Coming Events!

I hope everyone is enjoying a nice relaxing weekend. I look forward to meeting with you on Wednesday on our conference day. We will have a great deal of information to discuss in a short amount of time. You may want to think ahead of time and perhaps have a couple of questions written out ahead of time. I want to make sure that your questions and any concerns that you may have get addressed as well.

There is another website that you may want to bookmark at home. The National Geographic website is full of fun games and interesting information about all the things that kids love. At some point, this website may even help with a report or homework assignment.
www.NationalGeographic.com/kids

The children will come home with their math test and a few other assignments on Monday. Please look the math test to see where they may still some additional practice at home. Do not panic as we will continue to review basic items such as telling time and money. We began learning strategies to organize information in word problems. They will have a spelling list this week with dictation. We will begin Lesson 2 in Wordly Wise and continue working on our writing in Writer's Workshop. When you come in on Wednesday, you will see some of your child's writing displayed in the hall and around the room.

Great day!

Today was a great day! The children worked really hard in Science, Math and Reading. We went to the science lab and continued making hypotheses and learning about position words and motion. You will want to ask your child about the blocks. We read an interesting Native American myth about how the length of day and night came to be. Ask about the ant and the why he has a skinny waist. We have begun Unit w in math. You will see by the parent letter that came home tonight that we will study fact families, fact extensions, input and output machines, ways to organize word problems to make them easier to solve, ballpark estimates and the counting up method of solving two and three digit subtraction problems. We will begin our new class novel, The Chalkbox Kid.

Homework is as follows:

Reading: Comprehension Activity .... Ant and Bear
Math: Workbook page 31 and Home Link page 35
Science: Complete activity sheet on Motion
Continue to study spelling words and look over the reading vocabulary sheet with the words, mingle, documents, pennants etc.....

Marvelous Monday!

Monday's homework is as follows:

Math- Dootey's Penny War... you are allowed to help the children with the question and the directions, but please try to let them see if they can come up with the answer on their own. This is extra credit, but I did encourage them all to try.

Spelling- Long a words with spellings of a, ai, ay... there is no dictation this week

Map Work- this week the skill is grid maps

We made our two quotation class books today. They are wonderful. I will have them out for you to see on conference day.

I would encourage you when giving directions at home, please try to keep the directions to two or three steps and try really hard not repeat them. I often have the children echo what I say just so I can see what they are hearing. In order for them to become more independent workers, they must have a secure sense of what needs to be done in a sequential order. This comes with practice and little to no repeating. Thank you for your help and support at home.

If you ever have any comments and thoughts with the information in my blog, yet don't want it to be published for everyone to see, please feel free to email me on my Shorecrest email address.

Frizzled Friday!

We have had a good productive, hard working week. I think we all were ready for the weekend! The kids did an awesome job today in computer lab working with their pictures on simple machines. These posters that they created will be coming home on Monday in the work folders. We will leave the computer lab for three weeks and move into Art class.

Most of the children were able to complete their Comic Strips today. Those that did not, will be given time first thing Monday morning to create. We will then move to the next step of writing quotations that include the narration along with the dialogue. I refer to the narration portion as the speaker tag. The children will write one of their own using a comic from the newspaper. We will compile the comics and create a class book. I can't wait!

You will notice that the format of my blog has changed. In order for the children to be able to access Mad Libs, I had to change the template. The Mad Libs games are great for reviewing and learning all parts of speech and just having fun creating silly stories.

The children do have a Math test on Monday. We have completed and reviewed the practice test that is in their homework folder. I gave them plenty of time to ask questions and we practiced many of the skills in repetition. I have asked the children to look over the practice test for 10 to 15 minutes sometime over the weekend. There is no written work.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday Tidbits!

Today was another packed but fun day! Ask your child about using the cameras in computer lab. We are beginning our study of work and force and simple machines.

Homework tonight is:
SPELLING- study words and dictation for the test
READING-complete the "Big Top" reading comprehension sheet...don't forget to sign it
MATH- complete the shopping spree... remember they cannot spend over 100 dollars
Vocabulary-complete the word web.. they chose a word in class from our reading stories and in each bubble they are to write another word or phrase or example that represents that word. For example: Yanking..... they could write a dog leash in one bubble and the word pulling in another bubble. I told the children that they should bring it up at the dinner table to see what you thought about the word. Get Ready!

I would like to begin sharing our "All About Me" posters the week of September 28. I will tell the children what their special day is starting tomorrow.

We have completed our first essay on Friends. The children had to write about their favorite qualities in a friend and then discuss what they enjoy doing with their friend. To complete the project we made paper friends to go with the essay. Very Cute!

Wednesday Homework!

Tonight's homework is as follows:

MATH: Workbook pg. 28 and the Sharing Money challenge.

READING: Complete the comprehension activity entitled America's People. The first two questions have already been restated on the back. They are answer those two questions and then are allowed to choose a third one. They much restate the question and give a specific answer. We are working on restating questions in class, so don't be alarmed if your child has a little difficulty with this skill.

BOOK ORDER: The children came home with a book order form. I told them that they did not have to order any books if they didn't want to. But, if they decide to order books, please have the money in by September 29. Please fill out the form to completely and send in a check made out to Scholastic Books.

For Friday:
Spelling Test and Dictation Sentences
Comprehension Activity, Under the Big Top... don't forget to sign the form
Math Activity... 100 dollar allowance to make purchases.. make sure they cut out pictures and glue on the back of the sheet

The children are allowed to bring in the library books when they are finished with them. They do not have to wait until library time on Monday to return a book.

Ask your child what the word satchels means... we began a new list of words today for reading.

Tuesday Unfolds!

I just wanted to update you on the work that the children came home with today! They are getting much better at organizing their work in class, but I am not completely confident that they can sustain this organization between school and home. I want to help eliminate any stress or confusion for you at home.
Tuesday Homework:
Wordly Wise Quiz on Lesson 1 words. The children should review the definitions using the index cards that they created in class. They do not have to know how to spell them but will be expected to use the words in sentences that will be provided for them. I will give them the list of words to use while taking the quiz.
Math Workbook page 25 and Home Link page 27. This is a review of skills that we have been working on in class. NOW... there is an additional activity sheet in their homework folder, Home Link page 25. This is not due until Friday. I have given the children an allowance of 100 dollars. They are to purchase items that they would like to own without spending more than 100 dollars. I told them they could use the newspaper, a magazine, and a catalog with the pictures that they are to cut out and glue on the back of the sheet. They are only to complete the Actual Price column. We will work on the Estimated Price column in class on Friday.

Picture Day was a success. We were called down to get our picture taken just minutes before PE.

We had some fun in Science lab today. You may want to ask your child about which dissolved more completely.. salt or baking soda. We also completed an experiment using 4 different kinds of balls. The point of this experiment was to teach the concept of constant and variable in an experiment. Ask your child which ball bounced the highest and the "bouncy ball" doesn't count!

Here is a website that you may want to bookmark at home. This website has various science experiments that look to be quite fun. At some point we will have Wizards on Wednesdays where the children will be able to come in and conduct an experiment of their choice for the class. Or if this is not their cup of tea, they can conduct the experiment at home on a rainy day and write up a little summary of the experiment, you sign it, and I will happily give extra credit for added effort. But I have told the children that they must get your permission first and you have to see the experiment before they begin.
www.yucky.kids.discovery.com

Remember dictation is a part of the spelling test this week. I have asked the children to write the sentences at home at least once. Only read them twice before they begin to write and see how well they are able to remember and complete the sentence.

Our birthday celebrities are Alexandra Hairston and Tate Mayo. Happy Birthday!

Monday Kick Off!

There are a couple of new topics coming home tonight that I want you to know about and understand. First, I am going to begin giving the children a comprehension activity on Mondays. They will have until Friday to complete the task. I will not give one every week, but hope to do so every other week. We review the topic in class and I will always go over the activity. However, they are to come home and read the story orally to an adult. Please make sure they are not skipping over words or substituting other words within the text. Then, they are to complete the activity following the directions given. These activities are usually short but effective. You both will need to sign the bottom of the activity sheet before it is returned to class. I have asked the children to decide if they wish to keep the finished product in their homework folder if it's completed prior to Friday or if they will keep it at home. I am leaving this decision up to them as long as it is ready to turn in on Friday morning. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
Also, part of the homework tonight is for them to go online to the website below. We will working on quotations this week. As a culminating activity, the children will create their own comic strip. All I want them to do tonight is to play around with the features of the program. They do not have to write or produce a comic strip. This will be done in class. I just thought that the work in class could be done more efficiently if they were familiar with the functions. Mrs. Baralt came into the classroom today and gave us all a lesson on this program. This should great fun!
http://www.makebeliefscomix.com
If you have any comic pages leftover from the Sunday paper that you would like to donate to the class, I would greatly appreciate it.

I do hope everyone had a great weekend! The children are coming home with new library books today. If your child still has one at home and they are ready to return it to the library, please have them come to school tomorrow with these books and I will find time to return to the library.

You will want to ask your child about the word for the day... indebted.. they also have a riddle they can share with you after using the Wordly Wise words. They will have a test on these words on Wednesday. I will have them bring home the workbook on Monday and Tuesday night to study. Thank you for all your help and support!

Happy Friday!

We dove into our pomegranates today! What a treat!!!! I promise that I will sending papers home on Monday. The paper envelope will need to be signed and dated and returned to school on Tuesday. I had some issues in setting up my electronic grade book and then we ran out of time today after computer to pass out papers. You will have a nice stack of papers to look over on Monday. I will also be sending home the rough drafts of an essay that the children wrote on friends and friendship this week. We have already done the editing and revising of these essays and will even create a construction paper friend to go along with the writing. These will be up in the room next week. The spelling tests are looking good so far. But, the children do need to review the words at least twice a week. Starting next week, I will also include dictation sentences with the words. At some point in the year, they will not receive the dictation sentences prior to the test. So, I have discussed with the children that they need to practice writing these sentences as there may be some words in the sentence that aren't familiar to them. We were able to get to the library today and the children were very excited about checking out the new Sunshine State books. I continue to encourage the children to read at least 20 minutes a night, even over the weekend. I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend!

Thursday Thoughts!

Though this has been a short week, we have packed in a lot of work! We are reading a story entitled, America's People. It talks a great deal about ancestors and immigrants coming through Ellis Island. There was a terrific show on public television a week ago on Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. If you have the opportunity to see if the show will have a repeat performance, it is well worth the watch. I wish that I had known ahead of time, I would have encouraged my kids to watch it. Our reading theme discusses traditions and customs of all people. I have been asking the children to think about family traditions and customs that you may have in your home. We will have a math test next week on Unit 1. I will spend a day reviewing the major skills and giving them a practice test. They can then use this practice test to gauge their studies at home. Please make sure that you review all homework and drop me an email if you see any problems at home with the work . We have begun our Scientific Journal by outlining the scientific method and making our own hypotheses. You will want to ask about the baking potato. We are working on a Friendship essay this week. We will begin our study of Personal Narrative writing next week. Remember that the geography project is due on Sept. 14 and picture day is Sept. 15. We had our first fire drill today and the children did a wonderful job. They knew exactly what to do and followed directions to the letter. Always know that your child's safety come first. We enjoyed the introduction to the new Sunshine State books that Mrs. Smay provided on Wednesday. I am encouraging my children to read at least 3 of the titles on the list that she provided. This list should be in your child's homework folder if you have not already seen it. This can be a part of their nightly 20 minutes of reading as a part of the homework process. Thank you for sending me such eager children!

Terrific Thursday!

Tonight for homework the children will need to study their spelling words and complete a Math Home Link activity. I will be sending home the geography project tomorrow. You will need to sign the bottom portion of the project letter and return to me on Tuesday. We have also begun our study of Florida, past and present. The children did a great job reciting our class poem, Keep a Poem in Your Pocket. We certainly have some budding entertainers!