knowledge to more sorting based on Yektti attributes. Tomorrow the students will select two attributes and collect data from our class for their own Venn diagram. We worked on a health assessment this afternoon that involved proper hand washing technique.
We've had lots of kids with colds in our class. If your child has a fever, she must stay home for a full day after the fever has broken. Remember to wash your hands often. It's always sad when students are missing.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
A day late and....
Yesterday was a busy day! The day zoomed by and before I knew it the bell was ringing to send your children home to you.
We began putting our biography facts into sentences yesterday so we can organize them for our people posters. I am impressed by what the students were able to glean from their research. We have a group of children who can think deeply about topics.
Synonyms are this week's focus for our spelling lessons. Synonyms are pairs of words that mean the same thing: they are interchangeable in writing and speaking. You can easily play a synonym game with your child: "If I say x, I could also say y." Synonyms are fun and a great way to show your cleverness. (And kids think it's great!)
We worked on a super secret project for the volunteer luncheon yesterday. If you've done any volunteer work for Bethany (classroom, carnival, etc.) come join us for lunch at 11:05 on Thursday.
Students were introduced to Yektti's yesterday. They are fictional characters with multiple attributes used by our math program to help students understand concepts of data sorting. They are fun and it's great to hear the students identifying them by their attributes, such as "ringed eyes" or "rhombus body."
Our study of germs continued, and we talked briefly about how quickly germs can grow and spread in your body. Our goal is to keep those pesky germs OUT. You'll find a homework page this week that asks you and your child to brainstorm ways to keep germs under control. It's truly fascinating to me that thousands of individual virus cells can fit on the head of a pin. Wow.
We began putting our biography facts into sentences yesterday so we can organize them for our people posters. I am impressed by what the students were able to glean from their research. We have a group of children who can think deeply about topics.
Synonyms are this week's focus for our spelling lessons. Synonyms are pairs of words that mean the same thing: they are interchangeable in writing and speaking. You can easily play a synonym game with your child: "If I say x, I could also say y." Synonyms are fun and a great way to show your cleverness. (And kids think it's great!)
We worked on a super secret project for the volunteer luncheon yesterday. If you've done any volunteer work for Bethany (classroom, carnival, etc.) come join us for lunch at 11:05 on Thursday.
Students were introduced to Yektti's yesterday. They are fictional characters with multiple attributes used by our math program to help students understand concepts of data sorting. They are fun and it's great to hear the students identifying them by their attributes, such as "ringed eyes" or "rhombus body."
Our study of germs continued, and we talked briefly about how quickly germs can grow and spread in your body. Our goal is to keep those pesky germs OUT. You'll find a homework page this week that asks you and your child to brainstorm ways to keep germs under control. It's truly fascinating to me that thousands of individual virus cells can fit on the head of a pin. Wow.
Friday, April 27, 2007
100 minutes!
Just a reminder that your child is expected to be reading at least 100 minutes at home each week as part of our weekly homework. The Race to 100 card should be returned on Friday morning. Our class has read 42,550 minutes thus far, but we have several students whose totals are well below 1000 minutes (expectation is at least 2400 by this time in the year).
The play last night was wonderful. The students did an excellent job and parent turn out was amazing. I thought those with speaking parts sounded much older and singing voices were robust! Way to go dinosaur dancers!
We wrote in our interactive journals this morning and finished up the gathering of our facts for our biographies. The students are now expected to have completed their fact gathering and be ready to turn facts into sentences on Monday (we were a little delayed this morning). We played three more rounds of syllable Lotto discussed that each syllable has a vowel sound. It's a hard notion, though, because the bossy e is a vowel but it is not spoken.
Students had a free writing day today and were thrilled. I can't believe how many partner teams are authoring texts. I was amazed at the level of productive conversation. When it gets loud, I'm always tempted to "shhhhh," but after listening in on conversations this morning I determined the students were on-task!
I graded the spelling tests this afternoon. We have several students who were very close to being in the Hall of Fame. One or two letters away! This week's hall of fame students are: Zach, Asher and Teresa.
We continued our conversation about data organization and representation. We began to talk about data sets that involve two attributes and what to do with data points that have BOTH attributes.
Our germ unit started today for health. Did you know that your nose, ears and even lungs have small hairs that act as filters to keep the germs out? We talked at great length about the two most important things we can do to keep ourselves healthy: keep our hands out of our mouths and noses and wash our hands with soap.
Enjoy your weekend. I know lots of you are busy with sports so I hope you have some time for relaxation.
The play last night was wonderful. The students did an excellent job and parent turn out was amazing. I thought those with speaking parts sounded much older and singing voices were robust! Way to go dinosaur dancers!
We wrote in our interactive journals this morning and finished up the gathering of our facts for our biographies. The students are now expected to have completed their fact gathering and be ready to turn facts into sentences on Monday (we were a little delayed this morning). We played three more rounds of syllable Lotto discussed that each syllable has a vowel sound. It's a hard notion, though, because the bossy e is a vowel but it is not spoken.
Students had a free writing day today and were thrilled. I can't believe how many partner teams are authoring texts. I was amazed at the level of productive conversation. When it gets loud, I'm always tempted to "shhhhh," but after listening in on conversations this morning I determined the students were on-task!
I graded the spelling tests this afternoon. We have several students who were very close to being in the Hall of Fame. One or two letters away! This week's hall of fame students are: Zach, Asher and Teresa.
We continued our conversation about data organization and representation. We began to talk about data sets that involve two attributes and what to do with data points that have BOTH attributes.
Our germ unit started today for health. Did you know that your nose, ears and even lungs have small hairs that act as filters to keep the germs out? We talked at great length about the two most important things we can do to keep ourselves healthy: keep our hands out of our mouths and noses and wash our hands with soap.
Enjoy your weekend. I know lots of you are busy with sports so I hope you have some time for relaxation.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
It's the BIG day
The play is tonight and we are ready! The 3rd grade teachers paid the second grade a compliment today after the play, and we are anxious to sing for you. Please be in the cafeteria at 6:45 dressed in tube socks, shorts and a solid color shirt. The dinosaurs are ready for their dancing.
Today was a bit of a disjointed day. We had our dress rehearsal this afternoon and practice this morning. I gave mini booktalks on books I was able to purchase from the book order this morning. Ask your child about the Snake book. (Gives me chills just thinking about it.) We talked about the importance of adding details to your drawings/diagrams in "all about" books and we had a chance to write more about our favorite subjects.
We practiced paths and made a path to get me to the cheese store, yarn store, coffee shop and then to my sofa. We've also begun talking about data collection and organization. If you deal with data at work take a moment to share that with your child.
See you tonight!
Today was a bit of a disjointed day. We had our dress rehearsal this afternoon and practice this morning. I gave mini booktalks on books I was able to purchase from the book order this morning. Ask your child about the Snake book. (Gives me chills just thinking about it.) We talked about the importance of adding details to your drawings/diagrams in "all about" books and we had a chance to write more about our favorite subjects.
We practiced paths and made a path to get me to the cheese store, yarn store, coffee shop and then to my sofa. We've also begun talking about data collection and organization. If you deal with data at work take a moment to share that with your child.
See you tonight!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Worms
Have you ever heard of vermicomposting? Watch here for more information about a grant we received to begin vermicomposting.
Students shared with the facts they have collected for their biography posters. I am impressed with the knowledge they already have and what they want to know about famous people. I cannot believe some of the things students noticed. Tomorrow we will begin to change our facts into usable sentences so that we can prepare our posters.
We played syllable Lotto this morning. The students had an enjoyable time and LOVE to clap out the syllables in words. This is a great way to practice syllabication. You can say a word and have your child clap the syllables. We continued working on our all about books; there will be some exquisite end products.
We continued with paths a little today. Be on the lookout for bits of your child's assessments coming home. I will attach a note to one page indicating whether your child needs extra practice with her rights and lefts.
We're continuing to read The Phantom Tollbooth. If you haven't ever read it, take some time to do so. It's full of exciting vocabulary (lots of synonyms) and idioms.
Costumes: your child should come to school wearing (or bring) his or her costume for the play. Children are expected to be in costume for the 1:00 pm performance.
Students shared with the facts they have collected for their biography posters. I am impressed with the knowledge they already have and what they want to know about famous people. I cannot believe some of the things students noticed. Tomorrow we will begin to change our facts into usable sentences so that we can prepare our posters.
We played syllable Lotto this morning. The students had an enjoyable time and LOVE to clap out the syllables in words. This is a great way to practice syllabication. You can say a word and have your child clap the syllables. We continued working on our all about books; there will be some exquisite end products.
We continued with paths a little today. Be on the lookout for bits of your child's assessments coming home. I will attach a note to one page indicating whether your child needs extra practice with her rights and lefts.
We're continuing to read The Phantom Tollbooth. If you haven't ever read it, take some time to do so. It's full of exciting vocabulary (lots of synonyms) and idioms.
Costumes: your child should come to school wearing (or bring) his or her costume for the play. Children are expected to be in costume for the 1:00 pm performance.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Another day closer
The play is one day closer and the students are singing their hearts out! It's wonderful to hear. I've got my days off this week, though, and am constantly surprised that it's only Tuesday night
We categorized facts today and worked on making sure we had facts from every facet of our biography subjects life. The posters are going to be amazing! We chose topics for "all-about" books this morning, and I think we'll have quite a wonderful collaborative book all about Bethany. We'll see if we can keep it in the office for students new to our school.
We finished our measurement unit today and took part of the assessment. Keep working with your child on left and right. Have them determine if you are making a right turn in the car or a left turn. Can they tell you if their bed is on the left or right side of the room?
Tomorrow we'll start a unit on categorizing data, a unit that I enjoy as much as the students.
The lost and found is bursting! Be sure to check for lost items.
We categorized facts today and worked on making sure we had facts from every facet of our biography subjects life. The posters are going to be amazing! We chose topics for "all-about" books this morning, and I think we'll have quite a wonderful collaborative book all about Bethany. We'll see if we can keep it in the office for students new to our school.
We finished our measurement unit today and took part of the assessment. Keep working with your child on left and right. Have them determine if you are making a right turn in the car or a left turn. Can they tell you if their bed is on the left or right side of the room?
Tomorrow we'll start a unit on categorizing data, a unit that I enjoy as much as the students.
The lost and found is bursting! Be sure to check for lost items.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Three more days until the Play
We are MOST excited about the upcoming play. The students are eager, anxious, happy, nervous and scared. It's showing in all areas of our curriculum, not just during music time.
Today was a busy day for fact finding in our room. Everyone worked on picking out interesting facts about their biography subject. I learned a lot about all the subjects. I had no idea that Mother Teresa cancelled her Nobel banquet so the money could be given to charity. I also did not know that Bessie Coleman survived at least one plane crash before her death.
We will be talking about syllables this week. See if you and your child can clap and count out the syllables in the names of all your family members.
We had a rough day in library. I know Mrs. Seawell expected better listening than she received.
Students seem to have a good handle on making paths and raced through some pages in Today's Math. We had time for extra any book reading, and then we zipped off to practice.
More sun for us!
Today was a busy day for fact finding in our room. Everyone worked on picking out interesting facts about their biography subject. I learned a lot about all the subjects. I had no idea that Mother Teresa cancelled her Nobel banquet so the money could be given to charity. I also did not know that Bessie Coleman survived at least one plane crash before her death.
We will be talking about syllables this week. See if you and your child can clap and count out the syllables in the names of all your family members.
We had a rough day in library. I know Mrs. Seawell expected better listening than she received.
Students seem to have a good handle on making paths and raced through some pages in Today's Math. We had time for extra any book reading, and then we zipped off to practice.
More sun for us!
Friday, April 20, 2007
Aaah, Friday
What a beautiful afternoon we are having. I hope everyone has the chance to be outside this afternoon. Ride your bikes, go for a walk, play soccer as a family! Enjoy the sun while we have it.
I want to let you know that we talked about Anne Frank today (as a biography subject). You can imagine that led to many questions. If your child has further questions, help him or her try to understand things on a second grade level. They don't need too much detail, but an honest answer is always better than trying to change the subject.
We've decided that we want to make posters for our biography projects. A few students want to go a different direction, and that's ok, as well. We'll make it work for everyone. Over the next few days students will be gathering facts, sorting them and turning their facts into sentences. We're still reading biographies and we're starting to talk about how to write an "All About" book (minus the girl scout cookies, of course).
Our class did an amazing job working with paths today. We might be finished with the Monday math activities already! We zoomed right through what we needed to get accomplished.
TV Turn-off week begins next Monday. Students are encouraged to participate. I will participate as well. It's a great opportunity to set limitations on TV watching. Even a week can make a lasting change.
Enjoy your weekend!
I want to let you know that we talked about Anne Frank today (as a biography subject). You can imagine that led to many questions. If your child has further questions, help him or her try to understand things on a second grade level. They don't need too much detail, but an honest answer is always better than trying to change the subject.
We've decided that we want to make posters for our biography projects. A few students want to go a different direction, and that's ok, as well. We'll make it work for everyone. Over the next few days students will be gathering facts, sorting them and turning their facts into sentences. We're still reading biographies and we're starting to talk about how to write an "All About" book (minus the girl scout cookies, of course).
Our class did an amazing job working with paths today. We might be finished with the Monday math activities already! We zoomed right through what we needed to get accomplished.
TV Turn-off week begins next Monday. Students are encouraged to participate. I will participate as well. It's a great opportunity to set limitations on TV watching. Even a week can make a lasting change.
Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Thursday...
Well, now that we've got the date of the 2nd grade performance all ironed out....
Today the student's chose the subjects for their biography projects. Subjects range from César Chavez to LeBron James. Inventors were a big hit as were sports figures. We also worked on adding -ed, -ing and -s to words during spelling today. Students will be asked to generate a list of words that where you change the y to an i before adding an ending, so be on the lookout.
We learned that a straight path is always shorter than a path with turns to the same destination and had a chance to visit the Science Fair. We have some impressive scientists in our building!
Ask your student why Epossamondus has no hair on his tail. It's a fun story with a funny ending. How many books feature a persimmon eating opossum.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Today the student's chose the subjects for their biography projects. Subjects range from César Chavez to LeBron James. Inventors were a big hit as were sports figures. We also worked on adding -ed, -ing and -s to words during spelling today. Students will be asked to generate a list of words that where you change the y to an i before adding an ending, so be on the lookout.
We learned that a straight path is always shorter than a path with turns to the same destination and had a chance to visit the Science Fair. We have some impressive scientists in our building!
Ask your student why Epossamondus has no hair on his tail. It's a fun story with a funny ending. How many books feature a persimmon eating opossum.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Correction, CORRECTION! Most Important
Oh dear, oh dear.
A dreadful mistake.
There was some confusion about when the dinosaur program is. (Different dates on different memos...)
I have it on official authority that the Dinosaur Program IS THURSDAY, April 26th. (Not Tuesday, as previously mentioned.)
Sorry for any confusion.
A dreadful mistake.
There was some confusion about when the dinosaur program is. (Different dates on different memos...)
I have it on official authority that the Dinosaur Program IS THURSDAY, April 26th. (Not Tuesday, as previously mentioned.)
Sorry for any confusion.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Mid-week Wednesday
We are EXCITED about our upcoming dinosaur musical program. Just a reminder that our program starts at 7 pm, next Tuesday, April 24th. We will do our dress rehearsal at 1 pm that day. You are welcome to attend one or both performances, but all the children should arrive at school around 6:45 on Tuesday night.
Our biography project continues to captivate the students. We are reading biographies at every available opportunity, and can't wait to delve deeper into one person.
We saw Ms. Clifford today and talked about what we want to do when we "grow-up," though I always wonder what it means to be "grown-up." We have a crop of kiddos who are interested in being veterinarians. We're an animal loving group.
We worked on mazes in the computer lab this afternoon, practicing our right and left turns. Tomorrow we'll be talking about whether it's better to take a straight path or a path that twists and turns. I think the students have already got that figured out!
Just a reminder that if your student has a negative lunch balance for three days, she will be given a peanut butter sandwich and a carton of milk for lunch. Help your child eat a healthy lunch by depositing money into his account.
Our biography project continues to captivate the students. We are reading biographies at every available opportunity, and can't wait to delve deeper into one person.
We saw Ms. Clifford today and talked about what we want to do when we "grow-up," though I always wonder what it means to be "grown-up." We have a crop of kiddos who are interested in being veterinarians. We're an animal loving group.
We worked on mazes in the computer lab this afternoon, practicing our right and left turns. Tomorrow we'll be talking about whether it's better to take a straight path or a path that twists and turns. I think the students have already got that figured out!
Just a reminder that if your student has a negative lunch balance for three days, she will be given a peanut butter sandwich and a carton of milk for lunch. Help your child eat a healthy lunch by depositing money into his account.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Tuesday, April 17th
Today's energy in our classroom has been electric! The students are completely engaged in reading biographies! I got out the rest of the biography collection (from my personal library, the Bethany library and the Multnomah County library) and students were captivated by the stories. It's looking like we will choose subjects for our biography report on Thursday, so students are having a chance to read about a variety of people in order to decide. Some favorites were Rachel Carson, Helen Keller and Babe Ruth!
We continued working on right and left with Turtle turns in math. Students have made the connection between the hands on the clock and the way the turtle rotates. Ask about Turtle Turns tonight!
During writing workshop we talked about the importance of having good illustrations in a how-to book, and the students had a chance to practice. I shared about myself being a visual learner and NEEDING those kind of illustrations.
I wish you all could have seen the crowd of students around the biography cart. It was truly an impressive sight.
We continued working on right and left with Turtle turns in math. Students have made the connection between the hands on the clock and the way the turtle rotates. Ask about Turtle Turns tonight!
During writing workshop we talked about the importance of having good illustrations in a how-to book, and the students had a chance to practice. I shared about myself being a visual learner and NEEDING those kind of illustrations.
I wish you all could have seen the crowd of students around the biography cart. It was truly an impressive sight.
Monday
Today we had the first of our long practices to prepare for our Dinosaur program, which is scheduled from next Tuesday night. We had the opportunity to visit the library today, as well.
We're cruising through our biography study! Students started their second biography reading group. We are reading about Harriet Tubman, Louis Braille, Rosa Parks, Jesse Owens and Eleanor Roosevelt. The students are continuing to work on choosing important facts.
We worked on making turns and angles during math and had the chance to visit the computer lab to move the turtle through the maze. Be sure to practice "left" and "right" with your child.
We also finished up some work with a story called Are We There Yet?. We mapped out their journey on our big map of Australia and had the chance to capture some of the things we're wondering about Australia. I'm looking forward to sharing Australia with our class.
We're cruising through our biography study! Students started their second biography reading group. We are reading about Harriet Tubman, Louis Braille, Rosa Parks, Jesse Owens and Eleanor Roosevelt. The students are continuing to work on choosing important facts.
We worked on making turns and angles during math and had the chance to visit the computer lab to move the turtle through the maze. Be sure to practice "left" and "right" with your child.
We also finished up some work with a story called Are We There Yet?. We mapped out their journey on our big map of Australia and had the chance to capture some of the things we're wondering about Australia. I'm looking forward to sharing Australia with our class.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Wednesday AND Thursday
Well, I'm a day behind, but I think I can get us caught up! Wednesday, we shared our biography facts with the class, went to the library, worked on our how-to books, and... We finished up the first investigation from our Measurement unit and took part of our math assessment. Then, we read from The Phantom Tollbooth and took our flight to Australia. We stamped our passports, took our carry-on luggage and settled in for the in-flight movie.
Thursday...
We had a mixed up day! We went to Specials this morning and had recess with the third graders this afternoon. We started new biography groups today, and the students did an amazing job making predictions and coming up with group agreements for how to treat each other. We continued to work on how-to books, and used published books as examples. We learned about the things that authors do to make their writing easy to understand.
We learned about paths during math and figured out that our class had on 114 pockets today. The students learned the importance of being very explicit when giving directions, or you might end up somewhere you don't intend! We read a book called Are We There Yet? by Allison Lester which is an account of a journey around the perimeter of Australia. Then we drew a giant map of Australia and the students taught me the names of the states, geographic features and oceans around Australia.
We have such a wonderful class. I say it often, but it is my pleasure to be your child's teacher.
Thursday...
We had a mixed up day! We went to Specials this morning and had recess with the third graders this afternoon. We started new biography groups today, and the students did an amazing job making predictions and coming up with group agreements for how to treat each other. We continued to work on how-to books, and used published books as examples. We learned about the things that authors do to make their writing easy to understand.
We learned about paths during math and figured out that our class had on 114 pockets today. The students learned the importance of being very explicit when giving directions, or you might end up somewhere you don't intend! We read a book called Are We There Yet? by Allison Lester which is an account of a journey around the perimeter of Australia. Then we drew a giant map of Australia and the students taught me the names of the states, geographic features and oceans around Australia.
We have such a wonderful class. I say it often, but it is my pleasure to be your child's teacher.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
And then it was Tuesday
Tuesday zoomed by! I looked at the clock yesterday afternoon and it was 4:30 before I'd even realized it.
The students finished the clarifying of their thoughts for their first biography groups and today will present the facts to the class. We received a letter from Mary Moody, our Trucker Buddy, and we learned that her mother had passed away and her sister had been in the hospital! No wonder we hadn't heard from her. We took some time to make a book of Happy Thoughts for her and will take time again before the end of the month to write to her again.
Students wrote measurement riddles in math and finished up tasks from Monday. We're cruising through our unit, and will be done with it in NO time! Wow. We finished packing our suitcases for our trip to Australia, and will get on the plane today. I've got the in-flight movie and the peanuts all ready. It should be a great time. Here's to one more day on our learning adventure together.
The students finished the clarifying of their thoughts for their first biography groups and today will present the facts to the class. We received a letter from Mary Moody, our Trucker Buddy, and we learned that her mother had passed away and her sister had been in the hospital! No wonder we hadn't heard from her. We took some time to make a book of Happy Thoughts for her and will take time again before the end of the month to write to her again.
Students wrote measurement riddles in math and finished up tasks from Monday. We're cruising through our unit, and will be done with it in NO time! Wow. We finished packing our suitcases for our trip to Australia, and will get on the plane today. I've got the in-flight movie and the peanuts all ready. It should be a great time. Here's to one more day on our learning adventure together.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Monday, 4.9
Today we went to an impressive performance by Ballet Folklorico. They shared three styles of dances from Mexico with us. The costumes and the dancing were impressive. Students were definitely wondering how the dancers made such quick costume changes!
We worked on refining our biography facts and will finish that up on Tuesday. We wrote Weekend News, which was done in a lickety-split fashion. In math, we measured the jumps we did on Friday and spent some time catching up in Today's Math. We were lucky enough to have the chance to use some computers to do an activity called Giant Steps, as well.
We finished making our official packing list for Australia, and tomorrow we'll pack our suitcases and learn about our dimensions of Australia.
We missed Library because of the assembly. It's been rescheduled for for Wednesday morning.
We worked on refining our biography facts and will finish that up on Tuesday. We wrote Weekend News, which was done in a lickety-split fashion. In math, we measured the jumps we did on Friday and spent some time catching up in Today's Math. We were lucky enough to have the chance to use some computers to do an activity called Giant Steps, as well.
We finished making our official packing list for Australia, and tomorrow we'll pack our suitcases and learn about our dimensions of Australia.
We missed Library because of the assembly. It's been rescheduled for for Wednesday morning.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Friday, April 6
The children were energized today! It was wonderful to be back after three days gone. I shared with the students the reason I was gone: my brother had open heart surgery on the 28th and developed some serious complications. Things have settled down for now, and I'm quite relieved.
We had a busy day today. Students finished reading their first biography book with their interest groups, and we will talk about sharing facts in an appropriate format on Monday. The students really enjoyed it and it was exciting to hear them discussing whether facts were important or not so important.
In writing workshop, we revised our how to books. Our kiddos have a wealth of knowledge all wrapped up in their minds. It was amazing to see some of their "how to" ideas.
We had our spelling test and measured three types of jumps during math. On Monday, the students will use items such as linker cubes to measure the lengths of their jumps, and will put things in numeric order. We're able to deal with ordinality in both math and reading!
We made the list of things we need to pack for Australia today, and on Monday we'll pack our bags for our "flight" on Tuesday. (We're only going on a "pretend" flight, of course."
Have a wonderful weekend.
We had a busy day today. Students finished reading their first biography book with their interest groups, and we will talk about sharing facts in an appropriate format on Monday. The students really enjoyed it and it was exciting to hear them discussing whether facts were important or not so important.
In writing workshop, we revised our how to books. Our kiddos have a wealth of knowledge all wrapped up in their minds. It was amazing to see some of their "how to" ideas.
We had our spelling test and measured three types of jumps during math. On Monday, the students will use items such as linker cubes to measure the lengths of their jumps, and will put things in numeric order. We're able to deal with ordinality in both math and reading!
We made the list of things we need to pack for Australia today, and on Monday we'll pack our bags for our "flight" on Tuesday. (We're only going on a "pretend" flight, of course."
Have a wonderful weekend.
Monday, April 2, 2007
April 2nd
Wow, the return from Spring Break certainly felt a little bit tough this morning. The 5 am alarm wasn't too welcomed....
We started back with gusto! Today the students chose the first book they want to read in their student-led literature circles, which we're doing as part of our biography study. We'll do 5 different groups: Thomas Edison, Sacagawea, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller and Amelia Earhart.
Students wrote "Newsflashes" of their spring breaks this morning. It was fun to read an invigorated account of your family activities.
We started a new math unit today on Measurement. For the next few days, we'll be working on non-standard units of measure. It's fun to watch children discover different ways of comparing measurement. Ask your child what they measured today and how they figured out if it was the same length as the paper strip.
We're finishing up our communities unit by making travel brochures for an urban, rural or suburban place of our choosing. Other big news is that we are getting closer to the second grade music program!
Just to let you know, I've had a family emergency and will have a sub on Tuesday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday. I will be checking email, however.
We started back with gusto! Today the students chose the first book they want to read in their student-led literature circles, which we're doing as part of our biography study. We'll do 5 different groups: Thomas Edison, Sacagawea, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller and Amelia Earhart.
Students wrote "Newsflashes" of their spring breaks this morning. It was fun to read an invigorated account of your family activities.
We started a new math unit today on Measurement. For the next few days, we'll be working on non-standard units of measure. It's fun to watch children discover different ways of comparing measurement. Ask your child what they measured today and how they figured out if it was the same length as the paper strip.
We're finishing up our communities unit by making travel brochures for an urban, rural or suburban place of our choosing. Other big news is that we are getting closer to the second grade music program!
Just to let you know, I've had a family emergency and will have a sub on Tuesday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday. I will be checking email, however.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Tuesday
Whew, today was another nonstop day!
Students learned about lines of symmetry today in math as we folded paper and cut out shapes with congruent halves.
We learned proofreaders' marks and made lists of things that are challenging for us when we edit our writing.
We wrote one final book review as a class on a book called Smoky Nights by Eve Bunting, and students started on their own book reviews.
The 4th grade music program was great fun--I think the Western-theme might be favorite so far this year!
I taught that drugs don't solve problems, and we brainstormed a list of people you can talk to if you feel like you have a problem.
Enjoy the bit of sun that's poking out.
Students learned about lines of symmetry today in math as we folded paper and cut out shapes with congruent halves.
We learned proofreaders' marks and made lists of things that are challenging for us when we edit our writing.
We wrote one final book review as a class on a book called Smoky Nights by Eve Bunting, and students started on their own book reviews.
The 4th grade music program was great fun--I think the Western-theme might be favorite so far this year!
I taught that drugs don't solve problems, and we brainstormed a list of people you can talk to if you feel like you have a problem.
Enjoy the bit of sun that's poking out.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Monday
Wow, we had a lot to do today!
We read a book by Angela Johnson called wind flyer and wrote another book review as a class. The book touches on the existence of the Tuskegee Airmen from WWII, and the students made insightful inferences about it.
We also talked about rereading one's writing and thinking hard about "THE BIG IDEA." What is that that the author wants the reader to know?
Students played "Copy Tiles" and worked with mirrors to build symmetrical shapes.
We talked more about the impact of tobacco and alcohol on the body. We also talked about the difference between medications and drugs.
The rain seems to be back. I'll keep my fingers crossed for sun later in the week.
We read a book by Angela Johnson called wind flyer and wrote another book review as a class. The book touches on the existence of the Tuskegee Airmen from WWII, and the students made insightful inferences about it.
We also talked about rereading one's writing and thinking hard about "THE BIG IDEA." What is that that the author wants the reader to know?
Students played "Copy Tiles" and worked with mirrors to build symmetrical shapes.
We talked more about the impact of tobacco and alcohol on the body. We also talked about the difference between medications and drugs.
The rain seems to be back. I'll keep my fingers crossed for sun later in the week.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Friday
Today was a busy day! We were visited by a leprechaun in the afternoon. No one was there to see him, but we found evidence of his visit.
We started our Health unit on Drug and Alcohol prevention today. Today we talked about the effects Alcohol and Nicotine can have on the human body.
We're getting ready to write book reviews, and authored one as a class on the book Bad Bears and a Bunny, written by Daniel Pinkwater. Ask your child about Irving and Muktuk. During writing time we talked about emulating authors. The students are borrowing ideas and styles from other authors.
We built symmetrical pictures out of pattern blocks and symmetrical buildings from geoblocks. When you're out and about ask if your student can locate something symmetrical.
Have a wonderful weekend. May the sun keep shining.
We started our Health unit on Drug and Alcohol prevention today. Today we talked about the effects Alcohol and Nicotine can have on the human body.
We're getting ready to write book reviews, and authored one as a class on the book Bad Bears and a Bunny, written by Daniel Pinkwater. Ask your child about Irving and Muktuk. During writing time we talked about emulating authors. The students are borrowing ideas and styles from other authors.
We built symmetrical pictures out of pattern blocks and symmetrical buildings from geoblocks. When you're out and about ask if your student can locate something symmetrical.
Have a wonderful weekend. May the sun keep shining.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Welcome!
Hello Parents and Important People,
Welcome to the blog for our 2nd grade class! I'll try to keep it updated every day or two with information from our class. Sometimes I will write the entries, other times the students will. This will be the place to look if you want to find out what your child did at school. (Maybe you can use the info to help out with those dinner table conversations that often go "How was school today?" "Fine." "What did you do?" "Nothing.")
Please let me know if you find this useful. I'm hoping we can increase communication in a way that is easy for parents to access.
Happy Learning,
Ms. Smith
Welcome to the blog for our 2nd grade class! I'll try to keep it updated every day or two with information from our class. Sometimes I will write the entries, other times the students will. This will be the place to look if you want to find out what your child did at school. (Maybe you can use the info to help out with those dinner table conversations that often go "How was school today?" "Fine." "What did you do?" "Nothing.")
Please let me know if you find this useful. I'm hoping we can increase communication in a way that is easy for parents to access.
Happy Learning,
Ms. Smith
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