Friday, December 16, 2016

Hanging in there!

We are hanging in there these last few, exciting days before break!
Announcements:

Monday is a full, regular day of School. Tuesday and Wednesday are half days with release times of 11:45, 12:05, and 12:20. We will not have lunch on Tuesday or Wednesday so please back your sweet scholar an extra snack to hold them over!


Secret Student letters. Today in your child's red folder are instructions to write a secret student letter. Please have your child write a letter on the provided piece of paper, color the tree on the back, and put it in the envelope with the secret students name on it! These are due back on Monday 12/20.


The upcoming week is a short one, which is perfect to review some of the concepts we have learned!

Language arts: Students will review some challenging Spalding words from this year! We will also work on alphabetical order and use our phonemic awareness to make words from other words. How many new words do YOU think we will be able to make from the word gingerbread?

Math: We will use the week to review concepts learned in math! From arrays to addition and subtraction with renaming, we will working hard (and having fun)!

Science: We will take our insect unit test on Monday, and make corrections if needed on Tuesday. We will also talk about what we know about the human body to prepare for our next unit in January.

History: This week students will use what they have learned about the Greek gods in order to create their own mythical god/goddess. We will enjoy some Greek myths and create our own!


Friday, December 9, 2016

Week 18

Well this week sure flew by in a flash...here we are on Friday again!

Announcements:


Boxcar Holiday Party: Next Wednesday, December 21 we will celebrate the end of the semester with a fun Boxcar themed party! Please sign up here if you'd like to donate anything to our celebration.

Boxcar Project: The Boxcar Project is due Monday! Students are coming home with their books today, as well as a brainstorm list we made in class in their planners! Below are some idea's to gently guide your students towards if they are struggling, as well as some pictures from previous years projects.
Items inside the boxcar:
Beds made of pine needles
Table
Table cloth
Broom
Cup (pink for Benny)
Forks
Shelf
Dog

Outside the boxcar (can still be included in the project for points towards the 5 items)
Stump
River
Clothes line



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Here are some cute snaps of our learning last week:
Working on memorizing their stanza from The Night Before Christmas

 Team work makes dream work!


Mailing our letters! We've worked SO hard to write on envelopes, and learn how letters look!
P.E. is the BEST!

Here is a look at next week:

Language Arts: This week in language arts students will write a letter to a secret student! Your child will come home with a letter on Friday to work on over the weekend, they will be exchanging letters with their secret student on December 21! We will also continue to diagram and label parts of speech in sentences, and master our editing skills by finding mistakes in sentences. Students will practice reading a story with inflection and expression this week too!

Math: We will work hard in math this week to master our 3's times table. We will also dive into division facts and talk about fact families! A car trip is a great time to give your child a math problem (5x2) and ask them not only for the answer but for the fact family it belongs with (2x5, 10÷5, 10÷2)!

History: Students will experience the birth of Democracy in the heart of Ancient Greece, Athens! They will also learn the connection between the goddess Athena and the great city. Ask your scholar to explain the premise of the Trojan War as well as compare the lifestyles of ancient Greeks to our own!

Science: It is our last week learning about insects before we move on to our next unit: simple machines! We will meet an entomologist who will teach us about how insects can be friends or foes. On Monday a study guide will be sent home with your scholar. Please read and review it all week so they are ready for their test on Thursday. We will also be reviewing in class! Happy studying!


Friday, December 2, 2016

Week 17!

Hello!

Updates and Announcements:

Sweater Weather: Please make sure your child's name is written somewhere inside their uniform sweater! They are MUCH easier to track down if they are labeled!

Boxcar Project: Instructions went home this week! Here is a link to the rubric for your reference.

Boxcar Holiday Party: Our Boxcar Holiday Party will be on December 21! We will feast on things the Boxcar Children eat regularly, be thankful for what we have, do a book exchange, and do a fun train craft! Please sign up here if you'd like to help out!

Book Exchange: Please send in a gently loved book with your child by Monday December 21. We will be doing a really fun book exchange as a class!

Holiday Gift: Students will be making a gift for their sweet parents in class in a few weeks. If your student needs to make 2 gifts please send me an email before Friday December 16.
This is the one and only picture this crazy teacher took this week! Basketball in P.E.! I'll make up for it next week, I promise!

Here is a look at our learning this week:

Language arts: We are still working hard on prepositions, and objects of prepositions in grammar! Students also be introduced to direction quotations this week! In literature we will finish The Boxcar Children. We will have class discussions on assumptions and reputations. Students will write a journal reflection after each of these last 3 chapters from a perspective of one of the Alden children. We had a great brainstorming session about the differences between us and the Boxcar Children last week, ask you child about it!

Math: On Monday we will take a quiz covering the first five chapters we have covered this semester! On Tuesday we will move into Chapter 6, multiplication of 2's. This is a quick chapter, as most of the students are already showing master of the 2's times table! On Friday we will introduce the students to the 3's table!

Science: Our entomologists will continue their study of insects by learning about singing and glowing insects! Do you know which insects these are? See if you scholar can name them! We will also learn more about the largest group of insects on earth - armored insects: bees!

History: From China we will now journey into Ancient Greece! Students will learn many of the origins of western culture and influence. This week, we will introduce the geography of Greece and learn about the legendary Greek Gods and Goddesses! Ask your history expert to tell you a fun fact about one of the deities and areas of interest in Ancient Greece!