How are we days from 2019?!?!

So...I will start with an apology for no post in November...thank goodness I'm getting this done today, so I don't have to say "no post in November AND December!!"

I guess the only thing I can use an excuse is so little time...blogging definitely is not something that fits into the regular school day...neither does grading papers...and so when I have time at home, I usually am doing that...but right now I am on a ten hour trip home from Georgia visiting my grand kids, so I have unlimited time on my hands!!

I have so much to write about and so many pictures to share...so go grab a handful of leftover holiday cookies, a warm drink, and get comfortable!

As far as academics go...you should be so proud of your child! In Language Arts we have been working on playlists...I'm sure you've seen these come home...playlists are the latest trend in education that incorporate blended learning into the classroom. Blended learning is "an approach to education that combines online educational materials and opportunities for interaction online with traditional place-based classroom methods. It requires the physical presence of both teacher and student, with some elements of student control over time, place, path, or pace." The playlist model allows students to choose from "Must Do" activities that are developed based on Language Arts learning objectives (and often Social Studies or Science objectives, as well.) These "Must Do" activities always involve reading fiction or non-fiction (depending on our focus), responding to reading in writing, creating some sort of product to show their understanding, and discussing the reading with a collaborative group digging deeper into the text. As the teacher, I am able to assess their comprehension by sitting in on the collaborative conversations (and often moderating them), as well as by reading their written responses. While some children are working on the comprehension activities, others may be working on vocabulary (Wordly Wise) or another assignment of their choice. Because that's what the playlist allows...lots of choices. These choices allow the students to take more ownership of their learning. Usually there are about four "Must Do" activities and the kids can decide which activity to work on which day. I look at their daily progress goals (what they're working on) and their learning goals to keep an eye on their time management. This type learning requires students to work independently and organize their time. It is a difficult transition for many, but this group has done such a FANTASTIC job. Once they complete their "Must Do" activities, there are many "May Do" activities they can choose from. Students have been working on learning other languages on a site called DuoLingo, they can research topics they are passionate about and create a way to teach our class all about that topic, they can create something in our MakerSpace area that relates to their comprehension of the text they read, and so much more.

So...I just tried to attach pictures and I'm not being able to from this school laptop...I will try very hard to do something with all of the pictures tomorrow.

Let me tell you more about the past couple months.

We are getting ready to finish up our Weather and Climate unit in Science....the kids have been collecting weather data from our homemade weather instruments and we've been learning about the climates around the world, in the US, and specifically in Maryland compared to other places in the US. The kids have enjoyed this unit and are quite good at identifying cloud types and explaining how the clouds can predict the kind of weather that is ahead. They have collected data on wind speed, wind direction, amount of precipitation, and temperature.

In Math, I continue to assess each unit's skills, and then regroup for teaching, practicing, and extending the concepts. I will be giving another multiplication fact test soon and am hoping their scores improve...your child should be practicing these multiplication facts (0-10) a couple evenings a week if they are not fluent with them yet. As we delve further into equivalent fractions, their multiplication fact knowledge will help them tremendously. The students are also heavy into Redbird now. This is the online math curriculum that is written for advanced learners and differentiates for your child based on their math knowledge. Ask your child what they are doing in Redbird these days...you may be quite surprised!

We also have other fun things going on at school...at UES we have buddies. Each classroom is assigned a buddy class and in third grade you are finally the OLDER buddy! We are paired with Mrs. Moats' kindergarten class and each student has a kindergarten buddy. We find this builds community within our school because when our classes see each other in the hallways, we have a connection with kids outside our grade level. We meet with our buddies at least once a month and do some sort of activity together. It is so heartwarming to see your kids being role models with the younger kids. I have great pis of all of this, too...so more to come.

I also have great photos of the kids sharing their Cultural Projects, and of the Fall Festival party, the Fun Run...I will work on getting photos put in tomorrow.

I hope your family has enjoyed some down time this past week and my wish for you all is a very happy and healthy 2019! I can't wait to see your little people!

Going to go work on putting pictures into a video...see if that program will allow me to upload pictures.