WOW...WOW...WOW...WOW...WOW...WOW...

I'm sure you're thinking the same thing if you were a visitor at the Hall of Presidents and First Ladies Wax Museum! WOW! The students did an amazing job and should be extremely proud of themselves! Below this post is a video story of their journey...I hope you all enjoy it!


With the kind of week we had...early dismissal one day, late arrival another day, three dress rehearsals on Thursday...I must say I don't have as much as usual to write about...but here goes...


We had many, many rehearsals this week...and I think they paid off well...the students were focusing on loud voices and eye contact...can you believe how many of them had it memorized or practically memorized?!


We started a new science unit today! We will spend the next month or so doing a unit on Rocks, Soil, and Fossils...it looks to be a great unit...it is new to the third grade in FCPS, so we'll be learning it together! The kids shared their immense knowledge with the class today and then we watched a Bill Nye the Science Guy video with lots of wonderful facts...we will delve into the investigations on Monday!


In Language Arts this week, the students started Monday writing a paragraph about their Winter Break. On Tuesday the students revised their paragraphs with the reminder that it needed a topic sentence, at least three facts with details, and a concluding sentence. On Wednesday the students used their Ideas rubric and their Organization rubric to first revise their work, and then to score their own papers. It is my job over the weekend to score them and grade them. The kids did a nice job following the writing process and using the two writing traits Ideas and Organization to shape their work.


In Math this week we focused on BCR's (brief constructed responses)...in simpler terms...problem solving where the focus is explaining your work. Your kids are very good at this...but we worked on using the words IN THE PROMPT in their answer. This is a very important and quite easy tip to writing a great answer. I tell the kids...you're never allowed to steal...except when writing an answer to a question...I want you to be a WORD THIEF!! Steal the words used in the question to write an outstanding answer...they're catching on!


And so...I leave you with our photo story...I hope you enjoyed today...I know the kids enjoyed it and I certainly felt like the proud mother of 16 fantastic kids!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's hard to believe it's 2009 and tomorrow we return to school! I have had a wonderful break and done many fun things with my family, but am looking forward to getting back into the routine and seeing YOUR KIDS! Here are a few reminders for the week ahead...

The kids need to PRACTICE their biography! If, by chance, your child forgot to practice over winter break, they have a big assignment over the next few nights...they need to be able to look up (at the audience), more than they look down (at their paper)! Some students will have it memorized...this is not a requirement, but certainly helps the audience experience being with the real famous person...so the more it is practiced, the better!

REMINDER!!!!

WAX MUSEUM

Parent Presentation

Friday, January 9, 2009
9:15 am
UES cafeteria
(approximately one hour in length)

We hope to see all of you there...the kids have been working very hard and this will be an exciting time! Remember that your child needs his/her costume or artifact ready on Thursday for our dress rehearsals.

I hope that all of you had a great break and I wish only wonderful things for your families in the new year! Tell all of your kids that I'll see them tomorrow!!

Hmmm...can you guess what I did this weekend?

Three generations of Anastasi women (my maiden name) making cookies in my kitchen...so fun!

(Ignore the date on the picture...I may be great at blogging...not so much with photography!)

I bet many of you and your families are enjoying family traditions this month...I am SO looking forward to learning about your different family and cultural traditions next week. We are spending a good part of Monday sharing our cultural projects...and I can't wait to hear and see what the children have to share! One reminder...the rubric I will use to score the projects was included in the project papers...use it when having your child practice what they plan to share.

Our week was busy and fun...

Math
We continue to work on multiplication...I am so proud of all of the kids...I can say with confidence that every child in my class can multiply a two digit number by a one digit number (a fourth grade indicator)! Hip hip hooray! The group of kids that had already mastered this indicator have been diligently working on problem solving and extension activities. This group will work on multiplying a two digit number by another two digit number on Monday and Tuesday. We will continue with this unit the first week we return from break.

Social Studies
We are wrapping up our Peoples of the Nation and World unit...we have done some very higher level thinking activities with this unit. One of my favorites was watching two short videos...one about a child living in Italy and one about a child living in South Africa. The students took notes and then each child took a file card and cut it in thirds. They were to write different facts about each child focusing on the indicator...food, education, recreation, clothing, etc. We then sat around three different hoola hoops (yes, I said hoola hoops) and showed the intersection of three children...an Italian child, a South African child, and a child from the US. Even though the kids had written specific facts about a specific child...now they had to think about what part of the triple venn diagram the fact went into. The kids were amazed at how many times their facts went into the intersecting circles...for instance..."eats pasta and pizza" was written for the Italian child circle, but could certainly go into the intersection of the Italian child and the US child. We found that the South African child had more facts that ONLY went into the South African child circle than the other two...and we found that we have a lot in common with people all over the world. The conversations were wonderful! We will complete another triple venn diagram on Monday using a child from Lapland (most northern part of Finland), a child from China, and a child from the US. I look forward to this activity!!

Science
We begin a brand new third grade unit upon our return from winter break...Rocks, Soil, and Fossils. The third grade team was trained on this unit this summer and we are all excited about it! Any of you parents out there have anything you know about this unit that you'd like to come in and share with us?! Let me know if you are an expert in this area...we'd love to tap your knowledge!

Language Arts...
We're wrapping up the poetry unit...we've discussed similes, metaphors, the mood and tone of a poem...the kids brought their favorite lyrics to school...because a song is a poem, you know! They looked for elements of poetry and analyzed their favorite song...there was a lot of humming and singing during that lesson! :-)

Each child has finished their biography...they have all peer conferenced and I will have met with all of them by the end of Tuesday. They will be bringing their biographies home over break...if you could have them practice the reading of their biography, it would be SO helpful! We will spend the first week back in the cafeteria practicing our Wax Museum and preparing for YOU, the parents to come and see all of their hard work! Here is the schedule...we hope you can join us!

Wax Museum

Hall of Presidents and First Ladies

Dress Rehearsal

Thursday, January 8, 2009

9:15 am and 1:30 pm

for 1st and 2nd grade magnet classes

and the other third grade classes

(bring costume/artifact to school in a bag)

Parent Presentation

Friday, January 9, 2009

9:15 am

UES cafeteria

(approximately one hour in length)

We hope you will be able to join us! Please email me if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend!

Have a very "mice" weekend!!

I can do 28 kids on a field trip...

I can do my own kids getting sick in a car...

I can even do a huge plant spilling topsoil all over my white carpet (what was I thinking with white?)...

BUT I CANNOT DO MICE...


I'm sure the kids will all come home and tell you, so I thought I'd just come right out and tell you myself...

I jumped onto a chair this morning and stayed there awhile after my classroom was visited by a mouse...I'm sure it's a friendly mouse, and YES, I know how much bigger I am than it...but...
I DO NOT DO MICE!


OK, now that we've gotten that all out in the open...back to the whole reason I have this blog...let's talk about YOUR kids and their week!


Language Arts...
I LOVE poetry...I never thought I would say that! The kids have been reading some incredible poems this week...Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Robert Louis Stevenson, to name a few. While reading these poets' pieces, we have discussed rhyme, rhythm, lines, stanzas, similies, onomatopoeia, and more...but importantly, we have been finding the meaning in their words. The students are such "deep thinkers" and used the elements of poetry to analyze some pretty tough poems. I have been incredibly proud of their work. On top of all of the reading and analyzing we've done...the kids have been WRITING poems...and HOLY MOLY, I have a classroom full of AMAZING poets!! I don't know in what fashion we will be publishing these poems, but we WILL be publishing these poems. They are great!

Along with our poetry unit, we have been finishing the first drafts of our biographies. The typing of the biographies has taken quite a while, but now they will now use those drafts to have a peer conference, as well as a teacher conference. I expect final drafts completed by next Friday and then the practicing will begin!! As of right now, we are aiming to present our Hall of Presidents and First Ladies the first Friday in January...it will be a morning production...and I promise to have full details by next Friday (have I said that before?!) About "costumes"...please do not spend any money on a costume...first of all...the kids do not HAVE to dress like their person...it makes the wax museum more interesting looking, but is not necessary. They must have something on, or with them, that represents their famous person. If you click on the link for the May 2008 entries in the blog, you can watch a short slide show of our wax museum from last year...just as a guide. It is important to begin thinking about what your child will bring or wear. If you have any questions, as always, feel free to email me.

Social Studies...
We finished up our Political Science unit...we read about important monuments, memorials, and symbols of the US, as well as learned about National holidays such as Veteran's Day and Memorial Day. Now we are focusing on Peoples of the Nation and World. We have been discussing different cultures and how they celebrate their holidays. Next week we will be investigating certain countries and how the lives of the children there compare and contrast to our students' lives.

Math...
In math we are working on multiplication. I have grouped the kids for different indicators and each day I meet with different children depending on the needs of those kids. The students that are not meeting with me are working independently on the skill taught the day before or on an extension of what is being taught. Everyone is making great progress, but some of the kids really need to continue to practice multiplication facts...they need gentle reminders!! http://www.multiplication.com/ is a great resource with fun games to help the kids acquire their facts.

I thought I'd leave you with a poem written by Grace Lee after this morning's escapades...I tell you, I've never heard so many poems about mice in my life...but this one sums it all up really well....

Mrs. Wills is Afraid of a Mouse

by Grace Lee

My teachers afraid of a mouse.

She has a mouse in her schoolhouse!

She jumped on a chair, like it was a nightmare,

My teachers afraid of a mouse!

Mr. Ray came in with a start.

He put out a mousetrap, (his part.)

Mrs. Wills just stood, as far away as she could,

Mr. Ray came in with a start.

Our class thinks the mouse is gone.

Mr. Clutz's class he might've gone.

Mrs. Wills is still scared, would she go near? She didn't dare!

Our class thinks the mouse is gone.

I hope our class is right! Have a great "mice free" weekend...like I plan to!

p.s.

CONGRATULATIONS...

to our class for filling the marble jar!

The kids work hard for every marble, and yesterday we celebrated with "Winter Day"...PJs, a movie, and yummy hot chocolate! They should be proud of themselves...they show the pillars of character every day in our classroom and throughout the school!

Happy Friday!

We had a great week...can you believe it's December?!

Language Arts
Most of the kids have finished organizing their facts about their president or first lady. They have moved them from their learning laptop onto a giant sized web. Some students have begun taking that information and organizing it into a well written biography...about themselves! They will be taking on the persona of their very important person for our Hall of Presidents and First Ladies, so they are writing the biography from "their point of view." Next week they will meet with peers to find necessary revisions and then conference with me to make sure they are ready to publish. This will all be done while we jump into our next Language Arts unit, Poetry. I LOVE poetry and think the winter is a wonderful time for writing poetry! We will be exploring all of the elements of poetry and reading and writing many different types of poems.

Social Studies
The unit Peoples of the Nation and World is what we are headed into as we wrap up the Political Science unit. And, no, you were not having a nightmare...your children really DO have a project to do this month...but it's not labor intensive, and you'll actually enjoy the conversations that will occur as a result of this project! This project is due on Friday, December 19th. The description and rubric are coming home today...please look the over the project this weekend and discuss it with your child. We are happy to provide 18x24" construction paper for the kids to use. I will be sending this next week. If you and your child decide that you would prefer to use something other than construction paper, that is perfectly acceptable. This project requires conversations with family members, but otherwise, should be completed independently.

Math
The kids took a multiplication pretest this week and will begin some group work next week...there are so many different objectives in this unit, and each child has different needs, so we'll be changing the groupings quite a bit during this unit. This past week we worked with the math vocabulary: numeric expression and numeric equation...just to be clear...the equation has the operation and the answer...the expression only shows the operation.

EXPRESSION
3 x 5

EQUATION
3 x 5 = 15

We did an activity with rolling number cubes and creating multiplication arrays while using this math vocabulary.

We also worked with the words: factors, multiples, and product. The kids were asked to solve a word problem and explain their thinking, making sure to include proper math vocabulary in their explanation. They did a fantastic job. I'm holding onto those papers for their portfolios...but you'll see others over the next couple of weeks.

I think that's about it...I know it's a busy time of year...my weekend consists of two basketball games, a dance recital, getting our Christmas tree, grading papers...and oh yeah...trying to regain control of my house...well, we know which one of those I won't get to again, don't we?!!

Have a great weekend!

SCIENTISTS AND AN IMPORTANT NOTE!

Mrs. Cicerone, our technology specialist extraordinaire, took pictures of all of our scientists today...and I wanted to share them with you!

BUT FIRST...an important note!

Our WAX MUSEUM will not be in December! We originally planned to present our Hall of Presidents and First Ladies Dec. 19th, but we are now looking at the first week in January. You will know by the end of next week the exact date and time, so that if you need to take off of work to attend, you can. I just wanted to give you a heads up about this change...the kids are working very hard to research their very important person. This week we are beginning to organize the information, and we will start writing soon...but Dec. 19th was pushing it a little...so we'll be presenting after Winter Break.

And now...our scientists...