November 22nd

Dear Families,

Thank you for coming in for conferences last week. I enjoyed talking with all of you and sharing your child's successes!

 

Reminders:

November 23: Thanksgiving Multicultural Feast  (See note for more details)

November 25-29: No school for Thanksgiving Break

 

Language Arts:

Reading Workshop, This week we continued to read carefully in order to notice character changes through their emotions throughout the text. Next week we will start to learn the reading strategies we will use to talk in book clubs!

 

Word Work: In word work, we worked on the long /u/ sound including words with ui, u_e  and oo .  It is very helpful to point these types of words out to your child when reading with him/her at home.  Practice spelling some words with these patterns. 

 

Writing Workshop: This week we read mentor texts to help us see craft in writing.  Students continued the revision process and chose a piece of writing to edit and publish.

 

Math

This past week, we finished up Unit 3, Subtraction Strategies. When we get back from break, we will begin Unit 4 Place Value and Measurement. 

 

Science and Social Studies

This week students started learning about landforms.  They started researching to become experts on landforms. We'll start researching specific landforms and begin to work on presentations.

 

Remember that we only have school Monday and Tuesday of this week, then we're off for Thanksgiving break. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

November 15th

Dear Families,

This week on our team:

Reminders:

November 12-20: Book Fair

November 13: report cards sent home

November 17: Picture Retakes

November 19: half day of school with a 12:30 dismissal and Conferences from 1-4 and 5-7

November 23: Thanksgiving Feast  (See note that was sent home on Thursday)

November 25-29: No school for Thanksgiving Break

Language Arts: This week in Reading Workshop, we continued to work on identifying character traits and  focusing on using adjectives to describe characters. We read carefully in order to notice character changes throughout the text. Also, we analyzed characters so that we noticed the differences between traits and emotions. We read and reread some great books to discuss and write about some very interesting characters.
 

Word Work: In word work, we worked on the long /o/ sound including words with oa, and o-e  and ow .  It is very helpful to point these types of words out to your child when reading with him/her at home.  Practice spelling some words with these patterns. Next week, we’ll work on words with the long /u/ sound.

Writing Workshop: This week, we continued to work on personal narratives while studying author’s craft. We read the books Rollercoaster and Whistling to find author's craft to try in our own writing.  We’ve been working on taking our pieces through the writing process by revising and editing. Next week, we’ll continue writing personal narratives and studying mentor texts. Also, students have been doing lots of blogging and lots of writing from home! Everyone is having fun commenting and starting conversations with one another through our blogs!

Math: This past week, we continued to work on subtraction strategies, learning which strategies to use with different subtraction problems.  Children were asked to figure out the best or most efficient way to solve a subtraction math problem. Some of the strategies included Counting Up, Counting Back, using Fact Families, Minus 0 and Minus 1, and Think Addition. Please work on any of the subtraction activities on IXL.

Science and Social Studies: This weekwe continued to work at our Maker Spaces. Mr. F. stopped by and worked with another group. We need small boxes for our next Maker project (think jewelry boxes and small shoe boxes or any small box). We also continued to learn about working together in teams. We did a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) activity in teams and finished building chairs for a small stuffed animal. This chair had to be free standing and able to hold the animal without tipping over. Next week, we'll begin learning about Landforms and start to answer some of our wonderings by researching with our teams.
 

 

 

Homework:

*Use any of the websites that are on your password sheet to practice skills.

*Math Home links

 

*Blogging at home: Kidblog

*IXL Skills: have your child practice in any area they need to review and subtraction

*When reading aloud to your child, stop and discuss the character. Have your child describe the traits of that character.

*Practice math 10-15 minutes a night and reading for 10-15 minutes a night. Please complete this in any way that works best for you and your family.

Have a great weekend!

November 8th

Dear Families,

 

Here’s an update on what’s happening in our team:

 

Reminders:

November 6^th: end of first card marking

November 12/13: Special Person Breakfast,7:45-9:00a.m.

November 12-20:  Book Fair

November 19^th: half day of school with a 12:30 dismissal and Conferences from 1-4 and 5-7  (if you haven't signed up yet, please go to my Signup Genius page)

November 25-29: No school for Thanksgiving Break

 

Language Arts: This week in Reading Workshop, we continued to work on oral and written nonfiction retellings.  Your child practiced retelling a nonfiction article on November and then answered questions based on the article.  We practiced how to find text evidence and how to properly answer a question (close reading).  Next week, we will begin our second reading unit.  This unit focuses on characters.  We will learn to identify character traits and discuss how character traits can change throughout a story.

 

Word Work: In word work, we worked on the long /i/ sound including words with ie, igh, and i_e.  It is very helpful to point these types of words out to your child when reading or spelling with him/her at home.  We will move on to long /o/ words next week, which have the patterns oa, o-e, and ow.

 

Writing Workshop: This week, we worked on writing a personal narratives using different writer's craft.  We read some mentor texts to see what we could notice about a specific writer's work. We used the text "Rollercoaster," by Marla Frazee. We borrowed some of the craft that we noticed in her book to make our writing more interesting.  (ie. onomatopoeia, ellipses, word choice, etc.). Next week, we will continue to work on adding craft to our personal narratives.

 

Math: This past week, we did lesson 3.2, 3.3, and will do 3.4 on Monday. The Unit three review was sent home on Friday as well as the Unit two test for you to sign and return. If you notice that there is an area that your child may need to practice, please review that skill for homework this week.   Next week, we will be working on 3.4, 3.5, 3.8, and 3.9 . These lessons all teach students different subtraction strategies, so if you are using IXL at home, working on any of the subtractions skills will be beneficial.

 

Science and Social Studies: Last week we worked on collaboration skills and learned how to talk to one another, to listen to one another and how to agree and disagree (think win,win!). We began working on a team project,  "Building a Chair," so we could practice these team work strategies. This week, we'll finish up our chairs and begin to study landforms, using some aspects of Project Based Learning such as inquiry, team work, and research.

 

 

 

Homework:  We've really been working on using strategies to help to solve addition problems. Knowing your doubles facts really helps with fact power. Have your child practice doubles facts (1+1, 2+2, 3+3, 4+4,5+5, 6+6, 7+7, 8+8, 9+9, 10+10) if he/she doesn't have them memorized.

*Math Homelinks

*IXL Skills: have your child practice in any area they need help in

*Have your child retell a story he/she is reading at home (characters, setting, problem, solution).

*Practice math 10-15 minutes a night and reading for 10-15 minutes a night. Please complete this in any way that works best for you and your family.

 

Have a great week!

 

October 31

Dear Families,

Here’s an update on what’s happening in our team:

 

October Animoto

Reminders:

November 3^rd: Election Day, no school for students

November 6^th: end of first card marking

November 12/13: Special Person Breakfast, 7:45- 9:00a.m.

November 12-20:  Book Fair

November 19^th: half day of school with a 12:30 dismissal and Conferences from 1-4 and 5-7, more info to come!

November 25-29: No school for Thanksgiving Break

Halloween Party: Thank you to our Party Planners and volunteers. The party was a lot of fun and the kids had a great time! After seeing all of those fun costumes, I’m sure your child will have a fabulous weekend trick-or-treating!

 

Halloween Animoto

Language Arts: This week in Reading Workshop, we focused on oral and written nonfiction retellings.  Your child practiced retelling a nonfiction article on jack-o-lanterns and then answered questions based on the article.  We learned how to find text evidence and how to properly answer a question. We will continue with nonfiction retelling next week by reading an article about the month of November.

Word Work: In word work, we worked on the long /e/ sound including words with ee and e_e and ea.  It is very helpful to point these types of words out to your child when reading with him/her at home.  We will move on to long /i/ words next week.

Writing Workshop: This week, we worked on revising our personal narratives. We'll continue to work on revision and will work on writing amazing leads and closings. Our focus will be on studying Mentor texts to help us with identifying authors' craft.

Math: This past week, we did lesson 2.8, 2.9, and 2.12 if you are following along with the home links.  We had our Unit 2 test Thursday with an in-class review on Wednesday.  We will be taking our quarterly test on Monday.  This will cover material from the first two units.  We will be taking one of these tests each quarter to see how the students have retained the previously learned information. On Wednesday of next week, we will be starting Unit 3 with a pretest.  The results of that test will come home, along with a study guide for the unit.  This review does not need to be returned to class.

Science and Social Studies: 

We've been working on our Map unit, finishing up our "Me on the Map" flip book. We are also learning about ordinary people who have changed the world. We've read about Helen Keller, Albert Einstein, and Amelia Earhart. We've also practiced writing questions using the prompt: Ordinary People can change the world. We'll use this as our theme for Project Based Learning this year, incorporating this into our Science and Social Studies Units. 

Our Maker Space!

Click on link above to read an article on Maker spaces!

 

Several students worked on a Makey Makey with Mr. Fry this week. They'll teach others next week!

Homework:

*Math Homelinks Unit 3 (attached to email)

*IXL Skills: have your child practice in any area they need to review

*Have your child retell a story he/she is reading at home.

*Practice math 10-15 minutes a night and reading for 10-15 minutes a night. Please complete this in any way that works best for you and your family.

Have a great weekend!

October 25

Dear Families,

Here’s an update on what’s happening in our team:

 

Reminders:

November 3^rd: Election Day, no school for students

November 6^th: end of first card marking

November 12/13: Special Person Breakfast, more info to come!

November 19: half day of school with a 12:30 dismissal and Conferences from 1-4 and 5-8, more info to come!

November 25-29: No school for Thanksgiving Break

 

 

 

 

 

Fun Run Pictures!

 

 

Halloween Party: Thank you to our Party Planners. We’re looking forward to a great party next Friday. Please be sure that your child’s costume is appropriate (not too scary) for school. Children will change out of costumes after the party so that they can enjoy lunch and recess without worrying about their costumes. Please send in a bag to store their costume in. Our celebration will begin at 10:05am.

 

Making our Halloween Decorations

 

Language Arts: This week in Reading Workshop, we focused oral and written retellings.  Your child practiced retelling a fictional story including all the elements to a solid retelling.  Next week, we will focus on retelling non-fiction texts.

 

Word Work: In word work, we worked on the long /a/ sound including words with ay and ai.  It is very helpful to point these types of words out to your child when reading with him/her at home. Next week, we'll work on words with the long e patterns, ee, ea, ey.

 

Writing Workshop: We worked on finishing up our blog posts! We had fun on Friday commenting on posts.  Many students are blogging from home! Keep practicing logging on, drafting a post and commenting. Next week, we will finish up our first personal narrative unit we've  been working on, taking our writing pieces through the writing process.

 

 

 

These are some of our amazing paper blogs!

 

 

Math: This past week, we did lesson 2.3, 2.5, and 2.2 if you are following along with the homelinks.  We will be having our Unit 2 test next Thursday with an in-class review on Wednesday.  We always send home the review at the beginning of the unit so you know what types of questions your child will be tested on.  This was sent home during the week of Oct. 12.  Please go over the review at home with your child.  The review should not be returned to class.

 

Science and Social Studies: We started learning about Unit 2, People and Places.  The students are working on a fun activity called, “Me on the Map” where the students wrote and illustrated pictures of their  houses, city, state, country and Earth.  We will finish up Unit 2 next week and move onto our first Science unit, Earth’s Land and Water.

 

Homework:

• Math Homelinks were sent home as an attachment.
• IXL Skills: Use sections E, F and M on IXL (Addition of One Digit, Subtraction of One Digit and Place Value, addition word problems).
• Have your child retell a story he/she is reading at home.
• Practice math 10-15 minutes a night and reading for 10-15 minutes a night. Please complete this in any way that works best for you and your family.

 

Have a great weekend!

October 16

Update

Dear Families,

Here’s an update on what’s happening in our team:

Reminders:

October 30^th: Halloween Parade (9:15), Party 10:05-10:50ish

November 3^rd: Election Day, no school for students

November 6^th: end of first card marking

November 12/13: Special Person Breakfast, more info to come!

Halloween Party: Thank you to our Party Planners. We’re looking forward to a great party. Please be sure that your child’s costume is appropriate (not too scary) for school. Children will change out of costumes after the party so that they can enjoy lunch and recess without worrying about their costumes. Please send in a bag to store their costume in. Our celebration will begin at 10:05am.

Language Arts: This week in Reading Workshop, we focused on Fiction Retelling as our Comprehension Strategy. Students wrote retellings in their reading journals based on stories that we read in class. Next week, we’ll continue to practice oral and written retellings.

Word Work: In word work, we worked on digraphs. We sorted and practiced working with words with the ch, sh, th, wh, and ph sounds.  Next week, we will work on words with the long /a/ sound.

Writing Workshop: We worked on writing our first blog posts on paper! We created blog lists of our interests so that we’ll always have ideas for posts. We’re learning about the importance of proofreading and editing so that our audiences can read our writing. We also worked on learning about the expectations for commenting. We commented on each other's paper blog posts. Next week, we’ll continue to practice commenting on others’ blogs, digital citizenship, and the responsibility of being a blogger online.

Math: Please sign and return Unit One tests, if you haven’t already. We took Unit 2 pretests this week and began studying Unit Two. We’ve completed Lessons 2.1 and 2.4 and are learning about addition strategies. Next week, we will be working on lessons 2.3, 2.5, and 2.2.  These lessons focus on addition strategies such as doubles, near doubles and solving word problems.

Science and Social Studies: We’re finishing up our studies of communities and government and soon will begin learning about People and Places.

Homework:

Math Homelinks: These were emailed to you in a PDF format.

IXL Skills: Use sections E, F and M on IXL (Addition of One Digit, Subtraction of One Digit and Place Value).

Have your child retell a story he/she is reading at home.

Practice math 10-15 minutes a night and reading for 10-15 minutes a night. Please complete this in any way that works best for you and your family.

We had a great time at Fun Run today! Thank you to all the families that supported Deerfield!

Have a great weekend!

Updates

Dear Families,

Here’s an update on what’s happening in our team:

Reminders:

• Fun Run is Friday, October 16^th! Continue to send in your pledges! 
• Applications for our Student Lighthouse Team came home this week.  If your child is interested, they need to fill out the application and return it by Wednesday, October 14^th.

• Next week is Spirit Week! There will be an orange sheet of daily activities going home this afternoon (Friday). 
• Volunteers are needed to help trace and cut patterns for our Halloween crafts and also to make some math counters for us. Please email me if you're interested!

 ·         In order to make our dismissal run more smoothly, as a school, we are asking that if you are coming to pick up your child from school at the end of the day, that you stay in your car and go through the parent pick up car line.  This is for the safety of all children.  Thank you for your understanding!

Language Arts

Reading Workshop: This week we learned about the different stations students will be visiting during reading workshop.  Students practiced building their stamina at centers as well as transitioning from station to station.  Next week we will be learning reading strategies of how to think before, during and after our reading, as well as practice with retelling fictional stories!

Writing Workshop:   This week we began working on our rough drafts with our paper blogs! We will  follow the writing process to write our first blog.  Please note we are not starting online kid blogs for a couple of weeks.  There is a lot of instruction needed before jumping into our online blogs! Next week, we'll learn about online safety. We'll also  begin to learn the process of commenting and later set up our Avatars on Kidblog. 

Math

 We wrapped up unit 1 this week, testing today!  Tests will come home to sign and return next week.  We will be taking a pre-test and focusing on lessons 2.1 and 2.3 next week if you are following along with Everyday Math Online.  Remember to check online using your child’s password for homelinks! 

Science/Social Studies

This week we learned about communities, rural, suburban and urban. Next week we'll learn more about maps and begin to make our own maps using the compass rose and map keys. We'll also begin to learn about why communities need governments. 

Homework

Students should be practicing math for 10-15 minutes a night and reading for 10-15 minutes a night.  Please complete this in any way that works best for you and your family.

Have a great weekend!!!