Monday, May 12, 2014
Weekly Update
Math
This past week we finished our unit on measurement and began our unit on fractions! This week we will continue fractions with equivalent fractions, comparing fractions, and adding and subtracting fractions.
Reading
Students have finished book club books and are working on their iMovie book trailers. I will post these movies on the blog when they are complete.
Writing
Students have been exploring with a fun writing website called Storybird this past week! You will be able to check out all of their poems in my next post, titled "Storybird." This week, students will begin to create a picture book on Storybird that we then plan on sharing with our first grade buddies! The next and final spelling test is Friday, May 23rd.
Science/Social Studies
We finished up the forces and motion unit and have resumed with social studies. This past week we began discussing government in Chapter 9. We reviewed the three branches of government. We will continue to study our state and national government this week. We will also start Junior Achievement with Mrs. Rolwes and Mr. Giles this week!
Science/Earth Day
On Friday, we celebrated science and Earth day! We visited many different rotations to learn about a variety of topics, such as bees and wolves. Did you know that there are no longer wolves in Missouri? If you think you see a wolf, chances are that it is a coyote. We also got watch a scientist in action with Mad Science, look at bugs under an awesome microscope, and create Earth day t-shirt designs! How fun!
Buddies
We also met with our buddies this past week! We reviewed Habit 6, synergize. We synergized to draw pictures of what we'd like our school to look like next year in incorporating the Leader in Me values and ideas since we are up for a new paint job! See students' ideas below.
Important Info.
Remember that there is no school this Friday, May 16th!
Reading
Students have finished book club books and are working on their iMovie book trailers. I will post these movies on the blog when they are complete.
Writing
Students have been exploring with a fun writing website called Storybird this past week! You will be able to check out all of their poems in my next post, titled "Storybird." This week, students will begin to create a picture book on Storybird that we then plan on sharing with our first grade buddies! The next and final spelling test is Friday, May 23rd.
Science/Social Studies
We finished up the forces and motion unit and have resumed with social studies. This past week we began discussing government in Chapter 9. We reviewed the three branches of government. We will continue to study our state and national government this week. We will also start Junior Achievement with Mrs. Rolwes and Mr. Giles this week!
Science/Earth Day
On Friday, we celebrated science and Earth day! We visited many different rotations to learn about a variety of topics, such as bees and wolves. Did you know that there are no longer wolves in Missouri? If you think you see a wolf, chances are that it is a coyote. We also got watch a scientist in action with Mad Science, look at bugs under an awesome microscope, and create Earth day t-shirt designs! How fun!
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| Sharing what we learned |
Buddies
We also met with our buddies this past week! We reviewed Habit 6, synergize. We synergized to draw pictures of what we'd like our school to look like next year in incorporating the Leader in Me values and ideas since we are up for a new paint job! See students' ideas below.
Important Info.
Remember that there is no school this Friday, May 16th!
Girls on the Run Celebrate!
This past Saturday students in the Girls on the Run program ran in their 5K race that we've been training for all semester! I am so proud of my current and past students who participated in this program. I hope that you always remember to have a positive body image and to exercise and be healthy! Good job, girls!
G-O-T-R, every girl's a SUPERSTAR!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Weekly Update
We have finished MAP testing with math this past week! Thank you for supporting your child these past couple of weeks!
Math
On Wednesday we will have a test over customary and metric measurement. Students received the study guide on Friday. After our measurement test, we will resume with fractions and decimals.
Reading
We have finished our poetry unit in reading and writing. Students are also starting to finish their current book club books, and some groups are creating iMovie book trailers. This week students have a nonfiction reading for Friday Homework titled, "Pictures in the Stars."
Writing/Spelling
Students have published their poetry anthologies, and they will come home soon. I was very impressed with the final products! Great job, students! Also, students will receive a new spelling sort on Monday.
Science
We finished up our forces and motion unit with a few labs. In one lab, students calculated the speed at which they can chew bubblegum. In another lab, students experimented with friction as they tested the speed and distance a toy car would travel over sandpaper versus the tile floor. However, the students' favorite lab was where they demonstrated the law of inertia (see the video below). Students received the forces and motion study guide on Friday, and the forces and motion unit test will be this Tuesday. We will resume with social studies instruction after our test on Tuesday.
Other Important Info.
Don't forget to turn in the field trip permission slip and $10 for the Lewis and Clark Museum and First Missouri Capital on May 21st! Thank you parents for volunteering to chaperone! We are covered for parent chaperones, and volunteers will receive more information via email.
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| Monday's review math rotation with fraction bingo! |
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| Taking the math eValuate for the last time with a partner! |
Reading
We have finished our poetry unit in reading and writing. Students are also starting to finish their current book club books, and some groups are creating iMovie book trailers. This week students have a nonfiction reading for Friday Homework titled, "Pictures in the Stars."
Writing/Spelling
Students have published their poetry anthologies, and they will come home soon. I was very impressed with the final products! Great job, students! Also, students will receive a new spelling sort on Monday.
Science
We finished up our forces and motion unit with a few labs. In one lab, students calculated the speed at which they can chew bubblegum. In another lab, students experimented with friction as they tested the speed and distance a toy car would travel over sandpaper versus the tile floor. However, the students' favorite lab was where they demonstrated the law of inertia (see the video below). Students received the forces and motion study guide on Friday, and the forces and motion unit test will be this Tuesday. We will resume with social studies instruction after our test on Tuesday.
Other Important Info.
Don't forget to turn in the field trip permission slip and $10 for the Lewis and Clark Museum and First Missouri Capital on May 21st! Thank you parents for volunteering to chaperone! We are covered for parent chaperones, and volunteers will receive more information via email.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Weekly Update
We have finished the Communication Arts portion of the MAP test this past week! Students had much encouragement this week as they had a note on the board from Dr. Parker and then received letters from their first grade buddies and Mrs. Donze's students. Students also enjoyed candy encouragement and the trail mix snack that we've had so far. Thank you parents for providing this fun treat for the students! We will resume testing this week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the Mathematics portion of the MAP test. It is very important that students get enough sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and arrive to school on time. Thank you for your hard work, students!
Math
This past week we were busy reviewing for testing. We also continued our study of measurement and began to discuss fractions. We will continue with these topics this week, as well as show what we know on the MAP test!
Reading
We continued our poetry unit in reading and writing and met in book clubs. As a reminder, we meet in book clubs every Wednesday and Friday. Students should read the assigned pages and complete their book club role sheet before meeting in group. There is no Friday Homework this week.
Writing/Spelling
We will continue in editing and publishing our poetry anthologies this week. Get a sneak peak at some of the finished products below! Again, we will not resume with a new spelling sort until after MAP testing is complete.
Science
We continued in our forces and motion unit. This past week students were able to participate in a lab where they discovered how the weight of a marble and incline of a ramp affected how far the marble would travel. We have more fun labs to look forward to this week as well! Students should be studying their vocabulary words at home. We will have a test on this unit the week after MAP testing.
Other Important Info.
In Friday's Flyer Folder, students took home a permission slip for our final field trip. On Wednesday, May 21st, we will go to the Lewis and Clark Museum and First Missouri Capital in St. Charles. Details can be found on the permission slip.
As of April 30, Chartwell's will no longer be accepting checks.
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| Elayna and Ella working together on the last eValuate practice test on Monday |
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| Creating 3D shapes with our MAP snacks! |
Math
Reading
We continued our poetry unit in reading and writing and met in book clubs. As a reminder, we meet in book clubs every Wednesday and Friday. Students should read the assigned pages and complete their book club role sheet before meeting in group. There is no Friday Homework this week.
Writing/Spelling
We will continue in editing and publishing our poetry anthologies this week. Get a sneak peak at some of the finished products below! Again, we will not resume with a new spelling sort until after MAP testing is complete.
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| Haiku |
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| Color Poem |
Science
We continued in our forces and motion unit. This past week students were able to participate in a lab where they discovered how the weight of a marble and incline of a ramp affected how far the marble would travel. We have more fun labs to look forward to this week as well! Students should be studying their vocabulary words at home. We will have a test on this unit the week after MAP testing.
Other Important Info.
In Friday's Flyer Folder, students took home a permission slip for our final field trip. On Wednesday, May 21st, we will go to the Lewis and Clark Museum and First Missouri Capital in St. Charles. Details can be found on the permission slip.
As of April 30, Chartwell's will no longer be accepting checks.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Weekly Update
Math
This past week we continued with Chapter 24 on customary measurement, and added Chapter 25 on metric measurement to our studies. We discussed how to measure length, weight, and liquid volume using the metric ladder below. This was tricky as it is a new measurement system for the students. We will continue to practice measurement conversions using the metric system this week, as well as review for the upcoming mathematics MAP test.
Reading
We continued our poetry unit in reading and writing, reviewed for the MAP test, and met in book clubs. We meet in book clubs on Wednesdays and Fridays. Students should read the assigned pages and complete their book club role sheet before meeting in group.
Writing/Spelling
We will continue in editing and publishing our poetry anthologies this week. We will not resume with a new spelling sort until after MAP testing is complete.
Science
We have started our forces and motion unit in science this past week. Students can log on to kz.com to earn extra credit with these new topics. Students should also be studying their vocabulary words at home.
We continued our poetry unit in reading and writing, reviewed for the MAP test, and met in book clubs. We meet in book clubs on Wednesdays and Fridays. Students should read the assigned pages and complete their book club role sheet before meeting in group.
Writing/Spelling
We will continue in editing and publishing our poetry anthologies this week. We will not resume with a new spelling sort until after MAP testing is complete.
Science
We have started our forces and motion unit in science this past week. Students can log on to kz.com to earn extra credit with these new topics. Students should also be studying their vocabulary words at home.
MAP Testing Info.
As a reminder, our MAP testing dates will be this Tuesday and Wednesday, April 22nd and 23rd for Communication Arts. We will take the Mathematics MAP test April 29th, 30th and May 1st. Please try not to schedule any appointments on these days; It is important that your child is in attendance. Students should get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. Students will need to turn off their phones and electronics and keep them in their backpacks on MAP testing days. Some students have chosen to not bring their electronics to school on MAP testing days. Also, students took home a note in Flyer Folders last week regarding our MAP snack trail mix! Thank you to all families who have already brought in snacks! Finally, there was no Friday Homework this weekend, and there will be no Friday Homework during testing.
Other Important Info.
Wednesday is an early release day with dismissal at 1:40. Please make sure your child knows how they are getting home.
Also, the lunch room would like you to know that as of April 30,2014, Chartwell's will no longer be accepting checks.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Weekly Update
Math
This past week we took our test on Chapter 19 and have started Chapter 24 on customary measurement. We discussed how to measure length, weight, and liquid volume. Check out Gallon Robot below to help us in remembering our units of liquid volume! Students have a quiz over customary measurements next Wednesday, in which they need to know how many inches are in one foot, feet in a mile, ounces in a pound, ounces in a cup, etc. They can use their flipbook and Quizlet to help them study.
Reading
We continued our poetry unit in reading and writing, and are working on our poetry anthologies. We also continued with book clubs. We meet on Wednesdays and Fridays. Students should read the assigned pages and complete their book club role sheet before meeting in group. They receive a grade for this assignment, and they are allowed to complete their assignment during reading time in class.
Writing/Spelling
This past week we added to our poetry collection by writing acrostic poems, color poems, and concrete poems. See some of the students' acrostic poems below. Students are doing great with this! We will continue in editing and publishing our poetry anthologies next week. In Spelling, we received our new prefixes and suffixes word sort. Because there is no school this Friday, the spelling test will be this Thursday, 4/17.
Social Studies/Science
We finished Chapter 6 in social studies, and will start our Forces and Motion unit in science this week. In this unit, we will explore topics such as friction, gravity, velocity and acceleration.
Mr. Kassulke would like me to put this link on our blog for students to practice reading music notes at home: http://www.classicsforkids.com/games/notename/notenames10b.swf.
Please remember that there is no school this Friday, April 18th!
Username: Long-Leighton
Password: leighton
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| Measurement flipbook |
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| Alex and Tyler playing the measurement matching game |
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| Gallon Robots are taking over the room! |
We continued our poetry unit in reading and writing, and are working on our poetry anthologies. We also continued with book clubs. We meet on Wednesdays and Fridays. Students should read the assigned pages and complete their book club role sheet before meeting in group. They receive a grade for this assignment, and they are allowed to complete their assignment during reading time in class.
Writing/Spelling
This past week we added to our poetry collection by writing acrostic poems, color poems, and concrete poems. See some of the students' acrostic poems below. Students are doing great with this! We will continue in editing and publishing our poetry anthologies next week. In Spelling, we received our new prefixes and suffixes word sort. Because there is no school this Friday, the spelling test will be this Thursday, 4/17.
Social Studies/Science
We finished Chapter 6 in social studies, and will start our Forces and Motion unit in science this week. In this unit, we will explore topics such as friction, gravity, velocity and acceleration.
Important Info.
As a reminder, our MAP testing dates will be April 22nd and 23rd for Communication Arts, and April 29th, 30th and May 1st for Mathematics. Please try not to schedule any appointments on these days. It is important that your child is in attendance. Also, students took home a note in Flyer Folders regarding our MAP snack trail mix!
Please remember that there is no school this Friday, April 18th!
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