Hello Families!
The Unit 2 math test has been postponed until Thursday, November 1st. Have a great, safe Halloween!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Week of 10/22-10/26
Last week we were busy, busy, busy! Take a look at just a few things we worked on:
Social Studies: The students are wrapping up the first unit in our Michigan studies curriculum by creating a brochure that will be sure to attract the attention of prospective tourists! Each student was given a rubric of what needs to be in their brochure and how it will be graded. The kids are really enjoying working on these!
Reading: We began Book Clubs on Monday. The groups and books were chosen by me. This first go-around will focus mostly on the social aspect of book clubs (teacher expectations, group expectations, noise level, conversations, etc.).
Spelling: The "Words Their Way" program is in full swing! Spelling tests were on Friday and I will have them graded and given back to the students by tomorrow, Tuesday the 30th. The students are graded in three different areas as you will see on the top of the test paper. The three areas graded are handwriting, spelling, and punctuation/grammar. Grades will range from 1-4 and align with report card grades. "1" means area of concern, "2" is beginning, "3" is developing, and "4" is secure. For the spelling portion of the grading, spelling words and correct spelling of grade-level sight words are assessed.
Follow this link to view grade-level sight words: http://www.mrsperkins.com/dolch-words-all-alpha-printable.pdf
Feel free to print it out!
Conferences are right around the corner! Please make sure you turn in your blue conference sign-up sheet by this Friday, November 2nd!
I hope your week is off to a great start!
Social Studies: The students are wrapping up the first unit in our Michigan studies curriculum by creating a brochure that will be sure to attract the attention of prospective tourists! Each student was given a rubric of what needs to be in their brochure and how it will be graded. The kids are really enjoying working on these!
Reading: We began Book Clubs on Monday. The groups and books were chosen by me. This first go-around will focus mostly on the social aspect of book clubs (teacher expectations, group expectations, noise level, conversations, etc.).
Spelling: The "Words Their Way" program is in full swing! Spelling tests were on Friday and I will have them graded and given back to the students by tomorrow, Tuesday the 30th. The students are graded in three different areas as you will see on the top of the test paper. The three areas graded are handwriting, spelling, and punctuation/grammar. Grades will range from 1-4 and align with report card grades. "1" means area of concern, "2" is beginning, "3" is developing, and "4" is secure. For the spelling portion of the grading, spelling words and correct spelling of grade-level sight words are assessed.
Follow this link to view grade-level sight words: http://www.mrsperkins.com/dolch-words-all-alpha-printable.pdf
Feel free to print it out!
Conferences are right around the corner! Please make sure you turn in your blue conference sign-up sheet by this Friday, November 2nd!
I hope your week is off to a great start!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Words Their Way
Good afternoon!
Last week I sent home a note stating that we would be beginning our spelling program this week. Today, all the students were given their first word list and word sort. Each Monday the kids will be given two lists (containing the same words). One list will be sorted out in class and put in their "Word Sorts" folder. The other list will be taken home so that they may use it to practice their words at home. Attached to the letter were two pages of fun ways to practice spelling at home.
The list that your child has started on is based on an assessment from the same company. This program targets spelling patterns, instead of generating a random list of "third-grade words". There is a pattern and flow to the lists, some skills build upon one another, some are independent of other lists.
Thank you for your patience during the first couple of weeks of the program as we work out all the details!
Last week I sent home a note stating that we would be beginning our spelling program this week. Today, all the students were given their first word list and word sort. Each Monday the kids will be given two lists (containing the same words). One list will be sorted out in class and put in their "Word Sorts" folder. The other list will be taken home so that they may use it to practice their words at home. Attached to the letter were two pages of fun ways to practice spelling at home.
The list that your child has started on is based on an assessment from the same company. This program targets spelling patterns, instead of generating a random list of "third-grade words". There is a pattern and flow to the lists, some skills build upon one another, some are independent of other lists.
Thank you for your patience during the first couple of weeks of the program as we work out all the details!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Junior Achievement
Today was the first of five visits from Mrs. Connolly, our Junior Achievement instructor. J.A. is a free program that sends a volunteer to your classroom to teach and lead the class in fun activities all based on grade-specific social studies curriculum. Mrs. Connolly will be teaching us all about our city which includes concepts like: economic development, city zones, city planners, careers, jobs, skills, consumers, producers, entrepreneurs, and interdependence. All of these concepts are linked to our Michigan Economics unit.
Today, the kids talked about different zones in a city; business, residential, industrial, multi-purpose, and farming. The kids compared and contrasted each zone and specified buildings they would expect to see in each area.
We look forward to J.A. next Wednesday!!
Today, the kids talked about different zones in a city; business, residential, industrial, multi-purpose, and farming. The kids compared and contrasted each zone and specified buildings they would expect to see in each area.
We look forward to J.A. next Wednesday!!
Friday, October 12, 2012
MEAP Week #1 - Check!
Happy Friday Families!!
Wow! Your children, my students, they really rocked it out this week! Most got plenty of sleep and were ready to go the minute they walked through our classroom doors! The positive energy and attitudes were quite catchy and we ended the MEAP's this week feeling triumphant! Bring on week #2!!!
Not only were we "MEAP-ing" this week, we also kept busy in other areas of the curriculum, as well. Here are a couple of areas we worked on this week:
Writing
The kids were re-introduced to the paragraph during writer's workshop. We discussed the three parts of a paragraph (topic sentence, three details, closing sentence) and we worked on putting a paragraph together using a "hamburger paragraph" graphic organizer. It is literally the outline of a hamburger with a bun, three items in the middle, and a bottom bun. This organizer really helps the kids to see the five different sections they need in their paragraph. We filled in a hamburger together with the topic, "Why people should visit Michigan". The kids then worked on their own hamburger with the topic, "My favorite holiday". Today we worked on moving our paragraph from the hamburger to lined paper. This is something that we will be practicing and building on all year.
Math
This week we had our first unit test and have moved on to Unit 2. We learned a new game called "Rolling to 100" and reviewed fact families and fact triangles. Many kids were stumped when the equal sign and addition/subtraction sign switched spots (ex: instead of 7+3=10, they saw 10=7+3), it got especially confusing when it was in subtraction form. When the kids have to fill in the problem and are not paying attention, they input the numbers in the wrong way. This is something we practice all year, but I told them they need to pay attention to all those little details!
Social Studies
We watched a power point slide show that another teacher in the district put together. It was all about Michigan landmarks. This kids and I had a blast looking at the wonderful pictures, reading all the information about each area, and answering trivia questions about what we read!
In other news...
Today I had a group discussion about behaviors I have seen outside the school building at dismissal that I have become concerned about. For example yesterday, I saw a child climb up a tree on the front yard of the school and hang from a branch by his legs. Also I saw three boys tackling/wrestling each other on the front lawn of the school. Both of these unsafe behaviors are not allowed on school property during school hours and are not allowed on school property before or after school hours. Our main priority in bringing this subject up to parents is purely for the safety and well-being of your children. If you could help reinforce this message at home too, we all would really appreciate it. I thank everyone in advance for contributing to the safety of our kids and of our school grounds. We couldn't do it without your help.
Have a fabulous weekend! Andy, Oein, and I are heading up to LegoFest on Sunday. I hope you all are doing something fun, as well!
Wow! Your children, my students, they really rocked it out this week! Most got plenty of sleep and were ready to go the minute they walked through our classroom doors! The positive energy and attitudes were quite catchy and we ended the MEAP's this week feeling triumphant! Bring on week #2!!!
Not only were we "MEAP-ing" this week, we also kept busy in other areas of the curriculum, as well. Here are a couple of areas we worked on this week:
Writing
The kids were re-introduced to the paragraph during writer's workshop. We discussed the three parts of a paragraph (topic sentence, three details, closing sentence) and we worked on putting a paragraph together using a "hamburger paragraph" graphic organizer. It is literally the outline of a hamburger with a bun, three items in the middle, and a bottom bun. This organizer really helps the kids to see the five different sections they need in their paragraph. We filled in a hamburger together with the topic, "Why people should visit Michigan". The kids then worked on their own hamburger with the topic, "My favorite holiday". Today we worked on moving our paragraph from the hamburger to lined paper. This is something that we will be practicing and building on all year.
Math
This week we had our first unit test and have moved on to Unit 2. We learned a new game called "Rolling to 100" and reviewed fact families and fact triangles. Many kids were stumped when the equal sign and addition/subtraction sign switched spots (ex: instead of 7+3=10, they saw 10=7+3), it got especially confusing when it was in subtraction form. When the kids have to fill in the problem and are not paying attention, they input the numbers in the wrong way. This is something we practice all year, but I told them they need to pay attention to all those little details!
Social Studies
We watched a power point slide show that another teacher in the district put together. It was all about Michigan landmarks. This kids and I had a blast looking at the wonderful pictures, reading all the information about each area, and answering trivia questions about what we read!
In other news...
Today I had a group discussion about behaviors I have seen outside the school building at dismissal that I have become concerned about. For example yesterday, I saw a child climb up a tree on the front yard of the school and hang from a branch by his legs. Also I saw three boys tackling/wrestling each other on the front lawn of the school. Both of these unsafe behaviors are not allowed on school property during school hours and are not allowed on school property before or after school hours. Our main priority in bringing this subject up to parents is purely for the safety and well-being of your children. If you could help reinforce this message at home too, we all would really appreciate it. I thank everyone in advance for contributing to the safety of our kids and of our school grounds. We couldn't do it without your help.
Have a fabulous weekend! Andy, Oein, and I are heading up to LegoFest on Sunday. I hope you all are doing something fun, as well!
Monday, October 8, 2012
MEAP begins tomorrow!
Hello Families!
Just a reminder that we will begin MEAP testing tomorrow, first thing in the morning. We have two parts to finish tomorrow, one in the morning and the second part in the afternoon. Please make sure that your child gets a good night's rest and a healthy breakfast in the morning! There will be no break for snacks until everyone is finished with their test.
Give your child a positive send off so they come in with an "I can do this!" attitude!
Just a reminder that we will begin MEAP testing tomorrow, first thing in the morning. We have two parts to finish tomorrow, one in the morning and the second part in the afternoon. Please make sure that your child gets a good night's rest and a healthy breakfast in the morning! There will be no break for snacks until everyone is finished with their test.
Give your child a positive send off so they come in with an "I can do this!" attitude!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Book It!!
Good afternoon!
Today we began our participation in a program called "Book It!" It is a reading program sponsored by Pizza Hut. Each month (October-March) your child will come home with a calendar. For every night that they read their minimum of 20 minutes, they get to color in the corresponding date on the calendar. At the end of every month, the calendars are turned in (with parent signature). If your child turns in their calendar, they will receive a coupon for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut! In March, when the program ends, any student who has turned in their calendar every month will receive a special prize from me for being a superstar reader!!
Every student was able to color in the squares for October 1-3, since we just received the materials today : )
If you have any questions about the Book It program, or anything else, feel free to contact me!
Today we began our participation in a program called "Book It!" It is a reading program sponsored by Pizza Hut. Each month (October-March) your child will come home with a calendar. For every night that they read their minimum of 20 minutes, they get to color in the corresponding date on the calendar. At the end of every month, the calendars are turned in (with parent signature). If your child turns in their calendar, they will receive a coupon for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut! In March, when the program ends, any student who has turned in their calendar every month will receive a special prize from me for being a superstar reader!!
Every student was able to color in the squares for October 1-3, since we just received the materials today : )
If you have any questions about the Book It program, or anything else, feel free to contact me!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Planners
Hello Families!
I wanted to let you all know that I have changed the student's planner procedure when getting ready at the end of the day. Up until now, I have written homework assignments on the overhead and your child was expected to copy what they needed to finish into their planner and then get ready for home. Unfortunately, today I noticed that there were quite a few students who were choosing not to write any assignments in their planner or chose to add only the reading portion. As a result, I will now be checking planners at the end of each day. Your child will write in their assignment and bring their planner over to me to "check out". After I review their planner, I will mark the day with a star, which let's you know your child checked out with me that day. If there is no star, your child did not check-out with me.
I am hoping that this is only temporary and we can go back to demonstrating responsibility when adding assignments to planners.
Thank you : )
I wanted to let you all know that I have changed the student's planner procedure when getting ready at the end of the day. Up until now, I have written homework assignments on the overhead and your child was expected to copy what they needed to finish into their planner and then get ready for home. Unfortunately, today I noticed that there were quite a few students who were choosing not to write any assignments in their planner or chose to add only the reading portion. As a result, I will now be checking planners at the end of each day. Your child will write in their assignment and bring their planner over to me to "check out". After I review their planner, I will mark the day with a star, which let's you know your child checked out with me that day. If there is no star, your child did not check-out with me.
I am hoping that this is only temporary and we can go back to demonstrating responsibility when adding assignments to planners.
Thank you : )
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