Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Yesterday we had a Valentine’s party with cookies from Travis and Lukas, and parents came. Lukas brought little, little cookies that didn’t have frosting or anything on them. They were shaped like butterflies and hearts. Travis’s were circles with sprinkles on them. We passed out Valentine cards and candy. It was Mrs. Brown’s birthday. We sat at our tables and started eating. We had lots of fun eating and reading our cards. Jamie brought candy. We got tattoos and airplanes from Savannah. Donna brought little zigzag heart candy and chocolate candy bars like Butterfingers. She brought stickers, too. Taylor M. brought little bags of candy. Jesse brought cupcakes that were chocolate or vanilla. They had white frosting with sprinkles. Justyn brought in pencils and erasers for everyone. The erasers were shaped like Cupid and hearts. The party was fantastic. Everyone was very happy that they made valentines for each other and did their best work.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Tuesday was the 100th day of school, and we made and wore “100” glasses to kind of look funny. And we shared a bunch of 100 Day stuff. Taylor T. brought different colored candy hearts. Abby brought 100 Starburst. Abby and Justyn counted. First they thought there were 102, but when Mckayla double-checked she found that one of the piles only had 8, so they put the extra 2 in that pile and then there were 100. Donna brought 100 pennies. Savannah brought 100 Skittles, and the Skittles were shaped like circles; some were green, some were yellow, others were red or purple. Taylor M. brought 100 rocks. Jordan L. brought 100 straws. They were yellow, red, green, and blue with white stripes. Kevin brought 100 pieces of paper. He got them from his friend’s mom and counted them before he came to school to make sure there were 100. Then he shared them with the class. Rien brought 100 plain pencils. They were orangish-yellowish with pink erasers. Lukas brought 100 stickers and they kind of look like tattoos. Everyone started using Lukas’s stickers and Jordan L.’s straws and Abby’s Starburst and Rien’s pencils to decorate on the paper from Kevin. Cameron brought 100 robin eggs. They were candies from Safeway. They were purple, blue, yellow and green. First when you get one you have to let it kind of soak in your mouth, and then you chew it, and then you swallow it. Jamie brought 100 pieces of candy. It was really nice that so many people shared what they brought with each other.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Friday, February 10, 2006
Week of Monday, February 6
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
We changed the rules for valentine cards. In the morning we do our writing, and in the afternoon we do our decorating. We write them for everybody in the class so nobody will get missed. We do lots of cards. Some people have done more than others and some have done less than others. For example, Savannah has done 14, Travis has done 19, Abby has done 7, Mckayla has done 8, Shelby has done 7, and Donna has done 11. We are gluing paper cut-out hearts on to the cards. Some of the decorations are string, glitter glue, stickers, traced hearts, flowers, rick rack, colored paper, straws, beads, and candy.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
We went to the police station. We walked over with the other first grade class. Jordan C.’s dad and Travis’ mom came with. Officer Jamey and Officer Kevin showed us around the police department. Officer Jamey had a black suit on, and Officer Kevin had a blue one on. Officer Kevin told us we were at the town hall.
They didn’t have a jail there. We got to see the officer’s room. We got to see the court room where the judge sits and the mayor sits. They get to sit in the middle.
We got to see the police car and we went through the back seat of it. The back seat wasn’t very comfortable and it was hard. It was made of plastic so that if the person in back threw up, the officers could just clean it up. The doors at the back of the police car didn’t have any handles so the people couldn’t get out. On the police car top they didn’t have the sirens: they had the sirens inside, but it was very loud. It was so loud that it hurt people’s ears. In the front of the car they had one little light and it kept on switching from red to blue.
They gave us stickers that say Junior Police Officer. It was fantastic!
We changed the rules for valentine cards. In the morning we do our writing, and in the afternoon we do our decorating. We write them for everybody in the class so nobody will get missed. We do lots of cards. Some people have done more than others and some have done less than others. For example, Savannah has done 14, Travis has done 19, Abby has done 7, Mckayla has done 8, Shelby has done 7, and Donna has done 11. We are gluing paper cut-out hearts on to the cards. Some of the decorations are string, glitter glue, stickers, traced hearts, flowers, rick rack, colored paper, straws, beads, and candy.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
We went to the police station. We walked over with the other first grade class. Jordan C.’s dad and Travis’ mom came with. Officer Jamey and Officer Kevin showed us around the police department. Officer Jamey had a black suit on, and Officer Kevin had a blue one on. Officer Kevin told us we were at the town hall.
They didn’t have a jail there. We got to see the officer’s room. We got to see the court room where the judge sits and the mayor sits. They get to sit in the middle.
We got to see the police car and we went through the back seat of it. The back seat wasn’t very comfortable and it was hard. It was made of plastic so that if the person in back threw up, the officers could just clean it up. The doors at the back of the police car didn’t have any handles so the people couldn’t get out. On the police car top they didn’t have the sirens: they had the sirens inside, but it was very loud. It was so loud that it hurt people’s ears. In the front of the car they had one little light and it kept on switching from red to blue.
They gave us stickers that say Junior Police Officer. It was fantastic!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Newsletter 17
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 17 http://room302.blogspot.com
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Dear Families,
This has been a busy time. We found out Tuesday that Jasen would be moving back to Georgia with his mom. We miss him. And then I had to be out for my sick child, which is always a bit tricky. So this is the newsletter for this last week, updated to include this week. We have lots of other stuff happening, too.
In reading….
We are currently in the midst of reading the nominees for The Washington Children's Choice Award. Our librarians, Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Yonkers, bought the books for our school and we’re taking turns passing them around to different classrooms. We’re keeping track of what we read and how we feel about each book. When we’re done, we’ll vote, and our votes will be added to those from all over the state. For fun, ask your child what we read each day, and how he or she liked it. For more information, there is a link on the blog.
In writing….
We are fully involved in making valentines for each other. We created a list showing each class member, along with three things that person likes. The list is to help us personalize our cards. This is a wonderful opportunity to review and use some of the practical writing skills we’ve practiced all year, as well as a chance to think about purpose and audience—which can sometimes be a bit tricky to define in regular journal writing. Look for that list on the blog. I’m encouraging students to work at home, if needed, to make sure they’re all done by the 14th.
In math….
The art we did for the new February calendars was watercolor and black pen. We’ve been using illustrations from picture books as examples, and what a wonderful coincidence that a couple of this year’s Caldecott winners were done in watercolor.
Valentine’s Day…
We have gotten a great selection of decorations and treats for the party so far. All the decorations help create high motivation for this project, and it’s so cool to see the care students put into their work. On the 14th everyone is expected to be done and ready to exchange. We’ll probably have a Valentine’s Day story, exchange cards, pass out treats, and spend time reading, eating, and enjoying. If you’d like to be here for this, please join us. We’ll start around 10:05.
Field Trip…
We’re going to the police station on Thursday. Sorry about the short notice. We’d been trying to find a time, and the time sort of just happened, so we took it. How nice to be able to just walk somewhere.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Calendar…
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 14—Valentine’s Day Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Dear Families,
This has been a busy time. We found out Tuesday that Jasen would be moving back to Georgia with his mom. We miss him. And then I had to be out for my sick child, which is always a bit tricky. So this is the newsletter for this last week, updated to include this week. We have lots of other stuff happening, too.
In reading….
We are currently in the midst of reading the nominees for The Washington Children's Choice Award. Our librarians, Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Yonkers, bought the books for our school and we’re taking turns passing them around to different classrooms. We’re keeping track of what we read and how we feel about each book. When we’re done, we’ll vote, and our votes will be added to those from all over the state. For fun, ask your child what we read each day, and how he or she liked it. For more information, there is a link on the blog.
In writing….
We are fully involved in making valentines for each other. We created a list showing each class member, along with three things that person likes. The list is to help us personalize our cards. This is a wonderful opportunity to review and use some of the practical writing skills we’ve practiced all year, as well as a chance to think about purpose and audience—which can sometimes be a bit tricky to define in regular journal writing. Look for that list on the blog. I’m encouraging students to work at home, if needed, to make sure they’re all done by the 14th.
In math….
The art we did for the new February calendars was watercolor and black pen. We’ve been using illustrations from picture books as examples, and what a wonderful coincidence that a couple of this year’s Caldecott winners were done in watercolor.
Valentine’s Day…
We have gotten a great selection of decorations and treats for the party so far. All the decorations help create high motivation for this project, and it’s so cool to see the care students put into their work. On the 14th everyone is expected to be done and ready to exchange. We’ll probably have a Valentine’s Day story, exchange cards, pass out treats, and spend time reading, eating, and enjoying. If you’d like to be here for this, please join us. We’ll start around 10:05.
Field Trip…
We’re going to the police station on Thursday. Sorry about the short notice. We’d been trying to find a time, and the time sort of just happened, so we took it. How nice to be able to just walk somewhere.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Calendar…
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 14—Valentine’s Day Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Room 302 Valentines List
Room 302 Valentines List
We created this list so that it would be easier to personalize the valentines we’re making for each other. Use it at home to help as needed.
We created this list so that it would be easier to personalize the valentines we’re making for each other. Use it at home to help as needed.
- Lukas--box hockey, chase, freeze tag
- Justyn--football, the beach, skiing
- Noah--snowboarding, cars, cats
- Jamie--farm animals, sharks, God & Jesus
- Jordan C. --blue, video games, the park
- Kayla--purple, drawing, red
- Travis--green, bikes, video games
- Donna--ice cream, hearts, cheerleading clothes
- Jesse--skate boarding, dirt bikes, Ferris wheels
- Kaelyn--basketball, parents, friends
- Rien--motorcycles, cool cars, black
- Cameron--rainbows, dresses, macaroni and cheese
- Jasen
- Jordan L. --pumpkin pie, video games, monsters
- Taylor M. --basketball, Spiderman™, parents
- Aubree--polar bears, rabbits, drawing, parents
- Savannah--animals, purple, David Shannon
- Abigail--ballerinas, cheetahs, The Cheetah Girls
- Mckayla--purple, doges, books
- Kevin--the fair, sharks, bikes
- Ashley--pink, friends, pets
- Taylor T. --bunnies, rain forest, mac & cheese
- Shelby--mac & cheese, yogurt, horses
Monday, January 30, 2006
Week of Monday, January 30
Monday, January 30, 2006
Watercolorful Day
On Friday we had a substitute teacher. He was funny. He made funny noises when he read. Whenever he read a book and he saw a poem, he sang a song. He liked singing. When he read Superdog and he saw the word “Superdog” he sang it sometimes.
Our teacher is back today. We’re making calendars for February. Mckayla’s mom came to help us. We painted our watercolor pictures for the top and we put the numbers on our February calendars for the bottom. Watercolor painting is fun.
Watercolorful Day
On Friday we had a substitute teacher. He was funny. He made funny noises when he read. Whenever he read a book and he saw a poem, he sang a song. He liked singing. When he read Superdog and he saw the word “Superdog” he sang it sometimes.
Our teacher is back today. We’re making calendars for February. Mckayla’s mom came to help us. We painted our watercolor pictures for the top and we put the numbers on our February calendars for the bottom. Watercolor painting is fun.
Week of Monday, January 23
Friday, January 27, 2006
A Good Day
Today is Friday, January 27th, 2006. Today we played 5-in-a-row. for math. We did writers’ workshop. We had Mr. Schmitt as our guest teacher. We also did readers’ workshop. Mrs. Brown taught us about using colorful words in our writing.
A Good Day
Today is Friday, January 27th, 2006. Today we played 5-in-a-row. for math. We did writers’ workshop. We had Mr. Schmitt as our guest teacher. We also did readers’ workshop. Mrs. Brown taught us about using colorful words in our writing.
Newsletter 16
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 16 http://room302.blogspot.com
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dear Families,
One thing I find myself noticing again and again is how kind and polite your children are. They take turns, they listen to each other, they help each other. That’s not to say there are never problems, but even the way they work out problems is nice. It’s a great place to be every day.
In reading….
This was the week they announced the new awards from the American Library Association. We have been reading past and current winners. It’s a great way to help readers find some great books, and to start to learn the names of quality authors and illustrators that might also have other books worth reading. We mainly focus on the Caldecott books, which are honored for their illustrations. You can find the link on our blog.
In writing….
It’s been very interesting to see what the kids have been doing on the second round of book reviews. Mrs. Brown noticed how now that they all are familiar with the structure, they can pay more attention to the content. It’s been a nice reminder that just because they’ve heard or done something once doesn’t mean they’ve gone as far as they can with it.
In math….
I’ve started working with small groups while the rest of the class works independently. We’re lucky enough to have parents that are willing to help out on many math days, which makes that so much easier. We also started messing around with clocks. We talked about how long a minute is and we used the small clocks to make times on the hour. Again, this can be tricky, so mention it at home from time to time, if you can.
Valentine’s Day…
We’ll use our writing time in the first part of February to write Valentine cards for each other. Then we’ll exchange them on the 14th. If each family will use the time and money they usually spend on pre-printed cards to get some sort of decoration and send it in, we should have plenty to go around. Ideas for things you can contribute include lace, stickers, tissue paper, heart doilies, stamps, pre-cut paper hearts of different sizes and colors, or anything else you think would make a nice addition to a card. We’d also love some treats to enjoy while reading the cards we wrote for each other, if anyone would like to contribute. That will be about the extent of our Valentine’s Day party. Supplies have already started arriving, and we will start officially making the cards in about a week, right after we finish Jesse’s birthday cards.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Calendar…
Friday, February 3—Jesse’s Birthday February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 14—Valentine’s Day Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dear Families,
One thing I find myself noticing again and again is how kind and polite your children are. They take turns, they listen to each other, they help each other. That’s not to say there are never problems, but even the way they work out problems is nice. It’s a great place to be every day.
In reading….
This was the week they announced the new awards from the American Library Association. We have been reading past and current winners. It’s a great way to help readers find some great books, and to start to learn the names of quality authors and illustrators that might also have other books worth reading. We mainly focus on the Caldecott books, which are honored for their illustrations. You can find the link on our blog.
In writing….
It’s been very interesting to see what the kids have been doing on the second round of book reviews. Mrs. Brown noticed how now that they all are familiar with the structure, they can pay more attention to the content. It’s been a nice reminder that just because they’ve heard or done something once doesn’t mean they’ve gone as far as they can with it.
In math….
I’ve started working with small groups while the rest of the class works independently. We’re lucky enough to have parents that are willing to help out on many math days, which makes that so much easier. We also started messing around with clocks. We talked about how long a minute is and we used the small clocks to make times on the hour. Again, this can be tricky, so mention it at home from time to time, if you can.
Valentine’s Day…
We’ll use our writing time in the first part of February to write Valentine cards for each other. Then we’ll exchange them on the 14th. If each family will use the time and money they usually spend on pre-printed cards to get some sort of decoration and send it in, we should have plenty to go around. Ideas for things you can contribute include lace, stickers, tissue paper, heart doilies, stamps, pre-cut paper hearts of different sizes and colors, or anything else you think would make a nice addition to a card. We’d also love some treats to enjoy while reading the cards we wrote for each other, if anyone would like to contribute. That will be about the extent of our Valentine’s Day party. Supplies have already started arriving, and we will start officially making the cards in about a week, right after we finish Jesse’s birthday cards.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Calendar…
Friday, February 3—Jesse’s Birthday February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 14—Valentine’s Day Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Monday, January 23, 2006
Week of Monday, January 30
Monday, January 30, 2006
Watercolorful Day
On Friday we had a substitute teacher. He was funny. He made funny noises when he read. Whenever he read a book and he saw a poem, he sang a song. He liked singing. When he read Superdog and he saw the word “Superdog” he sang it sometimes.
Our teacher is back today. We’re making calendars for February. Mckayla’s mom came to help us. We painted our watercolor pictures for the top and we put the numbers on our February calendars for the bottom. Watercolor painting is fun.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Friendship
Jasen moved all the way back to Georgia. We think he’s staying there forever. He took all his stuff in the classroom, except his chair pack and his chair. He took his lunch pocket, his name, his writing folder, everything in his chair pack, and his poetry binder. We don’t get to see him any more. We will really miss him because he’s our friend and he’s really nice. He always wrote about “Super Jasen” and we’ll miss hearing those stories. Maybe he will come back to visit us some time, or send us a postcard or an email.
Watercolorful Day
On Friday we had a substitute teacher. He was funny. He made funny noises when he read. Whenever he read a book and he saw a poem, he sang a song. He liked singing. When he read Superdog and he saw the word “Superdog” he sang it sometimes.
Our teacher is back today. We’re making calendars for February. Mckayla’s mom came to help us. We painted our watercolor pictures for the top and we put the numbers on our February calendars for the bottom. Watercolor painting is fun.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Friendship
Jasen moved all the way back to Georgia. We think he’s staying there forever. He took all his stuff in the classroom, except his chair pack and his chair. He took his lunch pocket, his name, his writing folder, everything in his chair pack, and his poetry binder. We don’t get to see him any more. We will really miss him because he’s our friend and he’s really nice. He always wrote about “Super Jasen” and we’ll miss hearing those stories. Maybe he will come back to visit us some time, or send us a postcard or an email.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Newsletter 15
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 15 http://room302.blogspot.com
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dear Families,
I play two songs every day. When I play The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) by Simon and Gafunkel, it means it’s time to clean up and gather together on the carpet to officially begin our day. When it’s time to clean up and do our jobs at the end of the day, I play Samba Pa Ti from the Abraxas album by Carlos Santana. Since we hear those two songs every day, I thought the students would enjoy seeing the faces behind the music. I was able to find DVD’s from the library that had these songs done in concert, so I brought them in and we watched them.
In reading….
The idea of visual images continues to pervade our work. We talked about how authors make pictures in our heads—including telling what shape, what size, and what color—and now we’re trying to notice those as we read. We also noticed this week how some of the writers in our classroom use verbs like sailing, burning, and crunched to create pictures in our minds. This was a great opportunity to talk about verbs and nouns, and I chose Kites Sail High: A Book About Verbs by Ruth Heller as my read aloud.
In writing….
This will be our second round of writing book reviews for special project. I also continue to encourage students to be deliberate about using descriptive language in their stories, and we try to share some of their examples every day. This might be something you could ask about at home, too.
In math….
Our newest game is called Ten Turns. One die is rolled ten times in a row, and a running total is kept. It seems a fairly simple game on the surface, but as the total increases it can be tricky to keep track. We use counters to help with that. We also continue to practice word problems.
Valentine’s Day…
We’ll use our writing time in the first part of February to write Valentine cards for each other. Then we’ll exchange them on the 14th. If each family will use the time and money they usually spend on pre-printed cards to get some sort of decoration and send it in, we should have plenty to go around. Ideas for things you can contribute include lace, stickers, tissue paper, heart doilies, stamps, pre-cut paper hearts of different sizes and colors, or anything else you think would make a nice addition to a card. We’d also love some treats to enjoy while reading the cards we wrote for each other, if anyone would like to contribute. That will be about the extent of our Valentine’s Day party.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (what a wonderful source of examples for writing that creates visual images!) We also took a few minutes to go back and discuss A. A. Milne, since it was his birthday this week.
Calendar…
Monday, January 23—Book Orders Due February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break
Friday, February 3—Jesse’s Birthday Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 14—Valentine’s Day Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dear Families,
I play two songs every day. When I play The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) by Simon and Gafunkel, it means it’s time to clean up and gather together on the carpet to officially begin our day. When it’s time to clean up and do our jobs at the end of the day, I play Samba Pa Ti from the Abraxas album by Carlos Santana. Since we hear those two songs every day, I thought the students would enjoy seeing the faces behind the music. I was able to find DVD’s from the library that had these songs done in concert, so I brought them in and we watched them.
In reading….
The idea of visual images continues to pervade our work. We talked about how authors make pictures in our heads—including telling what shape, what size, and what color—and now we’re trying to notice those as we read. We also noticed this week how some of the writers in our classroom use verbs like sailing, burning, and crunched to create pictures in our minds. This was a great opportunity to talk about verbs and nouns, and I chose Kites Sail High: A Book About Verbs by Ruth Heller as my read aloud.
In writing….
This will be our second round of writing book reviews for special project. I also continue to encourage students to be deliberate about using descriptive language in their stories, and we try to share some of their examples every day. This might be something you could ask about at home, too.
In math….
Our newest game is called Ten Turns. One die is rolled ten times in a row, and a running total is kept. It seems a fairly simple game on the surface, but as the total increases it can be tricky to keep track. We use counters to help with that. We also continue to practice word problems.
Valentine’s Day…
We’ll use our writing time in the first part of February to write Valentine cards for each other. Then we’ll exchange them on the 14th. If each family will use the time and money they usually spend on pre-printed cards to get some sort of decoration and send it in, we should have plenty to go around. Ideas for things you can contribute include lace, stickers, tissue paper, heart doilies, stamps, pre-cut paper hearts of different sizes and colors, or anything else you think would make a nice addition to a card. We’d also love some treats to enjoy while reading the cards we wrote for each other, if anyone would like to contribute. That will be about the extent of our Valentine’s Day party.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (what a wonderful source of examples for writing that creates visual images!) We also took a few minutes to go back and discuss A. A. Milne, since it was his birthday this week.
Calendar…
Monday, January 23—Book Orders Due February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break
Friday, February 3—Jesse’s Birthday Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 14—Valentine’s Day Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff