Thursday, December 12th, 2019
iReady Testing
The kiddos took their iReady Reading test this week. The iReady Math test will take place on the morning of Tuesday, December 17th. Directions for the test will begin promptly at 8:45 am. iReady reports will likely be sent home via Thursday folders in January.
Patterns of Change
Novel Study
Students were able to choose a novel (A Wrinkle in Time, Chasing Vermeer, The Watsons go to Birmingham, or The Mighty Miss Malone) to read and analyze. These are rich texts that allow students to see broader, more complex patterns; a character facing a number of related challenges, shifts in the time frame and setting, conflicts developing and becoming resolved, and so on. Students are discovering and reflecting on cyclic changes at many levels: variations in family relationships, changes and growth within a character, and societal patterns that harm or benefit people. To deepen their engagement with literature, students have been completing Literature Webs, Vocabulary Webs, and Literature Journals in addition to taking part in book talks.
Persuasive Writing
Students have examined, discussed, and used the Hamburger Model for persuasive writing. The model helps students to structure their writing and emphasizes the importance of including reasons and elaboration in addition to an introduction and conclusion. After writing a persuasive paragraph, students evaluated their own writing and then paired up to complete peer reviews. Students then made revisions and edited their writing based on their reviews. I also reviewed their writing. The teacher review should come home in Thursday folders!
Concept Webs and Graphic Organizers
Students explored and completed a variety of concept webs/graphic organizers. The defined the purpose of the webs/organizers and analyzed how the structures supported the purpose. We completed two webs. One examined how Maya Angelou stressed the importance of hope in "On the Pulse of Morning" and the other explored how the Japanese folktale The Helpful Badger taught readers about gratitude.
Math
After completing a couple of chapters from the 5th grade math book as a whole group, we are back to small-group math. At times we are still working as a whole group to review skills for our upcoming iReady test. If your child would like to review at home, we are working on the following skills as a class:
Social-Emotional Learning
Ms. Nicole has had some fun and engaging lessons for the class the last couple of weeks! Ask your kiddo about the team-building activity from last week (they sat feet-to-feet with a partner and had to pull each other up from the ground) and the Unfair Game from this week!
iReady Testing
The kiddos took their iReady Reading test this week. The iReady Math test will take place on the morning of Tuesday, December 17th. Directions for the test will begin promptly at 8:45 am. iReady reports will likely be sent home via Thursday folders in January.
Patterns of Change
Novel Study
Students were able to choose a novel (A Wrinkle in Time, Chasing Vermeer, The Watsons go to Birmingham, or The Mighty Miss Malone) to read and analyze. These are rich texts that allow students to see broader, more complex patterns; a character facing a number of related challenges, shifts in the time frame and setting, conflicts developing and becoming resolved, and so on. Students are discovering and reflecting on cyclic changes at many levels: variations in family relationships, changes and growth within a character, and societal patterns that harm or benefit people. To deepen their engagement with literature, students have been completing Literature Webs, Vocabulary Webs, and Literature Journals in addition to taking part in book talks.
Persuasive Writing
Students have examined, discussed, and used the Hamburger Model for persuasive writing. The model helps students to structure their writing and emphasizes the importance of including reasons and elaboration in addition to an introduction and conclusion. After writing a persuasive paragraph, students evaluated their own writing and then paired up to complete peer reviews. Students then made revisions and edited their writing based on their reviews. I also reviewed their writing. The teacher review should come home in Thursday folders!
Concept Webs and Graphic Organizers
Students explored and completed a variety of concept webs/graphic organizers. The defined the purpose of the webs/organizers and analyzed how the structures supported the purpose. We completed two webs. One examined how Maya Angelou stressed the importance of hope in "On the Pulse of Morning" and the other explored how the Japanese folktale The Helpful Badger taught readers about gratitude.
Math
After completing a couple of chapters from the 5th grade math book as a whole group, we are back to small-group math. At times we are still working as a whole group to review skills for our upcoming iReady test. If your child would like to review at home, we are working on the following skills as a class:
- mean, median, mode, and range of a set of numbers
- multiplying fractions (proper and improper) using cross cancellation
- converting fractions to decimals
- area of a square, rectangle, parallelogram, trapezoid, and triangle (the students were very interested in learning about area)
Social-Emotional Learning
Ms. Nicole has had some fun and engaging lessons for the class the last couple of weeks! Ask your kiddo about the team-building activity from last week (they sat feet-to-feet with a partner and had to pull each other up from the ground) and the Unfair Game from this week!
Friday, November 22nd, 2019
Book Buddies
11-15-19 In honor of World Kindness Day, Ms. G and I read a book to our classes about kindness. We also challenged the kiddos to complete Random Acts of Kindness throughout our week leading up to Thanksgiving break. Some of these acts are saying hi to someone new, giving a silent wave, and smiling at 10 different people. Our classes also created a kindness bulletin board that is currently hanging outside of the music room. The board says, “Be the I in Kind” and includes the handprints of our classes! Please stop by to see it if you’re in the building!
11-22-19 Today the kiddos worked with their book buddies to brainstorm as many 3, 4, and 5+ letter words using the letters that spell Thanksgiving!
Math
We took the Chapter 6 test on the area of triangles and made test corrections.
This week we also worked out of Edward Zaccaro's book, Becoming a Problem Solving Genius. I first came across this resource during the 18-19 CAGT Conference. I went to a session that Ed taught and bought his book immediately after it ended. This week we did the 2-10 Method. With this method, students replace the smaller number in a word problem with a 2 and the larger number with a 10. These easy-to-work-with numbers allow the students to focus on how to solve the word problem without being distracted by bigger numbers, decimals, or fractions. After learning how to solve the problem with 2 and 10, the students then solve the actual problem.
Literacy
Patterns of Change
We continued reading and analyzing "On the Pulse of Morning" by Maya Angelou. We broke down the meaning of each line and stanza to increase our comprehension of the poem as a whole. Students discussed what the poem says about the importance of facing others, the most interesting verbs, and why Angelou capitalized several common nouns.
The students also took an active part in lessons designed to introduce them to literary analysis. They defined literary terms through discussion and use of Vocabulary Webs. They considered the conceptual framework of the Japanese folktale, The Helpful Badger, through the use of a Literature Web. This web included space to take notes on key words, ideas and themes, feelings, images and symbols, and the structure of the story. They also analyzed and compared plot patterns by creating Plot Maps for Little Red Riding Hood and The Helpful Badger. These concrete tools help students gain confidence in using abstract literary concepts.
Writing
We printed our realistic fiction stories this week! Students were given a rubric from our writing curriculum. After learning how the rubric works (this is a developmental skill that we will work on throughout the school year) and reading their stories several times, the kiddos graded their own writing. I will grade their writing over break. When school resumes after Thanksgiving, the students will be able to compare their self-assessment to my assessment.
Current Read Aloud: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
STEM Challenge
Aluminum Foil Boat Challenge
In this challenge, students were able to test out their engineering skills! Collaborative groups were given a 12 in. x 12 in. piece of aluminum foil to design a boat that would hold the most pennies/dimes when floating in water. The engineering process (define the problem, plan solutions, make a model, test the model, reflect and redesign) was emphasized throughout the lesson.
Book Buddies
11-15-19 In honor of World Kindness Day, Ms. G and I read a book to our classes about kindness. We also challenged the kiddos to complete Random Acts of Kindness throughout our week leading up to Thanksgiving break. Some of these acts are saying hi to someone new, giving a silent wave, and smiling at 10 different people. Our classes also created a kindness bulletin board that is currently hanging outside of the music room. The board says, “Be the I in Kind” and includes the handprints of our classes! Please stop by to see it if you’re in the building!
11-22-19 Today the kiddos worked with their book buddies to brainstorm as many 3, 4, and 5+ letter words using the letters that spell Thanksgiving!
Math
We took the Chapter 6 test on the area of triangles and made test corrections.
This week we also worked out of Edward Zaccaro's book, Becoming a Problem Solving Genius. I first came across this resource during the 18-19 CAGT Conference. I went to a session that Ed taught and bought his book immediately after it ended. This week we did the 2-10 Method. With this method, students replace the smaller number in a word problem with a 2 and the larger number with a 10. These easy-to-work-with numbers allow the students to focus on how to solve the word problem without being distracted by bigger numbers, decimals, or fractions. After learning how to solve the problem with 2 and 10, the students then solve the actual problem.
Literacy
Patterns of Change
We continued reading and analyzing "On the Pulse of Morning" by Maya Angelou. We broke down the meaning of each line and stanza to increase our comprehension of the poem as a whole. Students discussed what the poem says about the importance of facing others, the most interesting verbs, and why Angelou capitalized several common nouns.
The students also took an active part in lessons designed to introduce them to literary analysis. They defined literary terms through discussion and use of Vocabulary Webs. They considered the conceptual framework of the Japanese folktale, The Helpful Badger, through the use of a Literature Web. This web included space to take notes on key words, ideas and themes, feelings, images and symbols, and the structure of the story. They also analyzed and compared plot patterns by creating Plot Maps for Little Red Riding Hood and The Helpful Badger. These concrete tools help students gain confidence in using abstract literary concepts.
Writing
We printed our realistic fiction stories this week! Students were given a rubric from our writing curriculum. After learning how the rubric works (this is a developmental skill that we will work on throughout the school year) and reading their stories several times, the kiddos graded their own writing. I will grade their writing over break. When school resumes after Thanksgiving, the students will be able to compare their self-assessment to my assessment.
Current Read Aloud: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
STEM Challenge
Aluminum Foil Boat Challenge
In this challenge, students were able to test out their engineering skills! Collaborative groups were given a 12 in. x 12 in. piece of aluminum foil to design a boat that would hold the most pennies/dimes when floating in water. The engineering process (define the problem, plan solutions, make a model, test the model, reflect and redesign) was emphasized throughout the lesson.
Thursday, November 14th, 2019
Jonah Berger - Whole-School Presentation
Jonah was an amazing guest speaker! He talked to the kiddos about the challenges he’s faced throughout life, especially the diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), as well as the celebrations, like climbing Mt. Elbert and finishing two triathlons with leg braces. He shared many insights throughout his presentation and encouraged students to focus on what makes us similar in addition to what makes us different. He referred to his CMT as a special need and challenged all students to think of what their special needs might be (something that challenges us every day or almost every day). He stressed that this need shouldn’t stop us from doing what we want to do. Instead, we may just have to find a different way to do it!
When we returned to the classroom I asked all students to write their special needs on a sheet of paper without their name. Students crumpled their papers and put them in a pile. Then each student read someone else’s need aloud to the class. This helped us to build connections privately and was a good reminder that all people face challenges that we can’t see. This was very eye opening for the kiddos and for me.
Water Presentation: In-class Field Trip
During this hour-long presentation students learned:
Math
Students started this week off by making corrections on their Algebra tests.
All students moved on to Chapter 6 in the 5th grade math book this week. This chapter covers skills related to finding the area of a triangle. Students identified the base of a triangle when given the height and identified the height of a triangle when given the base. They also found the area of triangles (some of these were very challenging) when given the base and the height. We are already reviewing these skills and wrapping up the chapter!
Literacy
Metaphors
We practiced identifying verbs in verb-based metaphors as well as analyzing the meaning of metaphors. Students also read sentences to identify them as similes or metaphors.
Patterns of Change
Building on our lessons from last week, students collaborated in groups to generate non-examples of cycles or cyclic patterns of change. This was much more challenging for most students than brainstorming examples of cycles. We realized very quickly that most events or changes are cyclic!
We reviewed that generalizations are statements that are always or almost always true. Students worked in their groups to develop several generalizations about cyclic patterns of change. After sharing their ideas with the class, students analyzed and provided examples for the following unit generalizations (we will refer to these generalizations throughout the unit):
We also read and briefly discussed "On the Pulse of Morning" by Maya Angelou. This poem was written for the 1993 inauguration of President Bill Clinton. The poem focuses on how long the natural history of our country is compared to its human history. It also explores the themes of hope and change. After reading the poem, we worked to understand the poem's challenging vocabulary by completing Vocabulary Webs for two unknown words. As a class, we defined and analyzed the word mendicant. Then students chose another word (yoked, brutishness, or mastodon) to explore with a partner. We will continue reading and analyzing this poem tomorrow!
Current Read Aloud: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
After reading Matilda, many students have expressed interest in reading more books with gifted characters. The Mysterious Benedict Society explores many types of giftedness. It is a series that I’m hoping the kiddos will continue reading once we finish the first book together!
STEM Challenge
We completed this week’s STEM Challenge with our second grade Book Buddies! We repeated the challenge from two weeks ago in which students worked to build the tallest structure possible using only raw spaghetti noodles and tape. When completed, the structures had to hold the weight of a marshmallow. The two classes had such a fun time together! There was evidence of collaboration and idea refinement flowing through the classroom throughout the entire challenge.
Social-Emotional Learning
Ms. Nicole taught a lesson about making and coping with mistakes. She read The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken to the class and facilitated a conversation about how making mistakes makes us more similar than different. The students discovered that with each mistake we make, success can follow (if we are willing to make and learn from the mistake). After making a mistake we have to find the courage to calm down and be flexible.
Thursday Folders
Math
Important Dates
Friday, November 15th - last day of the Penny Drive
Friday, November 22nd - last day of school before Thanksgiving Break
Jonah Berger - Whole-School Presentation
Jonah was an amazing guest speaker! He talked to the kiddos about the challenges he’s faced throughout life, especially the diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), as well as the celebrations, like climbing Mt. Elbert and finishing two triathlons with leg braces. He shared many insights throughout his presentation and encouraged students to focus on what makes us similar in addition to what makes us different. He referred to his CMT as a special need and challenged all students to think of what their special needs might be (something that challenges us every day or almost every day). He stressed that this need shouldn’t stop us from doing what we want to do. Instead, we may just have to find a different way to do it!
When we returned to the classroom I asked all students to write their special needs on a sheet of paper without their name. Students crumpled their papers and put them in a pile. Then each student read someone else’s need aloud to the class. This helped us to build connections privately and was a good reminder that all people face challenges that we can’t see. This was very eye opening for the kiddos and for me.
Water Presentation: In-class Field Trip
During this hour-long presentation students learned:
- 70% of our planet is covered by either fresh or ocean water
- 30% is covered by land
- A song about the Water Cycle
- About the continental divide
- About annual precipitation in the mountains and plains vs the human population in both areas (I’ve included a picture to illustrate
- How we move water from the mountains to the Denver-metro area and the challenges of doing so
Math
Students started this week off by making corrections on their Algebra tests.
All students moved on to Chapter 6 in the 5th grade math book this week. This chapter covers skills related to finding the area of a triangle. Students identified the base of a triangle when given the height and identified the height of a triangle when given the base. They also found the area of triangles (some of these were very challenging) when given the base and the height. We are already reviewing these skills and wrapping up the chapter!
Literacy
Metaphors
We practiced identifying verbs in verb-based metaphors as well as analyzing the meaning of metaphors. Students also read sentences to identify them as similes or metaphors.
Patterns of Change
Building on our lessons from last week, students collaborated in groups to generate non-examples of cycles or cyclic patterns of change. This was much more challenging for most students than brainstorming examples of cycles. We realized very quickly that most events or changes are cyclic!
We reviewed that generalizations are statements that are always or almost always true. Students worked in their groups to develop several generalizations about cyclic patterns of change. After sharing their ideas with the class, students analyzed and provided examples for the following unit generalizations (we will refer to these generalizations throughout the unit):
- Cycles may be constructive, destructive, or neutral.
- Cycles may occur naturally or may be imposed by human behavior or understanding.
- As repeating patterns, cycles provide structure for our passage through time.
- The end of a cycle causes the cycle to begin again; a cycle may appear to have no beginning or end.
- Cycles may be broken.
- Cycles may be added to or diminished as they continue to repeat, forming spirals.
We also read and briefly discussed "On the Pulse of Morning" by Maya Angelou. This poem was written for the 1993 inauguration of President Bill Clinton. The poem focuses on how long the natural history of our country is compared to its human history. It also explores the themes of hope and change. After reading the poem, we worked to understand the poem's challenging vocabulary by completing Vocabulary Webs for two unknown words. As a class, we defined and analyzed the word mendicant. Then students chose another word (yoked, brutishness, or mastodon) to explore with a partner. We will continue reading and analyzing this poem tomorrow!
Current Read Aloud: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
After reading Matilda, many students have expressed interest in reading more books with gifted characters. The Mysterious Benedict Society explores many types of giftedness. It is a series that I’m hoping the kiddos will continue reading once we finish the first book together!
STEM Challenge
We completed this week’s STEM Challenge with our second grade Book Buddies! We repeated the challenge from two weeks ago in which students worked to build the tallest structure possible using only raw spaghetti noodles and tape. When completed, the structures had to hold the weight of a marshmallow. The two classes had such a fun time together! There was evidence of collaboration and idea refinement flowing through the classroom throughout the entire challenge.
Social-Emotional Learning
Ms. Nicole taught a lesson about making and coping with mistakes. She read The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken to the class and facilitated a conversation about how making mistakes makes us more similar than different. The students discovered that with each mistake we make, success can follow (if we are willing to make and learn from the mistake). After making a mistake we have to find the courage to calm down and be flexible.
Thursday Folders
Math
- Area of triangles half-sheet of paper (used to observe and discuss)
- Chapter 5 - Algebra Test
- Metaphors and Similes
- The Best Part of Me poem and picture (these have been hanging up in the school)
Important Dates
Friday, November 15th - last day of the Penny Drive
Friday, November 22nd - last day of school before Thanksgiving Break
Thursday, November7th, 2019
Math
Students practiced solving real-world problems involving algebraic expressions. Specifically, students wrote addition/subtraction/multiplication/division expressions and evaluated them. They also used algebraic expressions to compare quantities and solve equations. We started this lesson last Friday and reinforced it with extra practice problems this week.
Students also reviewed all algebra skills learned in Chapter 5 and took their algebra test. These tests (with corrections) will come home in next week’s Thursday folders.
Literacy
Jacob’s Ladder
This week we continued working with The Fox and The Cat passage from Jacob’s Ladder. We completed Ladder C (compare/contrast, inference, and theme/concept). The students started by comparing and contrasting the Fox and the Cat and then made inferences about what kind of people these characters would be if they were human. Finally, the students explored the theme of “success”. They found evidence to support that the author was trying to teach us about success through the Cat’s success and the Fox’s failure.
Metaphors
Students used nouns to complete metaphors and practiced writing their own metaphors for given information.
Bibliotherapy
Bibliotherapy is the use of books to support social-emotional development. It allows students to relate to characters, learn they are not alone, and build community in a safe space. This week I read The Dance of the Violin to my students. Prior to reading the story, students thought of and/or shared a mistake they’ve made in the past and how they coped with it. After reading the story, students collaborated with each other to find identifiable traits of giftedness in the main character. They also discussed how being gifted impacted his life. They are currently working on a character interview. They’ve created questions for the main character and are using empathy skills to craft what they believe his responses would be.
Patterns of Change
This is a language arts unit from The College of William and Mary’s Center for Gifted Education. The unit provides advanced content, opportunities to reason through situations, think critically about subject matter, and an elevated understanding of the real world and how it works through the exploration of issues, themes, and concepts. This week students took the literature pre-assessment and read “New feet within my garden go…” by Emily Dickinson. The students were engaged in a rich discussion about the poem, answering high-level questions in the following categories:
Students also worked in collaborative groups to brainstorm 25 ideas about cycles and examples of cyclic patterns of change. We discussed how cycles show change, what kinds of changes happen in cyclic patterns, and how we know when a cycle is happening. The groups then categorized their examples of cyclic patterns of change.
Current Read Aloud: Matilda by Roald Dahl
STEM Challenge
This week’s STEM Challenge was related to last week’s science lessons on the structures of living things. Students built and tested paper gliders that were inspired by bird structures. They used biomimicry to experiment with structures (wings and tails made from paper and straws to represent hollow bones) that accomplish similar functions for birds. They used engineering skills to design and redesign their glider based on test results.
Many students started by modeling their gliders’ wing shape after the long and narrow wings of an albatross. Then they tried utilizing the backward wing shape of the peregrine falcon. It was a blast!
Social-Emotional Learning
As we continue to learn how to manage stress, the students focused on applying stress control techniques. Ms. Nicole and I guided the students through a lesson in which they identified stressors for a character in a story. They found evidence to support how the character was coping with the stress and then reflected on how those coping strategies have helped them in the past.
Thursday Folders
Math
Extra Practice page from Lesson 5.3
Extra Practice packet from Lesson 5.4
November’s CML Test (graded) with answer key
Literacy
Jacob’s Ladder (each ladder graded with Approaching, Meets, or Exceeds)
Metaphors
Science
Quiz on the Structures of Living Things
Important Dates
Monday, November 11th - Veteran’s Day (no school for students)
Wednesday, November 13th - Penny Drive (school-wide) begins
Math
Students practiced solving real-world problems involving algebraic expressions. Specifically, students wrote addition/subtraction/multiplication/division expressions and evaluated them. They also used algebraic expressions to compare quantities and solve equations. We started this lesson last Friday and reinforced it with extra practice problems this week.
Students also reviewed all algebra skills learned in Chapter 5 and took their algebra test. These tests (with corrections) will come home in next week’s Thursday folders.
Literacy
Jacob’s Ladder
This week we continued working with The Fox and The Cat passage from Jacob’s Ladder. We completed Ladder C (compare/contrast, inference, and theme/concept). The students started by comparing and contrasting the Fox and the Cat and then made inferences about what kind of people these characters would be if they were human. Finally, the students explored the theme of “success”. They found evidence to support that the author was trying to teach us about success through the Cat’s success and the Fox’s failure.
Metaphors
Students used nouns to complete metaphors and practiced writing their own metaphors for given information.
Bibliotherapy
Bibliotherapy is the use of books to support social-emotional development. It allows students to relate to characters, learn they are not alone, and build community in a safe space. This week I read The Dance of the Violin to my students. Prior to reading the story, students thought of and/or shared a mistake they’ve made in the past and how they coped with it. After reading the story, students collaborated with each other to find identifiable traits of giftedness in the main character. They also discussed how being gifted impacted his life. They are currently working on a character interview. They’ve created questions for the main character and are using empathy skills to craft what they believe his responses would be.
Patterns of Change
This is a language arts unit from The College of William and Mary’s Center for Gifted Education. The unit provides advanced content, opportunities to reason through situations, think critically about subject matter, and an elevated understanding of the real world and how it works through the exploration of issues, themes, and concepts. This week students took the literature pre-assessment and read “New feet within my garden go…” by Emily Dickinson. The students were engaged in a rich discussion about the poem, answering high-level questions in the following categories:
- Literary Response and Interpretation Questions - Why does the speaker contrast “pensive spring” and “punctual snow”? How do the adjectives “pensive” and “punctual” affect the way you think of spring and snow?
- Reasoning Questions - How does the poet’s use of imagery challenge the common assumptions about the seasons?
- Cyclic Change Questions - What is the speaker’s attitude about the cycle of the seasons? How can you tell?
Students also worked in collaborative groups to brainstorm 25 ideas about cycles and examples of cyclic patterns of change. We discussed how cycles show change, what kinds of changes happen in cyclic patterns, and how we know when a cycle is happening. The groups then categorized their examples of cyclic patterns of change.
Current Read Aloud: Matilda by Roald Dahl
STEM Challenge
This week’s STEM Challenge was related to last week’s science lessons on the structures of living things. Students built and tested paper gliders that were inspired by bird structures. They used biomimicry to experiment with structures (wings and tails made from paper and straws to represent hollow bones) that accomplish similar functions for birds. They used engineering skills to design and redesign their glider based on test results.
Many students started by modeling their gliders’ wing shape after the long and narrow wings of an albatross. Then they tried utilizing the backward wing shape of the peregrine falcon. It was a blast!
Social-Emotional Learning
As we continue to learn how to manage stress, the students focused on applying stress control techniques. Ms. Nicole and I guided the students through a lesson in which they identified stressors for a character in a story. They found evidence to support how the character was coping with the stress and then reflected on how those coping strategies have helped them in the past.
Thursday Folders
Math
Extra Practice page from Lesson 5.3
Extra Practice packet from Lesson 5.4
November’s CML Test (graded) with answer key
Literacy
Jacob’s Ladder (each ladder graded with Approaching, Meets, or Exceeds)
Metaphors
Science
Quiz on the Structures of Living Things
Important Dates
Monday, November 11th - Veteran’s Day (no school for students)
Wednesday, November 13th - Penny Drive (school-wide) begins
Thursday, October 31st, 2019
Math
We are continuing to learn algebra and the kiddos are loving it! Last Friday, students learned to simplify algebraic expressions by combining like terms. We focused on important math vocabulary words like variable, expression, equation, evaluate, simplify, and like terms. I am encouraging kiddos to use these words when discussing math, especially when asking and answering questions.
On Tuesday students wrote and evaluated inequalities with variables and solved simple algebraic equations by isolating the variable. We reinforced these skills today.
Reading
Junior Great Books
Students took part in Shared Inquiry Discussions related to the Ukrainian Folktale, Shrewd Todie and Lyzer the Miser. The first group discussed the question, “Why is Todie able to trick Lyzer?” and the second group discussed the question, “Is the story saying Lyzer deserves to be tricked?” This class does such a fabulous job during Shared Inquiry Discussions. They share their thoughts, challenge ideas from others, and ask clarifying questions with minimal teacher facilitation.
Jacob’s Ladder
This is a reading comprehension program that implements targeted readings from short stories, poetry, and nonfiction sources. It utilizes an inquiry process that moves students from lower order to higher order thinking skills. Each passage is accompanied by two different ladders (each ladder focuses on different skills).
This week we read The Fox and the Cat, originally told by Aesop. We completed Ladder B (details, classifications, and generalizations). The students had to brainstorm 25 possible ways for the Fox to escape the hounds and the huntsmen, classify the methods of escape, and then create generalizations about the Fox's character and/or methods of escape.
Writing
Students are continuing to write their realistic fiction stories.
Science
As part of our life science studies, we focused on the structures of living things this week. Students learned that plants and animals have structures to help them survive, structures have specific functions, and that animal structures may appear similar or different depending on where they live. They learned about the internal and external structures of monitor lizards, whip spiders, butterflies, pine trees, and cacti.
As part of this lesson, students explored the function of thumbs, watched a video, participated in class discussions, read a nonfiction passage, and took a quiz.
STEM Challenge
Last Friday we started a weekly (sometimes it’ll be bi-weekly) STEM Challenge! The kiddos were put into groups of four and challenged with building the tallest tower possible using only masking tape and raw spaghetti noodles. The towers had to hold one regular-sized marshmallow on the top. Although there were several creative designs, most groups “failed forward”, learning what not to do next time. We will repeat this challenge in a couple of weeks!
Specials
PE - The students warmed up each day with a few laps around the gym and stretches. They've been doing different exercises each day. Student leaders have been deciding what language the students count in during warm-ups and what agility exercises the class does.
Spanish - Students learned about the migration of monarch butterflies (they migrate to Mexico from Canada) and the Day of the Dead.
Math
We are continuing to learn algebra and the kiddos are loving it! Last Friday, students learned to simplify algebraic expressions by combining like terms. We focused on important math vocabulary words like variable, expression, equation, evaluate, simplify, and like terms. I am encouraging kiddos to use these words when discussing math, especially when asking and answering questions.
On Tuesday students wrote and evaluated inequalities with variables and solved simple algebraic equations by isolating the variable. We reinforced these skills today.
Reading
Junior Great Books
Students took part in Shared Inquiry Discussions related to the Ukrainian Folktale, Shrewd Todie and Lyzer the Miser. The first group discussed the question, “Why is Todie able to trick Lyzer?” and the second group discussed the question, “Is the story saying Lyzer deserves to be tricked?” This class does such a fabulous job during Shared Inquiry Discussions. They share their thoughts, challenge ideas from others, and ask clarifying questions with minimal teacher facilitation.
Jacob’s Ladder
This is a reading comprehension program that implements targeted readings from short stories, poetry, and nonfiction sources. It utilizes an inquiry process that moves students from lower order to higher order thinking skills. Each passage is accompanied by two different ladders (each ladder focuses on different skills).
This week we read The Fox and the Cat, originally told by Aesop. We completed Ladder B (details, classifications, and generalizations). The students had to brainstorm 25 possible ways for the Fox to escape the hounds and the huntsmen, classify the methods of escape, and then create generalizations about the Fox's character and/or methods of escape.
Writing
Students are continuing to write their realistic fiction stories.
Science
As part of our life science studies, we focused on the structures of living things this week. Students learned that plants and animals have structures to help them survive, structures have specific functions, and that animal structures may appear similar or different depending on where they live. They learned about the internal and external structures of monitor lizards, whip spiders, butterflies, pine trees, and cacti.
As part of this lesson, students explored the function of thumbs, watched a video, participated in class discussions, read a nonfiction passage, and took a quiz.
STEM Challenge
Last Friday we started a weekly (sometimes it’ll be bi-weekly) STEM Challenge! The kiddos were put into groups of four and challenged with building the tallest tower possible using only masking tape and raw spaghetti noodles. The towers had to hold one regular-sized marshmallow on the top. Although there were several creative designs, most groups “failed forward”, learning what not to do next time. We will repeat this challenge in a couple of weeks!
Specials
PE - The students warmed up each day with a few laps around the gym and stretches. They've been doing different exercises each day. Student leaders have been deciding what language the students count in during warm-ups and what agility exercises the class does.
Spanish - Students learned about the migration of monarch butterflies (they migrate to Mexico from Canada) and the Day of the Dead.
Thursday, October 24th, 2019
CAGT Conference
As you know, I was off campus on Monday and Tuesday to attend the Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented Conference. During these two days I was able to attend breakout sessions, listen to keynote speakers, and even present during a session! I attended some truly amazing sessions to learn more about managing stress and trauma in the classroom, executive functions and how they impact kids in and out of school, and perfectionism. I included the links to a couple of wonderful resources that you may find helpful. I'm looking forward to bringing the ideas and strategies I learned into our classroom!
The Discovery team (Mrs. Lynch, Mrs. Schmidt, Mrs. Howell, Ms. Nicole, and I) presented during CAGT! We were able to share the challenges and celebrations in developing our magnet program over the last 20 years. That's right, this is Northridge's 20th year with a Discovery magnet! It reminded me of how honored I am to work with my team and my kiddos. :)
Math
Since all of my math groups finished chapters at the same time, we are going to spend a few weeks doing whole-group math. Today we started the 5th grade chapter on algebra. Students learned what a variable is, how to write algebraic expressions in multiple ways, and how to solve simple algebraic equations when the value of the variable is given. This is a short, very important chapter. We will likely be ready to review the chapter by the end of next week. After testing, we will spend time reinforcing concepts and deepening our understanding of algebra using supplemental resources.
Most students will have a math chapter test with corrections and two Problem Solver problems (one solved with an organized list and one solved by making a table) in their Thursday folder today.
Literacy
Reading
This week students read Shrewd Todie and Lyzer the Miser, a Ukrainian folktale as told by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Prior to reading, students were able to research Ukrainian culture and geography. Our Shared Inquiry discussion will be tomorrow.
Current Read Aloud: Matilda by Roald Dahl
Writing
Students are continuing to write their realistic fiction stories. We are focusing on developing the problems in their stories. We've discussed that when characters try to solve problems, the problems either grow or multiply before they are solved. This is how we, as writers, develop the plot of the story.
Figurative Language
Students were introduced to metaphors today and will continue to practice identifying and writing metaphors.
Social-Emotional Learning
Ms. Nicole and I co-taught the beginning of a lesson from the Affective version of Jacob's Ladder. Jacob's Ladder is a reading comprehension program, but the Affective version focuses on reading to improve social-emotional intelligence. We started a lesson on Stress Management. Today students identified conditions and situations that cause stress. They associated feelings with these situations and then practiced writing metaphors about those feelings. We discussed the differences between internal and external pressures and how asking ourselves, "What's the worst that can happen?" might aid us in coping with stressful situations. We will build on this next week so that students are learning to say, "What's the worst thing that can happen? What's the best thing that could happen? What is the most likely outcome?"
Fidgets
Fidgets help people, kids and adults, stay focused and attend to longer tasks. For some people they might even be calming or help reduce anxiety. I have had several kids ask for fidgets in the classroom, so today we made our own! We discussed the purpose of fidgets and how they should be used. Students were able to identify the differences between fidgets and toys and know that our classroom expectation is to be focused on learning while using a fidget. Here is the link to see how we made them (it's the top fidget on the list). I included a picture of a few as well!
CAGT Conference
As you know, I was off campus on Monday and Tuesday to attend the Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented Conference. During these two days I was able to attend breakout sessions, listen to keynote speakers, and even present during a session! I attended some truly amazing sessions to learn more about managing stress and trauma in the classroom, executive functions and how they impact kids in and out of school, and perfectionism. I included the links to a couple of wonderful resources that you may find helpful. I'm looking forward to bringing the ideas and strategies I learned into our classroom!
The Discovery team (Mrs. Lynch, Mrs. Schmidt, Mrs. Howell, Ms. Nicole, and I) presented during CAGT! We were able to share the challenges and celebrations in developing our magnet program over the last 20 years. That's right, this is Northridge's 20th year with a Discovery magnet! It reminded me of how honored I am to work with my team and my kiddos. :)
Math
Since all of my math groups finished chapters at the same time, we are going to spend a few weeks doing whole-group math. Today we started the 5th grade chapter on algebra. Students learned what a variable is, how to write algebraic expressions in multiple ways, and how to solve simple algebraic equations when the value of the variable is given. This is a short, very important chapter. We will likely be ready to review the chapter by the end of next week. After testing, we will spend time reinforcing concepts and deepening our understanding of algebra using supplemental resources.
Most students will have a math chapter test with corrections and two Problem Solver problems (one solved with an organized list and one solved by making a table) in their Thursday folder today.
Literacy
Reading
This week students read Shrewd Todie and Lyzer the Miser, a Ukrainian folktale as told by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Prior to reading, students were able to research Ukrainian culture and geography. Our Shared Inquiry discussion will be tomorrow.
Current Read Aloud: Matilda by Roald Dahl
Writing
Students are continuing to write their realistic fiction stories. We are focusing on developing the problems in their stories. We've discussed that when characters try to solve problems, the problems either grow or multiply before they are solved. This is how we, as writers, develop the plot of the story.
Figurative Language
Students were introduced to metaphors today and will continue to practice identifying and writing metaphors.
Social-Emotional Learning
Ms. Nicole and I co-taught the beginning of a lesson from the Affective version of Jacob's Ladder. Jacob's Ladder is a reading comprehension program, but the Affective version focuses on reading to improve social-emotional intelligence. We started a lesson on Stress Management. Today students identified conditions and situations that cause stress. They associated feelings with these situations and then practiced writing metaphors about those feelings. We discussed the differences between internal and external pressures and how asking ourselves, "What's the worst that can happen?" might aid us in coping with stressful situations. We will build on this next week so that students are learning to say, "What's the worst thing that can happen? What's the best thing that could happen? What is the most likely outcome?"
Fidgets
Fidgets help people, kids and adults, stay focused and attend to longer tasks. For some people they might even be calming or help reduce anxiety. I have had several kids ask for fidgets in the classroom, so today we made our own! We discussed the purpose of fidgets and how they should be used. Students were able to identify the differences between fidgets and toys and know that our classroom expectation is to be focused on learning while using a fidget. Here is the link to see how we made them (it's the top fidget on the list). I included a picture of a few as well!
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