Writers Workshop: Last week the students picked a piece (a story) that they would like to take through the editing process. This week we are focusing on revising our stories and writing stories that have extraordinary punctuation power.
Mini-lesson & Strategies
Vocabulary/Spelling Vocabulary words went home last week. Students will be tested on the words next Wednesday. Our spelling focus is on our sight words. These words are expected to be spelled correctly in their writing. Unit of Study- This week we will look at how chocolate is made and learn about the process of the Tree- To Factory model. Students will also learn about various cultures who relied heavily on natural resources to help them to survive. Science: Investigation (Getting To Know Wood) Wood & Water Investigation
Readers Workshop: This week we are introducing centers. Our group reading strategies will continue to focus on reading with expression and the importance of using punctuation to help guide your reading and inform fluency. Mini-lesson & Strategies
The Landform Project is due on 11/1 .
We've been working on establishing our punctuation power. Our goal is to write juicy stories that our readers can enjoy without error. Today's lesson was on the proper use of capital letters. Mini-Lesson: Writer's use a capital letter after a period in their stories to indicate they are starting a new thought. Parents:
I need your help in making our morning and end of the day transition smoother. It’s important for students to start and end their day strong, and part of that experience is following the procedures and routines for how we begin and end our day. Over the past week I have noticed students coming in class well after 9:00 am and this is why I need your help. Morning Routine: -Students are to meet outside at the Pole at 9:00am. -Students in the Primary Class, (not parents) are to bring in their homework, lunch and backpack and put their things away to get ready for their day. *This action is part of their leadership and responsibility as students in the Primary Classroom.* Before School Morning Routine: - Drop lunch in the CLEAR buckets (outside). -Take out their Green Homework folder, RED Communication Folder & Book Baggy from backpack (be sure to zip the backpack back up). -Place completed homework in the Light blue homework tray by my desk -Put Green Homework, Red Communication Folder, & Book Baggy in personal mailbox -Hang up backpack on their hook with their name on it in the back closet. Please help them to remember these four steps. - *Please be advised that students are not allowed in the classroom unsupervised. This is a safety issue. Please make sure that there is an adult in the classroom before school starts, when they are dropping of their supplies in the morning . Early Pick Up Protocol - If you need to pick your child up early from school please do the following: 1. Sign your child out from school in the front office. 2. Eva will give you a slip (Please note that I cannot allow your child to leave without that slip from the front office). 3. Bring slip to class and hand it to me or the teacher in charge at that time. *When I see the slip I will know that you are picking your child up early. I will signal to your child to pack up. This is the least disruptive way for students to be picked up. Please do not have Eva call down to the classroom. It works best if you come to the class and pick up your child. Thank you for following this protocol. End of the day To help the students understand that the school day is over I am having students to do an end of the day clean up, pack-up and check out. This is a time where we talk about how our day went and what worked well and what did not. We will wait at our seats to be dismissed either by walkie-talkie or by a parent picking up in the classroom. When you are picking up from class –please be sure to make sure your child has their backpack, lunch box, & homework inside their Green Folder along with their RED Folder and Book Baggy. -I’ve also noticed that students are packed up with their belongings in hand and somehow they are leaving their take home items in class. Due to this- it is best that when parents arrive to pick up, that students immediately leave and do not linger in the classroom and start playing with the computers, legos, books and other items. -Once you pick your child up from the classroom please make sure that they are being supervised on the yard. Your child's safety is paramount. OTHER INFO RED FOLDER- The RED Folder contains all graded homework -including test. Please review it. There are times when I correct homework assignments and notice that a student needs to make corrections, please have your child make the proper corrections and turn the homework assignment back in to me, so that they can get full credit. HOMEWORK- Student homework should be turned in with neat handwriting. Their FIRST and LAST names need to be on the top of their homework with the DATE. Thank you for your teamwork in this endeavor. If you have any questions please email me. Mrs. Queenie
Our spelling tests for the past few weeks have shown that more at home practice is necessary. To improve your child's spelling accuracy please ensure that you: 1. Have them take several practice test throughout the week. 2. Ask them to spell the words out loud and change the first letter of the word to make a new word. YOU say: Spell Cat child says: /c/ /a/ /t/ You say: Write it in the air Child: Writes the word in the air You say:Now change cat into bat. Child: Erases the /c/ out of the air and puts a /b/ The goal is to strengthen their symbol imagery. Symbol imagery can be defined as the ability to visualize the identity, number, and sequence of sounds and letters within words. This helps them when they are spelling to see in their mind the word and the words that can made using the base letters. This process also helps them remember the visual patterns of words. MORE Tips for Spelling WORDS: 1.Have students make FLASHCARDS. 2. Make a chart like this with 3 or four spelling words you want to learn: Then fold over the "recall" part so that only the first two columns show: 3.Then fold over the "recall" part so that only the first two columns show:
Then,
Dear Parents, Our class is beginning a study of wood and paper. We will be looking at the properties of wood and paper (texture, color, absorbency, flexibility, etc.) and how different kinds of wood and paper are alike and different. Then we will investigate how wood and paper can be processed as we sand wood, make simulated plywood, recycle paper, and laminate wood and paper strips into simulated plywood and paper -mache- bowls. Finally, we will use what we have learned about the properties to make constructions (weaving, taking apart boxes, and making sculptures). The children need to bring one or two empty paper boxes (cereal boxes, cracker boxes, paper-clip boxes, or other small boxes) to school by next FRIDAY. We can also use your help to gather scrap paper and wood scraps for making our final projects. Fabric scraps will also be used. We welcome contributions of interesting paper to share ( wrapping paper, crepe paper, wallpaper, tissue paper, etc.) and fabric samples. Please send paper scraps by Next FRIDAY, October 12th. We will be needing a variety of small pieces of scrap wood and fabric by next FRIDAY as well. After students do the various activities in the module, they may ask you to help them do things at home, such as temporarily label things with the word "paper" or "wood," waterlog a stick, take boxes apart and tape them back together, or make collages, usable envelopes, drinking cups, and paper hats. You can help by making the materials available and letting your child create. Thanks, Mrs. Queenie |
Student ResourcesPBS Kids
http://pbskids.org/ Brain Pop http://www.brainpop.com/ Scholastic Book Club http://clubs.scholastic.com/ Starfall http://www.starfall.com/ Parent ResourcesEducator ResourcesResources for Educators
http://www.rfeonline.com/ PBS http://www.pbs.org/teachers Simthsonian Museum http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/ AuthorCheck this page daily for updates and classroom news. Archives
May 2013
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