September 20th News

We completed our first FULL week of the 2015-2016 school year! We had such a busy, exciting week full of learning, I'd be surprised if they weren't awfully tired Friday evening!

Add caption

After reading The Important Book, we created our own class book modeling the writing techniques of Margaret Wise Brown. It was fun sharing the book as a class and learning more and more about each other. Make sure to check out Our Important Book the next time you're in the classroom!

I think we can all agree, we have had a fantastic week beginning our first science unit! The science curriculum is based on experimental philosophy and gives the children a chance to explore, observe, wonder, predict, investigate and record information. We begin with a unit on magnets! After posing the question, "What is magnetic in our classroom?" the scientists worked together to figure out how to test and discover. They received their science notebooks so they could begin recording their data. We decided that each entry should include the date, the question, as well as an organized format for recording. Michael volunteered the idea of a "T" chart, so we decided to use this structure whole class. I am SO impressed with the neat, detailed information they recorded! Mrs. Jolly was working in our classroom and thought she was in a third grade classroom! Way to go scientists!

 

    Since we'll be working hard as scientists all year, we completed some activities to help understand just what are scientists. What do they do? What tools do they use? How are YOU like a scientist? They're thinking like scientists already!!

   Our Reader's Workshop is fully underway and we completed the first "bend" in our Lucy Calkins Unit of Study. While we continue to build our independent reading stamina, we've reviewed and practiced ALL the great strategies they already know and use! We introduced the use of post-it notes as a way to be able to "talk long and strong" about our reading. We met with our new reading partners and discovered how they can help as "coaches". Next week we'll begin the next bend in the unit which focuses on decoding strategies.

    In math, we continued to focus on number grid patterns, skip counting, and writing "names" for numbers. Name Collection Boxes are used to help students demonstrate a given number many different ways. After creating name collection box posters with their table teams, students practiced this skill independently.

     Our class has their math routines down SO well, that on Friday, we were able to have our first "math workshop" day where students visit three centers (math with a teacher, math with a friend, math by yourself). Bravo, mathematicians! Math workshop allows for differentiation and for each student to be challenged at their just right math level.
For extra practice with the math skills worked on this week, try:
Guess the Number (interactive game, similar to "Number Line Squeeze" played in class)
IXL:
A.4Number lines - up to 100
A.13Number lines - up to 1,000
E.2Review - ways to make a number - sums to 10
F.2Review - ways to subtract - up to 10

************************************************************************

Coming Up:

- Wednesday, Sept. 23rd: Early Release
- Friday, Sept. 25th: "Johnny Appleseed Day"; please send one apple into school (more information to be sent home on Monday!)