Monday, December 17, 2007
Holiday Party
Our holiday party is on Wednesday. We will be eating pizza during lunch and watching the Secret of NIMH. Please do not send a lunch with your child on Wednesday. Only send a snack for recess time. This is very low key and should be lots of fun.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Math Blaster
I have had a few kids come ask me today about buying Math Blaster the computer game we have in the computer lab. This is for kids ages 6 to 8 or 7 to 8. It has all of our standards and it moves to their individual level. I highly recommend it if you are interested in purchasing a computer game for your child. I know you can purchase it for under $30 on Amazon. There are other broader math blasters if you have kids of multiple ages.
Weekly review
Homework:
Some of you may have noticed that the homework does not say study math facts but instead it says practice time and money. Everyone has loose change so money is fairly simple to practice. Most of the kids can count money. They still have some difficulty accurately changing from one type of money to another while counting. For example if they are counting by quarters and suddenly must move to nickels. That is hard stuff. Here are some ways you should be helping your child practice money.
Counting:
Have them pull out a handful of change. Have them sort the coins from greatest to smallest and count the amount. On a piece of paper have them draw the coins and write the amount. Have them take that amount and make it in a different way. Once they have a grasp on this have them use the fewest coins.
Problem Solving:
Tell them you have ___ coins in your pocket. None of the coins are bigger then a ___ which means you would have ____ in your pocket. Tell me the different combinations of coins I could have and how much each value is worth.
EX: I have three coins in my pocket. None of the coins are bigger then a nickel. What kind of coins are in my pocket? Answer: Pennies and nickels
Tell me the different combinations of coins I could have and how much each value is worth.
Answer:
1. two nickels and no pennies= ten cents
2. two pennies and no nickels= two cents
3. one penny and one nickel= six cents
Making Change:
You have fifty cents and you bought a piece of candy for forty-seven cents. How much change would you get back?
Help your child find the answer to questions like these by having them count on from the cost of the item to the amount of money used. This is the way you are supposed to count on change but most people don't do it that way. You can make it more complicated by having them use nickels, dimes, and quarters. If you really want to challenge your child use change and dollars. DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS THEY HAVE MASTERED COUNTING ON IN CHANGE IN THE FIRST TWO WAYS.
Money in action:
Give your child a budget. Have them use a catalog or a newspaper add to spend pretend money on things. I would recommend only using a dollar at this point but you can try for more. Please remember that they cannot regroup at this point. Regrouping is what we learned as borrowing and carrying. It is not called that anymore. Please make sure you are using the proper language if you are going to work on this with your child.
We are also working on telling time. Right now we are making time to on the hour, half-past, quarter after, quarter to, twenty-five to, and twenty to. This is a REALLY hard concept that most of the kids are not developmentally ready for. You might see a very big difference in your child being able to do it and understanding what they are doing. This is okay .This is very age appropriate. They might not get it now but as we keep working on it they will get it. Although many of the kids won't get the twenty to or quarter after business. They should all be able to tell you which is the minute hand and which is the hour hand. They should all be able to read a digital clock, write on an analog clock, read an analog clock, and make a specific time on the clock when give that time.
Show me 8:30
Show me 8:45
Can you think of another way to say 8:45?
How many minutes are in an hour?
How many minutes are in a half-hour?
How many minutes are in a quarter of an hour?
Language Arts:
We finished our unit on Kindness and are not moving on to Animal Camouflage. We will be working on lots of non-fiction reading. It should be very fun and interesting for them.
When we are focusing on comprehension questions for our kids we only ask the very basic ones. Meaning we only ask them to think on the most basic level and not have to take a concept out of the passage, mix it up in their brain and then put it back out again. A standardized test does ask them to do this. Here are some words I am encouraging them to use when asking questions or thinking about texts. Here are some questions that you can use to encourage a deeper way of thinking for your child. Some of you may recognize this as Bloom's Taxanomy of Higher Level Questioning.
Remembers: This is when we check for basic facts about people, places, or things.
When does the story take place?
Where did ________ live?
Who is the main character in the story?
Key words: who, what, where, when, how, describe, define, choose, and select.
Understands: This checks understanding and memory.
Describe what happened after ___________.
Explain how ___________ arrived at __________.
How are ______ and _______ related.
key words: give an example, explain, summarize, demonstrate, infer, show, classify, facts/opinion, and condense.
Applies: This shows the ability to check knowledge of the facts, rules, and principles.
How would you feel if_______?
Predict what will happen next.
Do you think _________?
key words: predict, identify results of, judge the effects of, tell how, when, where, and why, tell what would happen if.
Analysis: break into smaller parts
Compare _________ to __________.
Analyze how ___________ lived or acted.
Which event was most exciting? Why?
Key words: distinguish, conclusions, identify, theme, main idea, relationships between, and point of view.
Evaluates: help you decide the value of the information gained.
Predict what will happen next.
Recreate an event in the story using animals instead of people.
What is your opinion of __________.
Key Words: appraise, h=judge, criticize, defend, compare, and find the errors.
Creates: Use basic information and combine it to create a new pattern or whole.
Which character in the would you like to be? Why?
How would story be different if it were to take place in another country?
Create a different ending for this story or event.
Key Words: create, compose, develop, propose an alternative, how else would you, do, make, design.
This is all information I got from the conference I went to right after Thanksgiving. I will be sending home another sheet with more Bloom's words on it for you to have a copy of at your house. I hope this helps!
Some of you may have noticed that the homework does not say study math facts but instead it says practice time and money. Everyone has loose change so money is fairly simple to practice. Most of the kids can count money. They still have some difficulty accurately changing from one type of money to another while counting. For example if they are counting by quarters and suddenly must move to nickels. That is hard stuff. Here are some ways you should be helping your child practice money.
Counting:
Have them pull out a handful of change. Have them sort the coins from greatest to smallest and count the amount. On a piece of paper have them draw the coins and write the amount. Have them take that amount and make it in a different way. Once they have a grasp on this have them use the fewest coins.
Problem Solving:
Tell them you have ___ coins in your pocket. None of the coins are bigger then a ___ which means you would have ____ in your pocket. Tell me the different combinations of coins I could have and how much each value is worth.
EX: I have three coins in my pocket. None of the coins are bigger then a nickel. What kind of coins are in my pocket? Answer: Pennies and nickels
Tell me the different combinations of coins I could have and how much each value is worth.
Answer:
1. two nickels and no pennies= ten cents
2. two pennies and no nickels= two cents
3. one penny and one nickel= six cents
Making Change:
You have fifty cents and you bought a piece of candy for forty-seven cents. How much change would you get back?
Help your child find the answer to questions like these by having them count on from the cost of the item to the amount of money used. This is the way you are supposed to count on change but most people don't do it that way. You can make it more complicated by having them use nickels, dimes, and quarters. If you really want to challenge your child use change and dollars. DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS THEY HAVE MASTERED COUNTING ON IN CHANGE IN THE FIRST TWO WAYS.
Money in action:
Give your child a budget. Have them use a catalog or a newspaper add to spend pretend money on things. I would recommend only using a dollar at this point but you can try for more. Please remember that they cannot regroup at this point. Regrouping is what we learned as borrowing and carrying. It is not called that anymore. Please make sure you are using the proper language if you are going to work on this with your child.
We are also working on telling time. Right now we are making time to on the hour, half-past, quarter after, quarter to, twenty-five to, and twenty to. This is a REALLY hard concept that most of the kids are not developmentally ready for. You might see a very big difference in your child being able to do it and understanding what they are doing. This is okay .This is very age appropriate. They might not get it now but as we keep working on it they will get it. Although many of the kids won't get the twenty to or quarter after business. They should all be able to tell you which is the minute hand and which is the hour hand. They should all be able to read a digital clock, write on an analog clock, read an analog clock, and make a specific time on the clock when give that time.
Show me 8:30
Show me 8:45
Can you think of another way to say 8:45?
How many minutes are in an hour?
How many minutes are in a half-hour?
How many minutes are in a quarter of an hour?
Language Arts:
We finished our unit on Kindness and are not moving on to Animal Camouflage. We will be working on lots of non-fiction reading. It should be very fun and interesting for them.
When we are focusing on comprehension questions for our kids we only ask the very basic ones. Meaning we only ask them to think on the most basic level and not have to take a concept out of the passage, mix it up in their brain and then put it back out again. A standardized test does ask them to do this. Here are some words I am encouraging them to use when asking questions or thinking about texts. Here are some questions that you can use to encourage a deeper way of thinking for your child. Some of you may recognize this as Bloom's Taxanomy of Higher Level Questioning.
Remembers: This is when we check for basic facts about people, places, or things.
When does the story take place?
Where did ________ live?
Who is the main character in the story?
Key words: who, what, where, when, how, describe, define, choose, and select.
Understands: This checks understanding and memory.
Describe what happened after ___________.
Explain how ___________ arrived at __________.
How are ______ and _______ related.
key words: give an example, explain, summarize, demonstrate, infer, show, classify, facts/opinion, and condense.
Applies: This shows the ability to check knowledge of the facts, rules, and principles.
How would you feel if_______?
Predict what will happen next.
Do you think _________?
key words: predict, identify results of, judge the effects of, tell how, when, where, and why, tell what would happen if.
Analysis: break into smaller parts
Compare _________ to __________.
Analyze how ___________ lived or acted.
Which event was most exciting? Why?
Key words: distinguish, conclusions, identify, theme, main idea, relationships between, and point of view.
Evaluates: help you decide the value of the information gained.
Predict what will happen next.
Recreate an event in the story using animals instead of people.
What is your opinion of __________.
Key Words: appraise, h=judge, criticize, defend, compare, and find the errors.
Creates: Use basic information and combine it to create a new pattern or whole.
Which character in the would you like to be? Why?
How would story be different if it were to take place in another country?
Create a different ending for this story or event.
Key Words: create, compose, develop, propose an alternative, how else would you, do, make, design.
This is all information I got from the conference I went to right after Thanksgiving. I will be sending home another sheet with more Bloom's words on it for you to have a copy of at your house. I hope this helps!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Letter to the President
We have written letters to the president. Please send a stamp with your child to class on Monday. If you have any extras please feel free to send them along as people are bound to not remember them. The kids will be using their addresses on the envelopes so that they can get some mail to their own address. Please feel free to send the letter into class to have your child share with everyone.
Writing
So your child has been assigned writing for homework. I have chunked it so that they are not faced with the daunting task of writing for more then a small period of time each day. Kids burn out of writing very easily. For some kids it really helps for them to dictate what they are thinking or to write notes about what they can write. For others drawing pictures is how the pre-write. Some kids just like to jump in and start writing. How they do it is totally up to them.
Typically in any writing assignment I am looking for these eight qualities.
Title
Idea
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Next Step
In this piece because it is so structured I am looking for the following:
Organization
sentence fluency
word choice
conventions
neatness
I hope this helps.Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions. There is no math log, reading log, or poem this week.
Typically in any writing assignment I am looking for these eight qualities.
Title
Idea
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Next Step
In this piece because it is so structured I am looking for the following:
Organization
sentence fluency
word choice
conventions
neatness
I hope this helps.Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions. There is no math log, reading log, or poem this week.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Volunteers Needed
On December 7th we are learning about Hanukkah. If you are intereseted in coming in and making potato pancakes for the class please let me know. We will have our celebration around 9:30 am, but volunteers can come at 9:00. I only need one or two parents at the most for this.
On December 14th we'll be making holiday crafts. We will need four volunteers to man glue guns for the snowmen. If you can come help make snowmen and other holiday crafts please let me know ASAP. We will be working from 2:00 on. Volunteers should plan on arriving by 1:45pm.
E-mail if you are interested!
On December 14th we'll be making holiday crafts. We will need four volunteers to man glue guns for the snowmen. If you can come help make snowmen and other holiday crafts please let me know ASAP. We will be working from 2:00 on. Volunteers should plan on arriving by 1:45pm.
E-mail if you are interested!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Optional Thanksgiving Work
I sent home an optional language arts packet in the Friday Folder. This DOES NOT need to be turned in and it is up to you if you choose to do it. Your child should read the story and then do the packet that follows. This is your choice if you and your student would like to do this work. I always try to provide work over the break for those families that would like it. I have also sent home the homework for the week after break. The first log is not checked until Tuesday as usual.
The fluency log will be due on Friday, November 30. I did not mark this on the homework but I did put it in upcoming events on the BLOG.
The fluency log will be due on Friday, November 30. I did not mark this on the homework but I did put it in upcoming events on the BLOG.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Checking In
It was great seeing all of you at conferences. Many of you mentioned wanting to move on from math facts in the nightly math practice. I encourage all of you to do so. We are going to be working on our second chapter of money when we return from Thanksgiving Break and after that we will move on to time. Time is a concept that many of the kids won't master until the end of the year. That is fine. We will keep practicing throughout the year on time and money. They are conepts that take a while to master and they will get it in time. Just keep practicing.
We are still working on quotation marks, underlining, and commas. We have worked on commas in a list, commas at the begining and end of a letter, commas in a date, underlining a book title, underlining a movie title, using quotes around the title of a story, and quotes in a conversation. Please look over these papers as they come home in the Friday folder. If you are practicing writing at home please incorporate some of these in your writing practice.
I hope you all have a wonderfully relaxing break. Enjoy the time off! I will be out on the Monday and Tuesday when we return. I will be at a conference on differentiation. I will have lots of great insight to share when I return.
Happy Thanksgiving
We are still working on quotation marks, underlining, and commas. We have worked on commas in a list, commas at the begining and end of a letter, commas in a date, underlining a book title, underlining a movie title, using quotes around the title of a story, and quotes in a conversation. Please look over these papers as they come home in the Friday folder. If you are practicing writing at home please incorporate some of these in your writing practice.
I hope you all have a wonderfully relaxing break. Enjoy the time off! I will be out on the Monday and Tuesday when we return. I will be at a conference on differentiation. I will have lots of great insight to share when I return.
Happy Thanksgiving
Friday, November 9, 2007
Lack of Updates
I am having trouble getting onto the blog from school. I will update the blog with more pictures of your beautiful children as soon as I can. I have really enjoyed meeting with so many of you these last few days. If you find your schedule changes and you have to cancel a conference please leave a message with the office. I don't always get a chance to check my voice mail or e-mail during conferences. Thanks!
The kids have been great especially with the shortened days. We have moved into money. Please work on making amounts of money with your child using various types of coins. We worked on making a dollar today with one type of coin and also with many kinds of coins.
Enjoy the three day weekend!
The kids have been great especially with the shortened days. We have moved into money. Please work on making amounts of money with your child using various types of coins. We worked on making a dollar today with one type of coin and also with many kinds of coins.
Enjoy the three day weekend!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Halloween
We had a wonderful Halloween parade and party. Thank you to everyone who made it a huge success!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Pictures
I have posted pictures of kids who have returned permission slips. Many of the slips are still sitting on their desks. As soon as I get permission slips I will post pictures!I would really love to thank Lisa Marvier for taking such wonderful photos. She just opened a new studio on Grant Ave. called blink "ink". You can also check out her work at the gift boutique on Friday afternoon from 2pm to 5pm in the Multi Use Room.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Pumpkin Day Pictures
We have wonderful pictures of Pumpkin Day! I would love to post them and have sent home a permission slip. It is due on Friday. I will post the pictures Friday. If I do not have your permission I will not post your child's photo. No names will be used. Please return the slip as soon as possible.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Update
I think someone put this school year on warp speed and forgot to tell me. We are ending the first trimester and report cards are coming out. You will receive your child's report card at your conference. If you haven't turned in your white confirmation sheet confirming the time and date of your conference please do that immediately!
Homework Update:
As promised the fluency sheet has gotten more difficult. It will also incorporate five comprehension questions. There is a note attached to the fluency sheet this week. Please read it very carefully. Please ask your child the comprehension questions after the first read so that you can see how well they understood what they read. You do not need to turn this back in. The October fluency sheet is due next Friday. Please make sure it is completed and in the homework folder.
Homework Alerts: Friday, November 16th is the official end of the first trimester. Since report cards will begin going out on the 7th of November I will consider Monday, November 5th as a fresh start on homework alerts. If your child has received any homework alerts during the first trimester the slate will be wiped clean and they will be given a fresh start! Yeah! A chance to start a new!
Halloween Parade: The Halloween Parade will be on Wednesday, October 31 on the lower playground. It will begin at 8:45. Please attend if you are able to make it! Class we go on as usual until our Halloween Party after lunch. Please contact a room parent if you have questions or would still like to do something for the party.
Good Deeds Log: Our reading unit this month is on Kindness. Our story this week talks about the kindness of strangers. On Monday your child will be bringing home a good deeds log. They need to record one nice thing they did for someone on Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night. We will be recording their responses in a book on Friday in class. If they don't have it done not only will they receive a homework alert but they will also be unable to participate in the class activity. This should not be chore or something they are expected to do.
Stone Soup: During the week of November 12th we will be reading many different versions of the story "Stone Soup" in class. On Thursday, November 15th I would like all of the kids to bring in a vegetable (fresh or canned it's your choice) so that we can make Stone Soup in class and eat it on Friday. It will be a chicken broth based soup just in case your were curious.
Homework Update:
As promised the fluency sheet has gotten more difficult. It will also incorporate five comprehension questions. There is a note attached to the fluency sheet this week. Please read it very carefully. Please ask your child the comprehension questions after the first read so that you can see how well they understood what they read. You do not need to turn this back in. The October fluency sheet is due next Friday. Please make sure it is completed and in the homework folder.
Homework Alerts: Friday, November 16th is the official end of the first trimester. Since report cards will begin going out on the 7th of November I will consider Monday, November 5th as a fresh start on homework alerts. If your child has received any homework alerts during the first trimester the slate will be wiped clean and they will be given a fresh start! Yeah! A chance to start a new!
Halloween Parade: The Halloween Parade will be on Wednesday, October 31 on the lower playground. It will begin at 8:45. Please attend if you are able to make it! Class we go on as usual until our Halloween Party after lunch. Please contact a room parent if you have questions or would still like to do something for the party.
Good Deeds Log: Our reading unit this month is on Kindness. Our story this week talks about the kindness of strangers. On Monday your child will be bringing home a good deeds log. They need to record one nice thing they did for someone on Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night. We will be recording their responses in a book on Friday in class. If they don't have it done not only will they receive a homework alert but they will also be unable to participate in the class activity. This should not be chore or something they are expected to do.
Stone Soup: During the week of November 12th we will be reading many different versions of the story "Stone Soup" in class. On Thursday, November 15th I would like all of the kids to bring in a vegetable (fresh or canned it's your choice) so that we can make Stone Soup in class and eat it on Friday. It will be a chicken broth based soup just in case your were curious.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Weekly Update
We are racing through October! Parent conferences are fast approaching and I have not received white slips back from all parents. Please turn them in by Monday.
If you are able to volunteer from 12:40 to 2:45 on Friday I really need your help! We still need three more volunteers for our Pumpkin Math Activity. This is an activity the entire second grade is participating in. Each class is broken into five groups of four. Each groups is headed up by one parent leader who takes them through a series of really exciting and fun math activities that have to do with the pumpkin. Please e-mail me immediately or call me at school if you can help.
Attached to the kids homework this week is a parent survey. Please take the survey and turn it in by Tuesday. This is the same survey I posted online but only seven parents took it. I am trying again this way to see if I get more takers. Please take it again! Thank you! We are still working on addition and subtraction facts. As I assess for report cards I am concerned with how many students are still having trouble subtracting. Please keep practicing this at home and using the Harcourt Website to assist with math practice.
We had a great week. We have started our science unit on the Human Body. We did a lab on digestion on Thursday and will finish up on Friday with a lab on stomach bile and the small intestine. Next week we will work on bones.
We worked on synonyms and capitalization in class this week. We also did a retelling activitiy as well as a compare and contrast activity using the story the Mitten by Jan Brett. Your child should be coming home with a paper mitten and animals that they made in class. Please have them retell the story for you using the animals.
If you are able to volunteer from 12:40 to 2:45 on Friday I really need your help! We still need three more volunteers for our Pumpkin Math Activity. This is an activity the entire second grade is participating in. Each class is broken into five groups of four. Each groups is headed up by one parent leader who takes them through a series of really exciting and fun math activities that have to do with the pumpkin. Please e-mail me immediately or call me at school if you can help.
Attached to the kids homework this week is a parent survey. Please take the survey and turn it in by Tuesday. This is the same survey I posted online but only seven parents took it. I am trying again this way to see if I get more takers. Please take it again! Thank you! We are still working on addition and subtraction facts. As I assess for report cards I am concerned with how many students are still having trouble subtracting. Please keep practicing this at home and using the Harcourt Website to assist with math practice.
We had a great week. We have started our science unit on the Human Body. We did a lab on digestion on Thursday and will finish up on Friday with a lab on stomach bile and the small intestine. Next week we will work on bones.
We worked on synonyms and capitalization in class this week. We also did a retelling activitiy as well as a compare and contrast activity using the story the Mitten by Jan Brett. Your child should be coming home with a paper mitten and animals that they made in class. Please have them retell the story for you using the animals.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Crazy Classroom Antics
I am still looking for three more volunteers to help on Friday the 26th for Pumpkin Day. If anyone is available and would be willing to help out from 12:40 until the end of the school day I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!
Please keep working on the subtraction facts with your kids. I was very impressed with an addition timed test I gave today but when I gave a subtraction timed test the kids had a much more difficult time. We will keep working on it in class too!
Book orders are due tomorrow! Please get them in if you haven't already.
Please keep working on the subtraction facts with your kids. I was very impressed with an addition timed test I gave today but when I gave a subtraction timed test the kids had a much more difficult time. We will keep working on it in class too!
Book orders are due tomorrow! Please get them in if you haven't already.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Calling All Volunteers!
The Lawrence Hall of Science is coming on Thursday, October 18th from 1:00 to 1:50. I am looking for ONE parent to come and help us make slime during that time. I can't have younger siblings that day, sorry. Please let me know if you would be interested in helping out.
There is lots of good stuff in the Friday Folder this week. Please make sure you are looking over everything. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call! We will be doing a Pumpkin Math Activity on Friday, October 26th with the entire second grade. We are looking for volunteers and pumpkins! This is another day where we can't have siblings attend. Thank you for understanding.
Your confirmation notes for conferences were also in the Friday Folder. Please send them back right away. I just found out conferences can be held on Wednesday, November 7th after 2pm. I am willing to hold conferences then. If you would like to sign up for a 2pm, 2:30, 3:00, or 3:30 please let me know and I will change your time.
I am pretty good on magazines. Thanks to everyone who sent them in.
Hope you have a great weekend!
There is lots of good stuff in the Friday Folder this week. Please make sure you are looking over everything. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call! We will be doing a Pumpkin Math Activity on Friday, October 26th with the entire second grade. We are looking for volunteers and pumpkins! This is another day where we can't have siblings attend. Thank you for understanding.
Your confirmation notes for conferences were also in the Friday Folder. Please send them back right away. I just found out conferences can be held on Wednesday, November 7th after 2pm. I am willing to hold conferences then. If you would like to sign up for a 2pm, 2:30, 3:00, or 3:30 please let me know and I will change your time.
I am pretty good on magazines. Thanks to everyone who sent them in.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
PALS
We need PALS parents! Please e-mail if you are interested in being a PALS parent. We still need two days filled and parent alternates! You may bring younger siblings!
Friday, September 28, 2007
This Week in Homework...
Just a reminder there is some extra homework coming home this week. Your child will be making a puzzle piece about themselves. It is due on Friday. There are directions attached to the puzzle piece itself. If you have questions call or e-mail me. I can't help you at 7pm on Thursday night so please encourage your child to start early.
I collected the first fluency log if it wasn't in your child's homework folder there is a yellow sticky note in it. Please return it on Monday. Please remind your child to put their name on EVERYTHING! Also you are only recording the fluency results twice. Once as a cold read and once after rereading it a couple times and taking it again on Thursday.
I did not get Flat Stanley addresses from all of the students. If I haven't already spoken to you and it is not in on Monday I will make arrangements for your child to write to someone. We will be starting the letters Monday afternoon and they can't write a letter if they have no one to write it to.
There is also a letter to you from your child with a pink sheet attached to it. That's their go home journal. Typically it's in journal form but the stapler broke and we couldn't fix it. While I am trying to solve my problem with the stapler I just sent this months section home. Your part is pink. Please write back to them and turn it in by next Friday. Thank you!
I collected the first fluency log if it wasn't in your child's homework folder there is a yellow sticky note in it. Please return it on Monday. Please remind your child to put their name on EVERYTHING! Also you are only recording the fluency results twice. Once as a cold read and once after rereading it a couple times and taking it again on Thursday.
I did not get Flat Stanley addresses from all of the students. If I haven't already spoken to you and it is not in on Monday I will make arrangements for your child to write to someone. We will be starting the letters Monday afternoon and they can't write a letter if they have no one to write it to.
There is also a letter to you from your child with a pink sheet attached to it. That's their go home journal. Typically it's in journal form but the stapler broke and we couldn't fix it. While I am trying to solve my problem with the stapler I just sent this months section home. Your part is pink. Please write back to them and turn it in by next Friday. Thank you!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Are you really reading this thing?
So are you? That's my burning question. Are you using the blog? That's what I wonder everytime I post something. I wonder if I am actually reaching my target audience.
We will be starting graphing next week and I have only four people's answers to the poll. I extended the time to respond. Please do not respond if you already have. The kids are going to create a bar graph of the results and take the same poll in class with me. Then we will compare the results. Please participate if you haven't.
We have moved on from addition and subtraction facts. I will be offering a place value parent tutorial/math facts on Monday after school at 3:00 pm. If you can't make it but would like to meet with me please e-mail me.
If I do not have your e-mail address will you please e-mail me your address. Thank you!
I hope you are all coming to Blues by the Lake this weekend. I am going to be volunteering from 2 to 5pm at the volunteer check in booth. I hope to see all of you there!
Flat Stanley's will be drawn on Friday and send out next Friday. Let me know if you are still having trouble finding someone for your child to write to. At this moment I have three people lined up who would be more then willing to help. One lives in Southern California, one is stationed with her husband in Lemoore at the Naval Base, and the last lives in Seattle. All great places to learn about and all great pen pals.
Keep checking the blog for updates!
We will be starting graphing next week and I have only four people's answers to the poll. I extended the time to respond. Please do not respond if you already have. The kids are going to create a bar graph of the results and take the same poll in class with me. Then we will compare the results. Please participate if you haven't.
We have moved on from addition and subtraction facts. I will be offering a place value parent tutorial/math facts on Monday after school at 3:00 pm. If you can't make it but would like to meet with me please e-mail me.
If I do not have your e-mail address will you please e-mail me your address. Thank you!
I hope you are all coming to Blues by the Lake this weekend. I am going to be volunteering from 2 to 5pm at the volunteer check in booth. I hope to see all of you there!
Flat Stanley's will be drawn on Friday and send out next Friday. Let me know if you are still having trouble finding someone for your child to write to. At this moment I have three people lined up who would be more then willing to help. One lives in Southern California, one is stationed with her husband in Lemoore at the Naval Base, and the last lives in Seattle. All great places to learn about and all great pen pals.
Keep checking the blog for updates!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Magazines
If you have magazines at home that you are not using anymore, that you don't want back and might have some good pictures in them would you please send them to school. I am looking to do an ongoing writing activity throughout the year and find I am short on pictures. Thanks!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Rainy Days Begin
I guess the weather has decided to turn cool early, or maybe this cold and wet streak won't last but it's here now! Please send your child to school with a coat, even if they refuse to wear it. I will see to them wearing it at recess.
We finished our subtraction unit and will be leaving math facts behind early next week. Please keep practicing at home and we will keep practicing here. We will begin place value at the end of next week. I will pass along more math activities in next weeks packet. I will also start sending home some reading activities you can do with your child as well.
I sent home a letter about Flat Stanley. We are going to read the book next week and start writing the letter the week after. Please find someone who your child can write to. If you don't have anyone out of the Marin or Sonoma County area please talk to me as soon as possible. I have friends who have done this before and are more then willing to do it again.
I have set up a parent poll on the blog. If you haven't done this already please take it. We are going to graph your results in class and then the kids are going to take the same poll in class and graph those results. We will then do a compare and contrast activity. This page is the main way I will be communicating with you this year. Please keep reading the blog to stay informed.
Last week in the computer lab your child took an Accelerated Reader (AR) leveling test. I have sent home the results. Please not that a child reading at the end of first grade is well within the range of this time of year. We are working on fluency and comprehension in class and if you would like to stop by and chat with me I can give you ideas and things to work on at home with your child.
We are working on communities right now. Some of you may have read their story on Life at the Dairy. We are learning about processors and distributors. Next week we will move into producers and consumers as well as goods and services. If any of you have a job that you think the kids would find interesting we are looking for people to come talk to second grade.
Picture day is on Tuesday. Our time is at 11:10... after recess. I will be gone in the morning for a training at the county office of Education but I will be back after recess. There will be a sub in the class and stations etc will go as planned.
We finished our subtraction unit and will be leaving math facts behind early next week. Please keep practicing at home and we will keep practicing here. We will begin place value at the end of next week. I will pass along more math activities in next weeks packet. I will also start sending home some reading activities you can do with your child as well.
I sent home a letter about Flat Stanley. We are going to read the book next week and start writing the letter the week after. Please find someone who your child can write to. If you don't have anyone out of the Marin or Sonoma County area please talk to me as soon as possible. I have friends who have done this before and are more then willing to do it again.
I have set up a parent poll on the blog. If you haven't done this already please take it. We are going to graph your results in class and then the kids are going to take the same poll in class and graph those results. We will then do a compare and contrast activity. This page is the main way I will be communicating with you this year. Please keep reading the blog to stay informed.
Last week in the computer lab your child took an Accelerated Reader (AR) leveling test. I have sent home the results. Please not that a child reading at the end of first grade is well within the range of this time of year. We are working on fluency and comprehension in class and if you would like to stop by and chat with me I can give you ideas and things to work on at home with your child.
We are working on communities right now. Some of you may have read their story on Life at the Dairy. We are learning about processors and distributors. Next week we will move into producers and consumers as well as goods and services. If any of you have a job that you think the kids would find interesting we are looking for people to come talk to second grade.
Picture day is on Tuesday. Our time is at 11:10... after recess. I will be gone in the morning for a training at the county office of Education but I will be back after recess. There will be a sub in the class and stations etc will go as planned.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Math Packet
Some of you may have noticed a math packet in the homework folder tonight. This is not math homework that needs to be turned in. It's just a study aide to help you work on the math concepts we are studying in class with your child. There are great games and activities you can do with them. It also contains the terms we use while teaching the concepts. You don't have to use it if you don't think it will help and it doesn't have to be turned in. Periodically I will be sending home papers and tools that you can use with your child for their reading or math log practice.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Harcourt Math Website
If you would like a great math practice website here's the one our book publishes:
www.harcourtschool.com
go to online activities (red on far left)
click Harcourt Math
two rows of books will show up on the right of your screen
our book is in the bottom row. It is the third book from the left. It is yellow with a blowfish on it.
Click our book and a sign in page will appear
Password: Andrews
School: Rancho Elementary School
State: California
using it at home
press enter
it will take you to a page with grade levels and a picture. Below the picture are four words: click on That's a Fact to practice math facts.
If you are ready to move on click the two on the left of the picture. Only chose the two games from chapter 3. We have not covered the other subjects.
www.harcourtschool.com
go to online activities (red on far left)
click Harcourt Math
two rows of books will show up on the right of your screen
our book is in the bottom row. It is the third book from the left. It is yellow with a blowfish on it.
Click our book and a sign in page will appear
Password: Andrews
School: Rancho Elementary School
State: California
using it at home
press enter
it will take you to a page with grade levels and a picture. Below the picture are four words: click on That's a Fact to practice math facts.
If you are ready to move on click the two on the left of the picture. Only chose the two games from chapter 3. We have not covered the other subjects.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Classroom News
Here we are two weeks into school and I already feel like the month is flying by. Family Dinner is tomorrow night and it will be Halloween before we know it. Everyone is transitioning really well in to second grade. I am really pleased with how well they are doing. I can't wait to see what the rest of the year will be like if this is how great it is now. I am very pleased with how much they seem to enjoy class and each other. In school on Thursday they all started singing together in class. It was a great moment to watch. It was one that doesn't typically come until much later in the year.
We are deep into subtraction now. Please practice math facts every night with your child. Having them memorized will make learning the rest of our math concepts so much easier. I introduced fact families to them on Thursday. This is a concept they went over in first grade but many of them are still struggling with the idea. If they are really understanding fact families they will know that 4+8=12 will be the same as 8+4. If you need any math practice ideas or manipulatives please don't hesitate to ask. Just give me a few days to get them together.
We started our first story this week in the Open Court Reader. We reviewed nouns and talked about proper verses common nouns. We worked on alphabetizing words. We even alphabetized our words to the third letter. We worked on syllibication and were introduced out first five smart words. We started our vocab dictionaries with all of the story vocabulary words. The kids took their first comprehension test this week. All comprehension tests are open book and in the beginning of the year I read all of the questions and guide them through the test.
We met with our buddy class, Mrs. Dees' fifth grade on Thursday afternoon. The kids took turns interviewing one another. We hope to meet with their class at least a couple of times a month since they seem to enjoy each other so much.
I hope to see all of you at Family Dinner tonight. Volunteering will begin next week. If you signed up please check the schedule in your child's Friday Folder.
We are deep into subtraction now. Please practice math facts every night with your child. Having them memorized will make learning the rest of our math concepts so much easier. I introduced fact families to them on Thursday. This is a concept they went over in first grade but many of them are still struggling with the idea. If they are really understanding fact families they will know that 4+8=12 will be the same as 8+4. If you need any math practice ideas or manipulatives please don't hesitate to ask. Just give me a few days to get them together.
We started our first story this week in the Open Court Reader. We reviewed nouns and talked about proper verses common nouns. We worked on alphabetizing words. We even alphabetized our words to the third letter. We worked on syllibication and were introduced out first five smart words. We started our vocab dictionaries with all of the story vocabulary words. The kids took their first comprehension test this week. All comprehension tests are open book and in the beginning of the year I read all of the questions and guide them through the test.
We met with our buddy class, Mrs. Dees' fifth grade on Thursday afternoon. The kids took turns interviewing one another. We hope to meet with their class at least a couple of times a month since they seem to enjoy each other so much.
I hope to see all of you at Family Dinner tonight. Volunteering will begin next week. If you signed up please check the schedule in your child's Friday Folder.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Warm Weather Continues
Although it has gotten cooler the warm weather is still here. I am all for keeping the kids hydrated and am fine with you sending them with a water bottle. If you are going to send one it needs to have a sports top, that way if it spills the amount of water everywhere is a lot less. I also encourage you to get a reusable water bottle. Water bottles you buy at the store such as Crystal Geyser etc are great but they are not meant for long term use. It's important that the water bottle goes home every couple of days to be washed. I will talk to the kids about it on this end but please remind them to bring it in first thing in the morning or at a break (recess or lunch). They will not be allowed to leave class to go to their backpack to get their waterbottle. The water bottle can sometimes be a distraction but after awhile they get used to it. Please do not send juice, vitamin water, or propel water. Thanks!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Back to School Night
Hello to All!
Thank you to everyone who attended Back to School Night last night. It was great meeting all of you. Please don't wait until conference time to talk to me again. I am here early in the morning and afterschool as well. If you missed last night or need something clarified please don't hesitate to call or e-mail.
I can't tell you enough what a great group of kids you have. I really am enjoying getting to know all of them. I would love to get all of the yellow parent surveys back as soon as possible. Please remember to fill out both sides of the paper.As we're settling into our regular routine I am getting the chance to spend more time in small groups with the kids and one on one.I am so impressed with these kids. I am very excited about this school year.
We're off to a great start. We will start our first story in the Open Court series on Monday. We began working on addition word problems today and are moving on to subtraction facts next week. The math is going to start moving faster and faster. Please work every night on math facts to 20 in both addition and subtraction every night. If you would like more math strategies please come talk to me. We began our second short story today. They're writing a summer short story about one event from their vacation. The final draft is written on a pair of paper shorts.
Thank you for all of the items being donated to the classroom. If you volunteered to work in the classroom this year I will be contacting you with a finalized schedule. Please get back to me as soon as you can if the time works for you. If you signed up for a time I will give you that time but many of you didn't put a time down. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to room 8. It makes such a difference!
Sarah Rich
Thank you to everyone who attended Back to School Night last night. It was great meeting all of you. Please don't wait until conference time to talk to me again. I am here early in the morning and afterschool as well. If you missed last night or need something clarified please don't hesitate to call or e-mail.
I can't tell you enough what a great group of kids you have. I really am enjoying getting to know all of them. I would love to get all of the yellow parent surveys back as soon as possible. Please remember to fill out both sides of the paper.As we're settling into our regular routine I am getting the chance to spend more time in small groups with the kids and one on one.I am so impressed with these kids. I am very excited about this school year.
We're off to a great start. We will start our first story in the Open Court series on Monday. We began working on addition word problems today and are moving on to subtraction facts next week. The math is going to start moving faster and faster. Please work every night on math facts to 20 in both addition and subtraction every night. If you would like more math strategies please come talk to me. We began our second short story today. They're writing a summer short story about one event from their vacation. The final draft is written on a pair of paper shorts.
Thank you for all of the items being donated to the classroom. If you volunteered to work in the classroom this year I will be contacting you with a finalized schedule. Please get back to me as soon as you can if the time works for you. If you signed up for a time I will give you that time but many of you didn't put a time down. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to room 8. It makes such a difference!
Sarah Rich
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Math Challenge
Here are some tips on what to work on for the math logs besides this weeks math combinations.
1. Add three digits (under the number 9) together. Example: 4+7+2=13
Flip flop the combinations and give it to your child again to see if they understand the concept of order.
2. Work on both addition and subtraction facts to 20. The kids take beat the clock tests everyday in class. Memorizing their
math facts to 20 is a must!
3. Make up simple word problems for both addition and subtraction facts to help your child identify key words such as in all,
how many more then, how many fewer, greater then, less then, equal to.
4. Work on fact families: 4+7, 7+4, 11-7, 11-4
The math will get harder as the year goes on. Having a good math foundation is key to being successful in all math concepts. Having your facts memorized is the first step in this.
1. Add three digits (under the number 9) together. Example: 4+7+2=13
Flip flop the combinations and give it to your child again to see if they understand the concept of order.
2. Work on both addition and subtraction facts to 20. The kids take beat the clock tests everyday in class. Memorizing their
math facts to 20 is a must!
3. Make up simple word problems for both addition and subtraction facts to help your child identify key words such as in all,
how many more then, how many fewer, greater then, less then, equal to.
4. Work on fact families: 4+7, 7+4, 11-7, 11-4
The math will get harder as the year goes on. Having a good math foundation is key to being successful in all math concepts. Having your facts memorized is the first step in this.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
My Blog and welcome to it!
Hello Room 8!
Welcome to my Blog. If you are reading this blog then you have managed to find your way to it. Please subscribe to my blog and check back as regularly as possible. I would like to use this is a way for you to stay on top of life in room 8. I will only be doing a newsletter every few weeks but I will be updating the blog on a regular basis. I will use this as a place to provide homework tips, updates, book lists, classroom wish lists, etc. It was great meeting you all tonight at Back to School Night and I look forward to seeing you throughout the year.
Sincerely,
Sarah Rich
Welcome to my Blog. If you are reading this blog then you have managed to find your way to it. Please subscribe to my blog and check back as regularly as possible. I would like to use this is a way for you to stay on top of life in room 8. I will only be doing a newsletter every few weeks but I will be updating the blog on a regular basis. I will use this as a place to provide homework tips, updates, book lists, classroom wish lists, etc. It was great meeting you all tonight at Back to School Night and I look forward to seeing you throughout the year.
Sincerely,
Sarah Rich
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