I can't believe it, this quarter has flown by! And in just a few days, it will be see you later quarter 3 and hello quarter 4. I feel like so much has been happening, so let me fill you in...
In language arts, we continue to focus on non-fiction text. As a class, we have talked about how fiction and non-fiction texts are alike and different. For example, fiction text has illustrations/drawings, and non-fiction text has photographs. Both, fiction and non-fiction have authors, but non-fiction text has a table of contents and a glossary. For reading strategies, we have been talking about determining the main topic of non-fiction text and identifying/sharing with others when you have learned something new from a text.
In writing, we are also focusing on non-fiction by writing about what we have learned from reading non-fiction text. This week, we are reading a book about chickens, and so far, we have learned that hens lay many eggs, mommy chickens are called hens, and that baby chicks have a tooth on their beak that they use to make their way out of the shells they are in. Some very interesting stuff, indeed.
As always, we continue to focus on using capital/lowercase letters, spacing between words, using the word wall to spell sight words, using beginning, middle, and end sounds to spell unknown words, and writing at least 2 sentences about the same topic.
In math, we continue to work on addition and subtraction stores At this point, student should be able to represent and solve addition/subtraction stories at least one for the following ways: drawing pictures, using manipulatives, acting out a story, or writing an equation.
Leprechaun Traps
Thank you, thank you for taking this 'homework' in the spirit it was intended. I know that getting projects like this can be more like homework for the parents instead of homework for your child. However, please know that this is not a grade for your child. The intention is to encourage 'problem solving' in a fun and creative way. We have talked about things that would perhaps lure a leprechaun such as gold and/or a rainbow, so have fun with it and don't stress. Most of all, your child should be excited and proud of their (not your) accomplishment.
Spring Pictures
Information went home in your child's Friday folders about Spring pictures. They will be next Tuesday, the day before we track out.
Student Led Conferences
Thank you to those of you who have already signed up for our student led conferences on April 15th. There will be 3, 10 minute rotations for each conference. Your child will be showing you what they have mastered for the following rotations: reading, writing, and math. Please note that although I will be facilitating the conferences, I will not be conferencing with you about your child. Please email me should you want to set up a parent/teacher conference at another time.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
Boosterthon/Fun Run update
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Boosterthon/Fun Run on Thursday. Although it wasn't the warmest (or driest) of days, the kids had a lot of fun. And our class alone was able to raise (drum roll, please).....$1,746 in pledges. What an amazing accomplishment!!
*Note: the last day to turn in pledges in March 7th.
**Note: The kiddos chose to have one day of no homework for earning $40 a lap on the pledge-o-meter. So, for the homework that goes home today, choose one day, and make a BIG X on it. Not only will the kids love it, but it will be nice to have a day off for you, too!
*Note: the last day to turn in pledges in March 7th.
**Note: The kiddos chose to have one day of no homework for earning $40 a lap on the pledge-o-meter. So, for the homework that goes home today, choose one day, and make a BIG X on it. Not only will the kids love it, but it will be nice to have a day off for you, too!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
What a week!
We have had such a busy week....
Language Arts- This week in reading, we have learned that good readers "STOP and THINK" about what they are reading to understand what is happening in the story. When you are reading our refrigerator homework stories, try modeling this skill by saying, "You know, I am not sure what is happening on this page. Let's stop and think about the sentence we just read, so we can understand what is happening."
We have also introduced the -ap word family. The kiddos helped come up with -ap words such as cap, sap, lap, nap, and tap. It's amazing how by just knowing a word family (-at, -ap), how many other words they can read! Please look for a corresponding word family refrigerator story coming home with your child's homework on Friday.
In writing, we are ending our unit on "how to" writing this week with a "How To Put Together Mr. Potato Head" piece. Next week, we will begin "informational" writing. As always, we continue to work on using capital letters at the beginning of sentences, using mostly lowercase letters, spacing between words, tapping/dragging (beginning, middle, and end sounds) out unknown words to spell, and using the word wall to spell sight words.
In math, we have started representing addition/subtracting stories with pictures, manipulatives, and equations. I know I mentioned this before, but being able to see 'real' examples of addition and subtraction in their own lives really helps to develop their understanding of math.
Boosterthon/Fun Run
Thank you to everyone who has supported our Fun Run by making pledges. As of yesterday, our class was at $39 a lap. The kids have really enjoyed getting to participate in our class incentives like crazy hair day and pajama day. Don't forget tomorrow, Thursday, February 28th from 9:30-10:30 is our Fun Run. Have your kids wear their Fun Run T-shirts and wear appropriate shoes.
Parents are more than welcome to come out and support us.
Dr Seuss/Read Across America
We have been celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday by reading Dr. Seuss books and participating in fun activities. Yesterday, we read, "Green Eggs and Ham" and made our version of green eggs and ham using applesauce, green food coloring, and Nilla Wafers.
Donations For Upcoming Activities
We have some activities coming up in the next few weeks. Please email me if you can donate any of the following:
a box of Lucky Charms, 3 bags of cotton balls, or as MANY donations of glue sticks (we really need glue sticks!).
Language Arts- This week in reading, we have learned that good readers "STOP and THINK" about what they are reading to understand what is happening in the story. When you are reading our refrigerator homework stories, try modeling this skill by saying, "You know, I am not sure what is happening on this page. Let's stop and think about the sentence we just read, so we can understand what is happening."
We have also introduced the -ap word family. The kiddos helped come up with -ap words such as cap, sap, lap, nap, and tap. It's amazing how by just knowing a word family (-at, -ap), how many other words they can read! Please look for a corresponding word family refrigerator story coming home with your child's homework on Friday.
In writing, we are ending our unit on "how to" writing this week with a "How To Put Together Mr. Potato Head" piece. Next week, we will begin "informational" writing. As always, we continue to work on using capital letters at the beginning of sentences, using mostly lowercase letters, spacing between words, tapping/dragging (beginning, middle, and end sounds) out unknown words to spell, and using the word wall to spell sight words.
In math, we have started representing addition/subtracting stories with pictures, manipulatives, and equations. I know I mentioned this before, but being able to see 'real' examples of addition and subtraction in their own lives really helps to develop their understanding of math.
Boosterthon/Fun Run
Thank you to everyone who has supported our Fun Run by making pledges. As of yesterday, our class was at $39 a lap. The kids have really enjoyed getting to participate in our class incentives like crazy hair day and pajama day. Don't forget tomorrow, Thursday, February 28th from 9:30-10:30 is our Fun Run. Have your kids wear their Fun Run T-shirts and wear appropriate shoes.
Parents are more than welcome to come out and support us.
Dr Seuss/Read Across America
We have been celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday by reading Dr. Seuss books and participating in fun activities. Yesterday, we read, "Green Eggs and Ham" and made our version of green eggs and ham using applesauce, green food coloring, and Nilla Wafers.
Donations For Upcoming Activities
We have some activities coming up in the next few weeks. Please email me if you can donate any of the following:
a box of Lucky Charms, 3 bags of cotton balls, or as MANY donations of glue sticks (we really need glue sticks!).
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
What's Going On In Room 218?
Reading and Writing and 'Rithmatic....
In language arts, we continue to focus on retelling stories to our friends. This week, we have added a 'retell' activity to our word work station. In it, students can practice retelling stories we have read using pictures on our felt board (they love it!). You can reinforce this at home by asking your child to tell you what happened with a cartoon they watched, or a book you have read together.
In writing, we have started our "how to" unit and the kiddos helped to create a "How to Make Popcorn" recipe, which we used to make popcorn today. Later on this week, the kids will write their very first "how to" writing piece on their own, about how to brush their teeth. They will focus on using sequence words, tapping/dragging out unknown words (spelling), as well as capitalization, spacing, and punctuation.
In math, we have been working on our addition/subtraction stories. These lessons focus on the importance of having kids understand that there are opportunities to add/subtract all the time. For example, my mom handed out 4 slices of cake. She then gave one more piece to me. How many slices of cake did we eat? And just yesterday, we started creating equations & pictures to represent these stories:-)
For President's Day yesterday, we learned many interesting facts about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. We learned that President Lincoln kept important documents under his tall, black hat to keep them safe. So, I asked the kids what they would have kept under their hat if they were President Lincoln. Some of the answers included...
-My DS games and charger (Andrew)
-my IPOD (Ava)
-My dad's old phone (Reid)
-my toys (Jada)
-chocolate (Kara)
-pictures that I've drawn (VeRon)
-'power pellets' that we earn in our classroom (Mark)
-"Backavons" (Hutton)...I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong, but it is some type of toy.
Boosterthon/Fun Run
For those of you who are new to Banks Road, the Fun Run is a fundraising opportunity for our school. Next Thursday, all students will be participating in the Fun Run and running laps. The fundraising part comes in when parents and loved ones make donations to our school based on the number of laps your child runs (most students will run 25-35 laps). Parents/loved ones can also donate a flat fee.
Today was our Boosterthon/Fun Run kick off! Students received Boosterthon/Fun Run booklets that explain more about this program. When you have a moment, click on the link provided www.funrun.com and enter your specific access code (found on the front of the booklet that went home in your child's Kid Connection Envelope) that has already been set up for you. The link will take you to the Banks Road Fun Run site where you can make donations online ("Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy" as the kids say).
Also, Boosterthon/Fun Run t-shirts will be going home for each student tomorrow afternoon (free of charge).
In language arts, we continue to focus on retelling stories to our friends. This week, we have added a 'retell' activity to our word work station. In it, students can practice retelling stories we have read using pictures on our felt board (they love it!). You can reinforce this at home by asking your child to tell you what happened with a cartoon they watched, or a book you have read together.
In writing, we have started our "how to" unit and the kiddos helped to create a "How to Make Popcorn" recipe, which we used to make popcorn today. Later on this week, the kids will write their very first "how to" writing piece on their own, about how to brush their teeth. They will focus on using sequence words, tapping/dragging out unknown words (spelling), as well as capitalization, spacing, and punctuation.
In math, we have been working on our addition/subtraction stories. These lessons focus on the importance of having kids understand that there are opportunities to add/subtract all the time. For example, my mom handed out 4 slices of cake. She then gave one more piece to me. How many slices of cake did we eat? And just yesterday, we started creating equations & pictures to represent these stories:-)
For President's Day yesterday, we learned many interesting facts about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. We learned that President Lincoln kept important documents under his tall, black hat to keep them safe. So, I asked the kids what they would have kept under their hat if they were President Lincoln. Some of the answers included...
-My DS games and charger (Andrew)
-my IPOD (Ava)
-My dad's old phone (Reid)
-my toys (Jada)
-chocolate (Kara)
-pictures that I've drawn (VeRon)
-'power pellets' that we earn in our classroom (Mark)
-"Backavons" (Hutton)...I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong, but it is some type of toy.
Boosterthon/Fun Run
For those of you who are new to Banks Road, the Fun Run is a fundraising opportunity for our school. Next Thursday, all students will be participating in the Fun Run and running laps. The fundraising part comes in when parents and loved ones make donations to our school based on the number of laps your child runs (most students will run 25-35 laps). Parents/loved ones can also donate a flat fee.
Today was our Boosterthon/Fun Run kick off! Students received Boosterthon/Fun Run booklets that explain more about this program. When you have a moment, click on the link provided www.funrun.com and enter your specific access code (found on the front of the booklet that went home in your child's Kid Connection Envelope) that has already been set up for you. The link will take you to the Banks Road Fun Run site where you can make donations online ("Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy" as the kids say).
Also, Boosterthon/Fun Run t-shirts will be going home for each student tomorrow afternoon (free of charge).
Monday, February 11, 2013
100th Day of School! (and more)
What a fantastic day!
We celebrated the 100th day of school in many ways. In the morning, we had centers where we
-made necklaces with 100 pieces of Fruit Loops
-made our own trail mix for snack that had 100 pieces
-wrote about and ceated a picture that showed what we will look like when we are 100
Many thanks to everyone who donated items to make these activities possible. Also, a big thank you to Ms. Moose and Ms.Yancey for coming in to facilitate our centers. We could not have done it without you:-)
For indoor recess, the kiddos had their name picked from the 'stick jar' and were able to choose different activities to do for 100 seconds
-jump
-crawl (Jada)
-hop on one foot (Caleb)
-walk around the room (VeRon)
-dance
Later on in the afternoon, I challenged the kiddos to write 100 words and they succeeded!
Valentine's Day/Homework
On Thursday afternoon, we will be celebrating Valentine's Day by giving eachother valentine cards. Don't forget to send in your child's Valentine's Day box that will hold them. If for some reason, you will not be able to send a holder in, please let me know and I will make one for him/her.
Dental Awareness
February is Dental Awareness month. We will be celebrating it next week. We will have a dentist come in and share how to keep your mouth healthy. If possible, the next time you go to the grocery store, please pick up a weekly flyer (or two) and send it in to our class. This will help with an activity that shows the kiddos good/bad foods for your teeth. Thank you to Ms. Hood who send in some today:-)
Mystery Reader dates are finally here!
I've mentioned our "Mystery Reader" program before, and I am excited to announce I have finally set up some dates on www.signupgenius.com . The Mystery Reader program is where a person related to one of the kiddos, surprises the class by coming in to read a story to our class. The less your little one would suspect this person come in (a grandma, grandpa, or parent who does not usually get to come in and help), the better. If you would like to know more, pop on over to www.signupgenius.com and check out the details. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
We celebrated the 100th day of school in many ways. In the morning, we had centers where we
-made necklaces with 100 pieces of Fruit Loops
-made our own trail mix for snack that had 100 pieces
-wrote about and ceated a picture that showed what we will look like when we are 100
Many thanks to everyone who donated items to make these activities possible. Also, a big thank you to Ms. Moose and Ms.Yancey for coming in to facilitate our centers. We could not have done it without you:-)
For indoor recess, the kiddos had their name picked from the 'stick jar' and were able to choose different activities to do for 100 seconds
-jump
-crawl (Jada)
-hop on one foot (Caleb)
-walk around the room (VeRon)
-dance
Later on in the afternoon, I challenged the kiddos to write 100 words and they succeeded!
Valentine's Day/Homework
On Thursday afternoon, we will be celebrating Valentine's Day by giving eachother valentine cards. Don't forget to send in your child's Valentine's Day box that will hold them. If for some reason, you will not be able to send a holder in, please let me know and I will make one for him/her.
Dental Awareness
February is Dental Awareness month. We will be celebrating it next week. We will have a dentist come in and share how to keep your mouth healthy. If possible, the next time you go to the grocery store, please pick up a weekly flyer (or two) and send it in to our class. This will help with an activity that shows the kiddos good/bad foods for your teeth. Thank you to Ms. Hood who send in some today:-)
Mystery Reader dates are finally here!
I've mentioned our "Mystery Reader" program before, and I am excited to announce I have finally set up some dates on www.signupgenius.com . The Mystery Reader program is where a person related to one of the kiddos, surprises the class by coming in to read a story to our class. The less your little one would suspect this person come in (a grandma, grandpa, or parent who does not usually get to come in and help), the better. If you would like to know more, pop on over to www.signupgenius.com and check out the details. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Hi Ho, Hi ho, it's off to work we go...
And we have been working hard, Moms and Dads! And hopefully, you have seen the result of your kiddos hard work.
In English/Language Arts, we have been working on tapping and dragging out CVC (consonant vowel consonant) words to sound them out. For example, the word cat, we would start by tapping out the words twice. That is simply saying the sound each letter makes /c/ /a/ /t/. Then, we drag out the sound of each letter to determine what the word says /cccccccccc/ /aaaaaaaaaa/ /ttttttttttt/ (I tell the kiddos to visualize dragging a BIG letter that is really heavy). We have learned to drag the word out several times, then, a bit more quickly so, they can determine what the word is. We have used this skills during writing as well, when we want to try and spell a word we don't know. Speaking of writing, we are finishing up our unit on opinions this week and will move into creating 'how to' pieces. In both units, the kiddos create a pictures with details, then use 2-4 sentences to relay their thinking. As always, we continue to work on using capital letters, spacing between words, punctuation at the end of each sentence, and sounding out words.
In math, we are finishing up our unit on 2D and 3D shapes and will move into addition. The kiddos always feel so 'big' when they start adding and the pride that they have when they realize they can do it is priceless!!! As always, you can reinforce the objectives we are learning at school at home by incorporating them into your real life. Research indicates that the more kids can integrate math in real life, the more likely they will master it. Encourage your kids to identify shapes in their own lives and have them describe the shapes using the number of sides, length of the sides, number of vertices (corners), number and shape of faces (if it is 3D), does the shape roll? or does it stack?.
Next week is a BIG with with Monday being our 100th day of school and Thursday being Valentines Day. Thank you to everyone who has signed up to volunteer or bring something in (or both) for our 100th Day. The kids are really looking forward being a 100 days smarter!!
Donations needed for Dental Awareness Month
In two weeks, we will be celebrating Dental Awareness Month. As a part of an activity to reinforce foods that help/hurt your teeth, I am asking for donations of grocery store flyers. If everyone donates 2, we will have plenty! Thank you in advance for helping with this:-)
Interims/Progress Reports
In kindergarten, report cards do not go home third quarter (just as in quarter 1). Instead, progress reports go home. Keep an eye out for them Friday, February 22nd in your child's Friday folders.
Mystery Readers
Our Mystery Readers are starting March. Keep an eye out for a signup genius form to sign up:-)
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
"We're Not Kindergarteners, We're Almost First Graders!"
Yes, it's true! The kiddos have gone from babies (well, almost) starting kindergarten to being almost first graders. It's amazing how time flies, especially with the little guys (and gals). The growth they have made from the first day in August to today has been tremendous and before you know it, the last day of school will be here (get your hankies ready, mom and dad).
I feel like it's been forever since I've blogged! That winter vacation, plus track out was a long one. That being said, the kids have come back and gotten back into the routine with no problems (and that's with switching classrooms, too!). Here is a quick run-down of what we have been working on this week.
Reading- sequencing stories, focusing on what happened first, second, and so on and so forth.
Phonics- in our "Fundations" program, we have been working on identifying the number of syllabels in a word by clapping. For example, the word "pizza" has 2 syllables and the word "dinosaur" has 3 syllables.
Writing-we have started to work on writing opinion writing pieces. We have focused on not just saying, "I like monkeys" but, also giving a reason why. For example, "I like monkeys because they swing from trees. They are cute." Of course, we continue to work on using capital letters at the beginning of a sentence, spaces between words, end punctuation, and sounding out our words to spell them.
Math-identifying 3D shapes (cones, cubes, spheres, and cylinders) as well as comparing and contrasting them with 2D (circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, hexagons) and 3D shapes. I have been challenging the kids to find 3D shapes on their own and they have been doing a great job!
"The listen to reading crate is a cube"-Caleb
"Part of the tool box is a cube" -Reid
"An ice cream cone in the cafeteria is a cone"-Hannah
"A soccer ball is a sphere"-VeRon
"The paper towels are a cylinder"-Hutton
"A cup of ice cream is a cylinder" -Kaylee
You can also practice at home by encouraging your kids to identify 2D and 3D shapes at home.
Report Card Envelopes
Just a friendly reminder, the yellow report card envelopes need to be signed and returned. With the long holiday, some folks have seemed to overlooked it.
Yearbooks
Yearbook order forms went home this week in your child's Kid Connection envelope. The deadline to order is Friday, February 1st
Book Fair
Our preview day for the book fair is February 5th. On this day, the kids will get to look at what books they would like to purchase. They WILL NOT BUY books on this day.
Students will be able to buy books during school on February 8th.
Students can also buy books on February 7th at Moonlight Reading Night (an after school event). Here, students and their families are invited to participate in fun reading activities such as reading with a dog or flashlight reading. The book fair will also be open at this time, so you can purchase books with your child.
As always, feel free to email or call should you have any questions or concerns. Enjoy the rest of your week:-)
I feel like it's been forever since I've blogged! That winter vacation, plus track out was a long one. That being said, the kids have come back and gotten back into the routine with no problems (and that's with switching classrooms, too!). Here is a quick run-down of what we have been working on this week.
Reading- sequencing stories, focusing on what happened first, second, and so on and so forth.
Phonics- in our "Fundations" program, we have been working on identifying the number of syllabels in a word by clapping. For example, the word "pizza" has 2 syllables and the word "dinosaur" has 3 syllables.
Writing-we have started to work on writing opinion writing pieces. We have focused on not just saying, "I like monkeys" but, also giving a reason why. For example, "I like monkeys because they swing from trees. They are cute." Of course, we continue to work on using capital letters at the beginning of a sentence, spaces between words, end punctuation, and sounding out our words to spell them.
Math-identifying 3D shapes (cones, cubes, spheres, and cylinders) as well as comparing and contrasting them with 2D (circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, hexagons) and 3D shapes. I have been challenging the kids to find 3D shapes on their own and they have been doing a great job!
"The listen to reading crate is a cube"-Caleb
"Part of the tool box is a cube" -Reid
"An ice cream cone in the cafeteria is a cone"-Hannah
"A soccer ball is a sphere"-VeRon
"The paper towels are a cylinder"-Hutton
"A cup of ice cream is a cylinder" -Kaylee
You can also practice at home by encouraging your kids to identify 2D and 3D shapes at home.
Report Card Envelopes
Just a friendly reminder, the yellow report card envelopes need to be signed and returned. With the long holiday, some folks have seemed to overlooked it.
Yearbooks
Yearbook order forms went home this week in your child's Kid Connection envelope. The deadline to order is Friday, February 1st
Book Fair
Our preview day for the book fair is February 5th. On this day, the kids will get to look at what books they would like to purchase. They WILL NOT BUY books on this day.
Students will be able to buy books during school on February 8th.
Students can also buy books on February 7th at Moonlight Reading Night (an after school event). Here, students and their families are invited to participate in fun reading activities such as reading with a dog or flashlight reading. The book fair will also be open at this time, so you can purchase books with your child.
As always, feel free to email or call should you have any questions or concerns. Enjoy the rest of your week:-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)