Winter break is fast approaching! We only have a few days left and with the snow storm that is supposed to be coming, who knows! Speaking of snow, please make sure that your child is bringing their snow pants, boots, winter coat, a hat, and gloves!
This week has been filled with fun extra activities. Late last week, the students wrote letters to Santa. They learned how to write a letter and had to use their best handwriting so he could read them. Today, the students got to hear the band members from Bunger perform. Tomorrow, we'll be partnering with a 4th grade class to do a little buddy reading. We have plans for a few crafts later in the week as well. Don't forget, our Winter Party is this Friday from 2:30-3:30. Be sure to look for pictures from the party and the crafts that the students will have a chance to make!
During break, don't forget to do a little reading. Snuggle up with a good book and maybe some hot chocolate to keep warm! Be sure to write down what you're reading and turn in your child's reading log for a free pizza from Pizza Hut!
We'll see everyone back on the 7th! I hope everyone has a very happy holiday season!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thanksgiving Week
We have our Literacy Night TONIGHT!!!! Bring your family and join us for great reading activities, great food and free books! The fun starts at 5:30.
Wednesday is a regular early out...enjoy your Thanksgiving break.
Wednesday is a regular early out...enjoy your Thanksgiving break.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
More October Activities
This past week was Red Ribbon Week. We celebrated making healthy choices for our bodies by not putting harmful things into our bodies and treating everyone with respect. One of the school wide activities was a door decorating contest. The first graders all put their handprints on a poster to show that we "Keep Our Paws Off Drugs". Hopefully you were able to see the door decoration during conferences. Your child's part of the poster will be coming home this week with their drug free coloring page.
Fundraisers are due this Tuesday!!!! There are quite a few cool prizes for selling and the class with the most items sold gets a special hat for their teacher to wear! You may remember seeing me last year with a rainbow mohawk... Also, any students who sell 25 items or more get to ride in the Hummer Limo to lunch!
Our Halloween/Fall Party is Wednesday from 1:15-2:15. I will be sending home reminders of what you may have signed up to bring and what lunch choice you made for your child that day. Feel free to come and see the parade even if you didn't sign up for the party! I will be posting pictures from the parade and party as soon as possible! Please only send your child's costume with them to school, do not put it on in the morning...we have a full morning of learning before the party can begin!
A big thank you to all of the families that were able to make it to conferences and support our book fair!
Fundraisers are due this Tuesday!!!! There are quite a few cool prizes for selling and the class with the most items sold gets a special hat for their teacher to wear! You may remember seeing me last year with a rainbow mohawk... Also, any students who sell 25 items or more get to ride in the Hummer Limo to lunch!
Our Halloween/Fall Party is Wednesday from 1:15-2:15. I will be sending home reminders of what you may have signed up to bring and what lunch choice you made for your child that day. Feel free to come and see the parade even if you didn't sign up for the party! I will be posting pictures from the parade and party as soon as possible! Please only send your child's costume with them to school, do not put it on in the morning...we have a full morning of learning before the party can begin!
A big thank you to all of the families that were able to make it to conferences and support our book fair!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
October Activities
Yesterday we started our Junior Achievement program. This program is taught by volunteers in the community and this year we have one of our parents teaching! The program in first grade focuses on the difference between wanting something and needing something, people in the community and families.
We have also started our Extended Learning Program lessons. Mrs. Goodenbour visits our class on Fridays and teaches lessons using familiar tales such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears. She asks students to look at the story in a different way. One activity Mrs. Goodenbour does with Goldilocks is to have the students draw a picture of what Goldilocks sees when she looks into the Bears' house through the key hole. After her six lessons, we'll discuss which students will join her for a few extra lessons throughout the year.
We've had school store running for two weeks now! Kindergarten and first grade can purchase school supplies on Wednesday mornings. Most supplies run from $.10 to $1.00. If you want to send money for your child to purchase items, please put it in a marked bag or envelope.
Tonight is SNAKES ALIVE!!! The program starts at 6:00. The presenters bring in a lot of different snakes for the students to see and touch!
Next week are conferences! Remember we have school as usual on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday is conferences all day and Friday is no school. I will send reminders about your time. If you need to reschedule, call the office and they can find an open time. When you come for conferences, I will have the same survey about this website that I had at Parent-Led conferences. Please fill it out while you are waiting. You can also visit the book fair while you're waiting or when you're done with conferences! I have a wish list of books for the class if you'd like to purchase one!
October 22-26 is Red Ribbon Week. See the weekly bulletin from Poyner to find out what fun activities we will be doing that week to say Boo to Drugs! At home, you can talk with your child about making healthy and safe choices.
October 31 is Halloween!!!! We will be doing some fun crafts in the morning that connect to our reading and math. After lunch, we'll be having some delicious treats and parading around Poyner in our costumes! The parade will be from 1:15-2:00. Feel free to come and walk with your child, watch the other students and help out with the party!
We have also started our Extended Learning Program lessons. Mrs. Goodenbour visits our class on Fridays and teaches lessons using familiar tales such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears. She asks students to look at the story in a different way. One activity Mrs. Goodenbour does with Goldilocks is to have the students draw a picture of what Goldilocks sees when she looks into the Bears' house through the key hole. After her six lessons, we'll discuss which students will join her for a few extra lessons throughout the year.
We've had school store running for two weeks now! Kindergarten and first grade can purchase school supplies on Wednesday mornings. Most supplies run from $.10 to $1.00. If you want to send money for your child to purchase items, please put it in a marked bag or envelope.
Tonight is SNAKES ALIVE!!! The program starts at 6:00. The presenters bring in a lot of different snakes for the students to see and touch!
Next week are conferences! Remember we have school as usual on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday is conferences all day and Friday is no school. I will send reminders about your time. If you need to reschedule, call the office and they can find an open time. When you come for conferences, I will have the same survey about this website that I had at Parent-Led conferences. Please fill it out while you are waiting. You can also visit the book fair while you're waiting or when you're done with conferences! I have a wish list of books for the class if you'd like to purchase one!
October 22-26 is Red Ribbon Week. See the weekly bulletin from Poyner to find out what fun activities we will be doing that week to say Boo to Drugs! At home, you can talk with your child about making healthy and safe choices.
October 31 is Halloween!!!! We will be doing some fun crafts in the morning that connect to our reading and math. After lunch, we'll be having some delicious treats and parading around Poyner in our costumes! The parade will be from 1:15-2:00. Feel free to come and walk with your child, watch the other students and help out with the party!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Donors Choose
Our class is now a part of the Donors Choose website! This website gives teachers the opportunity to create a classroom project and try to get it funded through donations! I have just posted our first project to help make our classroom a more comfortable place to read and learn. Check out http://www.donorschoose.org/studte to see what we're working on for our class!
Monday, September 17, 2012
September 17-21
Our students are well into their reading groups now! Students work in small groups of 3-5 students on reading strategies, comprehension skills, and fluency. Typically we start with asking about what the students already know about the topic, taking a picture walk and telling what's happening in the story, working through tricky words and then reading the book. After the group has read the book, the students put it in their book boxes to read during the rest of the day.
Some reading strategies that you can use with your child at home:
Be on the lookout for:
Some reading strategies that you can use with your child at home:
- look at the picture
- look at the first letter of the word
- sound out the word or "touch the sounds"
- re-read to the point you got stuck and ask what would make sense
- look for big chunks you know
Be on the lookout for:
- Orange conference sheets- please fill these out and return them as soon as possible so we can get conferences set up!
- October book orders- book orders will be due on October 5th so we can get any Halloween books in before the holiday.
- Picture day information- school pictures are fast approaching and the order form will be coming home soon!
- Book It! information- Pizza Hut puts on the Book It! program to get kids reading and offers a free personal pan pizza for reaching our monthly class goal!
- Pictures on our website- I am just waiting for the list of students who may not be photographed before I put up any pictures.
Monday, September 10, 2012
THANK YOU!
I just want to put out a quick thank you to those of you who were able to attend parent-led conferences! We had 90% of students represented. I loved hearing about your children and how I'll be able to work with you all to help all of the students learn this year!
Thank you also to all the parents who ordered books from Scholastic! We had quite a few parents order online, so many of you will be getting a coupon for a free book and our class will be getting a few coupons as well!
Just a reminder: Our K-1 Math Night is Tuesday, September 11 from 6-7! We will begin the night going over what your child will learn this year. Then the 1st grade teachers will be teaching a few games and talking about how to help your child with their math homework. Because our math curriculum is very different from what most of us went through in school, I encourage you all to come!!!
Just a reminder: We do not have school this Friday. The teachers will be engaging in professional development on math and reading.
Thank you also to all the parents who ordered books from Scholastic! We had quite a few parents order online, so many of you will be getting a coupon for a free book and our class will be getting a few coupons as well!
Just a reminder: Our K-1 Math Night is Tuesday, September 11 from 6-7! We will begin the night going over what your child will learn this year. Then the 1st grade teachers will be teaching a few games and talking about how to help your child with their math homework. Because our math curriculum is very different from what most of us went through in school, I encourage you all to come!!!
Just a reminder: We do not have school this Friday. The teachers will be engaging in professional development on math and reading.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
September 3-7
I hope you all had a fantastic Labor Day weekend! On Tuesday, we had our first spirit assembly where students could turn in their golden tickets for a chance to spin the wheel of character. Students work to earn purple tickets and are then able to turn in 10 of them for a golden ticket. Golden tickets can be used to spin the wheel or can be turned in for prizes!
Don't forget that Parent-Led conferences are this Thursday from 11:30-7. A tan sheet was sent home for you to fill out. Please either return this sheet to school or bring it with you to your child's conference. These conferences are a chance for you to tell me about your child! Also, when you come be sure to check out our classroom website, take the survey and pick up materials from your child's folder. There is a math folder to take home that has some math games and this week's homework!
Book orders are due this Friday! If you have any questions, be sure to ask during Parent-Led conferences!
Our math night is next Tuesday, September 11 from 6-7. The first grade rooms will be teaching some of the math games we will play in class this year and discussing how to help your child with their homework.
Don't forget that Parent-Led conferences are this Thursday from 11:30-7. A tan sheet was sent home for you to fill out. Please either return this sheet to school or bring it with you to your child's conference. These conferences are a chance for you to tell me about your child! Also, when you come be sure to check out our classroom website, take the survey and pick up materials from your child's folder. There is a math folder to take home that has some math games and this week's homework!
Book orders are due this Friday! If you have any questions, be sure to ask during Parent-Led conferences!
Our math night is next Tuesday, September 11 from 6-7. The first grade rooms will be teaching some of the math games we will play in class this year and discussing how to help your child with their homework.
Monday, August 27, 2012
First Week
Our first week has been going very well! We are all working on getting to know each other by working together. I am very excited for this year and all the possibilities to come! Mr. Bertling, our student teacher, is doing a fantastic job! Be sure to ask your child what Mr. Bertling has been teaching.
We have set up our classroom rules. The students offered suggestions and through class discussion, we decided what rules we are going to follow throughout the year. Our rules are to be safe, take responsibility, use think time before answering a question, raise your hand, and be kind to others and their things. When you come in for parent-led conferences, be sure to check out the pictures of students demonstrating the right and wrong ways to follow these rules!
Many parents have asked about our specialist schedule and how to keep track. The first day of school, August 16, was Day 1 and we had Media. In the classroom, we have a simple flipchart that shows the day and the specialist for that day. Each morning, I change it so the students can see what day it is and what specialist we have. Check it out when you come in for parent-led conferences! You could also label a calendar a few weeks out. I wouldn't do this for a whole year because if we have a snow day, it will throw off your calendar. If we do not have school for a day for any reason, we will resume our specialists schedule wherever we left off.
We have finished our bedrock word testing and have begun our DRA testing for reading. These tests, along with observations, will help determine what skills your child needs to work on and which small group they may be in for reading. The small groups change throughout the year depending on student needs. I will send a copy of the bedrock words home with some suggestions for working on them with your child as soon as I get them from our print shop!
We have jumped right into our math curriculum. The students have begun the year with many different counting activities. We will be working on counting and recognizing numbers to 20. We are using strategies such as skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s. Have your child practice writing their numbers to at least 20 and count objects at home! Our class is also implementing a program called Moving Through Math. Students have been showing concepts such as same/different, inside/outside, and in front of/behind using body movements. As we continue this program, students will use body movements to show patterns and number sentences.
Finally, planners and other things that come home... Please be sure to check your child's planner every night! I will often send home reminders and other notes that need to be seen or returned in a timely fashion. Math homework is only on Thursdays and reading homework is only on Fridays. If you have any questions about the homework or what to do with papers that come home, feel free to call or email me any time! A big thank you to those of you who have returned homework and the Highlights letters already!
We have set up our classroom rules. The students offered suggestions and through class discussion, we decided what rules we are going to follow throughout the year. Our rules are to be safe, take responsibility, use think time before answering a question, raise your hand, and be kind to others and their things. When you come in for parent-led conferences, be sure to check out the pictures of students demonstrating the right and wrong ways to follow these rules!
Many parents have asked about our specialist schedule and how to keep track. The first day of school, August 16, was Day 1 and we had Media. In the classroom, we have a simple flipchart that shows the day and the specialist for that day. Each morning, I change it so the students can see what day it is and what specialist we have. Check it out when you come in for parent-led conferences! You could also label a calendar a few weeks out. I wouldn't do this for a whole year because if we have a snow day, it will throw off your calendar. If we do not have school for a day for any reason, we will resume our specialists schedule wherever we left off.
We have finished our bedrock word testing and have begun our DRA testing for reading. These tests, along with observations, will help determine what skills your child needs to work on and which small group they may be in for reading. The small groups change throughout the year depending on student needs. I will send a copy of the bedrock words home with some suggestions for working on them with your child as soon as I get them from our print shop!
We have jumped right into our math curriculum. The students have begun the year with many different counting activities. We will be working on counting and recognizing numbers to 20. We are using strategies such as skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s. Have your child practice writing their numbers to at least 20 and count objects at home! Our class is also implementing a program called Moving Through Math. Students have been showing concepts such as same/different, inside/outside, and in front of/behind using body movements. As we continue this program, students will use body movements to show patterns and number sentences.
Finally, planners and other things that come home... Please be sure to check your child's planner every night! I will often send home reminders and other notes that need to be seen or returned in a timely fashion. Math homework is only on Thursdays and reading homework is only on Fridays. If you have any questions about the homework or what to do with papers that come home, feel free to call or email me any time! A big thank you to those of you who have returned homework and the Highlights letters already!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
First Days
Wednesday, August 15 Preview Poyner 4-6 p.m.
Come meet your new teacher and get all of your materials settled before the first day! We will have a student teacher in our classroom for the first 8 weeks of school! I am very excited to welcome Mr. Bertling to Poyner and to our classroom!
Thursday, August 16 First Day!
I can't wait to begin learning together!
Friday, August 31 Spirit Day
Students can wear purple shirts to celebrate being a Poyner Panther on TRRC
Monday, September 3 No School
Labor Day
Tuesday, September 4 PTO Meeting 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 6 Parent-Led Conferences
This is your chance to tell me about your child
Friday, September 7 Book Orders Due
If you submit your orders online, you will recieve a coupon for $5 on your next order! Be sure to check your child's planner for order forms. If you have any questions on what to order, feel free to ask!
Friday, September 14 No School
Professional Development Day for Teachers
Come meet your new teacher and get all of your materials settled before the first day! We will have a student teacher in our classroom for the first 8 weeks of school! I am very excited to welcome Mr. Bertling to Poyner and to our classroom!
Thursday, August 16 First Day!
I can't wait to begin learning together!
Friday, August 31 Spirit Day
Students can wear purple shirts to celebrate being a Poyner Panther on TRRC
Monday, September 3 No School
Labor Day
Tuesday, September 4 PTO Meeting 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 6 Parent-Led Conferences
This is your chance to tell me about your child
Friday, September 7 Book Orders Due
If you submit your orders online, you will recieve a coupon for $5 on your next order! Be sure to check your child's planner for order forms. If you have any questions on what to order, feel free to ask!
Friday, September 14 No School
Professional Development Day for Teachers
New to blogging?
To those of you who are new to blogging, as I very much am, be sure to explore the whole page. I'm pretty sure that I am the only one who can create a post, but anyone should be able to comment. If you don't "follow" or "join" the blog, be sure to leave at least your first name when you leave a comment so I know who it came from. Please let me know if you encounter any problems with the blog or if there is anything else you would like to see included or have me take down.
Welcome 2012-2013
Welcome to our class' website! Use this site to find ideas to use at home,
share ideas that have worked for your child, share successes that your child has
had this year, and ask questions. Please remember that this is a public blog,
so do not share student's names and be sure to keep your posts and comments
respectful. My goal for this site to make communication between parents and
myself quicker and easier so we can work together to help your student achieve
great things.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Dr. Suess Day
Today the students celebrated Dr. Suess' birthday. We started the day with a story read by Mr. Mardis, the former mayor of Evansdale. Then the students rotated in our wing and spent about 20 minutes in each class doing activities connected to Dr. Suess. Our class started by making Cat in the Hat hats. We had a great day before a long weekend!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Feb 27-Mar 2
Be sure to check out our pictures from Valentine's Day. We had a great time making Valentines out of hearts that looked like butterflies. The students enjoyed passing out their cards as well!
This week is a short week due to conferences on Thursday and Friday. Be sure to look in your child's folder for a reminder about your time. Our class had 100% of parents present for Fall conferences and I would love to have everyone attend again! Miss Hilbert, one of our UNI students, will be sitting in on some of the conferences on Thursday.
Last week during our reading time, I was listening to the students read their bedrock words. The bedrock words is a list of 250 words that are seen in most children's books. I also did a fluency probe where the students read a story for one minute and I count the words correct per minute. All students made some gain from the 2nd quarter to this quarter. One thing that helps students improve their fluency is listening to reading. You can help with this by reading to your child at home.
In math, we are working on addition strategies. During conferences, there will be math displays in the cafeteria showing some of the things we are working on in class and some of the things you can do at home. Be sure to stop by before or after your child's conference time!
This week is a short week due to conferences on Thursday and Friday. Be sure to look in your child's folder for a reminder about your time. Our class had 100% of parents present for Fall conferences and I would love to have everyone attend again! Miss Hilbert, one of our UNI students, will be sitting in on some of the conferences on Thursday.
Last week during our reading time, I was listening to the students read their bedrock words. The bedrock words is a list of 250 words that are seen in most children's books. I also did a fluency probe where the students read a story for one minute and I count the words correct per minute. All students made some gain from the 2nd quarter to this quarter. One thing that helps students improve their fluency is listening to reading. You can help with this by reading to your child at home.
In math, we are working on addition strategies. During conferences, there will be math displays in the cafeteria showing some of the things we are working on in class and some of the things you can do at home. Be sure to stop by before or after your child's conference time!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Feb 13-17
I hope everyone enjoyed their extra day off last week! We had a great end to the week in class. There were quite a few students who were able to move their clip up on Wednesday and Thursday! If you haven't seen it yet, our stoplight has been re-done. Students can still move their clips down to yellow (warning), orange (note home and recess), or red (office visit and recess). But now students can move their clip up to pink (2 extra purple tickets), blue (treasure chest), or purple (good note or phone call). If a student is on purple and is still on TRCC, I take their clip and put it on my nametag for everyone to see as we walk around the building!
This week got off to a good start with Miss McAtee back in our room! Mrs. Schneider, the guidance counselor, also came to our class today. She presented Take Charge of Your Body. Students learned how to deal with situations that make them feel uncomfortable by first saying "no", then leaving the situation, and finally telling a trusted adult. They also learned how to tell if someone is a stranger. It is suggested to have a secret password between you and your child. If a stranger approaches your child, they ask "what's the password" and if the person does not know, then the child knows they are a stranger and should not go with that person.
Tomorrow is our Valentine's Day party! Be sure to look for pictures later this week! Miss Hilbert will be joining our class in the afternoon, helping with math and with our party. Students will be doing activities throughout the day to show how they care for others, decorating bags to place Valentine cards in and having a few treats.
Conferences are quickly approaching! They will be Thursday, March 1 and Friday, March 2. Notes went home today with the same time slot that you had in the Fall. Please let me know if this time no longer works for you and I will do my best to switch things around. If you have any concerns that you would like me to address before conferences, please let me know! Our class had 100% attendance at Fall conferences and I would love to see you all for Spring conferences!!!
This week got off to a good start with Miss McAtee back in our room! Mrs. Schneider, the guidance counselor, also came to our class today. She presented Take Charge of Your Body. Students learned how to deal with situations that make them feel uncomfortable by first saying "no", then leaving the situation, and finally telling a trusted adult. They also learned how to tell if someone is a stranger. It is suggested to have a secret password between you and your child. If a stranger approaches your child, they ask "what's the password" and if the person does not know, then the child knows they are a stranger and should not go with that person.
Tomorrow is our Valentine's Day party! Be sure to look for pictures later this week! Miss Hilbert will be joining our class in the afternoon, helping with math and with our party. Students will be doing activities throughout the day to show how they care for others, decorating bags to place Valentine cards in and having a few treats.
Conferences are quickly approaching! They will be Thursday, March 1 and Friday, March 2. Notes went home today with the same time slot that you had in the Fall. Please let me know if this time no longer works for you and I will do my best to switch things around. If you have any concerns that you would like me to address before conferences, please let me know! Our class had 100% attendance at Fall conferences and I would love to see you all for Spring conferences!!!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Feb 6-9
Our new game, doodle, is going over very well in class. The students really seem to be enjoying practicing their words in a different way! We've found that this game works on more than just their sight words, too. Students build trust because they have to be honest by not peeking when picking.
Miss McAtee was back in our class today! She was a great help as the students took a test on measuring. We've been working hard on using different units of measurement and realizing that we don't need to use as many if the the unit is bigger. Miss Hilbert will be in our class again tomorrow. She'll be helping the students practice telling time to the hour. One or both of our fantastic UNI students may be sitting in on conferences, depending on their schedules. This is a great opportunity for them to see what a parent/teacher conference looks like. We are lucky to have so many cooperative parents who allow our UNI students to sit in and observe something that they don't teach in any college classes. As always, if you do not want them to sit in, there is plenty for them to work on while we meet.
We had guidance with Mrs. Schneider today. The students are working on handling situations when someone is bothering or bullying them or a friend. There are three ways to handle a situation. You can be "hot" by screaming at the offender; you can be "cold" by giving up on the situation; or you can be "cool" by either taking a break and resolving the conflict later or by telling the offender how you feel. Next week, Mrs. Schneider will be presenting "Take Charge of Your Body".
***Reminder: No school on Friday***
Miss McAtee was back in our class today! She was a great help as the students took a test on measuring. We've been working hard on using different units of measurement and realizing that we don't need to use as many if the the unit is bigger. Miss Hilbert will be in our class again tomorrow. She'll be helping the students practice telling time to the hour. One or both of our fantastic UNI students may be sitting in on conferences, depending on their schedules. This is a great opportunity for them to see what a parent/teacher conference looks like. We are lucky to have so many cooperative parents who allow our UNI students to sit in and observe something that they don't teach in any college classes. As always, if you do not want them to sit in, there is plenty for them to work on while we meet.
We had guidance with Mrs. Schneider today. The students are working on handling situations when someone is bothering or bullying them or a friend. There are three ways to handle a situation. You can be "hot" by screaming at the offender; you can be "cold" by giving up on the situation; or you can be "cool" by either taking a break and resolving the conflict later or by telling the offender how you feel. Next week, Mrs. Schneider will be presenting "Take Charge of Your Body".
***Reminder: No school on Friday***
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sight word game
Tired of quizzing your child on their sight words? Some of the students learned a new game today called doodle. You write some of their sight words on index cards and add in a few cards that say doodle. Place them face down as you would for go fish. Take turns drawing cards. If your child reads the card correctly, they get to keep the card. If they read the word incorrectly, they put back all of their cards. If they pull a doodle card, they put all of their cards back. The end of the game is up to you. You can either put the doodle cards back in each time one is pulled and the game is over when you run out of time to play OR when a doodle card is pulled, you put back all the words but set the doodle card off to the side. Eventually there will be no doodle cards left and it's down to your child reading all of their words correctly to finish the game.
You can play this game with math facts too! Put different addition or subtraction facts on a card and if your child can give the correct answer, they get to keep the card. Your child may need a little more guidance with this version since we don't do a lot of math facts in the room.
You can continue to use this game throughout your child's education! Use it with more difficult words, more difficult math facts, vocabulary words or when they begin taking foreign language classes!
You can play this game with math facts too! Put different addition or subtraction facts on a card and if your child can give the correct answer, they get to keep the card. Your child may need a little more guidance with this version since we don't do a lot of math facts in the room.
You can continue to use this game throughout your child's education! Use it with more difficult words, more difficult math facts, vocabulary words or when they begin taking foreign language classes!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Valentine's Day
I'll be sending home a list of students names this week. You do not have to label all of your child's Valentine's, but feel free to if you'd like. Have your child label the Valentine's to practice their handwriting and writing their classmates names. Since parents are already purchasing Valentine's, I will supply the treats for this party.
What are we doing?
January 30-February 3
Today in reading, our class worked on writing stories about what they would do if they had $100. We discussed what $100 might buy and things that it would not buy. The students also worked on portraits of themselves now and one hundred years from now. During small group, the students wrote five things that they've learned in the last 100 days. We made a paper chain out of all of the things they've learned. Stop by our classroom to see the paper chain! During math, the students worked on counting and writing their numbers to 100 by filling in a 100s chart.
The rest of the week, we will be settling into our new reading groups. The students are working on writing personal narratives, stories about themselves, and making sure that they have capital letters and periods where they belong. Students are continuing to work on their bedrock words and word sorts. On Tuesdays, the students have become "word detectives"! They search for words in their books, on the word wall and in other places that fit our word sort for the week. They record their findings in a notebook.
***Things you can do at home: be a word detective with your child! Look for words in their books at home that match our word sort for the week. If you want, have your child write it down and put it on the refridgerator! Doing an activity like this makes students aware of spelling patterns that we see in all of our books.
We will be continuing our work with measuring in math. The last couple of weeks the students became "measuring masters" by learning to start at the beginning and measure to the end, leave no gaps and measure in a straight line. We started by measuring fish and deciding whether or not they were "keepers". This week, we'll be comparing measurements to see which line or object is longer.
***Things you can do at home: Compare how long things are at home. Ask if the kitchen counter is longer or shorter than another object in your home. Questions like this get students thinking about how long objects are in real life and how long they are in comparison to other objects.
Don't forget, book orders are due this Friday!
Today in reading, our class worked on writing stories about what they would do if they had $100. We discussed what $100 might buy and things that it would not buy. The students also worked on portraits of themselves now and one hundred years from now. During small group, the students wrote five things that they've learned in the last 100 days. We made a paper chain out of all of the things they've learned. Stop by our classroom to see the paper chain! During math, the students worked on counting and writing their numbers to 100 by filling in a 100s chart.
The rest of the week, we will be settling into our new reading groups. The students are working on writing personal narratives, stories about themselves, and making sure that they have capital letters and periods where they belong. Students are continuing to work on their bedrock words and word sorts. On Tuesdays, the students have become "word detectives"! They search for words in their books, on the word wall and in other places that fit our word sort for the week. They record their findings in a notebook.
***Things you can do at home: be a word detective with your child! Look for words in their books at home that match our word sort for the week. If you want, have your child write it down and put it on the refridgerator! Doing an activity like this makes students aware of spelling patterns that we see in all of our books.
We will be continuing our work with measuring in math. The last couple of weeks the students became "measuring masters" by learning to start at the beginning and measure to the end, leave no gaps and measure in a straight line. We started by measuring fish and deciding whether or not they were "keepers". This week, we'll be comparing measurements to see which line or object is longer.
***Things you can do at home: Compare how long things are at home. Ask if the kitchen counter is longer or shorter than another object in your home. Questions like this get students thinking about how long objects are in real life and how long they are in comparison to other objects.
Don't forget, book orders are due this Friday!
UNI Students
Miss McAtee started in our classroom today! She was a great help during our 100th day celebration and we all look forward to having her back next Monday. We have another UNI student starting tomorrow. The students really enjoy having the extra help in our room so be sure to ask what your child learned about or got to do with our UNI students!
100th Day
Check out our picture page to see some of the things we did to celebrate the 100th day of school! Be sure to also check out Poyner's website for pictures from the entire building. Mrs. Manternach visited our classroom during math and saw all of the counting we were working on. Mrs. Bass visited our classroom and read a story about the 100th day! Be sure to check your child's folder for some of the activities we did in class today! We didn't quite have time to finish the "What we can do in 100 seconds" activity. Help your child finish it at home and help them practice counting and writing their numbers to 100.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Upcoming Events
January 30: 100th Day (look for pictures on our picture page)
January 30: UNI student starts in our room
January 31: Another UNI student starts in our room
February 1: Limo ride for students who sold more than 25 items during our Winter fundraiser. Be sure to sign and return the permission form if your student will be going on this trip!
February 3: Book orders due
January 30: UNI student starts in our room
January 31: Another UNI student starts in our room
February 1: Limo ride for students who sold more than 25 items during our Winter fundraiser. Be sure to sign and return the permission form if your student will be going on this trip!
February 3: Book orders due
Beginning Bloggers
To those of you who are new to blogging, as I very much am, be sure to explore the whole page. I'm pretty sure that I am the only one who can create a post, but anyone should be able to comment. If you don't "follow" or "join" the blog, be sure to leave at least your first name when you leave a comment so I know who it came from. Please let me know if you encounter any problems with the blog or if there is anything else you would like to see included or have me take down.
Welcome!
Welcome to our class' new site! Use this site to find ideas to use at home, share ideas that have worked for your child, share successes that your child has had this year, and ask questions. Please remember that this is a public blog, so do not share student's names and be sure to keep your posts and comments respectful. My goal for this site to make communication between parents and myself quicker and easier so we can work together to help your student achieve great things.
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