Happy Second Winter Break?

Can you believe this!?  Well, I can't.  And next week is crazy, too.  Let's all send positive energy to Mother Nature...enough snow, already!

I'm going to start with a few reminders...

1. The kids' Cultural Projects are due on Wednesday, February 19th.  They have all the requirements and grading rubrics in their Take Home folders. 
2. The Valentine's Day parties have been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 19th.  Our party is 1:15-2:15 pm.  All parents are welcome...no siblings, please.
3. Please go through your child's Take Home folders...review their graded work and sign the Wills' Wax Museum info sheet.  Normally this info sheet comes home with a date for the actual Wills' Wax Museum. With the INSANE winter we are having, I just didn't feel comfortable putting a date on there...we are looking at mid-March...and we will give you at least two weeks notice so you can take off of work to come visit this wonderful culmination of our Language Arts/Social Studies unit.

Language Arts/Social Studies
In social Studies we are discussing people who have made a positive impact on our country.  We are combining those standards with our reading for information standards and VOILA...the Wills Wax Museum is born.  As a class we have been reading about Harriet Tubman and her contributions to our country.  I have been modeling reading for information and taking notes using index cards.  Each fact written down is then organized into sub-categories...this will help in making sure the kids collect plenty of information about their famous person. The students have each picked a person they are interested in learning about and have begun collecting facts themselves.  They each have an organizer that will help them categorize their facts and keep track of the resources they use.  Each student will read a book, as well as research online, to gather information.  Then, using my Harriet Tubman information, I will model making a time line using each fact card I have written.  Using the order of that time line, I will model the writing of the biography of this famous person.  Here's the hitch...I will write it from first person...as if I am Harriet Tubman.  The kids will make their own fact card timelines and write their own biographies...from the first person perspective.  All of this legwork is done at school.  At home they will need to find an artifact or outfit that helps represent their famous person AND practice the speaking of their biography...but that will be a ways down the road...so no worries!  If you want ideas of how your child might dress to represent their famous person, peruse the blog posts from previous years...you DO NOT, I repeat, you DO NOT, need to spend ANY money in order to do this...you will see wigs made of cotton balls, costumes using parents' old dress up clothes, etc...but this will give you some ideas.  I will also be brainstorming with the class different ideas for each student if they need help figuring it out. Please feel free to email me with any questions.  This coming Wednesday your child will be bringing the biography book home with the assignment to write at least five note cards.  This will give you the opportunity to see the person they are representing.  Please allow them to do this assignment independently. Thanks!

Math
We have had a mish mash of math lately...some problem solving, some multiplication and division (the unit we're headed into), some line plots and measuring, some algebra...math has been as crazy as our schedule...however, once we return on Wednesday, we will be focusing on problem solving when using the operations multiplication and division..this will involve reviewing the most efficient ways to multiply when multiplying a 2- or 3-digit number with a 1-digit number.  For those that have that algorithm mastered, we will review the most efficient ways to multiply 2-digit numbers by 2- or 3-digit numbers.  Division will be similar...we will discuss all of the strategies we use to divide, but we will focus on efficiency.  For those students who haven't learned the long division algorithm...this will be the focus.  It is ESSENTIAL that if your child has not hit the mark for mastering basic facts in multiplication and division that they are practicing at least three times a week.  The hardest thing about this unit is when you are stumped as to how many 6s are in 48?  Its very hard to remember what you are doing when you get lost in that thought...so PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!

I will leave you with these pictures....I have been so impressed with their work on these "Ella Tales!"

"Writing Groups Discussing 'Ella Tales' on PJ Day" 

Can we just have a regular five day week...PLEASE!?!?

We had a great week last week...and I would REALLY like another full one...guess we'll have to wait for next week, huh!?  I find that because January was so crazy, some of the kids have really had a hard time getting back into a routine...you may have noticed a few changes on the weekly checklists...I could use your help and support in discussing those changes and encouraging your child to come back to school with learning as the first priority...we have a very social class and it takes a lot of self control to make good choices.  I appreciate your support.

LANGUAGE ARTS
We are finishing up our Cinderella  unit...and the kids are writing their own Ella tales.  They are using a theme or cultural influence to shape their stories...the kids first brainstormed all of the important elements in an ELLA tale...then they plotted out their stories using a plot diagram...they had to identify the turning point/climax of the story and then work on the rising action and the falling action.  Now they are taking their elements list and their graphic organizers and writing rough drafts of their tales.  They have been meeting in "writing groups" to share ideas and get feedback from their peers.  They have done a very nice job with this concept...they are noticing the importance of listening and participating in a discussion, not just speaking!  I have been thrilled to watch this transformation.

Last week the kids analyzed a poem entitled, "The Rat's Ride".  They first listened for enjoyment, then they listened to the second time and thought about meaning.  We shared those ideas and then they listened one more time...they figured out that it was the Cinderella story from the rat's perspective.  We had a wonderful discussion about the words the author used and some of the rat's thoughts in the poem.  Then the kids had to answer some comprehension questions about the poem using text evidence when necessary.

MATH
We have continued our fraction work...focusing mainly on converting improper fractions to mixed numbers and vice versa, adding fractions with like denominators, finding the least common multiple when figuring out equivalent fractions, and comparing fractions with unlike denominators.  The kids also worked on a Pattern Block Creature and then wrote about them...they are cute and still in my "needs to be graded folder"! The other papers in my "needs to be graded folder" are their Winter Break essays.  I am half way finished grading those.

SOCIAL STUDIES
We are working on studying CULTURES.  If you emptied out your child's folder over the weekend you have seen the project that has been assigned.  This project is due Wednesday, February 19th.  If you have any questions after reading the directions and talking to your child about this project, please email me.  We went over it in school and had a long discussion, so your child may actually know the answer if you have any questions!! ;-)

VALENTINE'S PARTY
On Friday, February 14th we will have our Valentine's Day party.  It will be from 11:30-12:25 (we dismiss at 12:30 that day)!  Please send a $2 donation in an envelope with your child's name on it to help provide for the party.  If you would like to help, please contact one of our room mothers:  Lane Fields, Maura Weisgerber, or Susie Filburn.  Thanks so much to these moms for the planning and implementing of the party!!

BIOGRAPHIES
We are headed into a biography unit...lots more on this soon...but just know it is IN SCHOOL project...your child will probably come home talking about it a lot, and I don't want you to worry about what needs to be done at home...towards the end of the unit we will be holding a WAX MUSEUM that you can come visit (as soon as we set a date, I will let you know)...and the only things that will need to be done at home are practicing their speech and finding a prop or a costume.  Again, more to come soon.  BUT..if you happen to read this tonight...please have your child think about who they would like to read/study about...we are headed to the media center tomorrow to find biographies.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST...CURSIVE
OK, so I know that many kids HATE cursive...but it is a requirement in Frederick County that all children be able to write in cursive.  We are slowly (and I mean slowly) but surely getting through the alphabet.  This is a review if your child was at UES last year.  I instruct each letter and then they practice on a two sided sheet.  There are a few kids that need more practice than that and you can see this from their writing...there is a REALLY good resource on the web.  If you go to Zaner Bloser (which is a link from my blog), you can make worksheets really easily for your child to practice.  The other thing the kids can do...on Mondays when they are assigned "write in cursive", they can make a worksheet with their words on it and will have the correct form right in front of them!  Once on the site, click on "Handwriting Resources" and then once on that page, click on "ZBFontsOnLinePlus".  Scroll all the way down and click on "free version"...this allows you to pick manuscript or cursive, grade level, and then the type of paper you want it to print onto to.  I personally like the "Spelling" paper...it gives you two columns...one for the computer to write it in cursive and the other for your child!  It is a wonderful free resource!!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns...please feel free to email me.

Did you miss me!?

Sorry to have been missing lately...to say my 2014 has started off kind of nutty is an understatement! Just to fill you in, but not to go into too many details...I was out last week for what was going to be a planned absence...my husband had knee surgery scheduled for Tuesday...unfortunately the Sunday evening prior to surgery, he suffered a TIA (mini stroke) and was hospitalized.  He is doing much better and has been seeing doctors and they are trying to piece together the whats and whys...

Anyway...I barely had time to teach, much less anything else...so between that and the holidays wrapping up, my own children..and of course YOURS...the blog has fallen low on the priority list.

But...I'M BACK!

I honestly don't even know where to start, so I think I will just give you last week's run down and we'll go from there...

Language Arts
We are hot and heavy into our Cinderella Unit...when I first told the kids about this unit, we had quite a few eye rollers...mainly from boys, but from some girls, too...I promised them that they would feel differently by the time we were hot and heavy into the unit...I WAS RIGHT! (heehee...I love saying that!)  We have about 25 different versions of Cinderella in the room and at any point they are all being read...the kids CANNOT GET ENOUGH!!  What haven't we done with the fairy tales?!  We have dissected story elements, we have discussed how both culture and theme influence an author when retelling the tale and now the kids are seriously professionals at determining which influence affected which author.  It is SO fun to be in my classroom during these discussions.  We have read tales independently and answered close reading questions, and we have read tales in pairs and then used a venn diagram to compare and contrast the tales. Just this past Friday we read the tale as told from Cinderella's perspective and now tomorrow we will be reading it from Lady Tremaine's (mean step mother) perspective...and then discussing how different the tale is when the perspective changes.  And we're not finished!!  We will be reading the Chinese version written as a play and discussing how that writing style affects the tale...and then to culminate, the kids will WRITE their own Ella tale.  They may use a cultural influence or a thematic influence...they may use magic or not, they may use a female main character or a male "Ella"...we've read them all!  Want to get your kid talking about it?  Ask him/her which "Ella" tale is their favorite and why?  They will use vocabulary like "proof of identity" (what the Ella character leaves behind for the "prince" character) or magical help (could be a fairy godmother, could be a fairy COW)!  More to come with Cinderella....

Writing
Before we start the "Ella" tales we must finish our Narrative Essays about Winter Break.  The kids used their computer lab time the week after Winter Break to write about three or four events that occurred during Winter Break.  They made a bulleted list and typed details about those events.  We then printed those prewriting events and details and used them to compose rough drafts.  We discussed the purpose of topic paragraphs...how to grab a reader's attention, how to use transition words to connect the paragraphs, and how to sum up the essay and write a concluding paragraph.  They will be using an editing checklist tomorrow, doing some revision, and then writing final paragraphs later this week. 

Math
FRACTIONS, FRACTIONS, FRACTIONS...really sums up math these past two weeks...fraction number lines, problem solving with fractions, equivalent fractions, mixed numbers and improper fractions, adding fractions with like denominators, comparing fractions using <, >, and =...as you can see...we've been busy.  We will continue with fractions this coming week...because really?  Can you ever get enough fractions?! ;-)

Social Studies
As a final culmination, the kids took an Economics test on Tuesday of this past week...this was not one the kids needed to study for as it really covered all vocabulary and concepts we had been using during our month long Entrepreneur unit.  However, a few kids struggled with the test.  If your child was one of those that struggled and you'd like him/her to have a make up test to help improve their score, please send the test back with a parent signature...I'd be happy to have them take a second test and average the two scores.  

STEM
We recently participated in a school wide STEM challenge...who could build the tallest tower using spaghetti and small marshmallows.  The kids were in groups of three and four kids, and did some thinking, planning, and executing in order to meet this challenge...the kids found out that no matter what your plan is, you almost always have to abandon it, make some changes, and try again.  It was a fantastic exercise and I have pictures of the planning stages, but I downloaded the final pix to the computer at school, so I can't post those until tomorrow.  Stay tuned...they were pretty awesome...well, some of them! ;-)

Who knows what Mother Nature has in store for us tomorrow...but whatever it is...stay warm!

Gingerbread Cafe

Our class spent time with our Buddy Class before Winter Break.  We drank hot chocolate, ate gingerbread cookies, and shared our favorite pieces of writing. It was a wonderful afternoon. Take a look...

Entrepreneurs!

Well...Christmas is finally put away at my house...Word Study journals are graded and up to date...and now...the Entrepreneurs Movie is finally complete.  This unit is one of my very favorites, and after watching the 7 minute video I think you will see why!  

I certainly hope we are on time tomorrow and it is the beginning of a regular whole week...but only time and TEMPERATURE will tell.  Be safe out there and stay warm!!

Enjoy the movie...click on the word "Entrepreneurs!" below!

Entrepreneurs!

Candy Bar Commercials Part Two

OK...I have SOOO much to share...but for tonight it will just be the second set of commercials...over the break I will put together a movie of our Entrepreneurs Unit...I have a lot of fantastic pictures.  I will also catch you up on all we've been doing.  It's been a whirlwind and all of us are ready for a break!  I will miss your little people...enjoy your families and your time together...it goes so fast...Merry Everything!!

And now...here is Part Two...the Candy Commercials...

The Long Awaited Candy Bar Commercials...Part One

I know, I know...I've spoiled you rotten...so you've been wondering...where on Earth are her blog posts?  I have no good excuse...just this one...LIFE!!  It keeps getting in the way!  :-)  Now I know you're thinking...but she had two snow days!!  You're right...and I have my Christmas trees up and decorated, some closets cleaned out, and most of the laundry done...and if my house was anything like yours, I've dried snow clothes one time TOO many!!

Anyway...I'm hoping this post makes up for my omissions of late...we are doing amazing things every day in the classroom...so sorry I haven't posted about them...can't wait to show you what the kids are up to in our Entrepreneurs unit!!  I'm going to have to make a movie of all those pictures.  Until then...here is Part One of the long awaited candy bar commercials...the other kids will have their commercials filmed tomorrow or Friday, so stay tuned for more, but until then...enjoy!!