Happy Friday! We made it through a long week. As a reminder, we have school next week.
Here is a re-cap of what we did this week:
Reading: We continued our Mo Willems unit by reading more Piggie and Elephant books. The students absolutely love this series. We discussed character traits and did a compare and contrast venn diagram. Students also observed the illustrations to analyze how you can interpret how a character is feeling by observing the pictures. Students also participated in their normal reading centers: guided reading, word work, book work, read-to-self, and handwriting.
We also started using the program, Explode the Code, this week. It has fun mini lessons for reviewing short vowels.
Writing: This week, we continued working on adjectives. Students created robots and wrote descriptions of them. On Thursday, I read the book, Snowmen at Night, and students created their own crayon-resist snowmen scene. Next week, students will be writing a story about what their snowmen do at night.
Math: We worked on skip counting forward and backwards by 10’s. Students worked on more challenging skip counting by starting at a random number, like 23, & skip counting by 10’s past 100.
Social Studies: Students started working on their oil pastel banyan tree projects, They are coming out beautifully!
Have a lovely weekend and a wonderful winter break! Andrea
Friday, December 19, 2014
Friday, December 12, 2014
Friday Letter December 12, 2014
Happy Friday! The students did a wonderful job at the Winter Concert last night! I am so proud of them.
As you may know, we have been having a tough time with sicknesses lately. This week, we talked about how & when we should wash our hands. Please remind your child of good hand-washing practices at home. I want everyone to be healthy for the Winter Break. From now on, I am asking students to bring their water bottles home everyday with them to get cleaned.
Here is a re-cap of what we did this week:
Math: We have been working on improving our mental math with skip counting. This week, we worked on skip counting by 5’s and next week we will work with skip counting by 10’s.
Reading: We started our Mo Willems unit this week. We began our study with the Piggy and Elephant series. Students will be working on fluency as they read these fun books. This week, we became familiar with the characters. We started to talk about character traits. Students also did their weekly reading centers: word work, handwriting, and a book work activity.
Writing: We have been working on stretching our sentences. This week, we worked on adjectives. Adjectives can make our sentences more detailed and sound better. We will continue this next week.
Social Studies: Students have been sketching their banyan trees all week. On Thursday, students were able to work with their reading buddies on them. Today, we plan on starting the actual project.
Have a wonderful weekend! Andrea
As you may know, we have been having a tough time with sicknesses lately. This week, we talked about how & when we should wash our hands. Please remind your child of good hand-washing practices at home. I want everyone to be healthy for the Winter Break. From now on, I am asking students to bring their water bottles home everyday with them to get cleaned.
Here is a re-cap of what we did this week:
Math: We have been working on improving our mental math with skip counting. This week, we worked on skip counting by 5’s and next week we will work with skip counting by 10’s.
Reading: We started our Mo Willems unit this week. We began our study with the Piggy and Elephant series. Students will be working on fluency as they read these fun books. This week, we became familiar with the characters. We started to talk about character traits. Students also did their weekly reading centers: word work, handwriting, and a book work activity.
Writing: We have been working on stretching our sentences. This week, we worked on adjectives. Adjectives can make our sentences more detailed and sound better. We will continue this next week.
Social Studies: Students have been sketching their banyan trees all week. On Thursday, students were able to work with their reading buddies on them. Today, we plan on starting the actual project.
Have a wonderful weekend! Andrea
Friday, December 5, 2014
Friday Letter December 5, 2014
Here is a re-cap of the week:
Math: Students have been working on skip counting. This week, we focused on counting by two’s, to 100. Students were given story problems where they had to group objects by two’s to find the answer. Next week, we will review skip counting by 5’s and 10’s.
Writing: We have been working on stretching our sentences to make them more detailed. This week, we worked on adding the what, why, or when part to a sentence. Next week, we will be working on putting adjectives into our sentences to make them more detailed.
Reading: We finished up our Strega Nona unit this Friday. All week, we have been looking at character traits. Students have been comparing and contrasting the characters. Today, students will be choosing their favorite Strega Nona character and making a portrait of him/her, and then write why they chose that character as their favorite. We also continued our regular literacy centers focusing on the word family of the week, handwriting, independent reading, and unscrambling words to make sentences.
Social Studies: This week, I read the story, In the Heart of the Village. It is a story about the importance of the banyan tree to many Indians who practice Hinduism. Students will be creating their own banyan trees next week.
Have a lovely weekend! Andrea
Math: Students have been working on skip counting. This week, we focused on counting by two’s, to 100. Students were given story problems where they had to group objects by two’s to find the answer. Next week, we will review skip counting by 5’s and 10’s.
Writing: We have been working on stretching our sentences to make them more detailed. This week, we worked on adding the what, why, or when part to a sentence. Next week, we will be working on putting adjectives into our sentences to make them more detailed.
Reading: We finished up our Strega Nona unit this Friday. All week, we have been looking at character traits. Students have been comparing and contrasting the characters. Today, students will be choosing their favorite Strega Nona character and making a portrait of him/her, and then write why they chose that character as their favorite. We also continued our regular literacy centers focusing on the word family of the week, handwriting, independent reading, and unscrambling words to make sentences.
Social Studies: This week, I read the story, In the Heart of the Village. It is a story about the importance of the banyan tree to many Indians who practice Hinduism. Students will be creating their own banyan trees next week.
Have a lovely weekend! Andrea
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Friday Letter November 20, 2014
Happy Friday! I hope you all had a wonderful week. Progress reports will be going home next Tues.
Here is a re-cap of what we did this week:
Reading: During literacy centers, students worked on word work, handwriting, and completed a noun/verb word sort. I met with each reading group and we worked on a Reading A-Z book. We focused on phonics and comprehension strategies. I read the book, Big Anthony: His Story. The students are getting really good at making predictions, by using their prior knowledge and understanding the characters’ traits.
Writing: Students went through their portfolios and chose one project they felt showcased their talents. They then wrote why they picked the project. On Wednesday, students wrote another squiggle story.
Math: Students started to become familiar with the Hundreds Grid. They played a “guess my number” game and did a fun “color by number” activity. Students are learning how to write larger numbers and ordering. We will start to look at patterns of a 100’s grid and skip counting.
Social Studies: We have been learning more about India through books and artwork. Students learned that the national bird of India is the peacock and they have been busy creating a beautiful oil pastel picture of one.
Since next week is short, no new homework will be coming home. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your Thanksgiving break!
Here is a re-cap of what we did this week:
Reading: During literacy centers, students worked on word work, handwriting, and completed a noun/verb word sort. I met with each reading group and we worked on a Reading A-Z book. We focused on phonics and comprehension strategies. I read the book, Big Anthony: His Story. The students are getting really good at making predictions, by using their prior knowledge and understanding the characters’ traits.
Writing: Students went through their portfolios and chose one project they felt showcased their talents. They then wrote why they picked the project. On Wednesday, students wrote another squiggle story.
Math: Students started to become familiar with the Hundreds Grid. They played a “guess my number” game and did a fun “color by number” activity. Students are learning how to write larger numbers and ordering. We will start to look at patterns of a 100’s grid and skip counting.
Social Studies: We have been learning more about India through books and artwork. Students learned that the national bird of India is the peacock and they have been busy creating a beautiful oil pastel picture of one.
Since next week is short, no new homework will be coming home. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your Thanksgiving break!
Friday, November 14, 2014
Friday Letter November 14, 2014
We had lots of fun at the planetarium yesterday. The students loved the show and all the cool exhibits. Thank you to the chaperones for helping out!
Reminder: Next Friday, November 21, there is a half day for teacher professional development. Progress reports will be going home the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break.
Here is a recap of what we did this week:
Math: On Monday, we reviewed everything we have covered since our data analysis unit. Students took an assessment on Wednesday. Next week, we will be learning about patterns of the 100’s grid.
Reading: Students took a Words Their Way spelling test during their guided reading time with me. In other centers, they worked on word work, sequencing a Strega Nona story, and handwriting.
Writing: Students continued to work on their Leaf Man story-boards. They are almost complete. Next week, we will be reflecting on our portfolios and students will write about a favorite project.
Science: We discussed constellations on Wednesday and students chose their own constellation to create. Remember, moon journals are due next week by Friday, the latest.
Social Studies: Students finished their Festival of Elephants project. Today, we will begin our peacock project. The peacock is the national bird of India.
Thank you to all the parents who donated books to our classroom library!
Reminder: Next Friday, November 21, there is a half day for teacher professional development. Progress reports will be going home the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break.
Here is a recap of what we did this week:
Math: On Monday, we reviewed everything we have covered since our data analysis unit. Students took an assessment on Wednesday. Next week, we will be learning about patterns of the 100’s grid.
Reading: Students took a Words Their Way spelling test during their guided reading time with me. In other centers, they worked on word work, sequencing a Strega Nona story, and handwriting.
Writing: Students continued to work on their Leaf Man story-boards. They are almost complete. Next week, we will be reflecting on our portfolios and students will write about a favorite project.
Science: We discussed constellations on Wednesday and students chose their own constellation to create. Remember, moon journals are due next week by Friday, the latest.
Social Studies: Students finished their Festival of Elephants project. Today, we will begin our peacock project. The peacock is the national bird of India.
Thank you to all the parents who donated books to our classroom library!
Friday, November 7, 2014
Friday Letter November 7, 2014
I hope you all had a wonderful week. It was a full moon last night & it sure felt like it in school. This afternoon, we will be going to the Scholastic Book Fair to browse books. Next Wednesday, we will go back to purchase books. You can come to the Book Fair and purchase books for your child. I also have a wishlist bin, where you can purchase books for the classroom.
Next Thurs., Nov 13, we will be going to Christa McAullife Planetarium in Concord, NH.
Here is a re-cap of what we did this week:
Math: We have been working on addition and subtraction word problems. As we are learning how to solve word problems, we are going over addition and subtraction strategies. The students are becoming very fast with their recognition of facts.
Reading: This week, students made their own India fact books during guided reading time. Students were introduced to verbs and will be doing a verb/noun sort in centers next week. I also read, Strega Nona Meets Her Match. Next week, students will be working on a sequencing activity, where they will have to sequence the events of the story.
Writing: Students are still working on their Leaf Man stories. They are making beautiful story boards to compliment their stories they have already written.
Social Studies: I read the book, Elephant Dance, which is a journey through India through the eyes of a grandfather. Students learned about the Elephant Festival in Rajasthan and they created their own festive painted elephants.
Science: We are still learning about the moon and reading informational books.
Have a wonderful weekend! Andrea
Next Thurs., Nov 13, we will be going to Christa McAullife Planetarium in Concord, NH.
Here is a re-cap of what we did this week:
Math: We have been working on addition and subtraction word problems. As we are learning how to solve word problems, we are going over addition and subtraction strategies. The students are becoming very fast with their recognition of facts.
Reading: This week, students made their own India fact books during guided reading time. Students were introduced to verbs and will be doing a verb/noun sort in centers next week. I also read, Strega Nona Meets Her Match. Next week, students will be working on a sequencing activity, where they will have to sequence the events of the story.
Writing: Students are still working on their Leaf Man stories. They are making beautiful story boards to compliment their stories they have already written.
Social Studies: I read the book, Elephant Dance, which is a journey through India through the eyes of a grandfather. Students learned about the Elephant Festival in Rajasthan and they created their own festive painted elephants.
Science: We are still learning about the moon and reading informational books.
Have a wonderful weekend! Andrea
Friday, October 31, 2014
Friday Letter October 31, 2014
Happy Friday and last day of October! I can’t believe it will be November tomorrow.
Here is a re-cap of what we did this week:
Reading: We read another Strega Nona book, Strega Nona’s Story as Told to Tomie DePaola. Students continued to work in their guided reading groups, on word work, & handwriting. Next week, students will be making an India fact book, instead of working on their regular Reading A-Z books.
Math: This week, students continued to work on making combinations of numbers. We used the number line as a tool to help us find the answer to addition and subtraction equations. On Thursday, we began to work on addition story problems. We will continue to work on more addition word problems, then move onto subtraction strategies.
Writing: This week, students wrote a poem to accompany their beautiful harvest moon paintings. They had to write a line about the moon, the sky, and the silhouette of the branches. On Thursday, we continued to work on our Leaf Man stories. Students are learning that writing is a process and there are many steps before you have a final draft.
Science: We continued to read more non-fiction books about the moon. We have been discussing our moon observations. On Tuesday and Wednesday, students created a full moon painting. We discussed how a full moon reflects on water. Students created their own crayon-resist paintings portraying a full moon reflecting onto the ocean.
Social Studies: Today, we will start to talk about the culture of India. We will begin making the flag of India using tissue paper.
Have a wonderful weekend and don’t forget to turn your clocks back! Andrea
Here is a re-cap of what we did this week:
Reading: We read another Strega Nona book, Strega Nona’s Story as Told to Tomie DePaola. Students continued to work in their guided reading groups, on word work, & handwriting. Next week, students will be making an India fact book, instead of working on their regular Reading A-Z books.
Math: This week, students continued to work on making combinations of numbers. We used the number line as a tool to help us find the answer to addition and subtraction equations. On Thursday, we began to work on addition story problems. We will continue to work on more addition word problems, then move onto subtraction strategies.
Writing: This week, students wrote a poem to accompany their beautiful harvest moon paintings. They had to write a line about the moon, the sky, and the silhouette of the branches. On Thursday, we continued to work on our Leaf Man stories. Students are learning that writing is a process and there are many steps before you have a final draft.
Science: We continued to read more non-fiction books about the moon. We have been discussing our moon observations. On Tuesday and Wednesday, students created a full moon painting. We discussed how a full moon reflects on water. Students created their own crayon-resist paintings portraying a full moon reflecting onto the ocean.
Social Studies: Today, we will start to talk about the culture of India. We will begin making the flag of India using tissue paper.
Have a wonderful weekend and don’t forget to turn your clocks back! Andrea
Friday, October 24, 2014
Friday Letter October 24, 2014
Happy Rainy Friday! I want to thank all the parents who have brought in more supplies and books this week. Your donations help enrich our classroom!
Students had a great time at the Harvest Festival yesterday. They played relay race games, contributed to a collaborative art piece, and were given an apple and a bracelet.
Here is a re-cap of what we did this week:
Science: Students finished their Harvest Moon paintings. We also talked about what it would be like if they traveled to the moon. Students had to draw what items they would bring with them if they went to the moon. We also read fictional moon stories. We will talk about the phases of the moon next week.
Math: We have been focusing on making combinations of numbers. On Monday, we worked on fact families. Students played lots of math games where they had to find different combinations for the same number. I also introduced the number line to the students and played a whole-class game.
Reading: We had regular literacy centers this week where students practiced sight words, word families, handwriting, and worked on decoding a book with me. I read, Strega Nona’s Harvest, to the students. We focused on sequencing the events of the story.
Writing: On Monday, I read the story, Leaf Man, and students collected their own leaves to make a leaf man/leaf girl. We began writing about where our leaf characters go when the wind blows. We will continue this project next week.
Students had a great time at the Harvest Festival yesterday. They played relay race games, contributed to a collaborative art piece, and were given an apple and a bracelet.
Here is a re-cap of what we did this week:
Science: Students finished their Harvest Moon paintings. We also talked about what it would be like if they traveled to the moon. Students had to draw what items they would bring with them if they went to the moon. We also read fictional moon stories. We will talk about the phases of the moon next week.
Math: We have been focusing on making combinations of numbers. On Monday, we worked on fact families. Students played lots of math games where they had to find different combinations for the same number. I also introduced the number line to the students and played a whole-class game.
Reading: We had regular literacy centers this week where students practiced sight words, word families, handwriting, and worked on decoding a book with me. I read, Strega Nona’s Harvest, to the students. We focused on sequencing the events of the story.
Writing: On Monday, I read the story, Leaf Man, and students collected their own leaves to make a leaf man/leaf girl. We began writing about where our leaf characters go when the wind blows. We will continue this project next week.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Friday Letter October 17, 2014
Here is a re-cap of our week. The students accomplished a ton in just three & a half days!
Math: Students worked on the commutative property. They used unifex cubes to build a number two different ways. They also spent time working with their addition facts of ten. We will talk about fact families next week.
Reading: I read another Strega Nona book, Strega Nona takes a Vacation. During centers, students worked on a Strega Nona story map, reviewed spelling words, and practiced their handwriting.
Writing: Students worked on their small moment story. We focused on using transitional words: first, next, then, and last.
Science: We began our science unit on the moon. I read, Kitten’s First Full Moon, to introduce the unit. The story is about a kitten who thinks the full moon is a bowl of milk. On Wednesday, I read the book, Possum’s Harvest Moon. We discussed what a harvest moon is and began to make harvest moon paintings. We will finish these beautiful works of art next week. Students will be bringing home a moon journal next week. They will be observing the moon for a month. I will send an additional e-mail with further details next week.
Math: Students worked on the commutative property. They used unifex cubes to build a number two different ways. They also spent time working with their addition facts of ten. We will talk about fact families next week.
Reading: I read another Strega Nona book, Strega Nona takes a Vacation. During centers, students worked on a Strega Nona story map, reviewed spelling words, and practiced their handwriting.
Writing: Students worked on their small moment story. We focused on using transitional words: first, next, then, and last.
Science: We began our science unit on the moon. I read, Kitten’s First Full Moon, to introduce the unit. The story is about a kitten who thinks the full moon is a bowl of milk. On Wednesday, I read the book, Possum’s Harvest Moon. We discussed what a harvest moon is and began to make harvest moon paintings. We will finish these beautiful works of art next week. Students will be bringing home a moon journal next week. They will be observing the moon for a month. I will send an additional e-mail with further details next week.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Friday Letter October 10, 2014
Happy Friday! It was great meeting with some of you today at parent/teacher conferences. I’m looking forward to meeting with the rest of you next Friday. Since next week is a short week, there will be no spelling words going home with the homework packet. We will be reviewing the past three spelling lists during literacy center time.
I have AdaptedMind Math all set up for the students. The homework packet has a letter from AdaptedMind explaining how to set up your account. Each student has his/her own password for the program.
Reminder: Tues, Oct 14th, is Picture Day. Today, your child came home with a Picture Day form.
Here is a re-cap of this week’s activities:
Reading: I read another Strega Nona book to the students, Strega Nona Magic Lessons. As I read the story, students helped fill out a story map. We have been focusing on the characters, setting, problem, solution, and major events of the story. During literacy centers, students made their own story maps of the book, Strega Nona. At the other centers, students continued to work on their spelling words, handwriting, and practiced unscrambling sentences.
Math: Students worked on making different combinations of 10 using unifix cubes. They also worked on making different combinations of the numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9. Next week, we will work on the commutative property and continue becoming fluent with adding numbers to 10.
Writing: We started working on a personal narrative. I read books as examples and students spent a great deal of time coming up with a topic for their stories.
Social Studies: We talked about land-forms and bodies of water this week. Students made a mini land-form and bodies of water book that included the following geographical areas: mountain, island, peninsula, ocean, lake, and harbor. I hope to begin our unit on the moon next week.
I have AdaptedMind Math all set up for the students. The homework packet has a letter from AdaptedMind explaining how to set up your account. Each student has his/her own password for the program.
Reminder: Tues, Oct 14th, is Picture Day. Today, your child came home with a Picture Day form.
Here is a re-cap of this week’s activities:
Reading: I read another Strega Nona book to the students, Strega Nona Magic Lessons. As I read the story, students helped fill out a story map. We have been focusing on the characters, setting, problem, solution, and major events of the story. During literacy centers, students made their own story maps of the book, Strega Nona. At the other centers, students continued to work on their spelling words, handwriting, and practiced unscrambling sentences.
Math: Students worked on making different combinations of 10 using unifix cubes. They also worked on making different combinations of the numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9. Next week, we will work on the commutative property and continue becoming fluent with adding numbers to 10.
Writing: We started working on a personal narrative. I read books as examples and students spent a great deal of time coming up with a topic for their stories.
Social Studies: We talked about land-forms and bodies of water this week. Students made a mini land-form and bodies of water book that included the following geographical areas: mountain, island, peninsula, ocean, lake, and harbor. I hope to begin our unit on the moon next week.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Friday Letter October 6, 2014
Here is a re-cap of what we covered last week.
Reading: We began our Tomie dePaula author study. I read the first book, Strega Nona, to the students. As a whole class, we filled out a story map focusing on the characters, setting, important events, problem, and resolution of the story. I will begin reading another Strega Nona book to the students tomorrow.
Students are doing a great job with reading centers and are getting into the swing of things!
Writing: Students have been working on putting word cards together to make sentences. We also started to talk about what makes a good narrative story. We completed our personal narrative writing assessment. This week, we will be focusing on creating another personal narrative. Today, we brainstormed different topics we could write about.
Math: Last week, students worked with greater than & less than problems. They played a fun card game. On Thurs, students were introduced to ten-frames. We're working on making equations of ten.
Social Studies: Students learned about the directions of north, south, east, and west. Students went around the room with compasses. They learned how to always tell which way north is. Students also made a beautiful compass rose using oil pastels. This week, we will be working on land forms and waterways. They will be making a mini book. Hopefully, we will be able to start our science unit on the moon next week.
Reminder: This Friday is a half day, as teachers will be having parent/teacher conferences. I look forward to seeing all of you!
Reading: We began our Tomie dePaula author study. I read the first book, Strega Nona, to the students. As a whole class, we filled out a story map focusing on the characters, setting, important events, problem, and resolution of the story. I will begin reading another Strega Nona book to the students tomorrow.
Students are doing a great job with reading centers and are getting into the swing of things!
Writing: Students have been working on putting word cards together to make sentences. We also started to talk about what makes a good narrative story. We completed our personal narrative writing assessment. This week, we will be focusing on creating another personal narrative. Today, we brainstormed different topics we could write about.
Math: Last week, students worked with greater than & less than problems. They played a fun card game. On Thurs, students were introduced to ten-frames. We're working on making equations of ten.
Social Studies: Students learned about the directions of north, south, east, and west. Students went around the room with compasses. They learned how to always tell which way north is. Students also made a beautiful compass rose using oil pastels. This week, we will be working on land forms and waterways. They will be making a mini book. Hopefully, we will be able to start our science unit on the moon next week.
Reminder: This Friday is a half day, as teachers will be having parent/teacher conferences. I look forward to seeing all of you!
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