Newsletter 20

2005-2006   Room 302—Newsletter 20   http://room302.blogspot.com

Friday, March 24, 2006

Dear Families,

A lot has happened:
New Student…
I’m pleased to announce that we have a new student in our class.  His name is Brandon.  It was so wonderful to see the way everyone was so friendly and helpful to Brandon on his first day here.  This a great opportunity for the “veterans” to show all they know, and for us to add Brandon’s wisdom and insight to our group.
Work Home…
Speaking of wisdom, you should have seen a pile of work come home recently:  mostly math and journals.  I wanted to repeat what I probably mentioned at conferences, and at the parent meeting.  First, please take some time to look for all of the great things the work shows.  Believe me when I say that I know how easy it can be to focus in on what’s wrong—I have to remind myself against doing it all the time.  But I do fight the urge, simply because finding fault doesn’t help.  Instead, I suggest you find things to celebrate.  In the journals you’ll notice some stories have notes or corrections, while many do not.  There are probably many areas needing improvement.  We try to find one per story.  Many things, therefore, go uncorrected.  If you’d like to see an example of something “perfect” your child has written, we have published pieces that are as close as we can get.  
One thing that can be illuminating is to take a look at work (journals, for instance) over long periods of time.  Sometimes that’s the best way to make growth most evident.  This can be great for the students to see, as well.  And I urge you to save all of their journals.  We really encourage them to tell about what is important in their lives, and I, for one, would love to be able to go back and read what I thought was important when I was in first grade.
Field Trip…
I’ve been contacted by Seattle Children’s Theater.  They want their money now (if not sooner), so they can hold our spot in May.  Look for the permission slip to be coming home as soon as I get it ready.  I’ll let you know at that time how much it will cost.
In reading….
Main Idea is a tricky concept, and it’s one we’re discussing right now.  I ask them “What is the one most important thing the author wanted you to know?”  Nonfiction books tend to state the main idea openly, while fiction books often do not—it must be inferred.  We’ve talked about inferring a lot, in terms of what information can be gathered that the author didn’t actually write, including information shown in the picture, and they’re quite good at it, although they may not always know they’re inferring.  Now I’m asking them to use those skills to puzzle out possible main ideas.  I say possible, because the author is the only one who knows for sure what he or she wanted readers to know.  It’s so fun to hear them offer different speculations on what they think the main idea is, and why they think so.  Try it at home—you may be surprised by what they notice and think.
In writing….
We’ve talked about how authors create mental images by using sensory words, and one of the charts in our room has the questions:  What did it sound like?  What did it taste like?  What did it look like?  What did it feel like?  What did it smell like?  We’re using these questions to help assess our daily work, and we’re using them to “read like writers”, which means noticing what other writers have done to create mental images for us.  Charlotte’s Web is full of mental imagery.  If you’re looking for a chapter book read aloud, I bet many students would love to hear it again from the beginning.
In math….
We’re finishing our current book on surveys and sorting.  This was a fun one, including a section in which they thought of questions to ask each other and then gathered information.  Check the blog to see what we discovered.
Book Order…
I have here a Hello Kitty Valentine’s Pack that was back ordered and finally arrived.  Nobody has claimed it, and I may have ordered it by accident.  If you were waiting for it, let me know.  Otherwise I’ll just send it back.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web  by E. B. White (we’re almost done)
School Focus
In an effort to help create consistent expectations from year to year and room to room, we’ve started using three concepts as a frame for discussing appropriate behavior.  The words we’re using are Respect, Responsibility, and Safety.  
Calendar…
Friday, April 7—Early Release     Wednesday, April 12—Jamie’s Birthday
April 10-14—Spring Break     Thursday, April 20—Kevin’s Birthday
     


Sincerely,


Jeff