New You Can Use!

Enjoy reading all about our week!

Literacy

This week, the children had two close reading lessons with books about twisters. We read a realistic fiction book, titled Twisters. During the reading, the children worked on visualizing. They shared what they were picturing or imagining in their mind. The children recorded their visualizations on a graphic organizer, they included illustrations and a sentence describing what they imagined. 

With our nonfiction text, also titled Twisters!, the children worked on identifying nonfiction text features and how they help us to gain more information on the topic.

Grammar:

The children continued to work with sentence structure during grammar this week. They had to determine if the sentences were statements. The children learned that a statement is a sentence that tells something and it has to begin with a capital and end with a period. 

Writing

This week, the children zoomed in on their favorite small moment and began writing. The children will take this piece all the way through the writing process. They are currently working on their rough draft where they sketch pictures, label, and write their story. Next week, they will reread their story and work on adding additional detail. The children will also go back and stretch out words that they did not know how to spell. Ask your child what their small moment is, try and help them recall the event in great detail. This will help them zoom in even further and add important details to their writing next week. 

Math 

In Math, the children worked with exchanging pennies for nickels. They were introduced to change to more number stories and change to less number stories. The children also learned how to write addition and subtraction number models. 

Next Monday, the children will review all the concepts from Unit 2 using Mimio vote. They will take their Unit 2 math test on Tuesday. I will send them home by the end of next week. 

Science

This week, the scientists worked with thermometers to measure temperature. They measured the temperature of their hands, the air, and water. They discussed what they noticed about the thermometers and the different temperature readings. They recorded the temperatures using the thermometer color scale. 

Later in the week, the scientists worked with understanding how water changes from a liquid to a solid and back again. They experimented with placing small objects into a glass of water and observing what happens when they freeze. They learned that freeze means to change from a liquid to a solid. 

Today, the scientists experimented with their frozen ice. They explored different ways of making their ice melt. The scientists came up with many different techniques: breathing on it, rubbing it, using salt, wrapping their hands around it, carving it into smaller pieces, and running it under warm water. They learned that the term melt means to change from a solid to a liquid. 

Star Student

Mason was our star student this week. Thanks Mason for sharing all about you!

Royal Reader

Thank you to Mason’s Mom, she joined us this week as our Royal Reader. The children enjoyed listening to two wonderful books, The Day the Crayons Quit and When I Grow Up.

Happy Birthday

This week, we celebrated two birthdays. Happy Birthday to Brooke and Mary!  

Notes:

• Remember our pumpkin carving day is October 23rd at 2:15. I look forward to seeing all our parent/ family volunteers. Please remember to bring a large scooping spoon! 
• We kicked off Character Counts/Red Ribbon Week today! It will continue next week. Everyone is invited to wear a special color each day of the week to promote each Character Counts pillar:

*Monday, October 20--Wear YELLOW for RESPECT

*Tuesday, October 21--Wear RED for CARING

*Wednesday, October 22--Wear BLUE for TRUSTWORTHINESS

*Thursday, October 23--Wear ORANGE for FAIRNESS

*Friday, October 24--Wear PURPLE for CITIZENSHIP

Have a great weekend! 

News You Can Use!

What a busy group we were last week. Read all about our exciting learning adventures below! 

Literacy

Last week, the children read books about weather. The children worked on describing the differences between nonfiction and fiction texts. They also worked with retelling stories including key details and asking questions. The children begin creating a RAN graphic organizer, which will help us organize our ideas about weather. We will categorize the information that we know and learn about weather over the next few weeks. Last week, we added sticky notes for What We Think We Know and Wonderings. We will continue to add to our organizer during Reading and Science for the next couple weeks. 

Grammar Notebooks:

We started grammar last week. The children worked with sentences. They focused on recognizing the difference between a complete and incomplete sentence and learned that all sentences must start with a capital and end with an ending mark. 

Writing:

Last week, the children begin the process of writing their very own small moment story. They brainstormed a list of small moments topics they would like to write about. They chose their favorite small moment and described it in detail to a table mate. This week, the children will begin writing about their favorite small moment in lots of detail. 

Math 

In Math, the children enjoyed explorations in math. They rotated through three stations: domino sorting ( learning that the dot patterns on dominos represent numbers), straight line dot to dot (using rulers), and estimating relative lengths of objects (sorting objects into two groups, smaller and larger than a six inch ruler).  

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the children explored pennies and nickels. They identified the characteristics of each coin and learned how to write their values. They enjoyed learning two poems:

Penny 

Penny, penny 

Easily spent

Copper brown

And worth one cent!

Nickel

Nickel, nickel

Thick and fat

You’re worth five cents

I know that!

The children also named values of different groups of pennies. They also counted groups of nickels and pennies and recorded the values in cent notation. The children worked with exchanging pennies for nickels. 

Science

This week, we began our first science unit. The children learned all about what a scientist does. We read the book, What Is a Scientist and worked together to create a chart listing everything that a scientist does. Then, the children created their own super scientist. Inside the lab jacket they wrote about what a scientist does. 

Later in the week, we started our unit on Weather. The scientists defined weather as, how the sky looks and feels. They learned that the main parts of weather are: temperate, sunlight, wind, clouds, and moisture.

The scientists learned about meteorologists. A meteorologist is a person who studies weather. The scientists researched about meteorologists using pebblego.com and by watching a weather report. The scientists became meteorologists themselves and took turns reporting the weather. 

Star Student

RoseMarie was our star student this week. Thanks RoseMarie for sharing all about you!

Royal Reader

Thank you to RoseMarie’s Mom, she joined us this week as our Royal Reader. The children enjoyed listening to two wonderful books, The Magic School Bus On the Ocean Floor and Llama Llama and the Bully Goat. 

Notes:

• If you are the adult coming to our pumpkin carving day please bring your diver’s license and plan to arrive a few minutes early. Everyone must have their license scanned before they can come down to our classroom. Our pumpkin carving day is October 23rd at 2:15. I look forward to seeing everyone next week!
• If your child’s purple poetry folder is still at home please send it back to school. They will need it this Friday to add a new poem!

News You Can Use!

Read below to learn about our fantastic week in 1-1.

Literacy

This week, we did two close reading lessons with the books, Chrysanthemum and Shelia Rae, The Brave. The children worked on describing the characters and setting of each story. While reading Chrysanthemum, the children focused on identifying character traits. During our second reading, the children used evidence from the story to support the character traits they identified. 

Later in the week, when we read, Shelia Rae, The Brave, the children identified the setting in the story. They noted that the setting changed throughout the story. Then, the children illustrated the different settings they identified in the story.

Making Words:

This week, the children were also introduced to our Making Words lessons. They use letter tiles at their desk to create different words that follow our spelling pattern for the week. The children take turns coming up to the board to spell the words on our interactive pocket chart. Their favorite part of the lesson is when the get to try and figure out the “secret word.” This word uses all of the letter tiles for the day. 

Daily 5 & Guided Reading:

The children did a great job this week during Daily 5 and guided reading. They were independent during their Daily 5 activities which allowed for very productive guided reading groups. In guided reading the children worked hard at learning some of our reading strategies and reading their books. On nights when your child brings home their book bag, please have your child read the book to you. If your child brings home a word ring or graphic organizer have them read these to you as well. 

Poetry Folder:

In your child’s backpack you should have noticed a purple folder, this is your child’s poetry folder. Attached was a note explaining what to do with the folder over the weekend. Every week, we will learn a new poem that goes along with our spelling pattern of the week. Please read the poem with your child and send their folder back to school on Monday. 

Spelling:

The children did a great job on their first spelling test this Friday. I am so proud of how hard they practiced all week long. Next week our spelling pattern will continue to focus on the short /a/ sound.  Thank you for helping your child review their words at home!

Writing

This week, the children celebrated all of their hard work by meeting with students from Mrs. Glaser and Miss Bander’s classes. In groups of three, the children took turns reading their autobiographies. They had a great time sharing their writing. Enjoy some photos of our writing celebration below! 

This week, we also started our second writing unit. The children will work on Narrative writing, zooming in on a small moment in their lives to write about. To start, they chose something that they did over the weekend and used lots of detail to describe the event. 

Next week, the children will begin the process of writing their very own small moment story. You can help your child at home by talking about an event in their life that was really exciting for them: a trip, a big game, a birthday. Help them recall their favorite event in lots of detail, they will use this to write their narrative.

Math 

In Math, the children worked with ten frames, labeling numbers with units, finding sums of ten, using calculators, and telling time to the hour. 

Social Studies

This week, we finished our Map unit. The children enjoyed taking a virtual trip around the world to visit different landforms. After we visited each landform location the children wrote about it in their landforms booklet. Ask your child to teach you all about the landforms the learned.

Royal Reader

On Friday, we enjoyed a visit from our first Royal Reader, Mrs. Sessler! The children loved listening to Mrs. Sessler read her book. She read the book, The Peace Book. Thank you Mrs. Sessler for coming and sharing this amazing book with us!!

Birthday

On Tuesday, we celebrated Nikhil’s Birthday. Happy Birthday Nikhil!

Notes:

• Don’t forget to read and return your purple poetry folder!
• Scholastic Book orders are due, Tuesday, October 7th. If you haven’t placed your order for books you still have time!
• Walk To School Day is Wednesday, October 8th. I will be at the corner of Belmont & Park, come walk to school with me!

Have a great rest of the weekend!