I LOVE this class!!

We have had a great week...

First, thanks to everyone that was able to make it out last night for Back to School Night.  I know that all of you are busy, and for those who couldn't make it, the folder that was handed out last night will come home today. 

Last night I had a parent ask, "Did you really mean I can come sit and hang out for a bit one day?" YES, I did mean it!  As a parent, I would have been dismayed if my child's teacher had told me that I couldn't volunteer for the first semester.  We all want to get in and see how our child is adjusting.  Well...I truly don't have anything for you to do because I have such an amazing intern, but you are more than welcome to come visit and hang out.  Please let me know ahead of time...and let me know if you'd like to be a guest reader for part of your visit.  We love to listen to literature!!  If you do come, plan to stay for about 1/2 hour.  Thanks!

Behavior checklists are coming home today.  Please review with your child, sign, and have your child place it back in the Take Home folder.  They will receive a ticket for returning it on Monday.  If you have any questions about the marks on the checklist, please email me.

This past week we accomplished a lot...here is a quick snippet from each subject area...

LANGUAGE ARTS
This week we continued to build ideas for writing, and just today began Writer's Workshop...a program that helps children find the ways to improve their writing and work towards a published piece.  We have read quite a few books to inspire writing and today we used playdoh to create cars...these cars became the ideas for their writing...and then the fantastic ideas/pieces were shared...hard to believe they all had the same assignment...make a car and write about it!

We have also been reading books about maps and globes, and talking about perspective.  Our earth is HUGE, but if asked to walk across Frederick County, that's a HUGE walk...so we've had a lot of discourse about perspective.  We read a book by Lynne Cherry titled, The Armadillo from Amarillo.  Ask your kids to tell you about that book!

We also worked with words this week...we made friends with the dictionary as we delved into the Scholastic Magazine "Storyworks"...it has two pages devoted just to words and we deciphered the "Word Nerds" quote using the dictionary...they did a SUPERB job!  Here is the quote they had to decipher...see if your child can remember what it means..."I was forlorn that my teacher had to suspend learning because a plethora of my ostentatious colleagues were loquacious in class."  ;-)  They were also introduced to Mirriam-Webster's website and Buzzwords...another place I will have your kids visit often.  And then today, they shared their "amazing words" with each other and recorded their group member's words and definitions.  I am a TRUE WORD NERD, so they will be working with words ALL THE TIME!!

MATH
We have been working with large numbers, place value, rounding, estimating, and problem solving.  We have broken into groups to better meet the needs of all students.  Today the kids took a short assessment to see how they are doing...we will be moving into the modeling of addition and subtraction of large numbers and mastering the algorithm next week while continuing to refine our problem solving...especially being able to PERSEVERE when met with a tough challenge!

SOCIAL STUDIES
Everything geography is our focus...from our large Maryland county to our very small place on Earth.  Continents, oceans, hemispheres, lines of latitude and longitude...we're covering it.  Look for a study guide sometime next week as we prepare for a social studies test on all that we've covered so far. 
Your kids need to rest some this weekend...I worked their brains and they will be tired.  I hope you enjoy your families and get some rest, too...I plan to!!  ;-)