Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Math
Denominators, Fractionating Dumplings, and PEMDAS Pronghorns all took chapter tests today. They will make test corrections tomorrow and the tests/corrections will come home in Thursday folders after Fall Break.
Einsteins are finishing a chapter tomorrow and will test after fall break. If you have time over break, it would be helpful to practice multi-digit multiplication (2-digit by 2-digit and 3-digit by 2-digit) and long division (3 or 4 digits divided by 1 digit).
Reading
This week we continued to read from our Junior Great Books curriculum. We read Crow Call by Lois Lowry. This was Lowry's first picture book. The story describes the reconnection of a father and daughter after the father has been fighting in WWII for longer than his daughter can remember. This story is full of powerful word choices and symbolism, both of which we explored together in class. The students chose two words to define and understand on a deeper level by filling out a Frayer Model (definition, examples, non-examples, and a picture or sentence to represent the word). We will have our Shared Inquiry discussions tomorrow afternoon.
Current Read Aloud: Matilda by Roald Dahl
Writing
The students started their realistic fiction rough drafts on Google Docs. Please feel free to read the stories with your kiddos, but please do not work on them from home! I want the kids to write their first story independently, with as little support as possible. We are currently working on developing a strong beginning with dialogue, action, or descriptive language. Throughout the semester we will develop stories with different moods.
National Parks Unit
Camping groups are exploring poisonous or invasive plants in their parks. They are making discoveries about the internal and external structures these plants use to survive in their environments and what measures can be taken to protect people, animals, and other plants.
Social-Emotional Learning
Students made flags to represent themselves. They designed their flags with knowledge of color psychology and then presented their flags to the class.
Important Dates
Fall Break - October 14th-18th
CAGT Conference (I'll be out to attend) - October 21st-22nd
Math
Denominators, Fractionating Dumplings, and PEMDAS Pronghorns all took chapter tests today. They will make test corrections tomorrow and the tests/corrections will come home in Thursday folders after Fall Break.
Einsteins are finishing a chapter tomorrow and will test after fall break. If you have time over break, it would be helpful to practice multi-digit multiplication (2-digit by 2-digit and 3-digit by 2-digit) and long division (3 or 4 digits divided by 1 digit).
Reading
This week we continued to read from our Junior Great Books curriculum. We read Crow Call by Lois Lowry. This was Lowry's first picture book. The story describes the reconnection of a father and daughter after the father has been fighting in WWII for longer than his daughter can remember. This story is full of powerful word choices and symbolism, both of which we explored together in class. The students chose two words to define and understand on a deeper level by filling out a Frayer Model (definition, examples, non-examples, and a picture or sentence to represent the word). We will have our Shared Inquiry discussions tomorrow afternoon.
Current Read Aloud: Matilda by Roald Dahl
Writing
The students started their realistic fiction rough drafts on Google Docs. Please feel free to read the stories with your kiddos, but please do not work on them from home! I want the kids to write their first story independently, with as little support as possible. We are currently working on developing a strong beginning with dialogue, action, or descriptive language. Throughout the semester we will develop stories with different moods.
National Parks Unit
Camping groups are exploring poisonous or invasive plants in their parks. They are making discoveries about the internal and external structures these plants use to survive in their environments and what measures can be taken to protect people, animals, and other plants.
Social-Emotional Learning
Students made flags to represent themselves. They designed their flags with knowledge of color psychology and then presented their flags to the class.
Important Dates
Fall Break - October 14th-18th
CAGT Conference (I'll be out to attend) - October 21st-22nd
Thursday, October 3rd, 2019
Math
Einsteins took a chapter test and made test corrections. Their chapter test and test corrections are coming home in Thursday folders.
Problem Solver
All students were introduced to the next Problem Solver strategy - Making an Organized List. Students used this strategy to solve two word problems. The kiddos made awesome connections about the patterns in each problem. They noticed that the pattern was the same in both problems. Several kiddos were very excited to create their own word problems in order to see if the pattern would always be true! Both sheets are in Thursday folders.
Reading
Junior Great Books
This week we read Thank You, M’am by Langston Hughes. Thank you, M’am is about Roger, a 14-year-old boy who tries to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse as she walked home from work late one night. Mrs. Jones surprised Roger by grabbing a hold of him and taking him to her home. There Roger has the choice to finally run away or stay to eat a meal and get to know Mrs. Jones.
We explored the mood of this story by analyzing the illustrations, practiced questioning the text, and described a thief from two points of view (the victim’s and the thief’s). While reading the story, we monitored how our opinions of thieves (from both perspectives) changed.
Our Shared Inquiry Discussions were centered around two focus questions:
Why doesn’t Roger run away when Mrs. Jones turns him loose to wash his face?
Why does Mrs. Jones say to Roger, “When I get through with you… you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones?”
During Shared Inquiry Discussions this week, students focused on finding evidence from the text to support their claims. Students were encouraged to ask each other questions like, “Where does that happen in the story?” or “What part of the story makes you think that?”
Writing
We are taking a quick break from writing realistic fiction stories to participate in a joint project with our 2nd grade book buddies! Last Friday, Ms. G and I read student-created poems from The Best Part of Me to our classes. Students are now creating their own poems about the best part of them. This week students worked on the rough drafts of their poems. As part of this process, they also worked on revising and editing. Their final work will be displayed alongside their book buddy’s outside of the music room during conference week!
Social-Emotional Learning
Last week students began to study Color Psychology. They were introduced to the feelings associated with various colors. They filled out a graphic organizer that helped them use colors to identify their own qualities, something that many students linked to gifted characteristics. This week students continued to fill out the graphic organizer, justifying why the believed the colors they were choosing were representative of them. Students will be using this information to design an individual flag.
Specials
Mandarin
Students created books in Mandarin this week! They collaborated in pairs or small groups to write sentences in Mandarin and illustrate their stories. The books will be on display during Fall Fest on October 25th!
Art
This week the kiddos drew pictures of plants in our school garden. They also painted their pictures using paint made from the plants!
Important Dates
Friday, October 4th - Popcorn Friday
Monday, October 7th - Parent-teacher conference week begins
Friday, October 11th - Last day of school before fall break
Math
Einsteins took a chapter test and made test corrections. Their chapter test and test corrections are coming home in Thursday folders.
Problem Solver
All students were introduced to the next Problem Solver strategy - Making an Organized List. Students used this strategy to solve two word problems. The kiddos made awesome connections about the patterns in each problem. They noticed that the pattern was the same in both problems. Several kiddos were very excited to create their own word problems in order to see if the pattern would always be true! Both sheets are in Thursday folders.
Reading
Junior Great Books
This week we read Thank You, M’am by Langston Hughes. Thank you, M’am is about Roger, a 14-year-old boy who tries to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse as she walked home from work late one night. Mrs. Jones surprised Roger by grabbing a hold of him and taking him to her home. There Roger has the choice to finally run away or stay to eat a meal and get to know Mrs. Jones.
We explored the mood of this story by analyzing the illustrations, practiced questioning the text, and described a thief from two points of view (the victim’s and the thief’s). While reading the story, we monitored how our opinions of thieves (from both perspectives) changed.
Our Shared Inquiry Discussions were centered around two focus questions:
Why doesn’t Roger run away when Mrs. Jones turns him loose to wash his face?
Why does Mrs. Jones say to Roger, “When I get through with you… you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones?”
During Shared Inquiry Discussions this week, students focused on finding evidence from the text to support their claims. Students were encouraged to ask each other questions like, “Where does that happen in the story?” or “What part of the story makes you think that?”
Writing
We are taking a quick break from writing realistic fiction stories to participate in a joint project with our 2nd grade book buddies! Last Friday, Ms. G and I read student-created poems from The Best Part of Me to our classes. Students are now creating their own poems about the best part of them. This week students worked on the rough drafts of their poems. As part of this process, they also worked on revising and editing. Their final work will be displayed alongside their book buddy’s outside of the music room during conference week!
Social-Emotional Learning
Last week students began to study Color Psychology. They were introduced to the feelings associated with various colors. They filled out a graphic organizer that helped them use colors to identify their own qualities, something that many students linked to gifted characteristics. This week students continued to fill out the graphic organizer, justifying why the believed the colors they were choosing were representative of them. Students will be using this information to design an individual flag.
Specials
Mandarin
Students created books in Mandarin this week! They collaborated in pairs or small groups to write sentences in Mandarin and illustrate their stories. The books will be on display during Fall Fest on October 25th!
Art
This week the kiddos drew pictures of plants in our school garden. They also painted their pictures using paint made from the plants!
Important Dates
Friday, October 4th - Popcorn Friday
Monday, October 7th - Parent-teacher conference week begins
Friday, October 11th - Last day of school before fall break
Thursday, September 26th, 2019
ALP Development
I am continuing to develop ALPs and meet with students regarding their goals. Thank you for responding to the parent survey. I am reading your thoughts as I develop your child's ALP and will also ask for your input during parent-teacher conferences. Please email me with any questions in the meantime.
Math
Denominators
This group took a chapter test and made test corrections. Their tests (with corrections attached) are coming home in Thursday folders.
Einsteins
This group started a chapter test yesterday and finished today. They will be making test corrections on Monday (we have CML tomorrow). Their tests will come home in next week's Thursday folders.
PEMDAS Pronghorns and Fractionating Dumplings
These groups are working on long division with three or four-digit dividends and 2-digit divisors. We are using the traditional long division method. All kiddos are making wonderful progress, but many would benefit from practicing a problem or two at home for a few days.
Writing
Students chose a "seed idea" and started brainstorming ideas for their story. They brainstormed character traits, plot elements, and the setting. We are currently working on brainstorming (with words and pictures) the events for the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
National Park Unit
Camping groups have been researching campgrounds in their parks. National Park passes are coming home in Thursday folders today!
Official Rules:
Reading
We held our first Shared Inquiry Discussion, as part of the Junior Great Books Series, this week! Because we have 24 students, we held two discussions. Twelve kiddos sat in the inside circle and twelve kiddos sat in the outside circle. The inside circle discussed a focus question while the outside circle took notes on what they agreed with, what they disagreed with, and any questions they had. After the discussion, the outside circle asked the inside circle questions and then they switched! The focus questions for The Green Man were:
Important Dates
Thursday, September 26th - Multicultural Fair at 5:00 pm
Tuesday, October 1st - Mici's Restaurant Night
ALP Development
I am continuing to develop ALPs and meet with students regarding their goals. Thank you for responding to the parent survey. I am reading your thoughts as I develop your child's ALP and will also ask for your input during parent-teacher conferences. Please email me with any questions in the meantime.
Math
Denominators
This group took a chapter test and made test corrections. Their tests (with corrections attached) are coming home in Thursday folders.
Einsteins
This group started a chapter test yesterday and finished today. They will be making test corrections on Monday (we have CML tomorrow). Their tests will come home in next week's Thursday folders.
PEMDAS Pronghorns and Fractionating Dumplings
These groups are working on long division with three or four-digit dividends and 2-digit divisors. We are using the traditional long division method. All kiddos are making wonderful progress, but many would benefit from practicing a problem or two at home for a few days.
Writing
Students chose a "seed idea" and started brainstorming ideas for their story. They brainstormed character traits, plot elements, and the setting. We are currently working on brainstorming (with words and pictures) the events for the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
National Park Unit
Camping groups have been researching campgrounds in their parks. National Park passes are coming home in Thursday folders today!
Official Rules:
- The pass is for U.S. fourth-grade (or home-school equivalent) students.
- The pass is for the 2019 to 2020 school year. It expires August 31, 2020.
- Students can't transfer the pass to anyone else.
- We can’t accept electronic versions of this paper for access or to exchange for a pass.
- No refunds are given for previously purchased passes, or if you forget your pass when you visit.
- If you lose your pass, get a new one by visiting the website and signing up again.
- This program only provides passes for fourth graders.
- Show your pass to a ranger when you enter. If there is no ranger, leave it on the dashboard of your car.
- If you visit a site that charges entrance fees per person— The pass admits all children under 16 and up to three adults for free.
- If your group visits a site that charges vehicle entrance fees - The pass admits all children under 16 and all adults in up to one passenger vehicle. Commercial vehicles can't use a pass to get in.
- If you arrive at a site on bicycle— The pass admits all children under 16 and up to three adults on bicycles.
- The pass doesn't cover things like parking fees, camping, boats, and special tours. Also, some sites are managed by private operators. They may not honor the pass. Check with the site ahead of time to find out.
- The pass doesn’t cover fees for local, city, or state parks and recreation areas unless they say that they accept this pass.
- Paper passes can be exchanged for plastic passes at certain sites.
Reading
We held our first Shared Inquiry Discussion, as part of the Junior Great Books Series, this week! Because we have 24 students, we held two discussions. Twelve kiddos sat in the inside circle and twelve kiddos sat in the outside circle. The inside circle discussed a focus question while the outside circle took notes on what they agreed with, what they disagreed with, and any questions they had. After the discussion, the outside circle asked the inside circle questions and then they switched! The focus questions for The Green Man were:
- Why doesn't Claude realize he is the Green Man until the little girl asks him if he is?
- Does being the Green Man make Claude a better person?
Important Dates
Thursday, September 26th - Multicultural Fair at 5:00 pm
Tuesday, October 1st - Mici's Restaurant Night
Thursday, September 19th, 2019
First, let me say that I am SO HAPPY to be back in the classroom after missing four days last week! My classroom is truly my happy place and I'm very excited to be back into a routine with my kiddos!
Here's what's been happening in our classroom over the last couple of weeks...
Social-Emotional Learning
Last week Ms. Nicole read Miss Laynie, a story about a gifted learner, and focused a class discussion on how students can connect with Laynie and perfectionism. This week Ms. Nicole led a discussion on the intensities gifted learners experience, especially sensitivities. Ms. Nicole and I are working hard to support the class in understanding what giftedness is, how it impacts the students as people and learners, and how to manage expectations in areas of giftedness vs. areas where students are not identified as gifted.
Math
We started The Problem Solver program. The program is designed to support students in becoming confident problem solvers. It includes a 4-step approach to solving math problems. The steps include Find Out, Choose a Strategy, Solve, and Look Back. There are ten useful strategies, the first of which is Make or Use a Table.
We are also continuing to meet in small groups for math. Please check in with your kiddo to see where they are in math!
Thursday Folders
Reading
We started Book Buddies this week! We are buddies with Ms. G's 2nd grade class. We met twice this week so the 4th graders could interview the 2nd graders and the 2nd graders could interview the 4th graders. Our class was also able to listen to their buddies read a bit this week.
We completed our novel study for Shiloh. The vast majority of the class agrees that this is one of the most emotional and one of the best books they've ever read! I'm so glad they feel this way because I strongly believe that the lessons we learn from emotional books stay with us for a long time. Shiloh is one of my favorite childhood books!
While I was out last week students started their first story, The Green Man, from the Junior Great Books curriculum. Junior Great Books uses student-centered, shared-inquiry discussions to enhance students' reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. The stories can all be described as rich texts. So far students have heard the story twice and practiced questioning the text. Next week we will have our first shared-inquiry discussion!
Thursday Folders
Current Read Aloud: Matilda by Roald Dahl
Grammar
We have been working on End Punctuation and Commas in a Series. Editing for End Punctuation is a skill that we will continue to work on throughout the school year.
Thursday Folders
The History of Colorado
Over the last week or so, students began learning about how explorers and fur traders shaped our history. They learned that the Spanish were the first non-Native Americans to explore Colorado. The Spanish explorers brought change to the Native American cultures. The class also learned about the Louisiana Purchase and Mexican-American War. We focused on making text-to-self and text-to-text connections while reading from The Colorado Story (social studies textbook) and America the Beautiful.
National Park Unit
Camping groups are mapping the routes to their National Parks, taking note of the major cities they'll pass through, and estimating the mileage/fuel cost of their trips. We've been using Mapquest to find directions to the parks and adjust the routes. Students have also learned a bit about the history of our National Parks, especially Yosemite, and John Muir, "Father of the National Parks". The class was very excited to hear about some of John's Muirs adventures, especially his "avalanche ride"!
Important Dates
Friday, September 20th - NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, September 24th - Picture Retakes (see email)
Thursday, September 26th - Multicultural Fair
First, let me say that I am SO HAPPY to be back in the classroom after missing four days last week! My classroom is truly my happy place and I'm very excited to be back into a routine with my kiddos!
Here's what's been happening in our classroom over the last couple of weeks...
Social-Emotional Learning
Last week Ms. Nicole read Miss Laynie, a story about a gifted learner, and focused a class discussion on how students can connect with Laynie and perfectionism. This week Ms. Nicole led a discussion on the intensities gifted learners experience, especially sensitivities. Ms. Nicole and I are working hard to support the class in understanding what giftedness is, how it impacts the students as people and learners, and how to manage expectations in areas of giftedness vs. areas where students are not identified as gifted.
Math
We started The Problem Solver program. The program is designed to support students in becoming confident problem solvers. It includes a 4-step approach to solving math problems. The steps include Find Out, Choose a Strategy, Solve, and Look Back. There are ten useful strategies, the first of which is Make or Use a Table.
We are also continuing to meet in small groups for math. Please check in with your kiddo to see where they are in math!
Thursday Folders
- 2 Problem Solver practice sheets (check both sides for student work)
Reading
We started Book Buddies this week! We are buddies with Ms. G's 2nd grade class. We met twice this week so the 4th graders could interview the 2nd graders and the 2nd graders could interview the 4th graders. Our class was also able to listen to their buddies read a bit this week.
We completed our novel study for Shiloh. The vast majority of the class agrees that this is one of the most emotional and one of the best books they've ever read! I'm so glad they feel this way because I strongly believe that the lessons we learn from emotional books stay with us for a long time. Shiloh is one of my favorite childhood books!
While I was out last week students started their first story, The Green Man, from the Junior Great Books curriculum. Junior Great Books uses student-centered, shared-inquiry discussions to enhance students' reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. The stories can all be described as rich texts. So far students have heard the story twice and practiced questioning the text. Next week we will have our first shared-inquiry discussion!
Thursday Folders
- Shiloh Quiz for Ch 11-15
Current Read Aloud: Matilda by Roald Dahl
Grammar
We have been working on End Punctuation and Commas in a Series. Editing for End Punctuation is a skill that we will continue to work on throughout the school year.
Thursday Folders
- End Punctuation (double sided)
- Commas in a Series (double sided)
The History of Colorado
Over the last week or so, students began learning about how explorers and fur traders shaped our history. They learned that the Spanish were the first non-Native Americans to explore Colorado. The Spanish explorers brought change to the Native American cultures. The class also learned about the Louisiana Purchase and Mexican-American War. We focused on making text-to-self and text-to-text connections while reading from The Colorado Story (social studies textbook) and America the Beautiful.
National Park Unit
Camping groups are mapping the routes to their National Parks, taking note of the major cities they'll pass through, and estimating the mileage/fuel cost of their trips. We've been using Mapquest to find directions to the parks and adjust the routes. Students have also learned a bit about the history of our National Parks, especially Yosemite, and John Muir, "Father of the National Parks". The class was very excited to hear about some of John's Muirs adventures, especially his "avalanche ride"!
Important Dates
Friday, September 20th - NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, September 24th - Picture Retakes (see email)
Thursday, September 26th - Multicultural Fair
Thursday, September 5th, 2019
Math
We are into the full swing of small-group math! Each group was able to discuss group norms (what they do and don't like to hear during small-group math or partner work) and then name their group. We have the Brainiac Einsteins, Fractionating Dumplings, PEMDAS Pronghorns, and Denominators!
Each student was also assigned a CML Partner. CML is a challenging program that we use to reinforce the importance of problem-solving skills and math talk. The kids are constructing mathematical conversations with their partners using questions such as, "What have we tried that's working?", "What isn't working?", "What do we understand about the problem?", and "What don't we understand?"
Reading
We are continuing our novel study of Shiloh. We've focused on identifying the main idea and supporting details of paragraphs, pages, and chapters. Students have been identifying, completing, and creating similes. It's been really fun to see similes start to appear in our book talks and the students' writing!
The kiddos took their first comprehension quiz. We are working on restating and answering the questions as well as supporting our ideas with evidence from the text. Students are assessed on writing in complete sentences (capital letter, punctuation, and correct grammar) in addition to the content of their responses. Throughout the novel study students will take three comprehension quizzes. They will be able to choose one quiz grade to include in their report card grade. This will give them time to practice meeting or exceeding our constructed response expectations.
Thursday Folders
Current Read Aloud: Esio Trot by Roald Dahl
Writing
We started our first Lucy Calkins writing unit! We will begin the year by writing realistic fiction stories. We've been busy collecting "seed ideas" for stories. Seed ideas are teeny, tiny ideas for stories. The ideas could be about setting (a story that takes place in a National Park), a character (a boy that loves to play hockey), plot (a girl is lost while hiking and has to find her family), etc. Students are learning to look for seed ideas in their own lives and the world around them. We learned that E.B. White was inspired to write Charlotte's Web after finding a beautiful spider web in his barn. He found an egg sac and later enjoyed watching the webs spun by the baby spiders. His idea stayed a seed idea for years before he actually wrote the book.
National Parks/Camping Unit
Camping groups spent time exploring their park and possible driving routes to their park on Mapquest. They gathered information about the driving time and possible stops along the way. They were surprised to see how much money they would need for gas to drive to the park, and even more surprised when they realized they'd have to double that amount of money to get home! :)
Homework
Students started bringing their planners to and from school this week. My goal is that the planner will come home and back to school every day, even when there is no homework, to develop the habit of always having it. Homework will vary depending on what we are working on, but most often will be assigned 2-3 times per week. I think that homework is important because it reinforces learning and supports students in developing good study habits and life skills. I appreciate that homework allows parents to become involved in their child's learning. I also value your child's time to play outside, spend time with family, read at home, and commitments to extracurricular activities. These are vital in developing the whole child. Please think of homework as time spent over mastery. If students have tried their hardest for 40 minutes, they can stop their homework (unless they want to continue). This does not include unfinished work, which may come home periodically.
iReady
iReady results for both reading and math came home in Thursday folders today. We will discuss results during parent-teacher conferences in October, but if you have questions before then, please feel free to email me!
Math
We are into the full swing of small-group math! Each group was able to discuss group norms (what they do and don't like to hear during small-group math or partner work) and then name their group. We have the Brainiac Einsteins, Fractionating Dumplings, PEMDAS Pronghorns, and Denominators!
Each student was also assigned a CML Partner. CML is a challenging program that we use to reinforce the importance of problem-solving skills and math talk. The kids are constructing mathematical conversations with their partners using questions such as, "What have we tried that's working?", "What isn't working?", "What do we understand about the problem?", and "What don't we understand?"
Reading
We are continuing our novel study of Shiloh. We've focused on identifying the main idea and supporting details of paragraphs, pages, and chapters. Students have been identifying, completing, and creating similes. It's been really fun to see similes start to appear in our book talks and the students' writing!
The kiddos took their first comprehension quiz. We are working on restating and answering the questions as well as supporting our ideas with evidence from the text. Students are assessed on writing in complete sentences (capital letter, punctuation, and correct grammar) in addition to the content of their responses. Throughout the novel study students will take three comprehension quizzes. They will be able to choose one quiz grade to include in their report card grade. This will give them time to practice meeting or exceeding our constructed response expectations.
Thursday Folders
- Writing Similes
- Shiloh Ch 1-5 Comprehension Quiz
Current Read Aloud: Esio Trot by Roald Dahl
Writing
We started our first Lucy Calkins writing unit! We will begin the year by writing realistic fiction stories. We've been busy collecting "seed ideas" for stories. Seed ideas are teeny, tiny ideas for stories. The ideas could be about setting (a story that takes place in a National Park), a character (a boy that loves to play hockey), plot (a girl is lost while hiking and has to find her family), etc. Students are learning to look for seed ideas in their own lives and the world around them. We learned that E.B. White was inspired to write Charlotte's Web after finding a beautiful spider web in his barn. He found an egg sac and later enjoyed watching the webs spun by the baby spiders. His idea stayed a seed idea for years before he actually wrote the book.
National Parks/Camping Unit
Camping groups spent time exploring their park and possible driving routes to their park on Mapquest. They gathered information about the driving time and possible stops along the way. They were surprised to see how much money they would need for gas to drive to the park, and even more surprised when they realized they'd have to double that amount of money to get home! :)
Homework
Students started bringing their planners to and from school this week. My goal is that the planner will come home and back to school every day, even when there is no homework, to develop the habit of always having it. Homework will vary depending on what we are working on, but most often will be assigned 2-3 times per week. I think that homework is important because it reinforces learning and supports students in developing good study habits and life skills. I appreciate that homework allows parents to become involved in their child's learning. I also value your child's time to play outside, spend time with family, read at home, and commitments to extracurricular activities. These are vital in developing the whole child. Please think of homework as time spent over mastery. If students have tried their hardest for 40 minutes, they can stop their homework (unless they want to continue). This does not include unfinished work, which may come home periodically.
iReady
iReady results for both reading and math came home in Thursday folders today. We will discuss results during parent-teacher conferences in October, but if you have questions before then, please feel free to email me!
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Math
Last Friday we completed another lesson from a Week of Inspirational Math (see description below). This lesson taught students one of the most important lessons in mathematics: Speed is not important in learning and success. Students were introduced to Hailstone sequences, one of the world's unsolved math problems. As you can imagine, they were very intrigued while exploring and creating these sequences! Students also watched the video, Speed is not Important (click the link to watch).
Students completed a Math in Focus benchmark test and the beginning-of-the-year math iReady test. This data, as well as in-class observations, will support me in starting small-group math next week!
Thursday Folders:
Reading
Today we started our first novel study. We are reading Shiloh, one of my favorite novels, in order to explore figurative language, identify and justify our thoughts about theme, and practice answering comprehension questions. We will also review and practice reading skills and strategies, like main idea and detail, throughout the novel.
Current Read Aloud: Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
National Parks Unit
This week students researched five National Parks (Olympic, Death Valley, Yellowstone, Everglades, and Acadia) and took a Google Survey to share their preferred park to study further. Students then met with their park group to develop group norms for working collaboratively. Each group will be navigating their way through a Camping Interact! Look for more information about the Interact next week. After we complete the unit, students will receive their free National Park pass through the Every Kid in a Park program! These passes are valid from September 1st-August 31st of the following year. My hope is that everyone can find a park or two to visit this school year!
6 Words, 6 Unique Shots - Film Premier
Wow, has this been an exciting and rewarding project! Today, with the help of some wonderful volunteers, students created and edited their iMovies. They imported their files, edited the picture effects, shortened the videos, added titles, changed the transitions, included music, etc. Several students became "experts" in these areas and began helping other students. Most students were able to export their movies to their Drives.
On Monday we will have a Film Premier, during which each student will be able to share their movie with the class. I am planning to bring a juice box and individual bag of popcorn for each student to enjoy during the movies. If your child has any food allergies and/or sensitivities, please reach out to me. I will be sure to grab something that everyone can enjoy!
Social-Emotional Learning
Ms. Nicole challenged small groups to find something they all had in common in 60 seconds. Then students formed new groups to find something that no one had in common in 60 seconds. Ms. Nicole led a discussion on the importance of getting to know one another while honoring what makes us different.
Important Dates:
Friday, August 23rd: SAC Meeting
Monday, August 26th: Film Premier Day!
Tuesday, August 27th: Assessment Day, school is by appointment only
Wednesday, August 28th: Fun Run
Math
Last Friday we completed another lesson from a Week of Inspirational Math (see description below). This lesson taught students one of the most important lessons in mathematics: Speed is not important in learning and success. Students were introduced to Hailstone sequences, one of the world's unsolved math problems. As you can imagine, they were very intrigued while exploring and creating these sequences! Students also watched the video, Speed is not Important (click the link to watch).
Students completed a Math in Focus benchmark test and the beginning-of-the-year math iReady test. This data, as well as in-class observations, will support me in starting small-group math next week!
Thursday Folders:
- Hailstone Sequences
Reading
Today we started our first novel study. We are reading Shiloh, one of my favorite novels, in order to explore figurative language, identify and justify our thoughts about theme, and practice answering comprehension questions. We will also review and practice reading skills and strategies, like main idea and detail, throughout the novel.
Current Read Aloud: Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
National Parks Unit
This week students researched five National Parks (Olympic, Death Valley, Yellowstone, Everglades, and Acadia) and took a Google Survey to share their preferred park to study further. Students then met with their park group to develop group norms for working collaboratively. Each group will be navigating their way through a Camping Interact! Look for more information about the Interact next week. After we complete the unit, students will receive their free National Park pass through the Every Kid in a Park program! These passes are valid from September 1st-August 31st of the following year. My hope is that everyone can find a park or two to visit this school year!
6 Words, 6 Unique Shots - Film Premier
Wow, has this been an exciting and rewarding project! Today, with the help of some wonderful volunteers, students created and edited their iMovies. They imported their files, edited the picture effects, shortened the videos, added titles, changed the transitions, included music, etc. Several students became "experts" in these areas and began helping other students. Most students were able to export their movies to their Drives.
On Monday we will have a Film Premier, during which each student will be able to share their movie with the class. I am planning to bring a juice box and individual bag of popcorn for each student to enjoy during the movies. If your child has any food allergies and/or sensitivities, please reach out to me. I will be sure to grab something that everyone can enjoy!
Social-Emotional Learning
Ms. Nicole challenged small groups to find something they all had in common in 60 seconds. Then students formed new groups to find something that no one had in common in 60 seconds. Ms. Nicole led a discussion on the importance of getting to know one another while honoring what makes us different.
Important Dates:
Friday, August 23rd: SAC Meeting
Monday, August 26th: Film Premier Day!
Tuesday, August 27th: Assessment Day, school is by appointment only
Wednesday, August 28th: Fun Run
Thursday, August 15, 2019
I have truly enjoyed getting to know my students over the last seven days! This is a wonderful class that makes me excited to come to school every day! Here's a bit about what we've been up to...
Math
We are starting the school year off with A Week of Inspirational Math. This is an amazing program that teaches students (through a series of videos and interactive, challenging lessons) that all people are "math people", everyone can achieve the highest levels of math, and that parts of our brain actually grow and shrink depending on how and how often they are utilized. Kids also learn that struggling with math concepts before learning them actually grows our brains and that speedy math often doesn't equate with a deep understanding of math. The messages, “Mistakes are beautiful things!” and "Believe in yourself!" are also reinforced through this program. In fact, making mistakes and believing in ourselves are two key factors in understanding math deeply. Please click on the links below to watch the videos we have already watched in class. These are great concepts to reinforce at home, and we will be revisiting them throughout the school year. I will share new videos with you as we watch them in class.
Brains Grow and Change
Mistakes are Powerful
Believe in Yourself
Thursday Folders
ALP Survey
Students took a Google Survey to answer some questions about their academic and social/emotional strengths and target areas. This will help me as I begin to draft ALPs. I will be meeting with students 1-on-1 to discuss their survey responses and ALP goals.
Literacy
What am I Like?
Students wrote a poem to compare themselves to four different things in the world. Each stanza starts with the question, "Am I like _____ or _____?" and ends with the answer, "I am like _____ because _____." For example, one student wrote, "Am I like sunrise or sunset? I am like sunrise because in the morning I rise out of my bed like the sun coming out of the mountains and then I slowly begin my day."
Current Read Aloud: The Twits by Roald Dahl
Thursday Folders
Other Activities
Introducing Me!
Students answered several questions to help me get to know them better as individuals. They shared things like what they like to do after school, their favorite subject and why, something I could help them with and why, and the most important thing they wanted me to know.
Paper Chain Challenge
Groups of students were given the following materials and challenged with making the longest chain possible: 11x18 piece of construction paper, scissors, and glue. Some chains stretched across the entire room and others weren't quite as long. After the activity, students reflected on how their group dynamic and construction strategy impacted their results. They also discussed what they would do differently if given a second chance.
Important Dates
Friday, August 16th: Picture Day and Back-to-School Carnival
Tuesday, August 20th: Fun Run Assembly
Wednesday, August 21st: 6 Words, 6 Unique Shots are due (uploaded to your child's drive or emailed)
Friday, August 23rd: SAC Meeting
I have truly enjoyed getting to know my students over the last seven days! This is a wonderful class that makes me excited to come to school every day! Here's a bit about what we've been up to...
Math
We are starting the school year off with A Week of Inspirational Math. This is an amazing program that teaches students (through a series of videos and interactive, challenging lessons) that all people are "math people", everyone can achieve the highest levels of math, and that parts of our brain actually grow and shrink depending on how and how often they are utilized. Kids also learn that struggling with math concepts before learning them actually grows our brains and that speedy math often doesn't equate with a deep understanding of math. The messages, “Mistakes are beautiful things!” and "Believe in yourself!" are also reinforced through this program. In fact, making mistakes and believing in ourselves are two key factors in understanding math deeply. Please click on the links below to watch the videos we have already watched in class. These are great concepts to reinforce at home, and we will be revisiting them throughout the school year. I will share new videos with you as we watch them in class.
Brains Grow and Change
Mistakes are Powerful
Believe in Yourself
Thursday Folders
- 4 Fours: Students had to use 4 fours to create 20 different equations that equaled 1-20. We loved this activity! It can be done again at home or modified as 3 Threes or 5 Fives!
- Fewest Squares: Students drew an 11x13 rectangle and made several attempts at using the entire space to create as few squares as possible. Many of our students used 8 squares to fill the space and we have a few students share their solution of using 6 squares to fill the space!
- Squares to Stairs: Students explored how they saw a pattern growing and then volunteers shared different ideas with the class. We then worked on the back of the paper to figure out what Figures 10 and 55 would look like! No one has found the correct answer to how many squares would be in Figure 55. I told the kiddos I would go over the answer next week on Thursday or Friday so they had time to work on this from home (if they choose).
ALP Survey
Students took a Google Survey to answer some questions about their academic and social/emotional strengths and target areas. This will help me as I begin to draft ALPs. I will be meeting with students 1-on-1 to discuss their survey responses and ALP goals.
Literacy
What am I Like?
Students wrote a poem to compare themselves to four different things in the world. Each stanza starts with the question, "Am I like _____ or _____?" and ends with the answer, "I am like _____ because _____." For example, one student wrote, "Am I like sunrise or sunset? I am like sunrise because in the morning I rise out of my bed like the sun coming out of the mountains and then I slowly begin my day."
Current Read Aloud: The Twits by Roald Dahl
Thursday Folders
- What am I Like?
Other Activities
Introducing Me!
Students answered several questions to help me get to know them better as individuals. They shared things like what they like to do after school, their favorite subject and why, something I could help them with and why, and the most important thing they wanted me to know.
Paper Chain Challenge
Groups of students were given the following materials and challenged with making the longest chain possible: 11x18 piece of construction paper, scissors, and glue. Some chains stretched across the entire room and others weren't quite as long. After the activity, students reflected on how their group dynamic and construction strategy impacted their results. They also discussed what they would do differently if given a second chance.
Important Dates
Friday, August 16th: Picture Day and Back-to-School Carnival
Tuesday, August 20th: Fun Run Assembly
Wednesday, August 21st: 6 Words, 6 Unique Shots are due (uploaded to your child's drive or emailed)
Friday, August 23rd: SAC Meeting
Back to School Information
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! I hope you had a wonderful summer full of adventure, laughter, relaxation, and fun! As you will find out throughout the year, I love to travel. This summer I was able to visit all three National Parks in Florida! I had exciting encounters with sea turtles, jellyfish, alligators, and even a nurse shark! I also took a trip to Wisconsin with my family, spent lots of time with my dogs and 10-year-old Godson, and hosted several out-of-state family members and friends. It was a memorable summer, but I am ready to start a new school year!
Our first day of school is Wednesday, August 7th! Soft start begins at 8:25 and the school day starts at 8:35. If you haven't already, please visit the school website to sign up for a Meet and Greet time slot. Meet and Greets are scheduled for the evening of Monday, August 5th and the morning of Tuesday, August 6th. I am truly looking forward to meeting and chatting with each and every one of you!
Here are a few other important dates for the month of August:
Enjoy the last couple weeks of summer!
Kind regards,
Ms. Dreyer
If you have questions, please email me at ldreyer@dcsdk12.org
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! I hope you had a wonderful summer full of adventure, laughter, relaxation, and fun! As you will find out throughout the year, I love to travel. This summer I was able to visit all three National Parks in Florida! I had exciting encounters with sea turtles, jellyfish, alligators, and even a nurse shark! I also took a trip to Wisconsin with my family, spent lots of time with my dogs and 10-year-old Godson, and hosted several out-of-state family members and friends. It was a memorable summer, but I am ready to start a new school year!
Our first day of school is Wednesday, August 7th! Soft start begins at 8:25 and the school day starts at 8:35. If you haven't already, please visit the school website to sign up for a Meet and Greet time slot. Meet and Greets are scheduled for the evening of Monday, August 5th and the morning of Tuesday, August 6th. I am truly looking forward to meeting and chatting with each and every one of you!
Here are a few other important dates for the month of August:
- Friday, August 16th - Picture Day and Back to School Carnival
- Tuesday, August 27th - Assessment Day (more information to follow)
- Wednesday, August 28th - Fun Run (more information to follow)
Enjoy the last couple weeks of summer!
Kind regards,
Ms. Dreyer
If you have questions, please email me at ldreyer@dcsdk12.org