Weekly Update 8/31/13

I hope everyone is off to a great start enjoying their long holiday weekend!

Some important reminders:  Mail went home on Friday, so please remember to go through your child's mail with them each Tuesday and Friday.  An Enrollment Verification Form was included in the mail, and this form needs to be reviewed and returned back by September 13th.  Graded work is also sent home regularly.  You may also check SIS for your child's grades in all subjects except for reading.

A few students had missing homework this week.  If your child does not turn in an assignment that is graded for points, they have one week to turn it in to still receive partial credit.  Extra copies are always available if something has been lost.  I record what assignments are missing on the Class Dojo website.  If you have not yet logged into the Class Dojo to begin receiving your weekly reports, I encourage you to do so.  Next week, I will distribute information to the children so they can create their student logins for Dojo as well. They are excited to see how many positive points they have been earning!

In math this week, we have continued our study of place value.  Our focus has been on comparing the size of numbers and writing a list of numbers in order from the least to greatest, or greatest to least.  We are also practicing rounding numbers to a given place value.  Next week, we will review Chapters 1 and 2 and have a test on Thursday.

The children have added more "seed stories" to their writing notebooks.  Ask your child to explain to you the difference between a "seed story" and a "watermelon" story.  We have also looked at examples of personal narratives from published authors.  Students are re-reading their ideas and looking to add in specific details and make sure they are telling their narratives in chronological order.  Next week, they will choose one of their ideas to take through the writing process.

As we wrap up our unit on maps and globes in social studies, we have started to focus in on the study of Missouri.  The first chapter in our Missouri text book covers the geography of our state.  The children will be learning about the five regions of Missouri, as well as the importance of our rivers and natural resources. Don't forget the This Hand is My Land project is due Tuesday.

Students are continuing to practice making meaningful text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections.  Guided reading groups are up and running and students are doing a nice job participating in their groups.  We have also begun to explore strategies good readers use to clarify unknown words and ideas in books, such as backing up to re-read, searching for context clues, and breaking words into their parts.

This Hand is My Land Project

Students have been working on a project where they are designing an island based on the shape of their hands.  They need to include map features such as a key and compass rose, as well as a variety of landforms.  The children have had two full class periods to work on the projects in class, starting with a rough draft.  Remaining work needs to be completed at home with final projects due September 3.  Each child should have directions and a scoring guide in their binder behind the social studies tab.  I have also provided each child with final copy paper.  They may use their social studies books for help.  Here are some kids hard at work!

Weekly Update 8/23/13

What a busy week!  I want to thank all of the parents who came to curriculum night.  If you were unable to make it, I sent home a green folder of information with your child today.

Please remember if your child would like to bring in birthday treats they should be store bought.  Students eat their treats during our recess/lunch break which begins at 12:30.  All treats must be inspected by the school nurse prior to serving.  Thank you for your cooperation with this!

In math this week we have been learning all about place value through the millions.  The students made webs that illustrate the three forms of writing numbers.  We also reviewed how to read pictographs and made a class pictograph about our pets in our math notebooks.

In writing we are brainstorming ideas in our writing notebooks that will help us write a personal narrative.  The children have been writing about "small moments" they have had with special people in their lives, favorite places, and treasured objects.

We have begun our mapping and geography unit in social studies.  We are reviewing the continents, oceans, landforms, and map features including the compass rose and map scale.  Next week we will start a project called This Hand is My Land to help assess all we have learned.  More details to come!

Finally, in reading the students have been building up their reading stamina all week as we have practiced what good independent reading looks like.  We visited the library today, so everyone should have plenty of good books to read!  Lessons have been taught that emphasize checking for understanding as we read and stopping to make connections using background knowledge.  We keep track of our good reading skills and strategies on our CARE board and students have started recording their connections on sticky notes.

Next week will be a spelling week, so look for spelling words to come home on Monday.

Have a nice weekend!

Getting to Know Each Other and Setting Goals

Take a look at some excellent work from the students!  Each child created a puzzle piece to share some of their favorites, such as favorite famous person and favorite hobbies.  We also learned about the habit good leaders use called "beginning with the end in mind".  The children wrote a home goal, a school goal, and a life goal.

Weekly Update 8/16/13

What a fantastic two days!

We spent the first two days of school getting to know one another and learning about the rules and procedures of our classroom and the school.  Students toured the school and visited places like the library, cafe, and playground to review the important safety rules and behavioral expectations for each area.  The children interviewed each other and shared interesting facts they learned about their peers during a class meeting.

Each child is currently working on creating a puzzle piece that displays all of the their individual favorites, including hobbies, music, and favorite famous people.  We will also be using these as part of a "guess who" game to see how much we have learned about each other.  Look for pictures next week of the fantastic puzzle pieces that show us in our room "we all fit together"!

Looking ahead to next week, we will be starting to jump into curriculum on Monday.  In math, we will be beginning a unit on place value.  In reading and writing we will be working on building our stamina and making sure we know how to pick "good fit" books.  Social studies will be focused on a geography and mapping unit.  Pretests will be conducted in spelling in order to determine each child's needs, and spelling procedures will be practiced.  Finally, students will also be setting goals for first quarter and exploring our new character education program called Leader in Me.

Have a great weekend!

First Day Reminders!

Thank you so much to all of the families who made it out to the Ice Cream Social last night.  What a great turn out!  A packet of important forms was given to each family.  Please make sure these forms are filled out and returned back to school with your child as soon as possible.  The packet included the following:

1. Parent and Student Handbook (to be kept by student and family)
2. Parent and Student Handbook Acknowledgement Form (must return)
3. Early Release Day Form (must return)
4. Emergency Medical Form (must return)
5. Park Field Trip Permission Slip Form (must return)
6. Volunteer Background Check Form (optional)

If you were not able to attend the ice cream social, I will send home the packet with your child in their mail on Friday.  If you were unable to bring in your child's supplies, please bring those to school as soon as possible.

Please make sure your child knows how they are getting home tomorrow.  I will be asking every student to verify how they will be getting to and from school each day.

P.E. will be on B Days, so our first gym day is Friday.

Thank you for all of your cooperation, and I am looking forward to a great first day!

Welcome Back!

I am so excited to start the school year and meet my new students and their families!  Please make sure to stop by Long's Ice Cream Social/Meet the Teacher Night on Tuesday, August 13th.  You can drop by Room 34 starting at 7:00 PM.  It is very helpful if you can bring your child's school supplies to the Ice Cream Social.  It helps everyone get off to an easier start on the first day of school.  Enjoy the last days of summer break and I will see you soon!