Today we had our topic 7 math performance task. We had the most fun art class today. The class is making Polar Bears, and it's so much fun! In handwriting today we learned how to make a cursive x. Then we played musical Fundations. You have to listen to the music and if the yarnball stops at you, Mrs. Sullivan says a word and you write it on the Smartboard while your classmates write it on their white board. After that, we did writing and we had to edit our writing prompts. Mrs. Sullivan read us "The Polar Express". It was the best book ever! Then, we did wonderful writing to finish up our books. Today was a great day!
By: Thomas and Sydney
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Sulli!
Yesterday in math we learned about ink spilling on tiles and figuring out how many squares were covered. We had indoor recess and then we went to lunch. It was pancakes for lunch. When we got back from lunch we did handwriting. Then some of us went to Mrs. Shephard's class. When we got back we had snack. While we were eating Mrs. Sullivan read Hugo. Then we went on the carpet and Mrs. Sullivan opened more presents. After that we tracked Hurricane Sulli and it hit land! Then it went back to the ocean and died. Then we got the the computers and played weather games. We had gym inside our classroom. We played silent ball. Vincent won 1st, Ethan A. won 2nd and McCall, Taylor and Aura won 3rd. After that we packed up and went home.
By: Ethan G.
By: Ethan G.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Party!
Today we had our holiday party. The students had a great time rotating through 3 stations: making a craft, playing musical chairs, and playing bingo. Thanks so much to the class moms for volunteering their time to make sure the students had a memorable party! Also, thank you so much to everyone who donated food and supplies!
Holiday Party
Today we had a sub named Miss Becker. In math we did division stories. Also, we went to music and sang Jingle Bells. In handwriting we did the m's. Miss Becker read us a book called, Christmas Tapestry. In guided reading we read independently. In writing we did a writing essay. We had a party today. We played bingo, did a craft, and played musical chairs. We had a great day!!!!!!!!
By Taylor and Emily
By Taylor and Emily
Monday, December 19, 2011
What a fun day!
On Monday we do awesome things like listening to music because we needed to learn more Spanish! We listened to Feliz Navidad and we learned what the words meant in English. When we get in the class we do math then Spanish. After that we have recess and lunch. In handwriting we learned the letter N in cursive. Then we sat down on the carpet and read, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. Today in writing we made snowmen that we will be doing a writing project on! We played, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" in science. We have fun on Mondays!!!!!!!
by: Lola and McCall
by: Lola and McCall
Friday, December 16, 2011
School on thursday!
Today we went to the fifth grade concert. They sung and played with instruments. In math today we learned division. Also we read some more of Hugo Cabret. In writing we wrote summaries of nonfiction. In art we started a new project. We are painting polar bears. We had a weather alert- Hurricane Sulli is getting closer to NJ! In Fundations we learned about the open syllable and closed syllable.
By: Garrett and Aura
By: Garrett and Aura
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
What We Did Today
Today we had a math test. This chapter we learned multiplication. In science we learned about tornadoes. A pair of pants were in a tornado with money in them. The pair of pants were found hundreds of miles away with all the money in it! Today in handwriting we learned the cursive letter
q. At snack time we're reading, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. We finished our Christmas presents for our parents. In wonderful writing we're making books. Today we have gym!
By: Keith and Tucker
q. At snack time we're reading, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. We finished our Christmas presents for our parents. In wonderful writing we're making books. Today we have gym!
By: Keith and Tucker
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Mrs. Labar
Today Mrs. Labar came to our classroom. She talked about honesty, trustworthiness, and peer pressure. She makes it clear to us that lying is not good, and making good choices is. She also talked about not stealing and asking people before you touch their stuff. "Dares are sometimes fun, yet other times dangerous. Sometimes dares can be fun! Maybe like when your friend tells you to say something funny, but dares have a way of going from fun to dangerous." Pictures that are brought along make it easier to understand, when the point is not exactly crystal clear. Role play makes interactive solutions more understandable. We don't see her a lot, so we should respect her and what she has to say. We share our problems and temporary solutions, but Mrs. Labar always comes up with better ones, and because of that, she is the solution to all of our problems..... right next door!
By: Carissa and J.D.
By: Carissa and J.D.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Our School Day!
Today in school we had our last lesson of math. We are having our math test on Wednesday 12/14/11. In Spanish we learned the names of the colors. In handwriting we learned the o's and wrote words with them. For shared reading we talked about strategies to use when we are reading. We are reading a book called, Thank You, Mr, Falker. We are split into 4 groups for guided reading. In writing we are making summaries for non fiction books. We are learning different types of storms in science. In gym we are doing exercises for sports.
By: Hannah and Zsofia
By: Hannah and Zsofia
Friday, December 9, 2011
Weekly Update- 12/9
The students are doing a great job with their multiplication facts! Thanks for all of the practice you are doing at home. Now that we have made all of our flashcards, the students can keep them at home. However, keep practicing those facts; we will be moving onto division soon! Today, the students learned how to multiply in order to find the number of combinations of objects. We will be reviewing a little bit differently for the topic test. On Monday, the practice test will be going home for the students to complete at home for homework. It needs to come back to school on Tuesday so that we can review the concepts in class. The Topic 6 test is on Wednesday.
In reading, we used the book, George Washington Carver: Peanut Wizard to learn about the skill of using background knowledge when reading. We then continued to read, Ramona Quimby: Age 8 to practice these skills. The students are continuing to read independently and documenting the strategy that they are using. In guided reading we worked on using text features to help understand a nonfiction text.
In writing, the students learned how to write a book blurb. They looked at many examples of blurbs found on popular third grade books. They then wrote their own for the folk tale, The Lucky Charm which we read as a class. We also practiced writing a basic paragraph and using 5 strong sentences.
We are continuing with our weather unit in science. This week, we learned about different types of clouds. The students created a cloud mobile and sketched the 3 main types of clouds (stratus, cirrus, cumulus) into their science notebooks. We have also started learning about different types of storms. So far, we have talked about thunderstorms and hurricanes. We are tracking our very own Hurricane Sulli as it makes its way through the Atlantic. The students are documenting its coordinates, wind speed, and status (tropical depression, tropical storm, category of hurricane) and then using latitude and longitude to plot the hurricane's path on a tracking chart.
We have just completed our unit on schwa sounds in Fundations. In Spanish, we have started to learn the names for the different colors. In grammar, we discussed imperative and exclamatory sentences. Starting next week, the students will begin updating the blog! Have a great weekend!
In reading, we used the book, George Washington Carver: Peanut Wizard to learn about the skill of using background knowledge when reading. We then continued to read, Ramona Quimby: Age 8 to practice these skills. The students are continuing to read independently and documenting the strategy that they are using. In guided reading we worked on using text features to help understand a nonfiction text.
In writing, the students learned how to write a book blurb. They looked at many examples of blurbs found on popular third grade books. They then wrote their own for the folk tale, The Lucky Charm which we read as a class. We also practiced writing a basic paragraph and using 5 strong sentences.
We are continuing with our weather unit in science. This week, we learned about different types of clouds. The students created a cloud mobile and sketched the 3 main types of clouds (stratus, cirrus, cumulus) into their science notebooks. We have also started learning about different types of storms. So far, we have talked about thunderstorms and hurricanes. We are tracking our very own Hurricane Sulli as it makes its way through the Atlantic. The students are documenting its coordinates, wind speed, and status (tropical depression, tropical storm, category of hurricane) and then using latitude and longitude to plot the hurricane's path on a tracking chart.
We have just completed our unit on schwa sounds in Fundations. In Spanish, we have started to learn the names for the different colors. In grammar, we discussed imperative and exclamatory sentences. Starting next week, the students will begin updating the blog! Have a great weekend!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Weekly Update- 12/2
This week in science we reviewed the different types of weather instruments by playing a game. We then began studying the water cycle. As a kickoff, we set up an experiment using a balance and 2 wet paper towels. We placed one paper towel in a sealed container on one side of the balance, the other we left in an open container on the other side. At the start of the experiment, the balance was equal; however, when we came into school the next day we found that the balance was no longer equal! We had a great discussion about what caused the imbalance, which was that the water in the paper towel left out in the open evaporated.
After this experiment, the students watched a video explaining the water cycle, practiced putting the steps in order, and then designed their own picture of the water cycle. We will continue our weather unit next week.
In math the students worked in groups on center activities to review for the test. We began Topic 6 and have started to learn more multiplication facts. Keep practicing at home!
We studied the author, Beverly Cleary in reading. On Monday we watched an interview with the author and began reading the book, Ramona Quimby Age 8. The students each read a book by Beverly Cleary independently and completed a reading log describing the reading strategies they used. Each day some students used the netbooks to research the author and the main character of their book. We kept a class list of information we gathered about Beverly Cleary.
The students enjoyed this week of writing because it was spent in the computer lab! They retyped their descriptive paragraphs from earlier in the year and worked to edit and revise them in Microsoft Word.
In Fundations, we began unit 6 which focuses on schwa. A schwa is when a vowel makes a sound different from what is expected. For instance, in the word melon, the o makes the sound of a short i. In grammar the students practiced combining and expanding sentences. After learning this skill on Wednesday, they practiced it in computer lab when revising their descriptive paragraphs. In Spanish we continued to review numbers 1-10.
Thank you to all the families that sent in food for the food drive! Alpine School collected an enormous amount of food! Don't forget to send in money for the holiday shop on Monday. Have a great weekend!
We studied the author, Beverly Cleary in reading. On Monday we watched an interview with the author and began reading the book, Ramona Quimby Age 8. The students each read a book by Beverly Cleary independently and completed a reading log describing the reading strategies they used. Each day some students used the netbooks to research the author and the main character of their book. We kept a class list of information we gathered about Beverly Cleary.
The students enjoyed this week of writing because it was spent in the computer lab! They retyped their descriptive paragraphs from earlier in the year and worked to edit and revise them in Microsoft Word.
In Fundations, we began unit 6 which focuses on schwa. A schwa is when a vowel makes a sound different from what is expected. For instance, in the word melon, the o makes the sound of a short i. In grammar the students practiced combining and expanding sentences. After learning this skill on Wednesday, they practiced it in computer lab when revising their descriptive paragraphs. In Spanish we continued to review numbers 1-10.
Thank you to all the families that sent in food for the food drive! Alpine School collected an enormous amount of food! Don't forget to send in money for the holiday shop on Monday. Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Weekly Update- 11/23
This week the students completed Topic 5 in math. Today we took the practice test and the students worked on center activities to reinforce the concepts in this topic. We will be having our Topic 5 test on Tuesday, 11/29.
In science, we learned about more instruments that meteorologists use to study the weather. We talked about anemometers which measure wind speed, hygrometers which measure humidity, and rain gauges which help show how much rain has fallen. The students also made their own wind socks and we used them outside to determine which direction the wind was blowing. We have continued to use the iPad to track the weather each day.
We continued to practice making connections while we finished the book, Molly's Pilgrim in reading. The students completed their summaries of fiction in writing and we held conferences to talk about ways that the students can improve their writing.
In science, we learned about more instruments that meteorologists use to study the weather. We talked about anemometers which measure wind speed, hygrometers which measure humidity, and rain gauges which help show how much rain has fallen. The students also made their own wind socks and we used them outside to determine which direction the wind was blowing. We have continued to use the iPad to track the weather each day.
We continued to practice making connections while we finished the book, Molly's Pilgrim in reading. The students completed their summaries of fiction in writing and we held conferences to talk about ways that the students can improve their writing.
We will get back to our regular schedule next week! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Weekly Update- 11/18
This week in math the students started learning their times tables. They are doing a great job memorizing their facts. Thanks for all your help at home!
In shared reading, we are reading the book, Molly's Pilgrim. While reading the book we are working on making connections. The students have been making text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text connections. They are also making connections between themselves and the characters in the book.
In guided reading, the students are practicing with this skill as well.
We are having a lot of fun learning about weather in science. This week we focused on weather tools. We discussed thermometers, barometers, and wind vanes. The students made thermometers and completed an experiment using them.
Next week, we will talk about anemometers, hygrometers, and rain gauges. In addition to learning about the instruments scientists use, we are using the iPad to check the weather each day. The students are keeping a weather chart in their science notebook and each day our "weather checkers" update us on the temperature and weather outside.
The students are working on summaries of fiction in writing. In a summary of fiction, they need to put the title, author, main characters, problem, solution, and main events. The students have chosen their book, completed an outline of the summary, and will complete their summary next week. In addition, the students also wrote scarecrow stories and colored scarecrows to decorate the classroom.
In Spanish, we started to learn the numbers 1-10 and that will be our focus for the month. In grammar, the students practiced writing titles correctly. We are continuing to work on our cursive writing and are about halfway through the lowercase letters.
Don't forget that we will have early dismissals all next week. Please remember to send in lunch with your child for each of those days. Have a great weekend!
In shared reading, we are reading the book, Molly's Pilgrim. While reading the book we are working on making connections. The students have been making text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text connections. They are also making connections between themselves and the characters in the book.
In guided reading, the students are practicing with this skill as well.
We are having a lot of fun learning about weather in science. This week we focused on weather tools. We discussed thermometers, barometers, and wind vanes. The students made thermometers and completed an experiment using them.
Next week, we will talk about anemometers, hygrometers, and rain gauges. In addition to learning about the instruments scientists use, we are using the iPad to check the weather each day. The students are keeping a weather chart in their science notebook and each day our "weather checkers" update us on the temperature and weather outside.
In Spanish, we started to learn the numbers 1-10 and that will be our focus for the month. In grammar, the students practiced writing titles correctly. We are continuing to work on our cursive writing and are about halfway through the lowercase letters.
Don't forget that we will have early dismissals all next week. Please remember to send in lunch with your child for each of those days. Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Weekly Update- 11/9
A short update for a short week! In math, we completed Topic 4. On Monday, we will be starting Topic 5 in which the students will begin learning their times tables. It is important that the students practice their facts each night!
In reading, we began the book, Hiking the Appalachian Trail. This is a narrative nonfiction book that talks about a family's journey on the Appalachian Trail. There are many interesting facts in this book, including the fact that the youngest person to hike the entire trail was 6 and the oldest was 79! While reading this book, the students are working on their summarizing skills. We will continue with this book next week.
In writing we are still focusing on narrative writing, and this week our focus was on prompt writing. We looked at different types of prompts (narrative, descriptive, persuasive) and we have practiced responding to them. We will be doing more practice with this next week.
We finished our map skills unit in Social Studies. On Tuesday, we discussed the concept of map scale and how it is used. Today, we read the book, The Wall and watched a movie clip about the book as a kickoff to a discussion about Veteran's Day. The students shared stories about their relatives and neighbors who have fought in wars. We talked about the importance of these people to our country. On Monday, we will return to science and start our weather unit!
In Fundations, we are continuing to work on adding suffixes to v-e words. In Spanish, we practiced more with greetings and we will be learning numbers next week. Today in grammar the students learned about interrogative (question) and declarative (statement) sentences.
REMINDER: Thursday 11/17-Wednesday 11/23 are early dismissal days. On these days, the cafeteria does not serve lunch. We will be eating in the classroom, so please send in a lunch for your child on these days.
In reading, we began the book, Hiking the Appalachian Trail. This is a narrative nonfiction book that talks about a family's journey on the Appalachian Trail. There are many interesting facts in this book, including the fact that the youngest person to hike the entire trail was 6 and the oldest was 79! While reading this book, the students are working on their summarizing skills. We will continue with this book next week.
In writing we are still focusing on narrative writing, and this week our focus was on prompt writing. We looked at different types of prompts (narrative, descriptive, persuasive) and we have practiced responding to them. We will be doing more practice with this next week.
We finished our map skills unit in Social Studies. On Tuesday, we discussed the concept of map scale and how it is used. Today, we read the book, The Wall and watched a movie clip about the book as a kickoff to a discussion about Veteran's Day. The students shared stories about their relatives and neighbors who have fought in wars. We talked about the importance of these people to our country. On Monday, we will return to science and start our weather unit!
In Fundations, we are continuing to work on adding suffixes to v-e words. In Spanish, we practiced more with greetings and we will be learning numbers next week. Today in grammar the students learned about interrogative (question) and declarative (statement) sentences.
REMINDER: Thursday 11/17-Wednesday 11/23 are early dismissal days. On these days, the cafeteria does not serve lunch. We will be eating in the classroom, so please send in a lunch for your child on these days.
ENJOY THE LONG WEEKEND!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Weekly Update- 11/4
Even though the snow rescheduled our Halloween party, the students still had a great time celebrating on Tuesday! They ate some Halloween snacks and rotated through 3 stations; Mummy Wrap, Pumpkin Painting, and Bingo. Thank you so much to the class moms, Mrs. Sears, Mrs. Shellenberger, and Mrs. Sehring for all your work organizing the party. Also, thank you to all the parents who donated items for the party!
In math, we started (and almost finished!) Topic 4. In this topic, the students are learning about the basics of multiplication. These lessons have focused on strategies such as making arrays and repeated addition that students can use to help them understand how multiplication works. They will also be useful when we start memorizing multiplication facts in Topic 5. We will be finishing Topic 4 on Monday, reviewing on Tuesday, and taking the test on Wednesday.
In writing, the students completed their personal narratives. This week was spent revising their narratives for voice and editing for capital letters, spelling, and punctuation. The students are really improving in their abilities to edit each other's papers and offer suggestions for how to improve their work. A copy of this assignment will be sent home next week accompanied by a rubric.
For shared reading we read a play called, A Home for Nellie. We read through the play throughout the week while also focusing on strategies used to self-monitor. The students practiced asking themselves the question, "Does this make sense?" as they were reading. Each day the students summarized what they had read so far so that they were not lost when we began reading. They also learned to use text features (captions, illustrations, headings, diagrams, etc.) to help them make sense of what they were reading. In guided reading, the students worked in groups on the skills of making predictions, identifying fact vs. opinion, and summarizing.
In grammar we practiced using capital letters correctly. Since the students are trying to add dialogue into their writing pieces, it is important that they remember the first letter in the quotation is capitalized. In addition, we did a mini-lesson on the uses of there, their, and they're. The students are trying to use these words correctly in their written work.
This week in Fundations we continued to work on v-e (vowel consonant e) syllable. We learned the rules for adding suffixes to these types of words. If you have a v-e word like brave and want to add a vowel suffix (ed, est, ing), you have to drop the e before adding the suffix (bravest). However, if you have a v-e word like brave and want to add a consonant suffix (ty, ly, s, ful), you leave the e and add the suffix (bravely).
We have completed our social studies unit on continents, oceans, and map skills. We will be having a quiz on Monday. Please remember to bring back the social studies folder and Map Essentials book on Monday. We will be returning to science and focusing on Weather next!
Remember that this Sunday is Daylight Savings. Don't forget to change your clocks! Have a great weekend!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Weekly Update- 10/28
In math we completed Topic 3. On Monday we will be starting Topic 4: Meanings of Multiplication. This is a very short topic (only 5 lessons) so another test will be on the way soon!
This week in reading we learned about the author, Paul Goble. The students looked at and read a number of books by this author. Based on what they read and observed, they made inferences about the author. The students then read a fake biography about Goble and they had to find the information that they thought was incorrect. Afterwards, they compared the fake biography and the real biography to check their information. Later in the week, the students were assigned popular third grade authors (Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Louis Sachar, Andrew Clements, Roald Dahl). In groups, the students looked at books by these authors and made inferences about them. They then used the netbooks to research their author to find out if their inferences were correct. The students did a great job working together to complete their assignments this week!
In writing, the students and I conferenced about their work and we discussed areas in which they could improve. After our discussions, the students responded to a prompt. They also filled out self-evaluation forms, which the students placed in their writing portfolios. Yesterday, the students wrote spooky Halloween stories. We turned off the lights, used a flashlight, and the students shared their stories with the class during snack time!
The students practiced identifying continents and oceans using the netbooks for social studies.
As a reinforcement to our lessons on continents and oceans, the students worked in groups to create their own world maps. We also talked about the hemispheres, Equator, and Prime Meridian. We will be having a quiz next Friday. A study guide will be going home on Monday.
In grammar we learned about compound sentences and the students have been working on using them in their writing. They have learned a few more letters in cursive and are doing well forming their words. In Fundations, we started unit 4 today. Unit 3 focused on v-e (vowel-consonant-e) words. This unit focuses on v-e exceptions. The students received a few more trick words to memorize. Those went home yesterday.
In Spanish, the students learned greetings. They learned how to say, "Good Morning" (Buenos Dias), "Good Afternoon" (Buenos Tardes), "Good Night" (Buenos Noches), and "I am good" (Estoy bien), "I am okay" (Estoy mas o menos), "I am bad" (Estoy mal). The students practiced having conversations with each other using the phrases and vocabulary they have learned.
Trooper Bambara stopped by to talk to the students on Tuesday. He spoke to them about the importance of respect and the students were able to ask him questions about his job. We also got the chance to see his squad car!
We will be having our Halloween party on Monday! Halloween costumes should be sent to school in a bag and we will change into them during the day. Please remember to leave masks and weapons at home! The students will not need a snack on Monday.
This week in reading we learned about the author, Paul Goble. The students looked at and read a number of books by this author. Based on what they read and observed, they made inferences about the author. The students then read a fake biography about Goble and they had to find the information that they thought was incorrect. Afterwards, they compared the fake biography and the real biography to check their information. Later in the week, the students were assigned popular third grade authors (Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Louis Sachar, Andrew Clements, Roald Dahl). In groups, the students looked at books by these authors and made inferences about them. They then used the netbooks to research their author to find out if their inferences were correct. The students did a great job working together to complete their assignments this week!
The students practiced identifying continents and oceans using the netbooks for social studies.
As a reinforcement to our lessons on continents and oceans, the students worked in groups to create their own world maps. We also talked about the hemispheres, Equator, and Prime Meridian. We will be having a quiz next Friday. A study guide will be going home on Monday.
In grammar we learned about compound sentences and the students have been working on using them in their writing. They have learned a few more letters in cursive and are doing well forming their words. In Fundations, we started unit 4 today. Unit 3 focused on v-e (vowel-consonant-e) words. This unit focuses on v-e exceptions. The students received a few more trick words to memorize. Those went home yesterday.
In Spanish, the students learned greetings. They learned how to say, "Good Morning" (Buenos Dias), "Good Afternoon" (Buenos Tardes), "Good Night" (Buenos Noches), and "I am good" (Estoy bien), "I am okay" (Estoy mas o menos), "I am bad" (Estoy mal). The students practiced having conversations with each other using the phrases and vocabulary they have learned.
Trooper Bambara stopped by to talk to the students on Tuesday. He spoke to them about the importance of respect and the students were able to ask him questions about his job. We also got the chance to see his squad car!
We will be having our Halloween party on Monday! Halloween costumes should be sent to school in a bag and we will change into them during the day. Please remember to leave masks and weapons at home! The students will not need a snack on Monday.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Weekly Update- 10/21
We started off our week with the Bear Run! The students had a lot of fun running the race and cheering for their classmates!
In Spanish, the students learned how to say, "My name is...". They practiced greeting each other using the phrase, "Mi nombre es".
In shared reading we read the book, Lighthouses: Beacons of the Past. The students practiced the strategy of asking questions when they read. This week they asked questions about the title, unfamiliar words, the author's purpose, and about connections.
In guided reading we worked on the skill of inferencing. An inference is when you take text clues and your own background knowledge to come to a conclusion. This is a higher level skill that we will continue to practice with next week.
In Fundations we began unit 3. This is a one week unit that will focus on the vowel-consonant-e (v-e) syllable. The trick words that the students should know by this point were sent home yesterday. Please review any of the misspelled words with your children. They will be held accountable for the correct spelling of these words in future Fundations lessons and in their writing.
In grammar the students learned about fragments and run-ons. We will be focusing on this skill during reading responses, journaling, and when they edit and revise their writing pieces.
In math, we are continuing to work on Topic 3. We will be having a topic test next Friday (10/28). A study guide will be going home on Monday. In addition, as I did last chapter, I will be assigning the Topic 3 practice assessment on the Pearson website. Please continue to practice addition and subtraction facts at home. We have been practicing at school with the netbooks, flashcards, and iPad.
We completed our unit on Matter and we are now working on more map skills in Social Studies. This week we talked about the differences between maps and globes. We also learned about continents and oceans. The students learned a song to help them remember the 7 continents.
In Spanish, the students learned how to say, "My name is...". They practiced greeting each other using the phrase, "Mi nombre es".
In shared reading we read the book, Lighthouses: Beacons of the Past. The students practiced the strategy of asking questions when they read. This week they asked questions about the title, unfamiliar words, the author's purpose, and about connections.
In guided reading we worked on the skill of inferencing. An inference is when you take text clues and your own background knowledge to come to a conclusion. This is a higher level skill that we will continue to practice with next week.
In Fundations we began unit 3. This is a one week unit that will focus on the vowel-consonant-e (v-e) syllable. The trick words that the students should know by this point were sent home yesterday. Please review any of the misspelled words with your children. They will be held accountable for the correct spelling of these words in future Fundations lessons and in their writing.
In grammar the students learned about fragments and run-ons. We will be focusing on this skill during reading responses, journaling, and when they edit and revise their writing pieces.
In math, we are continuing to work on Topic 3. We will be having a topic test next Friday (10/28). A study guide will be going home on Monday. In addition, as I did last chapter, I will be assigning the Topic 3 practice assessment on the Pearson website. Please continue to practice addition and subtraction facts at home. We have been practicing at school with the netbooks, flashcards, and iPad.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Weekly Update- 10/14
We started Topic 3 in math this week. The students used place value blocks to practice adding numbers. They are doing a great job with their regrouping!
In science we talked about the differences between physical and chemical changes. The students completed an experiment using antacid tablets to illustrate a chemical change. They also worked in teams to complete a matter crossword puzzle and we played the game, "I Have, Who Has" to review some of the important vocabulary words.
We read the book, Wild Baby Animals in shared reading this week. This was an informational text that explained about many different baby animals found in the wild. For each animal, the students learned about how the babies learn, grow, and survive. The students also used this text to practice their skills with prediction. In guided reading we talked about identifying the author's purpose.
In writing we have started to talk about personal narratives. We read some examples and the students brainstormed ideas for their personal narratives. They had to think of events that were memorable, occurred over a short period of time, and happened to them. Today, the students filled out graphic organizers and shared them with each other. They will begin drafting next week. In addition to the writing the students are doing for the writing program, they are also journaling everyday. They are doing a fantastic job of writing complete sentences, using punctuation and capital letters, practicing starting sentences with different words, and adding description into their writing!
In Fundations, we are continuing to learn about 1-1-1 words and adding suffixes. This week the students learned that 1-1-1 words that end in the letter "x", are exceptions to the rule. Whenever you have a 1-1-1 word ending in "x" (tax, box, fox), you do not double the consonant before adding the suffix. We also added a few more sound alike words to our list. These words include; guest, guessed, banned, band, missed, mist, son, sun, some, sum.
This week we had an awesome assembly about bucket filling! In addition to learning about bucket filling, the students learned how to use their lid when other people try to dip from their buckets. The students are doing a great job of being bucket fillers in the classroom!
The Bear Run has been rescheduled for Monday. Please send your children to school in sneakers, comfortable clothes, and ready to cheer their classmates on! Have a great weekend!
In science we talked about the differences between physical and chemical changes. The students completed an experiment using antacid tablets to illustrate a chemical change. They also worked in teams to complete a matter crossword puzzle and we played the game, "I Have, Who Has" to review some of the important vocabulary words.
We read the book, Wild Baby Animals in shared reading this week. This was an informational text that explained about many different baby animals found in the wild. For each animal, the students learned about how the babies learn, grow, and survive. The students also used this text to practice their skills with prediction. In guided reading we talked about identifying the author's purpose.
In writing we have started to talk about personal narratives. We read some examples and the students brainstormed ideas for their personal narratives. They had to think of events that were memorable, occurred over a short period of time, and happened to them. Today, the students filled out graphic organizers and shared them with each other. They will begin drafting next week. In addition to the writing the students are doing for the writing program, they are also journaling everyday. They are doing a fantastic job of writing complete sentences, using punctuation and capital letters, practicing starting sentences with different words, and adding description into their writing!
In Fundations, we are continuing to learn about 1-1-1 words and adding suffixes. This week the students learned that 1-1-1 words that end in the letter "x", are exceptions to the rule. Whenever you have a 1-1-1 word ending in "x" (tax, box, fox), you do not double the consonant before adding the suffix. We also added a few more sound alike words to our list. These words include; guest, guessed, banned, band, missed, mist, son, sun, some, sum.
This week we had an awesome assembly about bucket filling! In addition to learning about bucket filling, the students learned how to use their lid when other people try to dip from their buckets. The students are doing a great job of being bucket fillers in the classroom!
The Bear Run has been rescheduled for Monday. Please send your children to school in sneakers, comfortable clothes, and ready to cheer their classmates on! Have a great weekend!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Weekly Update- 10/7
This week in math we completed Topic 2. We learned about equations, how to estimate differences, and how to check if an answer is reasonable. We will start Topic 3: Using Place Value to Add and Subtract on Tuesday.
We have continued to learn about states of matter in science. This week we learned about the particles in solids, liquids, and gases. The students acted as though they were the particles and then created a project.
In reading, we read the book, Folk Tales of Latin America. The students loved hearing these folk tales which gave explanations for why armadillos burrow underground and have detailed shells and why coyotes howl at the moon. The students practiced retelling the stories by including only the most important details from the beginning, middle, and end of the story. We also read the book, Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days. The students completed comprehension questions and activities related to the story. They will finish this book next week.
In writing, the students continued to work on their descriptive paragraphs about their favorite places. This week, we took our writing pieces through the drafting, revising, and editing stages. The students practiced peer revising and peer editing to help each other add more description and correct grammatical errors.
We started Spanish this week. The students were introduced to Senora Sullivan and each picked out a Spanish name and designed their Spanish nametags.
In Fundations, the students learned about 1-1-1 words. These are words that have 1 syllable, 1 vowel, and 1 consonant after the vowel. Some examples are; grip, stop, brag. The students also learned that when adding vowel suffixes (-ing, -ed, -es) to 1-1-1 words, you double the last consonant before adding the suffix. For example, STOP becomes STOPPING. When adding a consonant suffix (-s, -ly, -ment), you just add the suffix like in the word STOPS. In grammar the students learned about simple sentences.
For the month of October, we will be focusing on the character trait of respect. We are reading the book, The Hundred Dresses which illustrates this trait. The students are doing a great job of filling each other's buckets!
Enjoy the long weekend!
We have continued to learn about states of matter in science. This week we learned about the particles in solids, liquids, and gases. The students acted as though they were the particles and then created a project.
 |
| SOLID PARTICLES |
 |
| LIQUID PARTICLES |
 |
| GAS PARTICLES The students also learned about physical changes such as melting, freezing, evaporation, and condensation. We looked at some websites and watched videos. We also performed some experiments to illustrate these processes. To show evaporation, we dumped water outside and measured the distance across the puddle (19 inches). Twenty-five minutes later we went back outside to measure the puddle again and it had disappeared!   |
In reading, we read the book, Folk Tales of Latin America. The students loved hearing these folk tales which gave explanations for why armadillos burrow underground and have detailed shells and why coyotes howl at the moon. The students practiced retelling the stories by including only the most important details from the beginning, middle, and end of the story. We also read the book, Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days. The students completed comprehension questions and activities related to the story. They will finish this book next week.
In writing, the students continued to work on their descriptive paragraphs about their favorite places. This week, we took our writing pieces through the drafting, revising, and editing stages. The students practiced peer revising and peer editing to help each other add more description and correct grammatical errors.
We started Spanish this week. The students were introduced to Senora Sullivan and each picked out a Spanish name and designed their Spanish nametags.
In Fundations, the students learned about 1-1-1 words. These are words that have 1 syllable, 1 vowel, and 1 consonant after the vowel. Some examples are; grip, stop, brag. The students also learned that when adding vowel suffixes (-ing, -ed, -es) to 1-1-1 words, you double the last consonant before adding the suffix. For example, STOP becomes STOPPING. When adding a consonant suffix (-s, -ly, -ment), you just add the suffix like in the word STOPS. In grammar the students learned about simple sentences.
For the month of October, we will be focusing on the character trait of respect. We are reading the book, The Hundred Dresses which illustrates this trait. The students are doing a great job of filling each other's buckets!
Enjoy the long weekend!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)