Week of October 27th

I can't believe this is the last week of October.


In math this week we finished up Unit 2.  This week we made a Sea Star quilt and talked about the patterns we could see and practiced counting by 5s.  Here is a picture of what we made:

Next week we will begin Unit 3 which is focused on more adding and subtracting and counting and comparing numbers.

We finished reading aloud the Red Clover books this week.  The winner for our classroom was the book, "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt.  Here is the graph showing our votes:

In Science we continue to learn about Material Engineering for those students in my room who will be looking at how to create mortar that makes strong walls.  In Mrs. KillKelley's room students are learning about, Chemical Engineering and are making playdough and then improving it so it is better.  In Miss Blair's room they are learning about Agricultural Engineering and will be making plant pollinators.

In writing we continue to learn about how to bring our stories to life.  This week we talked about how we can add how people feel or think to bring those stories to life.

I hope everyone has a nice and safe Halloween!!  Don't eat too much candy:)

Enjoy your weekend,
Nancy

Week of October 20th

This week we have continued to read Red Clover Books. The books we have read were "The First Drawing", "The Mighty LaLouche", "Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors", "The Mathbox Diary" and "Papa's Mechanical Fish". with each story we have done an activity. Some examples were creating timelines of Elizabeth Blackwell's life who was the first Women Doctor. This activity was from the story "Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors". We also did an art activity where we crumpled up a piece of paper and used the creases to create a piece of art. This activity was from the story, "The First Drawing". Check out some of the pictures of our work.


In Math we had a wonderful math talk on Wednesday.  It was not part of our lesson but was a great teachable moment.  We came up with our first Generalization of the year.  A generalization in math is "something that is always true".  A question from a student led to a discussion about the numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and which are the answers to our double facts.  We then talked about how they were a skip count pattern or count by 2s pattern.    Then it came out that they were "even" numbers and we talked about what it meant to be an even pattern and that is how our generalization evolved.  We came up with:  "Even numbers always have a partner".  Students were so engaged during this discussion and were proud of the outcome. 


In writer's workshop we are learning about bring life to our stories.  We talked about how we unfreeze characters using pictures and words.  We also talked about how we can use small steps to bring our stories to life. 


If you ordered pictures of your child from our last Photo day, they are in your child's Friday folder.  Picture retake day is on Monday, October 27th.  If you would like your child to have a retake, please send in their original picture packet.  Also if your child did not have their picture taken, this is an opportunity for them to have it done. 


Also I would like to thank parents for coming in and meeting with me for conferences.  It was wonderful to talk with each of you about your child. 


Have a wonderful weekend,
Nancy

Week of October 6th

A photo slideshow by Smilebox

On Tuesday we had Hands on Nature.  We learned about soil.  We learned that it is made up of air, water, organic materials and rocks & minerals.  Students had the opportunity to examine worms.  They got to dissect soil and talk about the 4 elements that are found in the soil.  They then created a picture of the layers of soil and used mud like water colors to paint it.

In math we have been looking at fact families.  These are equations made up of 2 addition facts with all 3 of the numbers and 2 subtraction facts.  We learned that there was an exception though.  Double facts only have 2 equations in their fact family.

In Fundations we have started learning about digraphs.  Digraphs are 2 letters that make one sound.  They are sh, ch, th, wh and ck.  We also learned 4 new trick words.

In Reader's Workshop we talked about how good readers infer (use their schema, pictures and other words read to help them know what a word means) and how they use mental images to picture what they are reading or is being read to them.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Nancy

Week of September 29th

Make a slideshow

On Tuesday we went to Shelburne Farms as a Team.  We broke up into small groups and went on a scavenger hunt and then met back at the Farmyard to play with the animals.  It was a lot of fun. 

In math we have been working with dominoes to help us with math facts and to compare numbers.  In Reader's Workshop we are continuing with lessons to help us become better readers.  In writer's workshop we are writing some wonderful small moments. 

On Wednesday we saw the movie "Born to be Wild".  A mother from Miss Blair's classroom came in to talk to us about being an activist and the importance of helping all animals.  She is an activist for elephantsdc.org.  Their logo is "E is for Elephants, Not Extinction!"

On Thursday we had a presentation from PTO for the giftwrap Fundraiser.  These packets were sent home in your child's Friday Folder.  Please help your child to remember to return their Friday folders every Thursday.

Next week we have Hands on Nature on Tuesday.  We will be learning about life in the dirt. 

Don't forget to sign up for conferences on Monday, October 13 and Tuesday, October 14th.

Have a great weekend,


Nancy