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...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

This two day week was a lot of fun...full of learning (as usual!)

Here is the run down...

• The students participated in two readers theater performances based on Thanksgiving.... they were fun to listen to, and the kids did a nice job using expression.
• They read a non-fiction article about the National Turkey and created a synthesis comic strip that displayed their level of understanding.
• They did math problems about turkey sales in different grocery stores.
• We watched a video about the original Plimoth Plantation of 1620, the roles of Pilgrim men and women, the voyage of the Mayflower and the importance of the Mayflower Compact.
• They followed a performance task to complete a turkey using their feet and hands (a definite keeper!!)
• We all had a ton of fun seeing all the science projects...I was incredibly impressed!

Like I said, a lot of learning!!

On a personal note....
Everyday that I come to work I am thankful. I have a wonderful job...a great principal to work for and a great team of teachers to work with. I have an amazing class (more on that below).

And of course...I am always thankful for my family...my husband and kids. Speaking of my kids...I want to share a quick story that will make you smile. Two years ago, my daughter Kate was three years old, and while we were driving down the road she said to me, "Mommy...do you know what happens on Thanksgiving?" I said, "Well, what do you think happens on Thanksgiving?" (wanting to know what she was thinking) Kate said, "The Thanksgiving Chicken..." I interrupted and said, "It's a turkey, sweetie." She continued, The Thanksgiving Chicken comes to your house and gives you a high five!"

My wish for you all this five day Thanksgiving break is that you enjoy your time with family and friends...and that you are all visited by the "high fiving chicken!" :-)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

What I am Thankful For

by Mrs. Wills

Erica and her contagious smile,

Ashwin and his responsible nature,

Stephanie and her love for reading,

Aravind and his knowledge of everything non-fiction,

Kirsten and her love of drawing,

Grace for embodying her name,

Christine for her positive attitude,

Megan and her level of motivation,

Sriniket and his need to excel,

Pratulya for being so kind,

Nisarg for always being on task,

Chris and his sense of humor,

Riley and his laugh,

Abby and her endless stories about pizza,

Krishnapriya and her quiet gentleness,

and Joy for embodying her name.

FRIDAY!

WOW...what a week! I don't even know where to begin...

Math
We finished up our data collection and probability this week...we discussed the likelihood of an event occurring...and we used fractions to show the outcome...or probable result. We used number cubes, spinners, and file cards with numbers written on them. Yesterday the kids completed an assessment where they had to apply all of the parts of this unit to complete the task. They were allowed to use their math spiral as a resource as they decided which tables of information needed which kinds of graphs. They then had to graph two of the sets of data to show that they know all of the important parts of a graph. They will get these assessments back by Tuesday of next week. We will be entering into the multiplication and division units next. Please have your child practicing facts...the better they know their facts, the easier the unit will be for them.

Language Arts
Each student has picked a president or first lady to portray in our upcoming Hall of Presidents and First Ladies...the kids have begun reading the books and taking notes. We will be working to determine which information is important, using that info for a timeline, and then taking all of the information to create a student written biography. We ask that if your child comes home with their biography to read and take notes at home, please do not help them with this task. We want this project to be completed independently. Thank you.

I'm pleased to announce that almost everyone has finished publishing their "Dinorella stories" ...so I can now take them home and begin the very long job of scoring them!! :-) I can't wait for you to read them!

Social Studies
This unit on Political Science is full of wonderful vocabulary and learning! The kids have read about local, state, and national government. Today's reading selection was about the three branches of the national government and the duties of each one...the kids created a three column chart to write down facts about each one...they will answer questions pertaining to the three branches next week.

Speaking of next week...the kids will be participating in some Reader's Theater activities...we have some fun fall themed "plays" that the kids will be doing...we'll be focusing on their expression and fluency, not the actual acting out of plays...that we leave for the Spring...and happens to be one of my favorite units!

REMINDER...Science Fair Projects are due Monday!! I have spoken to a few of you that asked to use the Thanksgiving break to finish your projects...so I will expect them to arrive at school on Monday, December 1st. But otherwise, we're looking forward to seeing and hearing about the 13 other projects this Monday! (I need to get busy with Jake!!)

FYI...One last thing...I spoke with the kids today about the expectations of this program. I want them to know that yes, they're a part of this program because they're smart, but also because they are capable of work that is above average...and that I expect to see that above average work... that if the paper says "at least three facts", they should be giving at least four facts...they should always strive to do their very best work...very thorough work...and I'm going to be pushing them to do so...just thought you should know! :-)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your families.