Weekly Update- 5/27

Wow! Summer is almost here and now it is starting to feel like it with this heat.  The highlight of our week was definitely our field day!  Everyone planning this event did a great job and "Team Sullivan" had a blast!

While the year is winding down with only 14 school days left (yikes!), we are still working away in order to be prepared for 4th grade.  This week in math we completed chapter 11.  For our practice test we tried something new.  The students each used a clicker to "buzz" in their answers.  After each student buzzed in I could see how many students got the problem right/ wrong, and then went over the problem accordingly.  This is a great new piece of technology!

Today we began chapter 12 which focuses on probability and measurement.  Lesson 1 focused on capacity: gallons, quarts, pints, and cups.  The students made Gallon People to help them with this concept.

In reading we finished reading the book, Skylark and we watched the movie today.  Next week we will begin an author study about Andrew Clements and the students will be reading different books by this author and completing activities to go with the books.

In writing we finished typing pen pal letters and they are on their way to south Jersey!  I also introduced the students to their next writing task which will be cereal box stories.  They will take the cereal boxes that they brought in and write short stories using the characters on the box.  The students have already started brainstorming the characters, setting, problem and solution for their stories.  We will begin our rough drafts next week.

In Fundations the students learned about the digraphs of ph and ch.  We learned about how the ph makes the /f/ sound and the ch can make the /k/ sound in some words.  We were only able to brainstorm a few words that began with ch and made the /k/ sound, so we broke out the dictionaries and looked for some examples.  We found a ton!  The students used their knowledge from our reading lesson on using a pronunciation key and quickly realized that when they saw a /k/ in the pronunciation key, that the word started with that sound.  We will be continuing with this unit next week.

The students are having a lot of fun with our Food Chains and Webs unit in science.  We have looked at many websites and watched some videos demonstrating the concepts we have been focusing on.  This unit is full of vocabulary and I am impressed with the students' ability to remember all the words so far!  We have learned about habitats, ecosystems, camouflage and mimicry, adaptations, predators, prey, and the food chain.  To practice the concept of the food chain we played the Food Chain Game, which is similar to tag.  The students were each given one of 3 animals: a cricket, an anole (lizard), or an owl.  The owls had to tag the anoles, the anoles had to tag the crickets, and the crickets were trying to collect popcorn and avoid being tagged.  When someone was tagged they were out of that round of the game and they had to give their nametag to their predator.  The owls were always left at the end which demonstrated how the animals at the top of the food chain survived on the energy from their prey.  The students had a lot of fun chasing each other around.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!!

Weekly Update- 5/20

This week in math we worked on a few different concepts.  We learned about using logical reasoning and did a "super challenge" problem at the end of the lesson.  The students did a great job using their logical reasoning skills to get through the challenge.  We also started practicing long division.  The students learned a few different methods including; using place value blocks/ drawing, breaking numbers apart, and finally we learned the typical method of long division.  After doing some practice and following the steps (divide, multiply, subtract, bring down), the students are really starting to get the hang of it.  We will be having the chapter 11 test next Thursday 5/26.  After that we only have 1 chapter left!

In social studies, we spent the week practicing our map skills.  The students learned about how National Parks were created protect land and wildlife and how to read the map of  Denali National Park in Alaska.  They also learned a little about the 13 colonies and we compared and contrasted the 13 original colonies to the current states in that region.  Finally, the students learned about westward expansion and read maps that showed some of the trails that settlers followed to move west.  Next week we will be beginning our final science unit of the year, Food Chains and Webs.

The students are really enjoying the Sarah, Plain and Tall series.  We started reading the book, Skylark this week, which is a continuation of Sarah, Plain and Tall.  The students have become very good at making reasonable predictions that are related to the story and revising them as we go along and the story changes.  We will continue to read this book next week..

For some more practice with our writing, the students have been working on writing friendly letters.  The students wrote rough drafts and then we went to the computer lab a few times this week for them to type out their final drafts.  Today the students drew pictures to go along with their letters.  We will go back to the computer lab next week for students to finish typing their final drafts.  When they are completed, we will be sending them to a third grade class in southern New Jersey.  Their teacher is one of my college roommates!

In Fundations we are completing unit 12 and we will begin unit 13 next week.  Unit 13 focuses on words in which ch makes the /k/ sound, ph makes the /f/ sound, and words with silent letters.  Unit 13 will take 2 weeks to complete.

In Spanish we did more practice with the seasons (las estaciones).  We played the game, Quatro Estaciones, Quatro Esquinas (Four Seaons, Four Corners).  This is the game Four Corners, but instead of numbers, each corner is a different season.  The students had a good time practicing their vocabulary this way.  Our first round came down to our two newest students: Eric M. and Evalyn.  Evalyn triumphed in the end!

Thank you to everyone who has sent in a white t-shirt for field day.  We are really looking forward to this event next week!  Also, if you haven't done so already, please send in a cereal box with your child for a writing project we will be doing.

Weekly Update- 5/13

Well, we spent the majority of the week taking the NJ ASK.  The students did a great job coming to school and staying focused on the test.  While we took it easy after the testing, we still did get some work done this week!

In math we continued to multiply larger numbers.  We reviewed the method of using place value blocks and drawings to solve the problems.  I also introduced students to the break-apart method and finally, they learned how to multiply the "regular" way.  We played some games in order to practice multiplying 2 and 3 digit numbers.  On Thursday, we enjoyed the beautiful weather and took our math work outside!

We read the book, Sarah, Plain and Tall this week.  In the story we discussed the characters and their traits.  We also looked for similes which the author, Patricia MacLachlan uses often in her books.  Today we watched the movie and the students worked together to create Venn Diagrams comparing and contrasting the book and the movie.  Next week, we will be reading the sequel to this book, Skylark.

Our seeds sprouted so much in our class sprouter that we had to transplant them!  The students each chose one of the seeds to plant and take home.

We had some extra free centers this week and we also created an awesome project that Mrs. DiMatteo shared with us!  The students wrote their names in cursive, went over it with crayon, folded the paper in half and rubbed the crayon onto the other side of the paper to create a mirror image of their name.  They then turned their name into an insect, created a leaf, and glued their name-insect onto it.  Though it was tough to get the crayon to transfer at first, the students had a fun time creating this project!

Some extra reminders: Field Day is May 24th- please send in a plain white t-shirt with your child.  We will be starting a writing project in class soon.  For this project, each student will need a cereal box.  Please send those in by the 23rd.  This Wednesday, May 18th is Rita's Scoop Night!  20% of all sales will benefit Miss Telischak's 1/2 marathon in honor of Carol Wink for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  I will be scooping from 5-6 PM.  Hope to see you there!

Weekly Update- 5/6

In math this week we finished chapter 10 and started chapter 11.  This chapter focuses on multiplying and dividing greater numbers.  The students will be learning a number of different strategies for how to solve these problems.  We started by using estimation and also learned how to draw arrays and use place value blocks to help solve a problem.

We will learn more strategies next week.  Please continue to practice facts at home!

In science we started an experiment.  Since we have been learning about seeds we wanted to find out if seeds would be able to sprout without soil.  The students were split into groups and each group made a mini sprouter with 1 sunflower seed, 1 pea seed, 1 corn seed, and 1 bush bean seed.  Each student in the group was responsible for observing one of the types of seeds and recording their observations.

We also setup a class sprouter in which we put a larger number of these same seeds together to see if they would grow.   From our observations this week, we did find that the seeds would sprout without soil.

In Fundations we began unit 12, which focuses on the soft and hard sounds of the letters c and g.  The soft sound of c makes the /s/ sound like the beginning of the word, circus.  The soft sound of g makes the /j/ sound like in gymnasium. We also learned the sound alike words, peace and piece.

In reading we read the book, Be A Perfect Person in Just Three Days.  We practiced identifying important vocabulary in the story.  The students also answered comprehension questions for each chapter.  In addition, we talked about the theme and the author's purpose in writing the story. 

In writing we learned about different types of poems.  We talked about rhythm and rhyme and wrote a few class poems which are posted below.  We learned about couplets, acrostic poems, cinquains, and limericks.

Next week, we will be taking the NJ ASK. Please make sure students are on time for school on these days.  Have a great weekend!

OUR CLASS POEMS

The Diggin' Pig

Once upon a time there lived a pig.

This little pig loved to dig.

He rolled and rolled around in the mud.

Once in awhile he made his own flood.

He dug and dug until water he reached.

When the flood appeared he really screeched!

During the flood, he met a fish.

The tasty fish made a perfect dish.

The fish was yummy.

In seconds it was in his tummy!

Then the pig found a dime.

He spent it on a sour lime.

He puckered his lips and his face turned red.

He climbed back up the hole and went to bed!

ALPINE

At Alpine we

Learn alot of things like,

Poetry, Persuasive letters, projects.

In our school we have alot of fun.

No one is sad.

Everyone is happy.

Spanish helps us learn a new language.

Cursive writing makes us neater writers.

Hot weather means extra recess!

Off on holidays.

Our class rocks!

Learning at Alpine is amazing!

Seeds

Colorful, Small

Spreading, Growing, Traveling

Happy, Exciting, Disappointed, Curious

                 Plants

There once were three very old turtles

Who tried to jump over hurdles

They tripped on a shoe

They all cried boo hoo

Then they called for their Aunt Myrtle

There once was a very loud class

Their voices broke the glass

The teacher got mad

She called all their dads

The teacher ran away through the grass