This week we will shift our focus to a new comprehension strategy called creating visual images. In this comprehension strategy, readers use pieces of text to create a visual image in their mind. When discussing this strategy, we often relate to it to "creating a movie in our minds" as we read text. This week, our mentor text for practicing the strategy of creating visual images will be The Paperboy.
In Writer's Workshop, we shift gears from expository writing back to personal narrative writing. The writing diamond will be our road map for personal narrative writing this year. This week, we will introduce the diamond as well as the first piece, entertaining beginnings. Entertaining beginnings allow the author to create an exciting start to the story and capture the reader's attention right away. We have four strategies for entertaining beginnings. They are dialogue, action, sound effect and thought or feeling.
In math, we will continue to work on word problems. We will also work on estimating and rounding to the nearest ten as well as introduce double digit addition with and without regrouping. We will also be assessing the trimester one report card descriptors in math this week.
Mapping will be our last social studies topic for the trimester. The essential concepts for trimester one are understanding a map key and the compass rose. We will use the text connections Me on the Map and Mapping Penny's World as part of this unit.
We will be sharing and displaying our nocturnal animal projects this Thursday from 915-10 in the cafeteria. This is an open format, so feel free to stop in anytime with our 45 minute window and check out our projects! Hope to see you there!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Weekly Update 11.19.12
We have a short week this week! We will spend most of our literacy block finishing up Daily Five work and guided reading assignments from last week. We will also use Monday and Tuesday to finish up the publications process for our nocturnal animal books. Tuesday afternoon, students will have a chance to share their books and projects with one another in the classroom. Thursday morning, November 29, will be our presentations to families in the cafeteria! We will have a math lesson on Monday which will focus on word problems.
We enjoyed a great presentation from the WingMasters group on Monday morning. We were fortunate to have our guest share a wealth of knowledge on owls and even had the chance to look at some real live owls!
We also have a new student joining our classroom after Thanksgiving. Please join me in welcoming Gustavo to our classroom!
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! Please enjoy a happy and healthy Thanksgiving with your families! Go Pats!
We enjoyed a great presentation from the WingMasters group on Monday morning. We were fortunate to have our guest share a wealth of knowledge on owls and even had the chance to look at some real live owls!
We also have a new student joining our classroom after Thanksgiving. Please join me in welcoming Gustavo to our classroom!
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! Please enjoy a happy and healthy Thanksgiving with your families! Go Pats!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Weekly Update 11.13.12
In literacy this week we continue working on the comprehension strategy of making predictions. This is a inferential skill where students need to combine information from the text and pictures with their schema to create new thinking. Our text connection this week will be The Best Place . Guided Reading groups will be working on wrapping up their chapter books or working on short non-fiction passages in preparation for the Thanksgiving break. We will extend that strategy of making predictions into our small group work. All of our Daily Five work this week will extend through to the Thanksgiving break.
Writer's Workshop will focus on the rough drafts and final copies of the nocturnal animal expository writing unit. Within the final copies, students will be required to have bold face words and a glossary page. Their illustrations will include diagrams, labels and captions. This project will be featured in our writing block until the Thanksgiving break. We will also discuss synonyms.
In math, we will begin Unit 4 this week. Unit 4 will cover addition and subtraction. This week, we will work on number stories using both operations. In addition to all of the math group done at school in small group, we are also adding another component to our Math Daily Five program. This is the online computer program called Xtra Math. Many of you are already familiar with this online program designed to improve the speed and accuracy of math facts.
In order to log on at home to xtra math, please go to www.xtramath.org From there, please ensure that you are on the student log in page, rather than the parent or teacher log in. Next, please enter my email (lfraher@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us). Then enter your child's user name and PIN. This information is now stapled to the inside of the yellow homework folder. As of today, the site is active so feel free to log on anytime!
This Friday, we are on a field trip to Drumlin Farm. Thank you to all who volunteered to chaperone. Unfortunately, we are only allowed four chaperones. There will be another field trip later in the year, so please consider volunteering again! The bus will leave promptly at 9:00. Please make sure your child is here no later than 8:50. This is an outdoor field trip. Right now, the forecast is partly cloudy and in the upper 40's/low 50's. Please make sure that your child is dressed appropriately for this trip. Sneakers or boots are recommended!
Writer's Workshop will focus on the rough drafts and final copies of the nocturnal animal expository writing unit. Within the final copies, students will be required to have bold face words and a glossary page. Their illustrations will include diagrams, labels and captions. This project will be featured in our writing block until the Thanksgiving break. We will also discuss synonyms.
In math, we will begin Unit 4 this week. Unit 4 will cover addition and subtraction. This week, we will work on number stories using both operations. In addition to all of the math group done at school in small group, we are also adding another component to our Math Daily Five program. This is the online computer program called Xtra Math. Many of you are already familiar with this online program designed to improve the speed and accuracy of math facts.
In order to log on at home to xtra math, please go to www.xtramath.org From there, please ensure that you are on the student log in page, rather than the parent or teacher log in. Next, please enter my email (lfraher@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us). Then enter your child's user name and PIN. This information is now stapled to the inside of the yellow homework folder. As of today, the site is active so feel free to log on anytime!
This Friday, we are on a field trip to Drumlin Farm. Thank you to all who volunteered to chaperone. Unfortunately, we are only allowed four chaperones. There will be another field trip later in the year, so please consider volunteering again! The bus will leave promptly at 9:00. Please make sure your child is here no later than 8:50. This is an outdoor field trip. Right now, the forecast is partly cloudy and in the upper 40's/low 50's. Please make sure that your child is dressed appropriately for this trip. Sneakers or boots are recommended!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Weekly Update 11.5.12
This week in literacy, we will be working on the strategy of making predictions. In addition to sharing our predictions orally, we will also be working on writing our predictions and identifying a picture, information from schema, or part of the text that helped formulate the prediction. Our text connection for the week is the book Baghead. In guided reading groups this week, all groups will be exploring non-fiction text related to nocturnal animals or animal adaptations.
During our writing block, we will continue working on our expository texts. This week, students will take their notes gathered from research and begin to transform them into sentences for their rough draft. We will discuss the sue of sentence variety as well as the use of bold face words and glossaries. By the end of this week, students will be finished with the rough drafts of their nocturnal animal expository books.
In math, we will conclude Unit 3 on Monday. The Unit 3 assessment will be given Wednesday. Thursday we will begin Unit 4. Unit 4 will focus on addition and subtraction algorithms. Our first lesson for Unit 4 will focus on "change to more" word problems.
In science, we will conclude our small unit on bats. We will further discuss the adaptations of the bat and how these adaptations help it survive. Some of the adaptations discussed include echolocation, hearing, size and shape of eyes, camouflage. We will use these lessons in order for students to understand how to identify adaptations in their own animals for the project.
Below is the timeline for the nocturnal animal project:
We will share our projects with families after Thanksgiving on Thursday November 29 in the cafeteria from 9:15-10:00.
During our writing block, we will continue working on our expository texts. This week, students will take their notes gathered from research and begin to transform them into sentences for their rough draft. We will discuss the sue of sentence variety as well as the use of bold face words and glossaries. By the end of this week, students will be finished with the rough drafts of their nocturnal animal expository books.
In math, we will conclude Unit 3 on Monday. The Unit 3 assessment will be given Wednesday. Thursday we will begin Unit 4. Unit 4 will focus on addition and subtraction algorithms. Our first lesson for Unit 4 will focus on "change to more" word problems.
In science, we will conclude our small unit on bats. We will further discuss the adaptations of the bat and how these adaptations help it survive. Some of the adaptations discussed include echolocation, hearing, size and shape of eyes, camouflage. We will use these lessons in order for students to understand how to identify adaptations in their own animals for the project.
Below is the timeline for the nocturnal animal project:
Nocturnal Animal Project Timeline
Week of October 29: Note Taking and Research
Week of November 5: Rough Draft of Research:
Expository Writing
Week of November 12: Final Copies of Expository
Writing
Week of November 19: Final Copies Cont.
HOME
PROJECT DUE IN SCHOOL TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20!!!
We will share our projects with families after Thanksgiving on Thursday November 29 in the cafeteria from 9:15-10:00.
Reminder: There is no school on November 6 for Parent Conference Day. If you need a reminder on your appointment time, please feel free to email me!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Field Trip Update/Conference Day
We have finally confirmed our field trip to Drumlin Farm on November 16! The permission slip came home yesterday in your child's backpack. If you could return the permission slip with the student payment of 8.00 in check format made out to Spring Street School, that would be fantastic! I am hoping to collect all the payments by next Friday November 9.
As stated on the permission slip, chaperones will be notified by November 7. If you are interested in chaperoning this trip, please indicate your interest on the bottom portion of the permission slip. If you could hold off on sending in your chaperone payment of 14.00 until you are notified you have been selected, that would be appreciated!
Thank you all to who returned their pre-conference form so quickly! Please email me if you need a reminder on the time of your appointment for November 6 and I will be happy to get back to you!
As stated on the permission slip, chaperones will be notified by November 7. If you are interested in chaperoning this trip, please indicate your interest on the bottom portion of the permission slip. If you could hold off on sending in your chaperone payment of 14.00 until you are notified you have been selected, that would be appreciated!
Thank you all to who returned their pre-conference form so quickly! Please email me if you need a reminder on the time of your appointment for November 6 and I will be happy to get back to you!
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