K-2's Weekly News (Dec. 17-21)

All About Me
It was great to learn all about Blaike this week!  Not only did we learn that Blaike loves ballet and Tae Kwon Do, we also learned that she is quite the artist!  If you look closely at the picture below, you can see the beautiful painting Blaike made for the cover of her Me Box and the cute Tooth Fairy box she made with her grandma.  So neat!  Thanks for sharing Blaike!

Singing carols with Mr. Deptula during music class.

Spending some time in the gym with Mrs. Sessler and Mr. Robinson!

PJ and Stuffed Animal Day---can you tell they had a great day?!





I hope everyone has a relaxing winter vacation with time to spend with family and friends.  Looking forward to an amazing 2013 with your children.
Can't wait to see them again in January!

K-2's Weekly News (Dec. 10-14)

All About Me
This week we learned all about Mark's favorite things!  As you can see from the photo below, Mark loves sports---football, fishing, and especially hockey.  Mark LOVES to play hockey, and he is a huge Blackhawks fan!  Mark loves Corvettes and collecting shells too, and he even has a green thumb.  It was neat to see the sunflower seeds that came from a flower that Mark grew! 

Math
We integrated our gingerbread theme into our math activities this week!  We introduced the concept of measuring length using nonstandard units such as small and large gingerbread, and we used paperclips to do some measuring as well.

We practiced our graphing skills this week as we played a gingerbread themed game called "Spin and Graph."  Using a spinner with different gingerbread friends, we took turns spinning the wheel and graphing our results.

Gingerbread Literacy Unit
The children are loving our gingerbread unit!  We have read and compared several versions of the familiar story The Gingerbread Man.  For each story, we worked together to identify the characters, the setting, the problem, and the solution.  Then we used a simple technique to practicing retelling the main events in each story.  Using the words, somebody, wanted, but, and so, we were able to summarize and retell the key points in each story.  Using the original story, for example, we were able to summarize the story with this statement: The gingerbread man wanted to escape from the oven and run away, but everyone wanted to eat him so he trusted the fox and he was gobbled right up!  Take a peek below to see which versions we have read so far!

iPad Projects
The students have been doing a great job using the iPads.  We have completed several projects using different apps on the iPads over the last several weeks.  Check out our digital ABC Book and our symmetry posters below!

K-2's Healthy Foods ABC Book

Symmetry Posters Using Pic Collage

Thanks for reading!

And thank you all for sharing your children with me each day.  I really enjoy working with each of the students in my class, and I am truly grateful to be their teacher!

Weekly News (Dec. 3-7)

All About Me
Zach did a great job sharing his "Me Box" this week, and we all loved learning about some of his favorite things.  The class thought it was neat that Zach's grandpa carved a car out of wood, and they loved Zach's mini piano.  We were even treated to a rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!"  Way to go Zach!

Math

This week the students played a game called "Roll and Record."  After rolling a die and counting the number of dots, the students practiced tracing the corresponding number and graphing their results.  It was a fun way to review and practice several math skills at once!

We also introduced using a pan balance this week.  We introduced the concepts of lighter and heavier, and we talked about what it means when the pans are equal or balanced.  We experimented weighing several different objects, and the students were able to experiment with the balance on their own during center time this week as well.

We completed several activities this week that reinforced the concept of ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th...)  For some more at-home practice with ordinal numbers, check out the link below.  There are several fun online games to play that reinforce this concept!

http://www.technologyrocksseriously.com/2012/03/ordinal-numbers.html

The children were excited to use a new app on the iPads this week called Monster Squeeze.  The students loved playing this game with a partner as they used their reasoning skills to reveal the "mystery number."  

We also used the iPads to revisit the concept of number stories by creating our own picture number stories using an app called Doodle Buddy.  Check out some of our work below!

Arya

Jolly Phonics

We finished Book 5 this week as we introduced the following sounds.  Please note the two different sounds for "oo."

ng as in "sing"

Vv as in "van"

oo as in "book"

oo as in "moon"

We will finish the last two Jolly Phonics books when we return from winter vacation, so there will not be any Jolly Phonics homework until after break.

Literacy

We continued our theme of healthy eating in Treasures this week, and we worked hard to complete the final two sections of our workbook for Unit 4.  I was so impressed with how well the students did stretching out their sounds on the last page of their workbooks.  We keep reviewing our Jolly Phonics sounds, especially the vowels, and it seems to be making a difference!  Next week we will begin a two-week Gingerbread Unit that will include several reading and writing activities.  I know the children will love it!!

We completed several sequencing activities this week in order to reinforce the concept of putting events in a logical order.  We will continue to practice sequencing pictures to help prepare the students for retelling the events of a story, and we will practice using words such as first, then, next, and last to help us retell the events.  

Adventure Course in Gym

This week in gym, Miss O'Sullivan's class helped the students in our class complete an adventure course where the students pretended they were the blood circulating throughout the body.  It was a great learning experience for both classes!  

Thanks for reading!

Have a great weekend!

Weekly Update (Nov. 26-30)

It was great to be back with the children after the week long break.  I missed seeing them each day!

All About Me
Kelly did a great job sharing her Me Box this week!  She shared a picture of her aunt and talked about how much she loves her little cousin.  She also showed us a sticker chart she keeps at home to do chores.  She even modeled her favorite sunglasses for us and talked about her favorite movie--Rapunzel!  Thanks so much for sharing Kelly!

Math
Several concepts were introduced in math this week.  Earlier this week the students learned about estimation.  During our lesson, we compared making an estimate to a "thoughtful guess."  During our interactive whiteboard lesson, the students counted 10 cubes inside a jar and then used that information to estimate how many cubes were placed in a second jar.  Comparing the jars side-by-side, the students were able to make thoughtful estimates.  For example, in the sample below, they knew there were a few more than 10 cubes in the second jar but not quite enough to make 20.  We completed several examples like this during our lesson.

The students were also introduced to the concept of number stories this week.  We practiced using pictures to solve both simple addition and subtraction number stories, and we talked about how certain words in a number story, such as "in all" or "gave away," are clues to help us find the answer.  We also introduced the concept of a number model to show our thinking.  For example, when we solved the problem, "There were 5 gray squirrels and 2 black squirrels in a tree.  How many squirrels were there in all?," we recorded 5 + 2 = 7 to show our thinking.

Jolly Phonics

We introduced two new letters in Jolly Phonics this week, and we continued to review the sounds that have already been introduced.  Our new sounds are:

Zz as in "zebra"

Ww as in "wind"

The students are becoming more and more comfortable stretching out the sounds they hear when writing and many are beginning to discriminate the short vowel sounds.  Any extra time you can dedicate to reinforcing the vowel sounds--both the short vowel sounds and the long vowel sounds that have been introduced--will be tremendously helpful for your child as we continue to develop our writing and reading skills.

Literacy
We began a new unit in our Treasures reading program this week, which focuses on food and healthy eating.  We began our unit with a funny story titled Gregory, The Terrible Eater, which is a story about a young goat who is a picky eater.  Instead of eating tin cans and old tires like a typical goat, Gregory prefers healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.  We also learned more about healthy eating by reading an online interactive Time for Kids magazine about making healthy food choices and keeping your body in tip top shape!

We also read a story this week called Apple Farmer Annie. This is a story about an apple farmer named Annie who works hard each fall to pick the apples from the trees in her orchard and to bring her apples to the farmer's market to sell.  After reading the story, we practiced summarizing and sequencing the events from the story in order.

During Writer's Workshop this week, we practiced using more sight words in our writing as well as adding more details to our sentences.  We worked on leaving spaces between words as well and checking for capitals and periods.  Check out some of our K-2 writers in action below!

iPad Project
After reading an ABC book called Eating the Alphabet, we worked together as a class to create a digital alphabet book of our own about healthy foods.  I will post it on our blog soon!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Thanks for reading!

Weekly News (Nov. 12-16)

All About Me
Check out the beautiful box Olivia brought in this week!  We all enjoyed learning a little more about her.  Can you tell which holiday is her favorite?  You guessed it....Halloween!  Olivia also loves to draw, play with her My Little Ponies, and make crafts.  She loves her dog too!

Math
We continued to work in our number books this week, as we worked on some of our tricky teens!  The students also practiced using their critical thinking skills and had a chance to use our MimioVote system when solving some turkey riddles.  For each riddle, students had to sort through a series of clues and then choose the one turkey that fit all the clues.  Students used individual remotes to select their answers, and then their responses were shown in a graph.

Jolly Phonics
We took a break again this week from Jolly Phonics to review the sounds that have already been introduced, especially the double vowel sounds.  Please continue to take time to review the sounds in your child's notebook.  We will begin introducing new sounds the week we come back after Thanksgiving break.

Literacy
This week we read a funny story called Duck on a Bike about a duck who gets a crazy idea to ride a bike.  He has so much fun riding around the barnyard, that all the other animals decide they want to ride bikes too!  After listening to the story, the students practiced sequencing the events in the story by gluing four scenes from the story in order.  

I met with all students in guided reading groups again this week, and students received new books for their book bags.  Please continue to encourage your child to read the books in their book bags and to practice their sight words as often as you can.  

In honor of Thanksgiving, the students made aromatic poems using the word THANKFUL to write about all the things they are thankful for.  They did such an amazing job with their Thankful poems that we made acrostic poems using our first names too.  Both sets of poems will be on display in the hallway at conferences!

iPads
We introduced a new app on the iPads this week called Montessori Crosswords, which is an interactive app that helps students strengthen their phonics and spelling skills.  It's an engaging and educational app that the children love to play!

Conferences and Thanksgiving
I am really looking forward to meeting with all of you at conferences next week.  I love working with your children each day, and I am so thankful to be their teacher!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Hasemeyer, one of our literacy teachers, sharing photos from Plymouth, Massachusetts!

Weekly News (Nov. 5-9)

All About Me
It was Mia's turn this week to share her "Me Box!"  We were so excited to learn that she loves to surf.  How fun!  We also learned that Mia loves to play soccer and sing.  She loves cats too and wishes she could get one!

Math
Our focus in math this week was learning and recognizing the "Tricky Teens."  Learning the numbers 11-19 can be tricky because the pattern isn't as simple as it is once you get into the 20's.  We will spend a lot of time in kindergarten reading, writing, and playing games to reinforce the "Tricky Teens."  When lining up one day this week, we practiced lining up in order from 0-20!


Jolly Phonics
We've been busy learning new sounds this week including the following:

ie as in "tie"
ee as in "feet"
or as in "sport"

Literacy
After assessing all of the students early this week, I was able to squeeze in some time to meet with students in their guided reading groups.  The students were so excited to get a new book for their book bags.  Please have your child read their new book at home.  The children also enjoyed listening to several stories this week including Thanksgiving Day and On the Go as well as several Thanksgiving poems.  We even created acrostic poems of our own that told about all of the things we are thankful for.  The students did an amazing job with this writing activity.  Their poems will be on display in the hallway for parent teacher conferences!

Looking forward to meeting with all of you!

Weekly News (Oct. 29-Nov. 2)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Loved seeing all the kiddos dressed up in their costumes!

All About Me
It was Jessica's week to bring in her "Me Box."  We had a great time learning about her favorite things.  As you can see from her photo, she loves princesses, coloring, singing, and decorating cakes.  I had to ask her if she takes orders.  Her cakes are absolutely beautiful!!!

Math

This week we continued to practice counting and writing our numbers.  We also completed a whole class activity where we created a number board that showed the numbers 1-10 represented by dots.  Looking at numbers in this visual way helped students see that each number is "one more" than the previous number.  Thank you to Owen, one of our Hello Helpers this week, for adding our last dot to make 10!

Jolly Phonics

We took a big leap with our Jolly Phonics sounds this week--we introduced our first long vowel sounds.  The pictures in the students' notebooks this week were FANTASTIC!  Keep up the great work K-2!  We will continue to add new sounds next week.  Please continue to review all the sounds at home that we have learned.  This will help your child with both reading and writing!  The following sounds were introduced this week: 

ai as in "wait"

Jj as in "jiggly jello"

oa as in "goat"

Assessment

You may have noticed that your child may not have come home with a new guided reading book this week.  I have been using our guided reading time to assess students one-on-one for progress reports.  I have a few more quick assessments to give next week, but I'm hoping to resume guided reading groups by the end of next week!  Report cards will be sent home Friday, November 16, and conferences are scheduled for Monday, November 19 and Tuesday, November 20.  Thank you so much for your input and patience with scheduling conference times.  I think my schedule is just about ironed out!  I look forward to meeting with all of you!!

Happy November and thanks for reading!

K-2's Weekly News (Oct. 22-26)

Read on to see what we have been up to in K-2!

All About Me
This week we had a great time learning about some of Travis's favorite things.  He loves learning about the Titanic and dinosaurs. He also enjoys Spongebob, Spiderman, and Thomas the Train.  Thanks so much for sharing Travis!

Math
Many of our math activities this week were Halloween themed!  The students had fun counting and writing the number for different amounts of candy corn.  They also played a "Roll the Dice" game where they practiced counting the number of dots on two dice and coloring in the corresponding number on a pumpkin game board.  They LOVED this game.  We will try and play it again next week!  We also took a closer look at the penny, nickel, and dime this week when we worked on a coin sorting activity.  Some students also created a coin rubbing art project during center time this week.  

Jolly Phonics Review
We spent some time each day this week reviewing our Jolly Phonics sounds.  We will begin learning the sounds from Book #4 next week!

Literacy
Each week the students become more and more confident in themselves as readers and writers.  They should be proud!!  We completed Unit 2 in Treasures this week, and student workbooks went home today.  I also met with all students for guided reading during the week.  Please continue to have your child read the books in their baggie and practice their sight words and sounds using their ABC chart.  Have your child show you how we "Chant the Chart"--A, /a/, apple, B, /b/, bear, etc.   We also continue to play our phonemic awareness listening games each day.

The children had a great time writing about what they are going to be for Halloween.  They did a great job drawing a picture of their costume and writing a sentence to match!  I can tell they are looking forward to next week!

The kids really enjoyed the books we read during read aloud this week:

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman 
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White
Scary, Scary Halloween by Eve Bunting

Science
We concluded our Rainbows, Color, and Light unit this week with two exciting activities.  First, we explored the rainbow swirling patterns you see when blowing bubbles.  The children were not only fascinated by the colors we could see in the bubbles, they were also fascinated by the size of the bubbles we were able to blow!!  We also explored our shadows this week by going outside to see how our bodies block the sunlight from passing through, causing a shadow.  We also experimented with a flashlight and a dollhouse figurine to show how the length and direction of our shadow changes throughout the day.

Have a great weekend!!

K-2's Weekly Update (Oct. 15-19)

Is Halloween really right around the corner?  My how time is flying in Kindergarten!  We have had another busy and productive week in K-2.

All About Me

This week Cayden brought in his "Me Box" and shared several items that helped us get to know him even better.  We learned that Cayden plays soccer for the Arlington Aces, and he LOVES building with LEGOS.  He is also a big fan of Angry Birds, and he likes to read about trains.  Thanks for sharing with us Cayden!

Math

This week in math we played several games to reinforce counting, and we also learned all about patterns in the world around us.  We watched a slideshow that depicted different patterns that are found in nature and our everyday lives, and the students identified and discussed some of the patterns we saw--stripes on a zebra, swirls on a seashell, stripes on a pair of socks, and a checkerboard pattern on a kitchen floor.  We also learned how to write the numbers 8 and 9 with the rhymes, "Make an S but do not wait. Go straight back up to make an 8!" and "A loop and down line.  That's the way to make a nine!"

Jolly Phonics

This week we finished learning all the sounds in the 3rd book of Jolly Phonics.  We learned the following sounds;

Ff as in "fish"

Bb as in "bat"

Next week we will not introduce any new sounds, so that we can focus on reviewing and mastering the sounds that have already been introduced.  Next week will be a great time to go back through your child's notebook and review all the sounds we have learned.

Literacy

This week in Treasures we continued to focus on the theme of "friendship."  We introduced the new sight word "a" which is pronounced "uh," and we also worked in our Treasures workbooks.  I met with all students again this week in guided reading groups, and each student brought home a new book to read that you can find in their Ziploc bag.  Thank you parents for doing such a GREAT job keeping your child's literacy materials organized in their Ziplocs and for practicing and reviewing at home!  

The students also spent some time this week making a pumpkin book that highlighted the following positional words: under, behind, on, above, and in.  These went home in your child's folder today.  We enjoyed many read aloud stories this week too including:

The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll

My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown

If you happened to find yourself at the library over the weekend, check out one of these books.  The children love hearing familiar stories again and again!!

Thanks for reading!

Have a great weekend!

K-2's Weekly Update (Oct. 8-12)

Math
This week the students played a game called "Spin the Number," which helped students practice identifying the numbers 1-10 and counting spaces on a game board that matched the number on the spinner.  They LOVED this game so much that we used it as one of our math centers so they could play it again!  We continue to review the following shapes in the classroom: triangle, rectangle, square, circle, oval, and diamond.  I hope you had fun playing the "I Spy Shapes" game at home!  This is a great game to continue to play at home, in the car, at the park, or wherever you can squeeze in a few minutes of review!

Jolly Phonics
The students are becoming more confident and fluent with the sounds we have already introduced, which has really been helpful during our Writer's Workshop time.  These are the sounds introduced this week:

Uu as in "umbrella"
Ll as in "lollipop"

Literacy
This week the theme for our Treasures reading program was friendship.  The students listened to stories about what friends like to do together, and they talked about the things they like to do with their own friends.  We introduced a new sight word this week---like, which we used during Writer's Workshop to complete the sentence starter, "We like to_____."  The students drew a picture, made labels, and wrote about something they like to do with their friends.  

I continued to meet with students during guided reading this week as well. All students have a new book in their Ziploc bags, so please take some time to have your child read their new book to you and anyone else who will listen! :)  I collected the students' old books from their bags, but there were a few missing.  If you still have a book from last week, please send it back to school next week.  I thank you all so much for the support you are providing your child at home.  Your time and energy is tremendously appreciated and valued!!!

All About Me

This week we were excited to learn all about Olivia W.  We learned that one of her favorite holidays is Halloween, she loves the movie Rio, and she likes cats.  Thanks so much for sharing Olivia!







Computer Lab
This week in the computer lab, the students used an online researching program called Pebble Go, to listen to two informational texts about apples and pumpkins.  Then working together as a class, the students used the information they learned to complete a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting apples and pumpkins.  As you can see below, they did an AWESOME job!

Have a great weekend!

K-2's Weekly News (Oct. 1-5)

Math

The children were very excited this week during calendar time when we reached our 30th day of school.  Each day we add a straw to our place value pocket chart (see sample picture below).  When we collect 10 straws, we bundle them together to make a "ten."  So far we have 3 bundles of ten that represent the 30 days we have been in school.  We celebrated our 30th day by practicing our counts by 10!

We worked in our number books again this week to learn how to write the number 5.  Here is the poem for the number 5:

Fat old five goes down and around.
Put a flag on top and see what you've found!

We also reviewed some of our shapes as we made ships in honor of Christopher Columbus!

Jolly Phonics

We frequently review the Jolly Phonics sounds that have been introduced so far.  Please continue to review them at home as well.  It has been great to see the students carrying over the sounds they are learning into their writing.  Keep up the great work K-2!  We introduced the following new sounds this week:

Gg as in "giggle"

Oo as in "on"

Writer's Workshop

The students are becoming more and more comfortable following the steps to our Writer's Workshop routine: Think, Draw, Label, and Write.  We will continue to focus on this writing routine each week.  The students are beginning to add more labels to their drawings, which help them extend their ideas for their writing.

Treasures Reading

This week we finished Unit 1 in Treasures.  We spent time reviewing all of the sight words that have been introduced including: I, can, we, and the.  We also used pictures to practice sequencing the events in a story.  Next week we will begin Unit 2, which focuses on the theme of friendship.    

Guided Reading
All the time we spent practicing "center time" really paid off this week, as I began meeting with students in small groups for guided reading.  I am targeting specific literacy skills and using books that match the literacy needs of the children in each group.  Each child brought home a guided reading book this week in their Ziploc bag.  Please look for this book over the weekend and encourage your child to read it to you as many times as they are willing!  Repeated reading practice is a great way to build confidence and fluency.  To mix things up a bit, have your child read their book over the phone to a special relative or friend, or have your child read to a pet or their favorite stuffed animal.  While your child is reading, please remind him or her to point carefully to each word so their voice matches the print on the page.  Please keep the book in your child's Ziploc bag until I take it out.  At times, your child may have more than one book in their bag.  Your support at home encouraging your child to read these books will really help your child continue to move forward with his or her reading development.  

All About Me

This week we were so excited to learn all about J.T.!  He did a great job bringing in items that really helped us learn about his interests and hobbies.  Here are a few of the items that J.T. shared.  Can you tell what he loves to eat and do?

Apple Tree Project
As part of a yearlong project, the students will be making an art book that depicts the changes of an apple tree throughout the four seasons of the year.  Here are few students creating their fall trees!

As always, thanks for reading!  

Have a great weekend!!