Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Thinking Christmas!
Families - I know this seems a bit early, but I have to think early on the project I am about to take on! The project involves a very special Christmas present that your child will make. Trust me - it is really neat and will last a lifetime! My mom still has the one I made for her 27 years ago! I do need to request money for this project, because it is pricey. If you would like your child to make one, please send $6.50 to school by next Tuesday, November 6th. Thank you in advance. You will enjoy this gift for years to come. You might make your child work for the money, since it is a gift for you. Ha! Ha!
Spelling Enrichment
stalactite stalagmite perambulator martyr pandemonium aghast sensible threadbare quaint perplex despair croquet chromium antimacassar considerate
Monday, October 29, 2007
Week of 10-29-07
Wow! You should be so proud of your kids! They did awesome on their student-led conferences! I hope you enjoyed them and got a little taste of our classroom atmosphere. Your children are very lucky to have you in their lives supporting them. Good job kids!.....and thanks parents for being good listeners! Rachael's mom won the jar guess! Congratulations! The amount was 141 and she guessed 140. Several others were close!
Here is what is on the agenda this week:
Math: Line graphs, venn diagrams, coordinates, and circle graphs, daily math review
Reading: Individual book study - your child has been assigned a book around his/her lexile level, along with comprehension work to go along with it. They will have 2 weeks to finish the book and complete the work. On the 3rd week, instead of 100 minutes of reading homework and fluency book, they will have a book project to do. There will be 12 options to choose from. In the next 2 weeks, I will give them reading time twice a day to work on their story and work, but they may choose to take it home as well.
Spelling: Sounds of "e", there will be enrichment words this week
English: Adjectives(we did not get to this part of speech last week), daily English review, journaling
Science: caves, volcanos, they have a homework assignment tonight- to find 5 signs of weathering and erosion in their neighborhood, they also need to bring a rock to school by Friday
If your child had 5 or 6 freebie tickets left at the end of the 1st 9 weeks, then as a reward, I gave him/her a week off of reading homework! The children may choose what week they want off. We will do reading homework this week and next week. The week after that will be the book project week, and then Thanksgiving(meaning no reading homework). They may choose to take this or next week off, or wait until December to do so. If you question whether your child has the week off or not, let me know, and I will write you a note. Not all the children earned this privilege. Remember, freebie tickets are used up by late work.
This is an exciting week! Halloween is in 2 days! Stay safe!
Here is what is on the agenda this week:
Math: Line graphs, venn diagrams, coordinates, and circle graphs, daily math review
Reading: Individual book study - your child has been assigned a book around his/her lexile level, along with comprehension work to go along with it. They will have 2 weeks to finish the book and complete the work. On the 3rd week, instead of 100 minutes of reading homework and fluency book, they will have a book project to do. There will be 12 options to choose from. In the next 2 weeks, I will give them reading time twice a day to work on their story and work, but they may choose to take it home as well.
Spelling: Sounds of "e", there will be enrichment words this week
English: Adjectives(we did not get to this part of speech last week), daily English review, journaling
Science: caves, volcanos, they have a homework assignment tonight- to find 5 signs of weathering and erosion in their neighborhood, they also need to bring a rock to school by Friday
If your child had 5 or 6 freebie tickets left at the end of the 1st 9 weeks, then as a reward, I gave him/her a week off of reading homework! The children may choose what week they want off. We will do reading homework this week and next week. The week after that will be the book project week, and then Thanksgiving(meaning no reading homework). They may choose to take this or next week off, or wait until December to do so. If you question whether your child has the week off or not, let me know, and I will write you a note. Not all the children earned this privilege. Remember, freebie tickets are used up by late work.
This is an exciting week! Halloween is in 2 days! Stay safe!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Week of 10-22-07
Hope you had a good fall break! We sure enjoyed ours! This will be another short week for the children because of conferences. Remember they are out on Friday. The kids will be bringing home a reminder of your time for conferences tomorrow or Wednesday. We will be very busy as usual this week. Here is what is on the agenda:
Math- double bar graphs, line plots, line graphs, daily math review
Reading- literature circles -they finished their books, now they are making book posters
Science- geology- we made crystals today, we will explore the 3 types of rocks, and look at weathering and erosion
English- friendly letters, adjectives, daily language review
Spelling- souds of "a"
Remember that Wednesday is Pumpkin Day! Your child will need to bring a pumpkin to school (as little as an apple, or as big as she or he can hold). We will be doing math, reading, science, and art related to pumpkins on Pumpkin Day. It would be nice if your child could bring an orange colored snack to share with the class that day too!
Payday went well with the kids last Wednesday. After paying rent and any fines they may have had, they got to visit the store and the bank. They had to decide how much they wanted to spend and how much they wanted to save. I have learned a lot about your children through this process. Hopefully, they are learning a lot about themselves, and maybe the real world too! They were very cute! It is fun to watch. The next payday will be November 20th........talk about delayed gratification.
This is Red Ribbon Week. Tomorrow is crazy hat day, Wednesday is backwards day, and Thursday is crazy sock day! This would be a good time to talk to your children about the dangers of drugs. I am a firm believer about keeping an open dialogue going between you and your child on tough choices he or she may face in his or her future. Research tells us that the communication we have with our children plays a key role in the choices they make.
Math- double bar graphs, line plots, line graphs, daily math review
Reading- literature circles -they finished their books, now they are making book posters
Science- geology- we made crystals today, we will explore the 3 types of rocks, and look at weathering and erosion
English- friendly letters, adjectives, daily language review
Spelling- souds of "a"
Remember that Wednesday is Pumpkin Day! Your child will need to bring a pumpkin to school (as little as an apple, or as big as she or he can hold). We will be doing math, reading, science, and art related to pumpkins on Pumpkin Day. It would be nice if your child could bring an orange colored snack to share with the class that day too!
Payday went well with the kids last Wednesday. After paying rent and any fines they may have had, they got to visit the store and the bank. They had to decide how much they wanted to spend and how much they wanted to save. I have learned a lot about your children through this process. Hopefully, they are learning a lot about themselves, and maybe the real world too! They were very cute! It is fun to watch. The next payday will be November 20th........talk about delayed gratification.
This is Red Ribbon Week. Tomorrow is crazy hat day, Wednesday is backwards day, and Thursday is crazy sock day! This would be a good time to talk to your children about the dangers of drugs. I am a firm believer about keeping an open dialogue going between you and your child on tough choices he or she may face in his or her future. Research tells us that the communication we have with our children plays a key role in the choices they make.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Pumpkin Day!
Next week we will have Pumpkin Day on Wednesday, October 24th. We will have a lot of learning activities centered around pumpkins. Please allow your child to bring a pumpkin to school by that day. It can be any size, from as small as an apple to as big as your child can carry!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Week of 10-15-07
This week we will review reading skills, and read in our literature circles in reading. In math, we will work on problem solving. We started our geology unit today in science. We will be working on friendly letters and business letters in English.
Don't forget that the 4th grade program is tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at 6:30. Please have your child meet me in our classroom at 6:15. They need to be wearing their blue shirt and red bandana. Immediately following the program, meet your child back in the classroom.
Fundraiser card orders need to be turned in tomorrow. If you did not sell any, remember to either send the card back or $10 to purchase the card yourself.
There is no reading homework or spelling this week.
I sent a note about conferences home today. Please return tomorrow. I also sent home a note requesting a hammer and rag for a special activity on Wednesday.
The kids are doing great!
Don't forget that the 4th grade program is tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at 6:30. Please have your child meet me in our classroom at 6:15. They need to be wearing their blue shirt and red bandana. Immediately following the program, meet your child back in the classroom.
Fundraiser card orders need to be turned in tomorrow. If you did not sell any, remember to either send the card back or $10 to purchase the card yourself.
There is no reading homework or spelling this week.
I sent a note about conferences home today. Please return tomorrow. I also sent home a note requesting a hammer and rag for a special activity on Wednesday.
The kids are doing great!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Student-Led Conferences
Dear Families,
Tomorrow(Monday), I will send home a conference form for you to fill out. Please make sure you get the form and return it to me as soon as possible. I have held student-led conferences for the past several years and have received much positive feed back from parents and students alike about this way of conferencing. The following is information/research about it:
The Student-led Conference
THIS CONFERENCE FORMAT IS BECOMING an accepted alternative to the traditional parent/teacher conference, in which the student is left out.The goals of this conference format is to increase positive communication between students and their parents and teachers in the following ways :
to encourage students to accept personal responsibility for their academic performance;
to teach students the process of self-evaluation;
to facilitate the development of students' organizational and oral communication skills and to increase their self-confidence;
to encourage students, parents, and teachers to engage in open and honest dialogue;
and to increase parent attendance at conferences
Why are faculties exploring this new conference technique?
Teachers, parents, and students report exceptional success and satisfaction with this format. Parents attend this student-led format to a higher degree than the traditional parent/teacher conference. Students feel comfortable in this supportive environment and parents appreciate hearing specifically from their children on their academic progress.
Although student-led conferences vary from school to school even within districts, one characteristic remains constant: the student leads the discussion. Students gain self-confidence in oral communication.
What exactly is a student-led conference?
According to Donald G. Hackmann it is important "to see the conference as a process and not an event." It should be seen as part of a student's ongoing educational progress.
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS ARTICLE
Student-Led Conferences: A Growing Trend
For years parent-teacher conferences have been the primary means of parent-teacher communication. But now, many schools are trying something new -- student-led conferences that communicate not only how a student's doing but also why.
-->Parent-teacher conferences -- we all know how they go. Parents troop into classrooms to talk with teachers about their children's progress in school. Often, the process feels rushed, and parents leave feeling vaguely dissatisfied, as if they didn't really get what they came for.
For years that process has been the norm, but now it is changing. In more and more schools, students are leading conferences, and, overall, the word is that they're doing a fine job.
Many teachers themselves speak enthusiastically of the advantages of student-led conferences over teacher-led ones. "We found the [student-led] conferences most beneficial," said Keith Eddinger of the Marcus Whitman Middle School in Rushville, New York. "From a teacher's perspective, we were able to get a better picture of each child. It forced us to sit down with each student and review strengths and weaknesses. This conversation often told us the students learned more than perhaps we had measured through conventional assessments."
Eddinger added, "Our post-conference reviews with parents and students were overwhelmingly positive."
John Osgood, of C. L. Jones Middle School in Minden, Nebraska, found that "comments [about student-led conferences] from parents and board members were very positive."
Another staff member, Dick Philips, said, "Most parents listened to their child. It was interesting listening to [children] explain low grades to their parents. It did open the lines of communication."
Tomorrow(Monday), I will send home a conference form for you to fill out. Please make sure you get the form and return it to me as soon as possible. I have held student-led conferences for the past several years and have received much positive feed back from parents and students alike about this way of conferencing. The following is information/research about it:
The Student-led Conference
THIS CONFERENCE FORMAT IS BECOMING an accepted alternative to the traditional parent/teacher conference, in which the student is left out.The goals of this conference format is to increase positive communication between students and their parents and teachers in the following ways :
to encourage students to accept personal responsibility for their academic performance;
to teach students the process of self-evaluation;
to facilitate the development of students' organizational and oral communication skills and to increase their self-confidence;
to encourage students, parents, and teachers to engage in open and honest dialogue;
and to increase parent attendance at conferences
Why are faculties exploring this new conference technique?
Teachers, parents, and students report exceptional success and satisfaction with this format. Parents attend this student-led format to a higher degree than the traditional parent/teacher conference. Students feel comfortable in this supportive environment and parents appreciate hearing specifically from their children on their academic progress.
Although student-led conferences vary from school to school even within districts, one characteristic remains constant: the student leads the discussion. Students gain self-confidence in oral communication.
What exactly is a student-led conference?
According to Donald G. Hackmann it is important "to see the conference as a process and not an event." It should be seen as part of a student's ongoing educational progress.
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS ARTICLE
Student-Led Conferences: A Growing Trend
For years parent-teacher conferences have been the primary means of parent-teacher communication. But now, many schools are trying something new -- student-led conferences that communicate not only how a student's doing but also why.
-->Parent-teacher conferences -- we all know how they go. Parents troop into classrooms to talk with teachers about their children's progress in school. Often, the process feels rushed, and parents leave feeling vaguely dissatisfied, as if they didn't really get what they came for.
For years that process has been the norm, but now it is changing. In more and more schools, students are leading conferences, and, overall, the word is that they're doing a fine job.
Many teachers themselves speak enthusiastically of the advantages of student-led conferences over teacher-led ones. "We found the [student-led] conferences most beneficial," said Keith Eddinger of the Marcus Whitman Middle School in Rushville, New York. "From a teacher's perspective, we were able to get a better picture of each child. It forced us to sit down with each student and review strengths and weaknesses. This conversation often told us the students learned more than perhaps we had measured through conventional assessments."
Eddinger added, "Our post-conference reviews with parents and students were overwhelmingly positive."
John Osgood, of C. L. Jones Middle School in Minden, Nebraska, found that "comments [about student-led conferences] from parents and board members were very positive."
Another staff member, Dick Philips, said, "Most parents listened to their child. It was interesting listening to [children] explain low grades to their parents. It did open the lines of communication."
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Spelling Enrichment & Reminders
Families- Please make sure your child is getting his/her reading homework in each week. This is very important. I know that it is hard sometimes, with life being so busy, but please try to make it a priority. It will help them in the harder years ahead, if they are already use to having a little homework now. Also, the more they read, the better readers they become!!
Don't forget that book pages are due tomorrow. You just need to add your recipe on to your child's fact page.
Your child has 2 tests tomorrow - OK History & Spanish - I sent home a Spanish review page today and a OK history study guide on Monday. Hopefully, the children are retaining all the information and review from the Spanish TV program, and won't have to study it too much.
Spelling Enrichment Words - trustworthy morals empathy fairness gratitude values positive conflict resolution character respectful tolerance responsible compassion behavior
Don't forget that book pages are due tomorrow. You just need to add your recipe on to your child's fact page.
Your child has 2 tests tomorrow - OK History & Spanish - I sent home a Spanish review page today and a OK history study guide on Monday. Hopefully, the children are retaining all the information and review from the Spanish TV program, and won't have to study it too much.
Spelling Enrichment Words - trustworthy morals empathy fairness gratitude values positive conflict resolution character respectful tolerance responsible compassion behavior
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