Hello, everyone...it's June 26th and I believe I told the kids that I would post once in June, once in July, and once in August...to let them know how/what I'm doing this summer!
I sent an email to all of the kids who gave me their email account asking for details as to how THEY are spending their summer...here are a few tidbits I received...
Megan...attending a theater camp with Erica! They are performing Jungle Book and she is really enjoying the camp.
Joy...looked for me at the pool (sorry to have missed you!) and is getting ready for the Nationals dance competition she's attending in Myrtle Beach in July!
Nisarg...reading, having fun...but a little bored!
I would love to post about more of you and what you're doing...send pix too...I can put them up to share with everyone!
I am spending a lot of time at the pool and on a baseball field! I have decided to keep a blog about my family...so if you really want to stay in touch... visit
http://wildandwonderfulwills.blogspot.com/! I won't post too often, but I'll be putting different info on there all summer.
And to those of you who may be new readers (my new students in the Fall)...WELCOME!! This is the place where I keep parents up to date about the goings on in the classroom during the schoolyear.
Enjoy your time and your families, and I'll post again in July sometime!
June 26, 2009
June 16, 2009
This summer I will...
...get my best times in swimming! Erica
...play! Ashwin
...go to Texas and swim! Stephanie
...go to Niagra Falls and swim! Aravind
...be moving to Virginia! Kirsten
...be in Korea! Grace
...be in China! Christine
...have fun! Megan
...spend time with my grandparents! Sriniket
...start to write journals or diaries about summer vacation! Pratulya
...go to my cousin's house and play basketball! Nisarg
...go to Maine and swim! Chris
...take a big trip! Riley
...have fun! Abby
...go to lots of places! Krishnapriya
...go to Myrtle Beach and dance! Joy
...do a lot of stuff! Gordon
...miss 17 VERY special people! Mrs. Wills
...play! Ashwin
...go to Texas and swim! Stephanie
...go to Niagra Falls and swim! Aravind
...be moving to Virginia! Kirsten
...be in Korea! Grace
...be in China! Christine
...have fun! Megan
...spend time with my grandparents! Sriniket
...start to write journals or diaries about summer vacation! Pratulya
...go to my cousin's house and play basketball! Nisarg
...go to Maine and swim! Chris
...take a big trip! Riley
...have fun! Abby
...go to lots of places! Krishnapriya
...go to Myrtle Beach and dance! Joy
...do a lot of stuff! Gordon
...miss 17 VERY special people! Mrs. Wills
Enjoy your families...enjoy your time away from school...
enjoy life's endless opportunities!
I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for
a wonderful school year...sniff, sniff. ;-(
With much love,
KW
June 15, 2009
A Fun Summer Reading Challenge
I got this link from a friend of mine who teaches the third grade magnet class at North Frederick ES...it looks like a ton of fun!! If your child loves reading and using the computer, you may want to check it out!
http://www.scholastic.com/summerreading/
http://www.scholastic.com/summerreading/
June 14, 2009
Field Day...and an Adorable Crab
Field Day was SO much fun...I created a mosaic so that you can enjoy seeing your kids having a ball! A huge thank you to Mrs. Shrode who spent the whole morning with us, took most of these pictures, and provided popsicles at the end of the event!
We worked a lot this week on cursive handwriting...most of the kids are comfortable with cursive and are able to work at the same pace as when they are using manuscript, but a few of them are not. Their handwriting tablets came home Friday and they can be used over the summer to practice. The correct formation of each letter is glued into their tablets, so they can use them as a resource as they practice. Also, one of the links on the side bar menu is for Zaner Bloser...this site allows you to print worksheets in cursive...you could create a worksheet that is related to whatever you're doing that week and your child can practice cursive while reflecting on his/her summer fun!
This week we have been holding a SCRABBLE tournament! This is a highlight for me at the end of the year...I love watching the wheels in their brains turn as they strategize how many letters and points they need to use for their next turn in order to come out ahead of all of their opponents. They are using math skills, vocabulary skills, spelling skills, dictionary skills...and having a great time doing it (please, don't tell them it's a learning activity...they think it's like free time! :-))
I am starting to feel very sad as Tuesday approaches...I love spending time with your kids and will miss them very much. I have collected most kids' email addresses and will keep in touch over the summer. I will post one last time this school year on Tuesday or Wednesday...
I hope you all are having a good weekend...and now to the "Adorable Crab" part...I usually post about how my weekends are filled with baseball (and they are), but this weekend was all about my favorite crab from the Little Mermaid...Kate Wills had her dance recital yesterday...she had three numbers in the Little Mermaid portion and then she performed a solo to Hawaiian Rollercoaster...thought I'd share some pix!
We worked a lot this week on cursive handwriting...most of the kids are comfortable with cursive and are able to work at the same pace as when they are using manuscript, but a few of them are not. Their handwriting tablets came home Friday and they can be used over the summer to practice. The correct formation of each letter is glued into their tablets, so they can use them as a resource as they practice. Also, one of the links on the side bar menu is for Zaner Bloser...this site allows you to print worksheets in cursive...you could create a worksheet that is related to whatever you're doing that week and your child can practice cursive while reflecting on his/her summer fun!
This week we have been holding a SCRABBLE tournament! This is a highlight for me at the end of the year...I love watching the wheels in their brains turn as they strategize how many letters and points they need to use for their next turn in order to come out ahead of all of their opponents. They are using math skills, vocabulary skills, spelling skills, dictionary skills...and having a great time doing it (please, don't tell them it's a learning activity...they think it's like free time! :-))
I am starting to feel very sad as Tuesday approaches...I love spending time with your kids and will miss them very much. I have collected most kids' email addresses and will keep in touch over the summer. I will post one last time this school year on Tuesday or Wednesday...
I hope you all are having a good weekend...and now to the "Adorable Crab" part...I usually post about how my weekends are filled with baseball (and they are), but this weekend was all about my favorite crab from the Little Mermaid...Kate Wills had her dance recital yesterday...she had three numbers in the Little Mermaid portion and then she performed a solo to Hawaiian Rollercoaster...thought I'd share some pix!
Couldn't you just eat her up!??! (yes, I'm biased!!)
June 7, 2009
Summer Reading Lists
Frederick County Public Schools and the Frederick County Public Library
have compiled a
Summer Reading List
organized by genre.
I have added those links in the menu to the left. There is a list of books recommended for grades 3-5 and a list recommended for grades 6-8. Most of your children are avid readers, so I know I don't have to stress the importance of daily reading to you...however, I have a few kids who avoid reading like the plague...please use these lists to help find books your child will enjoy...it is SO necessary to read often...it not only strengthens your ability to comprehend, it makes for a much better writer, too!
Happy Reading!!
June 5, 2009
Can you believe how fast time flies?!
Do you remember what your child looked like at the beginning of the year? Look at the front of their Take Home folders...that picture was taken at Open House...my, how they have grown! I am very sad to see the year come to an end as I have enjoyed your kids SO much...but I am also filled with pride as they move on to fourth grade ready to meet new challenges! OK...starting to tear up...let's move on...
The past TWO weeks have been full of learning...
Language Arts
The students took the CSA's, read a non fiction book titled Powerful Predators, focused on the writing trait Sentence Fluency to complete two writing pieces (both of which will come home today), and read and created functional documents. In our Functional Documents unit, we started with recipes...wait until you see their own original recipes! We identified and discussed the important text features, we decided which text features made the recipes more appealing, and then the kids created their own. We also looked at menus...again discussing text features and what makes a menu more pleasing to the hungry eyes! Next week each child will create a restaurant menu of their own! We skipped the brochure part...we did that in the beginning of the year!
The kids are bringing home a "How To" essay that they took through the writing process. We started with a draft of "How To Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich". I then took those first drafts and actually made the sandwiches following their directions...boy, was that funny! Ask your child about that...I've never rolled a peanut butter jar over bread so many times...this activity helped the kids to see that even though you might know how to make a PBandJ sandwich, your directions can't leave out things like THE KNIFE! :-) So after analyzing how we could improve, your kids set out to write their own "How To" essay....many kids wanted to pick a new topic, so we have many different "How To" essays. We spent the next few lessons specifically focusing on sentence fluency. Then, each child met with a partner to look over the writing and revise based on the other writing traits. Last, they published this essay in the computer lab. You are only going to see the final product. I am putting the stapled packet of drafts in their portfolios. The kids also wrote informative paragraphs about whether or not they'd like to live in the 1700's after our field trip to Rose Hill Manor...and these are REALLY good! So, both pieces are coming home today.
Math
We have been focusing on problem solving...all of the fourth grade indicators have been taught and extended, so we're taking the skills they have mastered and putting them to the test...using them to solve mysteries. I have been very impressed at how well the kids have done. The algorithms come pretty easily to these kids, but applying them appropriately is often difficult...but they're doing a great job! We will continue with problem solving next week.
Social Studies
The history indicators in third grade are all about how technology has changed our society. We focus on what life was like 200 years ago in Frederick County, what it's like now, and how it all changed. Mrs. Foster invited us to her classroom to share her collection of antiques with the kids and talk about how these tools/necessities were used in the past. We appreciate the time Mrs. Foster took to meet with all of the third grade classes! And then...our trip to Rose Hill Manor was sort of the culmination of it all...and it was great! The kids learned SO much and had a lot of fun! We will continue with this unit next week and read some non fiction text that supports this unit.
Personal Body Safety
We completed this unit last week. Urbana ES was one of the pilot schools for this curriculum and I happen to think it is exceptionally well written. The kids were very serious about the topics and did an amazing job holding discussions. I am thrilled with the job FCPS has done training us for the curriculum and the support we received implementing it.
Field Day and other happenings...
As you are aware, Field Day has been postponed. Below are the fun activities we have planned for next week...it looks to be a great one!
Tuesday, June 9th - 5th grade musical
Wednesday, June 10th - UES Band Concert
Friday, June 12th - Field Day
next week - SCRABBLE TOURNAMENT!!!
If you have a Scrabble game at home, please send it in with your child...we will be starting our tournament mid-week.
The past TWO weeks have been full of learning...
Language Arts
The students took the CSA's, read a non fiction book titled Powerful Predators, focused on the writing trait Sentence Fluency to complete two writing pieces (both of which will come home today), and read and created functional documents. In our Functional Documents unit, we started with recipes...wait until you see their own original recipes! We identified and discussed the important text features, we decided which text features made the recipes more appealing, and then the kids created their own. We also looked at menus...again discussing text features and what makes a menu more pleasing to the hungry eyes! Next week each child will create a restaurant menu of their own! We skipped the brochure part...we did that in the beginning of the year!
The kids are bringing home a "How To" essay that they took through the writing process. We started with a draft of "How To Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich". I then took those first drafts and actually made the sandwiches following their directions...boy, was that funny! Ask your child about that...I've never rolled a peanut butter jar over bread so many times...this activity helped the kids to see that even though you might know how to make a PBandJ sandwich, your directions can't leave out things like THE KNIFE! :-) So after analyzing how we could improve, your kids set out to write their own "How To" essay....many kids wanted to pick a new topic, so we have many different "How To" essays. We spent the next few lessons specifically focusing on sentence fluency. Then, each child met with a partner to look over the writing and revise based on the other writing traits. Last, they published this essay in the computer lab. You are only going to see the final product. I am putting the stapled packet of drafts in their portfolios. The kids also wrote informative paragraphs about whether or not they'd like to live in the 1700's after our field trip to Rose Hill Manor...and these are REALLY good! So, both pieces are coming home today.
Math
We have been focusing on problem solving...all of the fourth grade indicators have been taught and extended, so we're taking the skills they have mastered and putting them to the test...using them to solve mysteries. I have been very impressed at how well the kids have done. The algorithms come pretty easily to these kids, but applying them appropriately is often difficult...but they're doing a great job! We will continue with problem solving next week.
Social Studies
The history indicators in third grade are all about how technology has changed our society. We focus on what life was like 200 years ago in Frederick County, what it's like now, and how it all changed. Mrs. Foster invited us to her classroom to share her collection of antiques with the kids and talk about how these tools/necessities were used in the past. We appreciate the time Mrs. Foster took to meet with all of the third grade classes! And then...our trip to Rose Hill Manor was sort of the culmination of it all...and it was great! The kids learned SO much and had a lot of fun! We will continue with this unit next week and read some non fiction text that supports this unit.
Personal Body Safety
We completed this unit last week. Urbana ES was one of the pilot schools for this curriculum and I happen to think it is exceptionally well written. The kids were very serious about the topics and did an amazing job holding discussions. I am thrilled with the job FCPS has done training us for the curriculum and the support we received implementing it.
Field Day and other happenings...
As you are aware, Field Day has been postponed. Below are the fun activities we have planned for next week...it looks to be a great one!
Tuesday, June 9th - 5th grade musical
Wednesday, June 10th - UES Band Concert
Friday, June 12th - Field Day
next week - SCRABBLE TOURNAMENT!!!
If you have a Scrabble game at home, please send it in with your child...we will be starting our tournament mid-week.
FYI...I will not post next Friday...I will post Tuesday, June 16th...through my tears.
Have a great weekend...enjoy your families.
June 4, 2009
Marble Jar Celebration
Hi...remember me? I'm pretty sure last Friday was the only time I've missed a weekly blog this school year...please forgive me. Between the Strawberry Festival on Friday, the ridiculous amount of baseball games over the weekend, and grades and comments and fluency tests to work on...I just didn't blog.
But...I'm BAAAAACK.
And I'm here to remind you that tomorrow...Friday, June 5th, is our Marble Jar Celebration...boy, am I a sucker for your kids...I had them vote on how they wanted to celebrate and they ended up getting me to combine almost all of their ideas! Tomorrow is pj/sleeping bag/stuffed friend/pizza party/dance party day...I don't think I left anything out...but I'm sure if I did, they'll let me know! I was going to have this celebration the Monday before school gets out, but we have two students who are leaving the country before June 15th and I wanted to make sure to allow for all students to participate! So...please help your "almost fourth grader" (where does time go?!?!) remember to bring his/her pjs/sleeping bag/stuffed friend/music for tomorrow's event...and if any of you are around and want to pop by around lunchtime...12:15pm...for some pizza and some dance music, sign in the office and head back to the classroom...we'll be chowing down while we "get down"! (I crack myself up!) Have a good night.
But...I'm BAAAAACK.
And I'm here to remind you that tomorrow...Friday, June 5th, is our Marble Jar Celebration...boy, am I a sucker for your kids...I had them vote on how they wanted to celebrate and they ended up getting me to combine almost all of their ideas! Tomorrow is pj/sleeping bag/stuffed friend/pizza party/dance party day...I don't think I left anything out...but I'm sure if I did, they'll let me know! I was going to have this celebration the Monday before school gets out, but we have two students who are leaving the country before June 15th and I wanted to make sure to allow for all students to participate! So...please help your "almost fourth grader" (where does time go?!?!) remember to bring his/her pjs/sleeping bag/stuffed friend/music for tomorrow's event...and if any of you are around and want to pop by around lunchtime...12:15pm...for some pizza and some dance music, sign in the office and head back to the classroom...we'll be chowing down while we "get down"! (I crack myself up!) Have a good night.
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