Hey all!
How 'bout this weather?! I am ready for winter to officially leave!! I'm ready to wear my flip flops and plant my flowers!! Here is what's happening this week:
Math - Measurement focus .......... both metric and customary - and of course the all important constant review of previously learned material ............. One way or another, we can hopefully get some things stuck in their pretty little heads!
Reading - Comprehension - We are trying to become good reading detectives and make sure we have all the clues/evidence before making a decision about an answer. I am really proud of what good detectives your children are!! We are using a technique called UNRAAVEL. It's pretty neat.
Science - Human Body - We have made tracings of all our bodies on white paper and everyday we learn about new organs and add them to our bodies. It's pretty cool. I am learning a lot too!
English - We started writing the rough drafts for our books on Thursday. This is so exciting! Every child will get their own published book and the best part is........ it's FREE!! I am going to sooooo need your help to pull this project off though! We will write the stories at school, but if you have access to a printer, I will need your help to type your child's story up and print it off on the special paper that comes with the kit. When your child's rough draft is complete, I will send the book kit home with directions. When the story is printed on the special paper, send the kit back and your child can then work on illustrating the pages. The completed kits are due April 6th. We will then mail them off to be published!! It will be a very special day when the books come in!
Spelling - I forgot the list at school, but will put it on the spellingcity.com site on Monday.
I will not be assigning any more homework this year. The end of the year is always busier than ever for most families, so I think it will help to end homework this last 7 1/2 weeks. I do encourage reading at home though!! :)
Friday, March 27, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Families,
I will send home 2 letters tomorrow. The following are copies of what I will send. Hope you had a great Spring Break. From listening to the kid's stories, it sounds like many of you had neat road trips and good times!!
Parents,
I will be sending home report cards on Thursday. 3rd 9 weeks conferences are usually only scheduled if necessary. If you would like to schedule one, please let me know.
March 23, 2009
Dear Families,
I have 2 big events coming up that I need to tell you about and request your help with.
1. Auction – As you know, we have had an economic system in place in our classroom this year. It has been a great and enriching experience for the kids to learn how our world works. Having job responsibilities, paying rent, or buying a home, learning how to save for the future, paying for mistakes, learning how to delay gratification and wait for things, has all been a rewarding experience for me to watch the children learn. I do have to say that some of the children, I predict, will do very well financially in their future, while others have a little more to learn. It has been funny! Here is where I need your help. Our auction will be held the first part of May. The auction is for the kids to spend the money they have managed to save all school year. I have been collecting items all school year for this, but it would really help if you could donate a gently used, or new item for the auction as well. I really want the auction to be fun and special for the kids.
2. Field Trip – We have been pen pals with a 4th grade class at Adams all school year. We have been approved to go on a field trip to Leonardo’s to meet them! We are so excited! The field trip is Thursday, May 14th. We will leave school at about 9:45 and get back about 2:30. I need some parent volunteers to go with us to help supervise a group of 5 children.
If you can help with either of these events, please fill out the bottom portion of this letter and return it to school. The end of this school year is hard for me because I have grown to love your children. They are a very special and sweet group of kids. I will miss them so much. Thank you for all your support this year and for sharing your dear children.
With much appreciation,
___ I can donate an item for the auction.
___ I can be a volunteer for the field trip to Leonardo’s
_________________ ______________________
Child’s name Parent’s name
I will send home 2 letters tomorrow. The following are copies of what I will send. Hope you had a great Spring Break. From listening to the kid's stories, it sounds like many of you had neat road trips and good times!!
Parents,
I will be sending home report cards on Thursday. 3rd 9 weeks conferences are usually only scheduled if necessary. If you would like to schedule one, please let me know.
March 23, 2009
Dear Families,
I have 2 big events coming up that I need to tell you about and request your help with.
1. Auction – As you know, we have had an economic system in place in our classroom this year. It has been a great and enriching experience for the kids to learn how our world works. Having job responsibilities, paying rent, or buying a home, learning how to save for the future, paying for mistakes, learning how to delay gratification and wait for things, has all been a rewarding experience for me to watch the children learn. I do have to say that some of the children, I predict, will do very well financially in their future, while others have a little more to learn. It has been funny! Here is where I need your help. Our auction will be held the first part of May. The auction is for the kids to spend the money they have managed to save all school year. I have been collecting items all school year for this, but it would really help if you could donate a gently used, or new item for the auction as well. I really want the auction to be fun and special for the kids.
2. Field Trip – We have been pen pals with a 4th grade class at Adams all school year. We have been approved to go on a field trip to Leonardo’s to meet them! We are so excited! The field trip is Thursday, May 14th. We will leave school at about 9:45 and get back about 2:30. I need some parent volunteers to go with us to help supervise a group of 5 children.
If you can help with either of these events, please fill out the bottom portion of this letter and return it to school. The end of this school year is hard for me because I have grown to love your children. They are a very special and sweet group of kids. I will miss them so much. Thank you for all your support this year and for sharing your dear children.
With much appreciation,
___ I can donate an item for the auction.
___ I can be a volunteer for the field trip to Leonardo’s
_________________ ______________________
Child’s name Parent’s name
Friday, March 13, 2009
Week of 3/23
I am posting this prior to Spring Break, so hope you have a wonderful, much needed break!! Here is what is on the agenda when we return:
Reading: Skill focus - inference , practice reading tests
(The School Story group will do their book work on another book at a later date.)
Math: Equalities, elapsed time, patterns, function machines
Spelling: Check spellingcity for list 25
English: Use of I/Me and A/An
Science: Human Body
Reading: Skill focus - inference , practice reading tests
(The School Story group will do their book work on another book at a later date.)
Math: Equalities, elapsed time, patterns, function machines
Spelling: Check spellingcity for list 25
English: Use of I/Me and A/An
Science: Human Body
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Week of 3/09
Hi families!
Here's what's ahead for this week:
Reading: Literature circles - Three groups finished their book last week. One group completed the work that went with it, one group is in the middle of the work, and the other group will begin the work on Monday. I have a fourth group that has a pretty long book, but hopefully they will be able to finish it this week, and then do their related work the week after Spring Break. The work includes an English assignment which is an apostrophe search. They look in their book for contractions and possessives. The other book activity is a "sort of" book report which includes writing a list of general and difficult questions from the story, writing a glossary of unfamiliar/unusual words from the story, collecting 5 items from home that connect to the story, and drawing or finding a picture that connects to the story. After they complete those objectives, they put them in a container of some sort like an oatmeal container, cereal box, or anything. We then will meet as a group and present the book report to each other. The Homer Price group met and presented on Friday and did a superb job! It was quite fun! I am anxious to meet with the other children. The Boxcar Children group will need to have their book work completed and be ready to meet on Wednesday. The Indian in the Cupboard group will need to have their work completed and be ready to meet on Thursday. The School Story group will meet after Spring Break sometime, after they have had time to finish their story and complete their work. I will announce that later. The Homer Price group will be assigned a short, funny Roald Dahl book to read this week while the other groups are working on their work. Also, this week for reading, we will be working on the skill, cause and effect, again. We need more practice with that particular skill.
Math: Geometry, continued review of all other skills
English: Friendly letters (pen pal letters), also relearning the rules of adding suffixes
Spelling: Check the spellingcity site for list 21. I will add the enrichment list to the site soon.
Social Studies: We will complete the independent study of the Midwest. I will not be testing the children over the people and events of the Midwest region. Most of our history is in the NE and SE regions, which I did test over. They have read a lot about people like Henry Ford and Sitting Bull, as well as Mount Rushmore, traveling by wagon, the steel industry, and what the layout of the land is like. They should have a good idea now, about that area of our country, but let's face it, it is not near as interesting as say the the first colonies, American Revolution, Civil War, Abe Lincoln, or the Underground Railroad!! We will have tests this week, however, on the Midwest states locations and capitals. Remember, the location test will be Tuesday and the capital test will be Thursday. I sent home a study guide on Thursday. We went over the states and talked about ways to remember their locations. Hopefully, they brought their study guide home. If they lost it, they will need to take a SS book home to study.
Science: We will begin a unit after Spring Break on the Human Body! It should be lots of fun!
Spanish: Animals/Habitats Most of the children did awesome on their Spanish tests! Yeah!
I wanted to thank you again for all the Read Across America week goodies! We will be eating more this week!
Remember Bill Wallace will be here Monday! What an exciting day it will be to meet a famous author!!
Here's what's ahead for this week:
Reading: Literature circles - Three groups finished their book last week. One group completed the work that went with it, one group is in the middle of the work, and the other group will begin the work on Monday. I have a fourth group that has a pretty long book, but hopefully they will be able to finish it this week, and then do their related work the week after Spring Break. The work includes an English assignment which is an apostrophe search. They look in their book for contractions and possessives. The other book activity is a "sort of" book report which includes writing a list of general and difficult questions from the story, writing a glossary of unfamiliar/unusual words from the story, collecting 5 items from home that connect to the story, and drawing or finding a picture that connects to the story. After they complete those objectives, they put them in a container of some sort like an oatmeal container, cereal box, or anything. We then will meet as a group and present the book report to each other. The Homer Price group met and presented on Friday and did a superb job! It was quite fun! I am anxious to meet with the other children. The Boxcar Children group will need to have their book work completed and be ready to meet on Wednesday. The Indian in the Cupboard group will need to have their work completed and be ready to meet on Thursday. The School Story group will meet after Spring Break sometime, after they have had time to finish their story and complete their work. I will announce that later. The Homer Price group will be assigned a short, funny Roald Dahl book to read this week while the other groups are working on their work. Also, this week for reading, we will be working on the skill, cause and effect, again. We need more practice with that particular skill.
Math: Geometry, continued review of all other skills
English: Friendly letters (pen pal letters), also relearning the rules of adding suffixes
Spelling: Check the spellingcity site for list 21. I will add the enrichment list to the site soon.
Social Studies: We will complete the independent study of the Midwest. I will not be testing the children over the people and events of the Midwest region. Most of our history is in the NE and SE regions, which I did test over. They have read a lot about people like Henry Ford and Sitting Bull, as well as Mount Rushmore, traveling by wagon, the steel industry, and what the layout of the land is like. They should have a good idea now, about that area of our country, but let's face it, it is not near as interesting as say the the first colonies, American Revolution, Civil War, Abe Lincoln, or the Underground Railroad!! We will have tests this week, however, on the Midwest states locations and capitals. Remember, the location test will be Tuesday and the capital test will be Thursday. I sent home a study guide on Thursday. We went over the states and talked about ways to remember their locations. Hopefully, they brought their study guide home. If they lost it, they will need to take a SS book home to study.
Science: We will begin a unit after Spring Break on the Human Body! It should be lots of fun!
Spanish: Animals/Habitats Most of the children did awesome on their Spanish tests! Yeah!
I wanted to thank you again for all the Read Across America week goodies! We will be eating more this week!
Remember Bill Wallace will be here Monday! What an exciting day it will be to meet a famous author!!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Week of 3/2
Hi all! This week is Read Across America week! Wear green tomorrow! We are changing our "We are pickled green over books!" day to Monday instead of Tuesday to go with the school wide plan! Our other days look like this:
Tuesday: We are popping over books! We will eat popcorn. The school wide theme will be to wear vacation shirts.
Wednesday: Let's toast a good book! We will drink juice and toast our favorite books! School wide - Wacky Wednesday - wear wacky clothes
Thursday: We are sweet on books! We will eat cookies. School wide - wear crazy socks
Friday: We are camping out with a good book! Bring snacks, sleeping bags/blankets, and flashlights. School wide - wear pajamas
This is what is on the agenda for the week as well:
Reading: literature circles, readers theater, readers bingo
Math: decimals, more practice comparing decimals and fractions on a number line, review old skills
Spelling: go to the spelling practice link and look up list 20 for this week's words, list 20.5 for spelling enrichment words
Social Studies: continue our Midwest independent study I will send home a study guide this week for our state location test and capital test, both next week. The location test will be on Tuesday and the capital test on Thursday.
Spanish: The children will have a test over ecology related material on Tuesday. We reviewed and highlighted a study guide this past Wednesday. I told the kids to take the guide home and put it on their frig or other safe spot and to be studying for it a little at a time. Whether they did that or not, I have no idea! :0 If they have lost it, they need to ask me for another guide on Monday.
English: We will do some grammar practice on the computer this week!
I wanted to say once again, thanks so much for all the goodies for "Read Across America" week.
Tuesday: We are popping over books! We will eat popcorn. The school wide theme will be to wear vacation shirts.
Wednesday: Let's toast a good book! We will drink juice and toast our favorite books! School wide - Wacky Wednesday - wear wacky clothes
Thursday: We are sweet on books! We will eat cookies. School wide - wear crazy socks
Friday: We are camping out with a good book! Bring snacks, sleeping bags/blankets, and flashlights. School wide - wear pajamas
This is what is on the agenda for the week as well:
Reading: literature circles, readers theater, readers bingo
Math: decimals, more practice comparing decimals and fractions on a number line, review old skills
Spelling: go to the spelling practice link and look up list 20 for this week's words, list 20.5 for spelling enrichment words
Social Studies: continue our Midwest independent study I will send home a study guide this week for our state location test and capital test, both next week. The location test will be on Tuesday and the capital test on Thursday.
Spanish: The children will have a test over ecology related material on Tuesday. We reviewed and highlighted a study guide this past Wednesday. I told the kids to take the guide home and put it on their frig or other safe spot and to be studying for it a little at a time. Whether they did that or not, I have no idea! :0 If they have lost it, they need to ask me for another guide on Monday.
English: We will do some grammar practice on the computer this week!
I wanted to say once again, thanks so much for all the goodies for "Read Across America" week.
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