Thursday, September 29, 2005
Newsletter 5
Room 302—Newsletter 5
September 29, 2005
Dear Families,
Thanks to all who were able to attend. I appreciate the questions I’ve been getting, and I appreciate you taking the time to give me feedback on the meeting. Thanks also for all the kind comments on the blog. I share those with the students. Writers need an audience, and it helps us to know you’re out there. That address again is http://Room302.blogspot.com.
Here is what’s going on this week:
In reading….
When I pass out book orders, we take the time to look through them. We circle and discuss the things we like. I wish you could hear the excitement and enthusiasm run through the room. These kids love books and reading. But it’s not realistic to expect people to order every time, and I tell them that. I also tell them another way to use book orders. They can save them and use them to help locate books when they go to the library. Sometimes the library can be intimidating, with so many choices. But if they go in with a ready-made list, it really helps narrow the choices.
In writing….
Some students are publishing stories, and learning how this routine will work. This is also a great chance for them to reread their work and revise as needed. They have one day in school to illustrate, and if it’s not finished I ask them to use their own time: this could be before school, during recess, or at home.
In math….
A new game we learned with dice is called Collect 15 Together. Partners take turns rolling a die and adding the total until it reaches 15 or more. We’re using counters to keep track so that the amount is easy to see, count, and recount as needed. If you’re playing this at home, you can also modify it by using a higher total or playing with two dice.
Calendar…
Friday, September 30—The Pacific Science Center will be here all day. Our class will tour the exhibit at 2:00, and they’ll be in to do a lesson in the room from 2:30 – 3:05. Join us, if you like.
Wednesday, October 5—Picture Day
Friday, October 14—No School
Friday, October 28—Early Release Day
Friday, November 4—Science Fair, Western Dance
Sincerely,
Jeff
Monday, September 26, 2005
Week of Monday, September 26
Monday, September 26, 2005
Today is Abby’s birthday. She turned six. She got a crown and birthday cards. At the end of the day we sang to her, and we had chocolate chip cookies. They were super good, fantastic, and yummy.
In math, we learned a new game called Collect 15. To play, you roll a die and whatever you roll is how many cubes you take. Partners take turns rolling the die and putting that many cubes into the pile until the total is 15 or more.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
We had two new things this afternoon. The first one was during lunch. The tables went in different spots. Mr. Stocker and Wendy put them in different places. Now each grade is separate and sits by itself.
The other new thing happened when we got to have class with Mrs. Roessler. We got name tags. She read us a book about feelings called Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis. Some of us talked about when we were lonely. Then it was time to go. We see her again next Tuesday.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Our person of the day in spelling was Donna. We learned that Donna has two brothers that are older than her, and a mom, and a dad, and two cats. We learned how to spell “Donna” and we learned that she has a double letter in her name, five letters altogether, two vowels, and two syllables. Donna is the 16th person we’ve done, but so far she is the only one with a “d” in her name. Tomorrow we’ll pick a boy.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Today was an exciting day because we had a visit from the Pacific Science Center. First we went to an assebly in the gym. They talked about science and math. We learned about probability, perspective, and scale.
After lunch we went to the gym again and we played with a lot of stuff. For example, there was a computer that showed perspective. There was a toy washing machine for us to try to reach in and pick out a matching sock with your eyes closed. There was a tube full of one million beads, but only one black bead, and you had to try to find it.
At the end of the day, 2 teachers came to our room to teach us more about math. We got to figure out problems using a scale, a thermometer, a ruler, and a timer. We had a great day.
Today is Abby’s birthday. She turned six. She got a crown and birthday cards. At the end of the day we sang to her, and we had chocolate chip cookies. They were super good, fantastic, and yummy.
In math, we learned a new game called Collect 15. To play, you roll a die and whatever you roll is how many cubes you take. Partners take turns rolling the die and putting that many cubes into the pile until the total is 15 or more.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
We had two new things this afternoon. The first one was during lunch. The tables went in different spots. Mr. Stocker and Wendy put them in different places. Now each grade is separate and sits by itself.
The other new thing happened when we got to have class with Mrs. Roessler. We got name tags. She read us a book about feelings called Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis. Some of us talked about when we were lonely. Then it was time to go. We see her again next Tuesday.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Our person of the day in spelling was Donna. We learned that Donna has two brothers that are older than her, and a mom, and a dad, and two cats. We learned how to spell “Donna” and we learned that she has a double letter in her name, five letters altogether, two vowels, and two syllables. Donna is the 16th person we’ve done, but so far she is the only one with a “d” in her name. Tomorrow we’ll pick a boy.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Today was an exciting day because we had a visit from the Pacific Science Center. First we went to an assebly in the gym. They talked about science and math. We learned about probability, perspective, and scale.
After lunch we went to the gym again and we played with a lot of stuff. For example, there was a computer that showed perspective. There was a toy washing machine for us to try to reach in and pick out a matching sock with your eyes closed. There was a tube full of one million beads, but only one black bead, and you had to try to find it.
At the end of the day, 2 teachers came to our room to teach us more about math. We got to figure out problems using a scale, a thermometer, a ruler, and a timer. We had a great day.