Thursday, March 17, 2016
Hat Day
There will be a "Hat Day" tomorrow, March 18th, to raise money for a Long School family in need. Students may wear a hat to school if they bring in a donation of 50 cents. Thank you!
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Class Update 3/8/16
Important Reminders
Report Cards - Third quarter ended last week. Be on the look out for report cards, which will be emailed home sometime in the next few days.
Class Book Order Forms - Coming home this week will be order forms for a class book the students will be having published. As part of our upcoming Literacy Festival at the end of the year, each class in the school will be having a book published. Our class's book will focus on favorite memories from the students' time at Long Elementary. Please return the book order forms to school with your child the following day. All forms must be returned, even if you do not want to order a copy. I will send a reminder email the day the forms come as well. Thank you!
Spring Pictures - Our spring school picture day is this Friday, March 11th. All students will be photographed and parents will have the option to buy prints if they wish. Students may bring in one prop with them if they wish for their pictures (i.e., strings instrument, soccer ball, favorite book, etc.)
Service Hours - The deadline to submit service hours is coming up soon. If your child is trying to earn the Presidential Service Award or Triple Crown Award, please make sure their service hour log sheets are turned in by April 1.
Spring Parent Teacher Conferences - Optional conferences will take place on March 31. I will be sending out an email invitation this week via Sign Up Genius to those parents for whom I feel a conference would be beneficial at this time.
Class Updates
In math, we have been working hard on our fractions unit. Students have learned how to simplify fractions using the greatest common factor. They have also practiced comparing the size of fractions with different denominators using the least common multiple. We have discussed the relationship between fractions and decimals as well. Currently, students are adding and subtracting fractions with both like and unlike denominators. Moving ahead, we will expand to multiplying and dividing fractions and working more with mixed numbers. The students have been able to use a variety of hands-on materials to help visualize fractions, including pizza fractions!
The class conducted an experiment with candy hearts for Valentine's Day. Each child had to find the fraction of each color of hearts in their box.
Students worked in teams to write word problems that demonstrated the relationship between division and fractions.
In reading, we have spent lots of time finding examples of cause and effect in the books we read. The students have been able to notice more complex examples of cause and effect, such as a chain of cause and effect, or one cause having multiple effects. Now, we are beginning a study of point of view and perspective. Students will be working in groups on a point of view project where they have to infer a story from a given picture and write it using various points of view and perspectives.
After a lot of hard work, the children have finished their second round of argumentative writing pieces. In our first piece of the unit, all students wrote about the debate as to whether or not chocolate milk should be served in schools. After finishing that piece, I held a conference with each student and they selected two goals they wanted to achieve for their second piece. Students where able to pick their second topic, and essays were written about whether or not zoos are harmful to animals, whether or not children should have cell phones, and whether or not middle school students should get recess, among other topics. The class showed a great amount of growth from the first piece to the second,and many students met or exceeded their goals! I am so proud of their hard work! Currently, we have started our class book project, which we hope to have ready to send off for publishing by spring break.
In social studies, the students have been working hard on their explorer poster projects. Each student researched a European explorer and is completing a variety of activities to display what they have learned on their projects. The children have made maps, timelines, trading cards, and poems, just to name a few. We will be finishing them this week and move on to our next unit, which covers further exploration in North America, leading to the first settlements and colonies of our country. Here is a look at one of our latitude and longitude activities as well.
Report Cards - Third quarter ended last week. Be on the look out for report cards, which will be emailed home sometime in the next few days.
Class Book Order Forms - Coming home this week will be order forms for a class book the students will be having published. As part of our upcoming Literacy Festival at the end of the year, each class in the school will be having a book published. Our class's book will focus on favorite memories from the students' time at Long Elementary. Please return the book order forms to school with your child the following day. All forms must be returned, even if you do not want to order a copy. I will send a reminder email the day the forms come as well. Thank you!
Spring Pictures - Our spring school picture day is this Friday, March 11th. All students will be photographed and parents will have the option to buy prints if they wish. Students may bring in one prop with them if they wish for their pictures (i.e., strings instrument, soccer ball, favorite book, etc.)
Service Hours - The deadline to submit service hours is coming up soon. If your child is trying to earn the Presidential Service Award or Triple Crown Award, please make sure their service hour log sheets are turned in by April 1.
Spring Parent Teacher Conferences - Optional conferences will take place on March 31. I will be sending out an email invitation this week via Sign Up Genius to those parents for whom I feel a conference would be beneficial at this time.
Class Updates
In math, we have been working hard on our fractions unit. Students have learned how to simplify fractions using the greatest common factor. They have also practiced comparing the size of fractions with different denominators using the least common multiple. We have discussed the relationship between fractions and decimals as well. Currently, students are adding and subtracting fractions with both like and unlike denominators. Moving ahead, we will expand to multiplying and dividing fractions and working more with mixed numbers. The students have been able to use a variety of hands-on materials to help visualize fractions, including pizza fractions!
The class conducted an experiment with candy hearts for Valentine's Day. Each child had to find the fraction of each color of hearts in their box.
Students worked in teams to write word problems that demonstrated the relationship between division and fractions.
In reading, we have spent lots of time finding examples of cause and effect in the books we read. The students have been able to notice more complex examples of cause and effect, such as a chain of cause and effect, or one cause having multiple effects. Now, we are beginning a study of point of view and perspective. Students will be working in groups on a point of view project where they have to infer a story from a given picture and write it using various points of view and perspectives.
After a lot of hard work, the children have finished their second round of argumentative writing pieces. In our first piece of the unit, all students wrote about the debate as to whether or not chocolate milk should be served in schools. After finishing that piece, I held a conference with each student and they selected two goals they wanted to achieve for their second piece. Students where able to pick their second topic, and essays were written about whether or not zoos are harmful to animals, whether or not children should have cell phones, and whether or not middle school students should get recess, among other topics. The class showed a great amount of growth from the first piece to the second,and many students met or exceeded their goals! I am so proud of their hard work! Currently, we have started our class book project, which we hope to have ready to send off for publishing by spring break.
In social studies, the students have been working hard on their explorer poster projects. Each student researched a European explorer and is completing a variety of activities to display what they have learned on their projects. The children have made maps, timelines, trading cards, and poems, just to name a few. We will be finishing them this week and move on to our next unit, which covers further exploration in North America, leading to the first settlements and colonies of our country. Here is a look at one of our latitude and longitude activities as well.
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