Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Kevin brought his frogs today. Taylor brought his hamster last Friday. Kevin brought three green frogs and two brown toads; Taylor brought one brown and white hamster. The frogs were jumping around all over the classroom, like on the carpet, on Jeffrey’s shirt, in and out of people’s hands, and one even jumped up and hit Abby in the eye. The hamster escaped from Taylor’s hand and ran across the carpet, but Taylor got him back. All five of the frogs were in a little plastic rectangular prism with a triangular hole and a crack poked in the lid so they could breathe. Inside there was grass, flowers, a blue wooden block, and a Tinkertoy block. The hamster was in a cage with wood shavings, a block to chew on so his teeth wouldn’t get really long because their teeth never stop growing, food pellets to eat, and a blue water bottle with a metal part at the bottom for the hamster to get a drink. And he was running in his wheel a lot. He crawled out down the blue slide and when people started to talk really loud, he went back up.
Friday, May 05, 2006
We had a field trip to the Seattle Children’s Theater. It was a long drive on the school bus there and back. When we got into the play, the girl told us to turn off cell phones, cameras, pagers, and alarms. When she got off stage, the show started. Shelby’s favorite part was when Junie B. Jones said, “P. U. What a stink bomb!” about Grace’s baby. Donna liked the beginning when everyone said their name in the first song and then Junie B. jumped out through the blue paper in the doorway upstairs in her room. Lukas’s favorite part was when Jim was in his karate costume and he whacked his chair with his hand and said, “OW!” and he started crying. Brandon never laughed so hard in his life. Savannah liked how it was like the book, but not too much like the book. Justyn’s favorite part was when the toilet was flooding, and also when the walls were going places. There were so many good parts, it’s impossible to tell them all. After the play we were so exhausted. We ate our lunches on the grass by the fountain. Then we came back. We were so lucky to have so many chaperones come with. It made the trip wonderful. THANK YOU, CHAPERONES!
Monday, May 15, 2006
Newsletter 21
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 21 http://room302.blogspot.com
April 19, 2006
Dear Families,
I hope everyone had some pleasant time off. I have to say that as much as I enjoy the time away, I still looked forward to coming back to school. You have such a nice group of kids—it really is a treat to spend my days with them. It seems to be a long time since I have written one of these. I guess I’m about due…
New Student…
That’s right: we have another new student. Her name is Amber, and it’s been our pleasure to start to get to know her and acquaint her with our culture and customs. It was Amber’s birthday on April 9, so she also got here is time for us to make her birthday cards. It was a nice way for us to welcome her to our group.
Field Trip…
We’re seeing Junie B. Jones on May 5 at 10:45. Thanks to all for sending back the money and permission slips so quickly. For those of you who didn’t get signed up to chaperone way back in September but would still like to attend, we’re still trying to figure out how many (if any) extra spots we have. I do have a list started of people who would like to come if there’s room, and if you’d like to be on it, just let me know.
In reading….
Have you had a chance to check out (no pun intended) the library here in town lately? Just this week I was looking for a certain book down there, and I ended up picking about ten others, too. I like the atmosphere, and I like the people that work there. They’re always so nice and helpful. I encourage you to make it a regular stop now and then. And remember that you can have books from other libraries sent there, if you go online to the KCLS web site. There is a link to it on the blog. And since April is poetry month, this might be a great time to try a new poem book.
In writing….
A recent special project was writing a piece called “About the Author.” We created these as short autobiographies to add to the end of our published pieces. I also plan to put them together in a class book called About the Authors. This won’t be one that shows up on the blog, though, as I try to restrict any sort of personal information from showing up in such a public spot.
In math….
Our newest math book is called Quilt Squares and Block Towns. It’s one of my favorites because it’s got so much hands on stuff in it, dealing with geometry, two and three dimensional shapes, sorting, and lots of patterns. It’s a great reminder that math is so much more that just crunching numbers.
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. I have not heard back from anyone, so it’s going back.
Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry
Class Pictures
You may be aware that kids in other classes were bringing home the class pictures they ordered and wondered why you haven’t seen ours. That’s because the company sent us the wrong ones. Our wonderful office manager has contacted them and we expect the new pictures shortly.
Calendar…
Friday, May 5—Field Trip: Seattle Children’s Theater Wednesday, May 24—Justyn’s Birthday
Thursday, May 25—Early Release Day Friday, May 26—No School
Monday, May 29—No School (Memorial Day)
Sincerely,
Jeff
April 19, 2006
Dear Families,
I hope everyone had some pleasant time off. I have to say that as much as I enjoy the time away, I still looked forward to coming back to school. You have such a nice group of kids—it really is a treat to spend my days with them. It seems to be a long time since I have written one of these. I guess I’m about due…
New Student…
That’s right: we have another new student. Her name is Amber, and it’s been our pleasure to start to get to know her and acquaint her with our culture and customs. It was Amber’s birthday on April 9, so she also got here is time for us to make her birthday cards. It was a nice way for us to welcome her to our group.
Field Trip…
We’re seeing Junie B. Jones on May 5 at 10:45. Thanks to all for sending back the money and permission slips so quickly. For those of you who didn’t get signed up to chaperone way back in September but would still like to attend, we’re still trying to figure out how many (if any) extra spots we have. I do have a list started of people who would like to come if there’s room, and if you’d like to be on it, just let me know.
In reading….
Have you had a chance to check out (no pun intended) the library here in town lately? Just this week I was looking for a certain book down there, and I ended up picking about ten others, too. I like the atmosphere, and I like the people that work there. They’re always so nice and helpful. I encourage you to make it a regular stop now and then. And remember that you can have books from other libraries sent there, if you go online to the KCLS web site. There is a link to it on the blog. And since April is poetry month, this might be a great time to try a new poem book.
In writing….
A recent special project was writing a piece called “About the Author.” We created these as short autobiographies to add to the end of our published pieces. I also plan to put them together in a class book called About the Authors. This won’t be one that shows up on the blog, though, as I try to restrict any sort of personal information from showing up in such a public spot.
In math….
Our newest math book is called Quilt Squares and Block Towns. It’s one of my favorites because it’s got so much hands on stuff in it, dealing with geometry, two and three dimensional shapes, sorting, and lots of patterns. It’s a great reminder that math is so much more that just crunching numbers.
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. I have not heard back from anyone, so it’s going back.
Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry
Class Pictures
You may be aware that kids in other classes were bringing home the class pictures they ordered and wondered why you haven’t seen ours. That’s because the company sent us the wrong ones. Our wonderful office manager has contacted them and we expect the new pictures shortly.
Calendar…
Friday, May 5—Field Trip: Seattle Children’s Theater Wednesday, May 24—Justyn’s Birthday
Thursday, May 25—Early Release Day Friday, May 26—No School
Monday, May 29—No School (Memorial Day)
Sincerely,
Jeff
Week of Monday, April 24
Monday, April 24, 2006
Mileage Club is Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during lunch recess for anyone in the school that wants to do it. At Mileage Club you walk around cones outside on the field, and you can’t cut inside them. You have a card with 20 numbers on it, and you go around these cones, and there are four cones. Every time someone does a lap, Mrs. Smith marks a number on that person’s card. And if you do all 20 numbers, which is 20 laps, that’s five miles. So for every five miles, you get one small solid-colored toe token. If you get two cards done, you get a see-through toe-token. When you get three cards you get a big toe token. On your fourth card you get a Mileage Club pencil. If you get 5 cards done, you get a 25 toe-token. It’s fun because you get lots of exercise and you earn toe tokens.
Mileage Club is Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during lunch recess for anyone in the school that wants to do it. At Mileage Club you walk around cones outside on the field, and you can’t cut inside them. You have a card with 20 numbers on it, and you go around these cones, and there are four cones. Every time someone does a lap, Mrs. Smith marks a number on that person’s card. And if you do all 20 numbers, which is 20 laps, that’s five miles. So for every five miles, you get one small solid-colored toe token. If you get two cards done, you get a see-through toe-token. When you get three cards you get a big toe token. On your fourth card you get a Mileage Club pencil. If you get 5 cards done, you get a 25 toe-token. It’s fun because you get lots of exercise and you earn toe tokens.
Week of Monday, April 3
Wednesday, April 05, 2006 We have a new student. Her name is Amber. She likes horses. Today was her second day with us. She is nice.
Yesterday was our last day with Mrs. Roessler. She gave us two pieces of red licorice. She read Seven Blind Mice to us. She showed us little puppets of the mice on an elephant. She’s the best. She is one of the nicest teachers. We will miss her.
We had a substitute teacher in P.E. It was a man. We played a game. We ran around the gym and Mr. Leach played music while we ran around. When the music stopped, we had to be in a hoop. The people not in a hoop had to sit out for awhile, until the next game. The last four or five people left were the winners!
Yesterday was our last day with Mrs. Roessler. She gave us two pieces of red licorice. She read Seven Blind Mice to us. She showed us little puppets of the mice on an elephant. She’s the best. She is one of the nicest teachers. We will miss her.
We had a substitute teacher in P.E. It was a man. We played a game. We ran around the gym and Mr. Leach played music while we ran around. When the music stopped, we had to be in a hoop. The people not in a hoop had to sit out for awhile, until the next game. The last four or five people left were the winners!
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
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
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
Week of Monday, March 27
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Today was Mrs. Roessler’s birthday. A lot of us made cards and presents for her. She was so excited we made all those things for her. She gave us suckers for giving her all those birthday cards. Some of us still have the taste in our mouths. She told us that in the morning she was having a bad day, but when all of us gave her presents and cards she felt a lot better. She said we were the only class that did something for her birthday.
Also, this is the second day in a row that we’ve had four or more people absent. We can’t wait until our whole class is here again. We hope everyone gets healthy soon.
Yesterday we had a fire drill. It sounded like a huge, quacking duck. Every single class went outside. We lined up in the baseball field, in the infield. Every class had to be quiet, and most classes were. Over 300 kids got out in time. It took us 68 seconds.
This morning we had a substitute teacher because our teacher was sick. We called her Mrs. V. She read us Thank You, Mr. Falker and Arthur’s Teacher Moves In. She let us have extra time to read, and she let us write with pens in our journals. We were the second ones to lunch. We had 6 people absent today: Kaelyn, Mckayla, Donna, Abby, Taylor T., Jesse. We missed them.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Week of Monday, January 20
Thursday, March 23, 2006
We have a new student! His name is Brandon. He is really nice. He’s eight.
The toymaker came. His name is Rick. He showed us a really big book that he made. It’s about pioneers. Kylee, Aubree’s sister, got to go up and pull the covered wagon across a wooden track that was supposed to be the Oregon Trail. The pioneers were a long time ago, but the dinosaur at the end of the book popped up and said, “But not that long ago!” The toymaker will be at school again tonight for a toy-making workshop.
Shelby brought cake. It smelled good, and it was really yummy. It had French vanilla frosting and little bitty round rainbow sprinkles on it, and on the bottom it had chocolate cake. It tasted heavenly.
We have a new student! His name is Brandon. He is really nice. He’s eight.
The toymaker came. His name is Rick. He showed us a really big book that he made. It’s about pioneers. Kylee, Aubree’s sister, got to go up and pull the covered wagon across a wooden track that was supposed to be the Oregon Trail. The pioneers were a long time ago, but the dinosaur at the end of the book popped up and said, “But not that long ago!” The toymaker will be at school again tonight for a toy-making workshop.
Shelby brought cake. It smelled good, and it was really yummy. It had French vanilla frosting and little bitty round rainbow sprinkles on it, and on the bottom it had chocolate cake. It tasted heavenly.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Week of Monday, March 6
Monday, March 6, 2006
Substitute Teacher
There was a substitute teacher. Her name is Mrs. W. She’s a good teacher, like Mr. Kurtz. When she was reading Charlotte’s Web at the end of the day, she said we could do a math problem or draw a picture while she read. She let a student suggest a picture book for the read aloud called Five Funny Frights. She read so it sounded kind of scary, and funny at the end.
Reading today was very wonderful and quiet. Everybody was so quiet, everybody was reading with their eyes. She didn’t have to remind anyone.
We played Math Silent Ball. We liked it. We sat on the carpet in a circle. One person had the Koosh ball. The person with the ball said an addition problem. He or she had to toss it to someone else. The person who caught the ball had to answer the problem. If they got it wrong, they had to go back to their seats and watch the clock for one minute. People also had to go to their seats if they were talking. Jordan L. was the last person sitting on the carpet. HE WON!
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Would you rather…?
Yesterday we did surveys in math. We each thought of an either/or question to ask our classmates. This is what we learned:
Shelby learned that 2 more people would rather go home than to the park. Kevin learned 4 more people would rather have chocolate milk than white milk. Jesse learned that 6 more people would choose having the force over having a light saber. Abby learned that 18 people like Spy Kids and 4 people like The Incredibles. Taylor M. learned that 13 people like caramel better than chocolate. Taylor T. learned that 13 more people chose cats than foxes. Ashley learned that 14 people wanted to move to Hawaii and 6 people would choose to stay in Washington. Cameron learned 14 people would rather go to Chuck E. Cheese’s versus 12 people that would choose to go to Hawaii. Mckayla learned that when given a choice between getting a shot from the doctor and being poisoned, only one more person chose the shot. Savannah learned that, if given a choice between living in Hawaii or the jungle, 13 chose Hawaii and 8 chose the jungle. Her mom, Kim, learned that 16 people would choose dogs over 8 people that would choose cats. Jamie learned 7 people would choose to ride bulls versus the 11 that would choose to ride horses. Jordan L. learned 12 people would choose to be heroes, while 9 would choose to be villains. Noah learned that 13 more people like chocolate milk better than white milk. Justyn learned 15 would go to Texas instead of Florida; only 9 people would go to Florida. Travis learned that 16 people would like dogs more than cats; only 7 people like cats. Lukas learned that 16 people would be heroes and 8 people want to be villains.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Newsletter 19
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 19 http://room302.blogspot.com
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dear Families,
I have report cards on the brain. Everything I look at these days seems to go through that filter somehow. These kids are growing in all kinds of great ways, and it’s fun to watch and be a part of. I try to keep all of those things in mind when I’m doing report cards, and I try to remember that it’s not a race, but just a journey. And while we do have things we’re aiming for, I hope they’re enjoying themselves along the way. And I hope they will choose to continue that journey both in and out of school. My goal, as always, will be to use the report cards to show you my best estimate of your child in a few areas at this time: what is going well, and what some next steps might be.
In reading….
Thursday was Dr. Seuss’ birthday, so we read some books and made some certificates. We also started spending some concentrated time on beginning/middle/end. It’s on the report card for writing, and we’ve discussed it on and off, but now we’ve started breaking down the work of our published authors. One thing I find in sharing with kids and adults is that these are general terms. It can be difficult to pinpoint where one leaves off and another begins. It might be fun to have this discussion after one of your read alouds at home: do you and your child agree about what the beginning, middle and end were? And if you’re reading nonfiction, is there even a beginning, middle and end?
In writing….
I am trying to model beginning, middle, end in my work in front of the students, and we’re trying to notice it when we conference with them about their own work. It seems to help a lot, especially when they’re writing personal narratives about their own lives, to talk through the story before getting it on paper. If they know where they’re going, it’s easier to tell where they’ve arrived.
In math….
It was a lot of fun sharing our 100th Day collections. And thanks to those people who brought things in to share with others. We’ll keep talking about 100 throughout the year. If some of you have the game Chutes and Ladders, it can be a great on to work on those higher two digit numbers, including recognizing them and adding on to them. Our game at home came with a spinner, but for extra practice for my boys, we use two dice instead. First they have to add the dice, which is great fact practice. Then they have to add that amount to the number on the board.
For report cards we’re assessing if they can identify the name of the four main coins and tell the worth of each, and we’re asking them to use an analog clock to identify a few times on the hour and make a few (show me 9:00), so there are more ideas for extra practice at home.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Magic Strings
On Thursday we were visited by a group of musicians from the Magic Strings program. They played some songs on their violins and cellos, and the teacher told how kids in that group practice music as a regular part of their day. The Magic Strings classroom is composed of kids from all over the district, and the purpose of the trip was recruitment: they looking for kids to fill next year’s second grade class. Some interested students took applications to be a part of it next year, and we have more if needed. Just let me know. It seems like it could be a fantastic opportunity.
Calendar…
Sunday, March 5—Savannah’s Birthday Friday, March 17—Jasen’s Birthday
Thursday, March 16—Early Release Friday, March 17—Snow Make-up Day
Friday, March 17—Report Cards Home
Sincerely,
Jeff
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dear Families,
I have report cards on the brain. Everything I look at these days seems to go through that filter somehow. These kids are growing in all kinds of great ways, and it’s fun to watch and be a part of. I try to keep all of those things in mind when I’m doing report cards, and I try to remember that it’s not a race, but just a journey. And while we do have things we’re aiming for, I hope they’re enjoying themselves along the way. And I hope they will choose to continue that journey both in and out of school. My goal, as always, will be to use the report cards to show you my best estimate of your child in a few areas at this time: what is going well, and what some next steps might be.
In reading….
Thursday was Dr. Seuss’ birthday, so we read some books and made some certificates. We also started spending some concentrated time on beginning/middle/end. It’s on the report card for writing, and we’ve discussed it on and off, but now we’ve started breaking down the work of our published authors. One thing I find in sharing with kids and adults is that these are general terms. It can be difficult to pinpoint where one leaves off and another begins. It might be fun to have this discussion after one of your read alouds at home: do you and your child agree about what the beginning, middle and end were? And if you’re reading nonfiction, is there even a beginning, middle and end?
In writing….
I am trying to model beginning, middle, end in my work in front of the students, and we’re trying to notice it when we conference with them about their own work. It seems to help a lot, especially when they’re writing personal narratives about their own lives, to talk through the story before getting it on paper. If they know where they’re going, it’s easier to tell where they’ve arrived.
In math….
It was a lot of fun sharing our 100th Day collections. And thanks to those people who brought things in to share with others. We’ll keep talking about 100 throughout the year. If some of you have the game Chutes and Ladders, it can be a great on to work on those higher two digit numbers, including recognizing them and adding on to them. Our game at home came with a spinner, but for extra practice for my boys, we use two dice instead. First they have to add the dice, which is great fact practice. Then they have to add that amount to the number on the board.
For report cards we’re assessing if they can identify the name of the four main coins and tell the worth of each, and we’re asking them to use an analog clock to identify a few times on the hour and make a few (show me 9:00), so there are more ideas for extra practice at home.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Magic Strings
On Thursday we were visited by a group of musicians from the Magic Strings program. They played some songs on their violins and cellos, and the teacher told how kids in that group practice music as a regular part of their day. The Magic Strings classroom is composed of kids from all over the district, and the purpose of the trip was recruitment: they looking for kids to fill next year’s second grade class. Some interested students took applications to be a part of it next year, and we have more if needed. Just let me know. It seems like it could be a fantastic opportunity.
Calendar…
Sunday, March 5—Savannah’s Birthday Friday, March 17—Jasen’s Birthday
Thursday, March 16—Early Release Friday, March 17—Snow Make-up Day
Friday, March 17—Report Cards Home
Sincerely,
Jeff
Week of Monday, January 27
Monday, February 27, 2006
This is the first day back from our mid-winter break. Aubree, Kayla, and Lukas all had birthdays while we were gone, but not all on the same day. They used to be six, but now they’re seven.
Our day was busy.
We all got new jobs.
In music today we did Cobbler, Cobbler Mend My Shoe. It goes like this:
Cobbler, cobbler mend my shoe
Let it done by half past two.
Half past two is at the door
Let it done by half past four.
While we sing it we sit in a circle and pass around a tiny shoe that used to belong to Mrs. Couch’s son. When we get to the last word of the song, the person who ends up holding the shoe gets to think of any kind of shoe they want to buy.
After that we went back to our seats to hear the next song: The Swans. It has motions. The first thing you do is put your arms up with your hands by your ears. And then move your hands down low like you’re flapping your wings.
Next we had a substitute teacher for P.E. We did 15 push-ups, 15 sit-ups, and 15 jumping jacks. And we ran around the gymnasium for 5 laps. And we jumped rope.
In the afternoon, Mckayla’s mom and brother came in to help in math. In math we had to make 27 cents. We did calendar and found out that Aubree, Savannah, and Kayla lost teeth over the break. We don’t know if they ever found them. Donna brought money for her 100th Day collection and she shared 4 cents with each kid.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Kids from Magic Strings came to visit us. They were second, third, and fourth graders. In the morning we looked at the board and we were kind of amazed. We saw that we would be going to the library and it wasn’t our usual library day; we wondered why.
When we came into the library and sat down to watch them, they played beautiful music. Some people had violins, and some people had cellos. Then the teacher called two musicians up from the group to lead the music. One of the songs they played was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. We liked their music because that was the only time we got the hear them, and they sounded great!
It was Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Rien made a Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss out of paper. Some people colored and cut out a Do Not Disturb sign for their door handle.
We celebrated Savannah’s birthday today because it will happen on the weekend. Savannah’s mom and dad brought in Krispy Kreme donuts for us. It was fun.
This is the first day back from our mid-winter break. Aubree, Kayla, and Lukas all had birthdays while we were gone, but not all on the same day. They used to be six, but now they’re seven.
Our day was busy.
We all got new jobs.
In music today we did Cobbler, Cobbler Mend My Shoe. It goes like this:
Cobbler, cobbler mend my shoe
Let it done by half past two.
Half past two is at the door
Let it done by half past four.
While we sing it we sit in a circle and pass around a tiny shoe that used to belong to Mrs. Couch’s son. When we get to the last word of the song, the person who ends up holding the shoe gets to think of any kind of shoe they want to buy.
After that we went back to our seats to hear the next song: The Swans. It has motions. The first thing you do is put your arms up with your hands by your ears. And then move your hands down low like you’re flapping your wings.
Next we had a substitute teacher for P.E. We did 15 push-ups, 15 sit-ups, and 15 jumping jacks. And we ran around the gymnasium for 5 laps. And we jumped rope.
In the afternoon, Mckayla’s mom and brother came in to help in math. In math we had to make 27 cents. We did calendar and found out that Aubree, Savannah, and Kayla lost teeth over the break. We don’t know if they ever found them. Donna brought money for her 100th Day collection and she shared 4 cents with each kid.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Kids from Magic Strings came to visit us. They were second, third, and fourth graders. In the morning we looked at the board and we were kind of amazed. We saw that we would be going to the library and it wasn’t our usual library day; we wondered why.
When we came into the library and sat down to watch them, they played beautiful music. Some people had violins, and some people had cellos. Then the teacher called two musicians up from the group to lead the music. One of the songs they played was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. We liked their music because that was the only time we got the hear them, and they sounded great!
It was Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Rien made a Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss out of paper. Some people colored and cut out a Do Not Disturb sign for their door handle.
We celebrated Savannah’s birthday today because it will happen on the weekend. Savannah’s mom and dad brought in Krispy Kreme donuts for us. It was fun.