Book Review
My House is Your House
written by Carmen Tafolla
illustrated by Gilles Eduar
Reviewed by Room 302
This book was about being nice to people who were hungry, tired, and lost. It’s about letting strangers and animals in the house, which we normally don’t do. They let a little girl in a red dress with blond hair in, and a tired guy with ten tired kids, too. On almost every page, they said “Mi casa es su casa.” which means “My house is your house.” in Spanish.
Jasen’s favorite part was when the tired guy with ten tired kids came up to the door. Noah’s favorite part was when the crickets came up to the door. Justyn liked when the ten thousand termites came up to the door.
Kindergarteners and library people might like this book because it’s a really good book. People who like animals would like this book. So would people who like meeting or helping others.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Book Review--The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Book Review
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
written by Eric Carle
illustrated by Eric Carle
Reviewed by Room 302
There was a little egg laying on a leaf at the beginning. And then the caterpillar cracked out of the egg in the morning. He was very hungry. He ate through one apple on Monday. He ate different foods every day of the week. On almost every page he kind of got a little bigger.
The illustrations are really good because they look so cool. There is a pattern on the sun. We think you should read this book because it has good illustrations and a good ending. When we read this book, it made us feel hungry.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
written by Eric Carle
illustrated by Eric Carle
Reviewed by Room 302
There was a little egg laying on a leaf at the beginning. And then the caterpillar cracked out of the egg in the morning. He was very hungry. He ate through one apple on Monday. He ate different foods every day of the week. On almost every page he kind of got a little bigger.
The illustrations are really good because they look so cool. There is a pattern on the sun. We think you should read this book because it has good illustrations and a good ending. When we read this book, it made us feel hungry.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Newsletter 13
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 13 http://room302.blogspot.com
Friday, January 06, 2006
Dear Families,
I hope everyone enjoyed the time off of school. It seems to go by so fast, but it’s good to be back. Here’s what’s going on…..
In reading….
I watched my boys at home during the past two weeks. I’d call them readers, but I rarely saw them pick up reading material on their own. I’m not sure why, since our house is filled with things for them to read. It reemphasized for me the importance of reading to them each day. I wish they would initiate more, but I’m not waiting around for it to happen. And when they do choose to read, I notice they usually choose things they’ve heard before, which is just one more reason to make sure they get lots of exposure from us.
In writing….
Our special project this week is writing thank-you notes to people. It seems like a good time of year to do this. It’s also a perfect way to practice lots of important writing skills, including thinking about purpose and audience.
In math….
We made new calendars again for January. The art technique we used was collage. This is favored by the illustrators of many popular picture books, including Eric Carle, Leo Lionni, and Lois Ehlert. This also was a good way to review some of our previous concepts, like contrast, horizontal, vertical, and shapes. You may want to point out different types of collages as they occur in your read alouds at home.
Party …
Our holiday party was excellent. Thanks to everyone able to contribute in some way. It just feels like a very nice vibe to have the room filled with people involved in purposeful and enjoyable activity.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne (we’re very close to the end)
Calendar…
Tuesday, January 10—PTA Meeting, 6:30
Friday, January 13—Early Release for School Planning
Monday, January 16—No school
Friday, February 3—Jesse’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break
Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Friday, January 06, 2006
Dear Families,
I hope everyone enjoyed the time off of school. It seems to go by so fast, but it’s good to be back. Here’s what’s going on…..
In reading….
I watched my boys at home during the past two weeks. I’d call them readers, but I rarely saw them pick up reading material on their own. I’m not sure why, since our house is filled with things for them to read. It reemphasized for me the importance of reading to them each day. I wish they would initiate more, but I’m not waiting around for it to happen. And when they do choose to read, I notice they usually choose things they’ve heard before, which is just one more reason to make sure they get lots of exposure from us.
In writing….
Our special project this week is writing thank-you notes to people. It seems like a good time of year to do this. It’s also a perfect way to practice lots of important writing skills, including thinking about purpose and audience.
In math….
We made new calendars again for January. The art technique we used was collage. This is favored by the illustrators of many popular picture books, including Eric Carle, Leo Lionni, and Lois Ehlert. This also was a good way to review some of our previous concepts, like contrast, horizontal, vertical, and shapes. You may want to point out different types of collages as they occur in your read alouds at home.
Party …
Our holiday party was excellent. Thanks to everyone able to contribute in some way. It just feels like a very nice vibe to have the room filled with people involved in purposeful and enjoyable activity.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne (we’re very close to the end)
Calendar…
Tuesday, January 10—PTA Meeting, 6:30
Friday, January 13—Early Release for School Planning
Monday, January 16—No school
Friday, February 3—Jesse’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break
Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Week of Monday, January 2
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Busy, Busy Christmas Weeks
Today was our first day back from the winter break. We did lots of interesting things while we were off school. Jeff went to the ocean for New Year’s Eve and stayed at a hotel with a big water park. Savannah went to a hotel with a pool next to the Family Fun Center and got to see lots of relatives. Taylor went to Canada and there was a whole bunch of snow that he used to make snow blocks. The snow blocks were 2 feet wide and 35 inches tall, and he used them to make a snow fort. He also made a big slide, and when he went down it a bunch of snow got inside his jeans and froze his legs. Before Christmas, Rien went to dinner at his grandma’s friend’s house and had lots of candy, and he got to see his uncle who is only six years older than Rien is. Kaelyn went to a sleepover party and her friend had lots of friends there and they got to stay up until midnight and do fireworks. Cameron and her dad went to her grandma’s house and set off about ten packs of fireworks. Mckayla went to her cousin’s house to sleep over because her parents went snowmobiling with her aunt and uncle and Mckayla didn’t want to go. Ashley played with her new toys from Christmas: her favorite one is a little television with a DVD player. On December 27, Justyn went skiing without any poles down the bunny slope, and he was a “bullet down the hill.” Donna went all the way down to Georgia to see her cousin. They ran out of gas, but luckily there was a gas station nearby. And they finally got there and her cousins were so happy to see them, and Donna felt the same way. Shelby went to Jesse’s house and played Play Station 2 with Jesse. Jesse went to his grandma’s house (but not when Shelby was visiting him.) He drove all the way to Yakima to see her. When he woke up on Christmas morning, there were billions of presents. His grandma and his poppa got him a little quad: it was a 90. Kevin got a brand new dirt bike from Christmas. Then he went up in the mountains to drive in the snow in it. Then he bumped over a rock and did a wheelie, but he didn’t crash—he kept going. Jasen went to spend the night at his grandma’s house on New Year’s Eve. He got to stay up until midnight and bang pots and pans together. Everyone had fun, and we’re glad to be back together.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Different Collages
Yesterday we made different collages to go with our January calendars. It was cool. It looked awesome. First, Mrs. W.-R. showed us how to make the collages. Then after she showed us how to make the collages we went back to our classroom and got all our stuff ready and made our collages.
Everybody made different ones. We cut out little scraps or we could draw a picture and then cut it out, and then glue it to the paper. Some people glued their pieces onto a piece of paper that was peach-colored. Other people didn’t use the peach-colored paper. They just glued theirs onto the black piece so it would look like it was night time. Some people even made doors, and when the people opened the door, there would be something inside it, like a firefly, people, turtles, hills or writing.
After everybody was done with their collages, we all sat down on the carpet and got a picture of the collages.
Friday, December 16, 2005
12 Days of Christmas Giving
This is our version of The Twelve Days of Christmas. We did it as a special project. You can also enjoy it, read by the authors, on the video.
On the first day of Christmas,
Shelby gave to her dad,
1 big, pretty picture.
On the second day of Christmas,
Mckayla gave to Savannah,
2 pretty dresses.
On the second day of Christmas,
Justyn gave to Mr. Kurtz,
2 Brett Favre coffee cups.
On the third day of Christmas,
Ashley gave to her dad,
3 speedy race cars.
On the third day of Christmas,
Abby gave to Logan,
3 cuddly teddy bears.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
Jasen gave to Lukas,
4 transformers.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
Kayla gave to Taylor,
4 silky stuffed animals.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
Travis gave to his sister, Sierra,
5 dresses for her teddy bears.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
Taylor T. gave to her family,
5 sparkling stars.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
Aubree gave to Cameron,
6 skirts and shirts.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
Rien gave to his dog,
6 scoops of dog food.
On the seventh day of Christmas,
Kevin gave to Jordan,
7 transformers.
On the eighth day of Christmas,
Taylor gave to Taylor,
8 boxes of graham crackers.
On the eighth day of Christmas, Jamie gave to Casey,
8 pretty Bratz dolls.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
Savannah gave to Cameron,
9 beautiful outfits.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
Cameron gave to her mommy,
9 pretty dresses.
On the tenth day of Christmas,
Jordan gave to his mom,
10 tickets to Las Vegas.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
Kaelyn gave to Anna,
11 noisy tap shoes.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
Jordan gave to Mr. Kurtz,
11 sharp pencils.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
Jesse gave to his bus driver,
12 boxes of chocolate.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
Lukas gave to Santa,
12 boxes of cookies.
On the first day of Christmas,
Shelby gave to her dad,
1 big, pretty picture.
On the second day of Christmas,
Mckayla gave to Savannah,
2 pretty dresses.
On the second day of Christmas,
Justyn gave to Mr. Kurtz,
2 Brett Favre coffee cups.
On the third day of Christmas,
Ashley gave to her dad,
3 speedy race cars.
On the third day of Christmas,
Abby gave to Logan,
3 cuddly teddy bears.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
Jasen gave to Lukas,
4 transformers.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
Kayla gave to Taylor,
4 silky stuffed animals.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
Travis gave to his sister, Sierra,
5 dresses for her teddy bears.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
Taylor T. gave to her family,
5 sparkling stars.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
Aubree gave to Cameron,
6 skirts and shirts.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
Rien gave to his dog,
6 scoops of dog food.
On the seventh day of Christmas,
Kevin gave to Jordan,
7 transformers.
On the eighth day of Christmas,
Taylor gave to Taylor,
8 boxes of graham crackers.
On the eighth day of Christmas, Jamie gave to Casey,
8 pretty Bratz dolls.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
Savannah gave to Cameron,
9 beautiful outfits.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
Cameron gave to her mommy,
9 pretty dresses.
On the tenth day of Christmas,
Jordan gave to his mom,
10 tickets to Las Vegas.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
Kaelyn gave to Anna,
11 noisy tap shoes.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
Jordan gave to Mr. Kurtz,
11 sharp pencils.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
Jesse gave to his bus driver,
12 boxes of chocolate.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
Lukas gave to Santa,
12 boxes of cookies.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Week of Monday, December 12
Monday, December 12, 2005
We switch jobs every Monday. Each person gets a job. The jobs are line leader, caboose, closet, pass out, lunch, snack, floor, writing center, books, calendar and board, pencils, and shelves. The jobs are fun, and they help the classroom look good. They also help you make new friends because you have to work together with your partner to get it done.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Lukas’s mom brought the puppy in today. It’s a really cute puppy. It doesn’t have a tail so it won’t get in danger, so the cows won’t kill it. That’s why they cut off the tail. It’s very soft. It’s kind of yellow and white. The breed is a Welsh Corgie.
Lukas’s mom also helped us with the Christmas presents. She helped us with tying the ribbons. It was great to have her here.
We switch jobs every Monday. Each person gets a job. The jobs are line leader, caboose, closet, pass out, lunch, snack, floor, writing center, books, calendar and board, pencils, and shelves. The jobs are fun, and they help the classroom look good. They also help you make new friends because you have to work together with your partner to get it done.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Lukas’s mom brought the puppy in today. It’s a really cute puppy. It doesn’t have a tail so it won’t get in danger, so the cows won’t kill it. That’s why they cut off the tail. It’s very soft. It’s kind of yellow and white. The breed is a Welsh Corgie.
Lukas’s mom also helped us with the Christmas presents. She helped us with tying the ribbons. It was great to have her here.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Newsletter 12
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 12 http://room302.blogspot.com
Monday, December 05, 2005
Dear Families,
Wow! What a week; what a show! Thanks so much to all who worked so hard on learning parts and getting kids here last night. It was great to see all the hard work have such a great pay-off. I was reflecting on what a wonderful experience the whole thing was. The students chose their parts, read and reread over and over, worked alone, worked together, spoke, listened, and had a lot of fun doing it. I wasn’t able to video-tape the evening show, but I did tape our class performing the play in our room, and I taped the dress rehearsal we did for the school, so look for that on the circulating video tape.
Reading…
It’s amazing to hear students analyze the Gingerbread Boy now, in terms of who is the main character, what the main character wants, and what he or she does to get it. Rereading and performing help them think deeply about the story, because they’ve become so familiar with it. In our discussion today, possible main characters included the old man, the old woman, the fox, and the gingerbread boy. The great thing was that students could make a case for each of these characters being the most central. We’ll continue to have these conversations, both individually and as a group, as the year progresses.
Writing …
Our new special project is creating a class book based on The Twelve Days of Christmas. The twist is that we’re thinking of things to give, rather than to get. Also, I’m trying to get more kids’ writing on the blog, so you may want to check in from time to time. The shared writing was difficult lately so you saw less news there, but I think we’re back into routine, now.
Party…
Our party will be Friday, December 16 at about 1:40. The main activity will be building gingerbread houses. Let me know if you did not get a note about this already, or if you can’t remember what I asked you to bring, or if you are unable to provide what I requested. I just want to make sure we have what we need by Friday. Another activity will be decorating their own cookies, and we’ll need extra frosting and decorations for that. And, of course, the other “main” activity will be eating, so if you can donate fruit, vegetables, juice, or something else, just let us know. Savannah’s mom has again kindly offered to help coordinate this, so please give her a call and let her know if you can help with the cookie decorating or snacks.
Wish List …
One thing I don’t have is a big analog clock. The one in the room is digital, but I’d also like one with hands so we can work on telling time. And the bigger, the better. So if you have an old one you’d like to donate, please let me know.
Another thing I use every day is a big desk calendar (22”x17”). We write in important dates and keep track of our days and months. Unfortunately, the one I have ends in December. So if you have access to an inexpensive or free one, we’d love it.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
Calendar…
Friday, December 16—Holiday Party, 1:40 p.m. Friday, January 13—Early Release
December 19 – January 2—No School, Winter Break Monday, January 16—No School, M. L. King Day
Tuesday, January 3—School Resumes
Sincerely,
Jeff
Monday, December 05, 2005
Dear Families,
Wow! What a week; what a show! Thanks so much to all who worked so hard on learning parts and getting kids here last night. It was great to see all the hard work have such a great pay-off. I was reflecting on what a wonderful experience the whole thing was. The students chose their parts, read and reread over and over, worked alone, worked together, spoke, listened, and had a lot of fun doing it. I wasn’t able to video-tape the evening show, but I did tape our class performing the play in our room, and I taped the dress rehearsal we did for the school, so look for that on the circulating video tape.
Reading…
It’s amazing to hear students analyze the Gingerbread Boy now, in terms of who is the main character, what the main character wants, and what he or she does to get it. Rereading and performing help them think deeply about the story, because they’ve become so familiar with it. In our discussion today, possible main characters included the old man, the old woman, the fox, and the gingerbread boy. The great thing was that students could make a case for each of these characters being the most central. We’ll continue to have these conversations, both individually and as a group, as the year progresses.
Writing …
Our new special project is creating a class book based on The Twelve Days of Christmas. The twist is that we’re thinking of things to give, rather than to get. Also, I’m trying to get more kids’ writing on the blog, so you may want to check in from time to time. The shared writing was difficult lately so you saw less news there, but I think we’re back into routine, now.
Party…
Our party will be Friday, December 16 at about 1:40. The main activity will be building gingerbread houses. Let me know if you did not get a note about this already, or if you can’t remember what I asked you to bring, or if you are unable to provide what I requested. I just want to make sure we have what we need by Friday. Another activity will be decorating their own cookies, and we’ll need extra frosting and decorations for that. And, of course, the other “main” activity will be eating, so if you can donate fruit, vegetables, juice, or something else, just let us know. Savannah’s mom has again kindly offered to help coordinate this, so please give her a call and let her know if you can help with the cookie decorating or snacks.
Wish List …
One thing I don’t have is a big analog clock. The one in the room is digital, but I’d also like one with hands so we can work on telling time. And the bigger, the better. So if you have an old one you’d like to donate, please let me know.
Another thing I use every day is a big desk calendar (22”x17”). We write in important dates and keep track of our days and months. Unfortunately, the one I have ends in December. So if you have access to an inexpensive or free one, we’d love it.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
Calendar…
Friday, December 16—Holiday Party, 1:40 p.m. Friday, January 13—Early Release
December 19 – January 2—No School, Winter Break Monday, January 16—No School, M. L. King Day
Tuesday, January 3—School Resumes
Sincerely,
Jeff
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Camp Out by Cameron
Camp Out
Written and Illustrated
by
Cameron
© 2005
Today me and Abby are going to go camping. We are going on her trampoline to camp.
Off the side of the trampoline we will roast marshmallows in the campfire. The campfire was about 3 inches away from the trampoline.
We have a black tent on the trampoline. It is in the middle of the trampoline. It was fun. Her dad came with us. It was very EXCITING!
We made smores and we ate them on the trampoline and it sticked! We said, “Eeewwww!” I was having a good time. I want to do it again. If we do it again, I will be happy.
We had to clean the trampoline because I like to clean and her mom made us clean it. It was fun. Goodbye. That is the end of my story. The end.
Written and Illustrated
by
Cameron
© 2005
Today me and Abby are going to go camping. We are going on her trampoline to camp.
Off the side of the trampoline we will roast marshmallows in the campfire. The campfire was about 3 inches away from the trampoline.
We have a black tent on the trampoline. It is in the middle of the trampoline. It was fun. Her dad came with us. It was very EXCITING!
We made smores and we ate them on the trampoline and it sticked! We said, “Eeewwww!” I was having a good time. I want to do it again. If we do it again, I will be happy.
We had to clean the trampoline because I like to clean and her mom made us clean it. It was fun. Goodbye. That is the end of my story. The end.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Week of Monday, December 05
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Getting Ready
All month we’ve been planning for our holiday concert. We’ve been practicing our play called The Gingerbread Boy. Our whole class is doing it with the other first grade class. Some of us have talking parts and some of us play instruments for sound effects.
We also decorated ornaments that look like gingerbread people. Tomorrow is the big show. We can hardly wait!
Getting Ready
All month we’ve been planning for our holiday concert. We’ve been practicing our play called The Gingerbread Boy. Our whole class is doing it with the other first grade class. Some of us have talking parts and some of us play instruments for sound effects.
We also decorated ornaments that look like gingerbread people. Tomorrow is the big show. We can hardly wait!
Monday, December 05, 2005
Newsletter 11
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 11
http://room302.blogspot.com
Monday, December 05, 2005
Dear Families,
It was great to see everyone at conferences. I enjoyed all the feedback and questions and conversations. It was nice to be able to convey information face to face for a change, instead of like this. I hope you all left with a sense of how much I appreciate and enjoy your children. We don’t have another scheduled conference time, but if you need me, please don’t hesitate to write, or call, or visit.
I have a list of stuff to cover this time, so here it is:
Holiday Concert…
We perform for families at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 8. Everyone in the class has a part, so we hope to see everyone there. Please let me know if you don’t think you’ll make it so we can reassign the part. Plan on dropping the students off in our classroom with me around 6:45 p.m. Then our whole class will walk down together. Following the concert, all children will return with their teachers to the classrooms. You may then collect your children from their classrooms.
Reading…
Our big push right now is learning the Gingerbread Boy play for the concert, so much of our time is spent doing that. I hope you saw the copy I sent home and are able to help your child learn the assigned part. Some kids have speaking parts; some have sound effect parts; all need to know it without scripts by next Thursday, but sooner would be better. I’d like them to not only know their lines, but their cues as well, and one way to do this would be for someone to read the play aloud and have the student come in at the appropriate time. Please encourage them to speak clearly and loudly. The “loudly” part seems to be the most challenging for many, and it’s rather important, since it can be difficult to hear in a gym full of people.
The second part of our show will be performing a set of songs. The lyrics to those were sent home as well, and that is another thing where I encourage you to help as needed.
In math….
We made our new calendars on Thursday. We did weaving and talked about pattern, repetition, contrast, horizontal, and vertical. As an experiment, ask your child what those words mean, and if he or she can demonstrate those things on the weavings.
Weather Fun…
Last week was a strange one. I was glad to be able to send an email to those of you on my list the other day as soon as we knew school would be released early. It made me feel like we’d have a better chance of everyone getting where they need to be safely. I doubt that will happen again, but if so I will try to keep you in the loop.
Video…
I’ve started circulating a video “in progress” of some things I’ve filmed, including our field trip, parties, and kids reading. It’s highly motivating for those who volunteer to be filmed performing, and I hope it gives you a chance to see a bit of what goes on here. If you haven’t had it at your house yet, it will be coming some time. I’ve asked the students to bring the video back on the next school day whether they got to watch it or not. This is so the next person does not miss a turn, and so I can add new footage. When everyone has had a turn, we’ll send it around again.
Wish List …
One thing I don’t have is a big analog clock. The one in the room is digital, but I’d also like one with hands so we can work on telling time. And the bigger, the better. So if you have an old one you’d like to donate, please let me know.
Another thing I use every day is a big desk calendar (22”x17”). We write in important dates and keep track of our days and months. Unfortunately, the one I have ends in December. So if you have access to an inexpensive or free one, we’d love it.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
Calendar…
Thursday, December 8—K-2 Holiday Concert, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, December 16—Holiday Party, 1:40 p.m.
December 19 – January 2—No School, Winter Break
Tuesday, January 3—School Resumes
Friday, January 13—Early Release
Monday, January 16—No School, M. L. King Day
Sincerely,
Jeff